Meditation for Christmas Eve 2017 The Truth About Christmas A little boy and girl were singing their favorite Christmas carol on Christmas Eve. The boy concluded Silent Night with the words, Sleep in heavenly beans. No, his sister corrected, not its not heavenly beans, its heavenly peas. We often misunderstand words, we often mishear things, and yes we often forget what this season is all about. We have so much packed into these quick days of this short season that we often forget the reality of Christmas. So often the Christmas story of the birth of our Savior is reduced to a romantic, idyllic, fairy tale-esque retelling a once upon a time story. Most of our songs and meditations are centered around the peaceful calm, and poetic quiet of this time in history that changed eternity. We have such a dressed up version of the Christmas story in our minds that we forget how messy and messed up it truly is. But in order for us to begin to grasp the magnitude of what we celebrate and worship tonight, it is essential for us to pull back the layers to see the real Christmas because a frilly Christmas is fake Christmas. A fake Christmas is one in which we think that Jesus quietly entered the world into a perfect family to show us all how to behave. That is not really what happened. 1
We are tempted to believe that Christmas isn t about pain and shame, guilt and fear... but if you listen closely to the story we all think we know so well, you will hear that Christmas isn t for people who have it all pulled together. It isn t for the pure. It isn t for the lovely and bright. Christmas isn t for people without problems or sorrows or pain. Christmas is for all who know themselves to be broken in some way; for those who are desperate for the light of truth and the comfort of God s amazing grace. Beloved, tonight we are invited to take whatever grieves us, or embarrasses us, or has broken us, and place it in the manger because the only One who can heal our brokenness is found there. You see the story of Christmas is about God entering the world in the midst of brokenness and pain, in compassion for our brokenness and pain. The Christmas story isn t about precious moment angels and twinkling stars and snowmen and drummer boys as much as we love and enjoy all those things. No, the story of Christmas we hear in the gospels is about government oppression at its worst. It s about taxes and requirements levied mainly on the poor. It s about scandal and perceived infidelity. It s about a young woman in over her head and a simple man trying to do everything he can for her while failing to even find a bed for his wife to lie in. It s the story of a family tree full of unfaithful men and women. It s about rough, messy, insignificant men in fields learning the good news first. It s about an egotistical, murderous king wanting to save his position. 2
It s about heathen men traveling far distances to bring worldly gifts to a heavenly God. The gritty, messy reality of the Christmas story should not be missed because it shows what the story is all about. So what is this story; what is this night all about? It is all about our good and loving God, looking in favor upon us and delivering to us exactly what we don t deserve, what we could never buy or achieve for ourselves. God comes to us not in the anger and the wrath the world deserves for our ignoring him and rebelling against him, and our unloving ways. No God comes in the most approachable form of all. The fullness of God came and took on the form of a vulnerable, babbling infant. Think about that for a moment. God came as a baby. For most of us, there s not much that is more appealing than a baby, a newborn. For one thing, there is nothing scary about a baby (especially when the child is not yours to care for). Babies cannot judge, babies cannot hurt, babies cannot harm. And this is how Christ comes to us then and now. He doesn t come to people who have it all together. He comes to bring us all together. He doesn t come to point a finger at you and me or anyone else, but to heal us and point us all to the reality of what he brings. 3
He doesn t come to show us what we should be, rather Emmanuel comes to make us his own. He comes not caring about how broken and messy and messed up we are. He comes and lives among us in all the messiness of life, wanting so desperately for us to know how much grace and truth and love God has for all his children. He comes to bring the light that no darkness can overcome. So we gather here not just to remember when Jesus came, but so that tonight in this place, Jesus can come to us again. And he comes in the most approachable of ways. He comes to us in the simple water with the mighty word that we recall in our baptism where we are cleansed and made his brothers and sisters. He comes to us in the words of forgiveness and assurance that don t just make us feel good about ourselves but make us anew into the good selves he wants us to be. He comes to us in a simple piece of bread and a sip of wine the gift of his very body and blood for the sustaining of our souls. He comes among us to give us everything we need. So yes, Good Christian friends, this is why we rejoice. Because all the wrong that comes to mind need not stay in our mind. Instead, let this good news fill your mind and heart and being: The One who is full of grace and truth is here and all we need to do is welcome him and trust in him. Let his goodness fill you and give you all the confidence you need to live in this broken world until that day he comes to fully reveal himself and we see that all he is making new even now. 4
Yes, we do have much to celebrate, but true celebration comes with knowing the rescue we so desperately need. So let us sing the carols. Let us give the gifts. But all the more let us tell others what they mean to us. Let us feast and provide for the hungry. Let us gather tonight at this table and receive once again the gifts of grace and reconciliation we need so we might be agents of mercy and peacemaking in the world. But let us not stop at Christmas! May we know Christmas tonight and tomorrow and all the days ahead, yes all year long, because until Christ comes again to finally put an end to all that is wrong, we still have a need. Remember this each day: we still have our Savior, who is Christ the Lord. He meets us still in our greatest needs. He does not want to leave us in sin and death. He doesn t leave us to fix our messes and messed-upness on our own. No, he comes still to give us life and light. He comes so we will be born anew And for that good news, let heaven and nature sing! Amen. 5
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