Christmas Eve
2 Sam 7:1-16; Ps 89:1-4, 19-29; Rev 22:12-17; Lk 1:67-79
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:1-7
Christmas has become a time of escape. Some of us get some time off work. Some get to spend quality time with family. We set aside our diets for a day or two…. or three. We spend more money (and pay for it in January).
All of these things can be really good. It is important to feel that sense of freedom from time to time. We all need a holiday. But if we are not careful, our desire to escape from reality can give us the wrong idea about Christmas, and perhaps about our faith. There are many who suppose that the whole idea of religion is to offer an escape from the day-to-day challenges of our lives; to trick ourselves into thinking all is well even when it is not.
But this view of religion is certainly at odds with what is described in the Christmas story. The accounts of Mary and Joseph and Jesus are not the least bit escapist. They are distinctly “real world.” In fact, the birth narrative in Luke begins with the declaration of a new Roman tax which results in significant cost and inconvenience for ordinary citizens. It doesn’t get much more “real world” than taxes.
It tells us of a young couple in a very conservative culture who are expecting a child but are not married.
The Christmas story shares a tale of homelessness, of a family on the move, with no money and nowhere to stay, and an infant being born in terrible conditions.
This is not an escapist account. It is as ‘real world’ as it is possible to be. And if we read the Christmas story carefully we can feel the grit on our hands and feet, we can smell the animals, we can see the poverty, we can sense the uncertainty and the anxiety.
And so it is important for us to remember that the Christmas story speaks to us in the real world. Especially during those times when we find ourselves unable to escape our troubles. When we are having financial problems, when we are having relational difficulties, when we are facing illness, and when we have suffered the death of a loved one, God meets us in our own real-world conditions.
The late Timothy Keller says, “Traditional religion says salvation is escaping out of this world into the kingdom of God, but the gospel of Christmas is that salvation is the kingdom of God coming into this world…. the gospel is that … the kingdom of God is here to rehabilitate this world, not to save us into some ethereal paradise.”
Luke’s gospel tells us that Jesus’ nickname would be “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” God with us in the real world.
The beautiful message of Christmas is that we do not face the real world alone. We are never alone. God is with us. Immanuel.
Amen.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:1-7
Christmas has become a time of escape. Some of us get some time off work. Some get to spend quality time with family. We set aside our diets for a day or two…. or three. We spend more money (and pay for it in January).
All of these things can be really good. It is important to feel that sense of freedom from time to time. We all need a holiday. But if we are not careful, our desire to escape from reality can give us the wrong idea about Christmas, and perhaps about our faith. There are many who suppose that the whole idea of religion is to offer an escape from the day-to-day challenges of our lives; to trick ourselves into thinking all is well even when it is not.
But this view of religion is certainly at odds with what is described in the Christmas story. The accounts of Mary and Joseph and Jesus are not the least bit escapist. They are distinctly “real world.” In fact, the birth narrative in Luke begins with the declaration of a new Roman tax which results in significant cost and inconvenience for ordinary citizens. It doesn’t get much more “real world” than taxes.
It tells us of a young couple in a very conservative culture who are expecting a child but are not married.
The Christmas story shares a tale of homelessness, of a family on the move, with no money and nowhere to stay, and an infant being born in terrible conditions.
This is not an escapist account. It is as ‘real world’ as it is possible to be. And if we read the Christmas story carefully we can feel the grit on our hands and feet, we can smell the animals, we can see the poverty, we can sense the uncertainty and the anxiety.
And so it is important for us to remember that the Christmas story speaks to us in the real world. Especially during those times when we find ourselves unable to escape our troubles. When we are having financial problems, when we are having relational difficulties, when we are facing illness, and when we have suffered the death of a loved one, God meets us in our own real-world conditions.
The late Timothy Keller says, “Traditional religion says salvation is escaping out of this world into the kingdom of God, but the gospel of Christmas is that salvation is the kingdom of God coming into this world…. the gospel is that … the kingdom of God is here to rehabilitate this world, not to save us into some ethereal paradise.”
Luke’s gospel tells us that Jesus’ nickname would be “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” God with us in the real world.
The beautiful message of Christmas is that we do not face the real world alone. We are never alone. God is with us. Immanuel.
Amen.
by The Rev. Steve Bateman
"Joy to the World” Isaac Watts & George F. Handle
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