Reading for Christmas
Eve 2003/Year C:
Luke 2:1-20
December 24, 2003
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
It was a few days before Christmas. The traffic was overwhelming and parking spaces were hard to come by. There were long lines, crowded stores, rude people, and grossly inflated prices. In one long checkout line, a man turned around and said: "They should kill the guy who started Christmas." One wise and godly woman in the line said, "They did. They executed him on a cross." Herein lies the REAL Christmas story.
The real story of Christmas is a story of hope; a story of new possibilities for humankind. It began with a baby of Jewish origin who grew up in 1st century Palestine. He became a healer, a teacher of wisdom, a prophet for the kingdom of God. Fully endowed with the spirit and nature of God, Jesus called us to love our neighbors (as well as our enemies), to have compassion for the weak and the poor, and to forgive those who have sinned against us. Demanding unconditional love, unconditional forgiveness, peace, inclusivity, food for the hungry, and repentance from hardness of heart, Jesus was too much at odds with the power structures of his time. Because of this, he was quickly removed from his earthly ministry and killed. But the story of hope did not end there. His light continues to shine in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Every time we say yes to peace, yes to compassion, yes to the highest and best virtues, yes to God, we embrace the story of Christmas which has no end but only new possibilities.
*There once was a man who lived in a farming community who didn't believe in the incarnation or the spiritual meaning of Christmas. He was skeptical about Jesus and the whole Christmas tradition. One snowy Christmas Eve, the winds grew strong and the snow turned into a blizzard. As he looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. But as he strained his eyes, he saw some geese wandering frantically around the garden. He was touched with compassion and wanted to help them. He thought to himself: "The barn would be a great place for them to stay! It is warm and safe and surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm." He put on his boots, gloves, and warm overcoat, and trudged through the snow to where the geese were struggling. He tried to shoo them, run after them, and chase them towards the barn. They only got scared and scattered into every direction except towards the barn. Feeling totally frustrated, he exclaimed, "Why don't they follow me! Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm? How can I possibly get them into the one place where they will be safe?" [*author unknown]
He stood silently for a moment and pondered: "If only I could become like one of them--then they would follow me and I could show them the path from death to life." As he thought about this insight, the winds and blinding snow died down. His heart became quiet and he began to understand what Christmas was all about. He knew then why Christ had to come in the flesh (instead of just an idea) to show us the way, the truth, and the life.
In the person of Jesus, we now have access to the words and works of God that beforehand were not possible. We now know the path we must follow in order to live in peace and harmony with each other. The spirit of Christ transforms lives. Transformed lives create a transformed world. This is the hope and the message of the real story of Christmas.
| Updated 12/28/03 |
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