The First Gift
Christmas Eve
December 24, 2008
Isaiah 9:2-7
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness- on them light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. 4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:2-7
I suspect the whole experience wasn't quite what she imagined the day the angel came to call. She'd never been pregnant. She'd never been married. And she'd probably never left Nazareth before. When she'd signed on for this tremendous task, she was scared but she figured God would take care of everything somehow. And God had, but not quite as miraculously and easily as he had placed the baby within her. Joseph did marry her, but not until after some discussion, thought and prayer. The neighbors hadn't stoned her as an adulteress, but she knew they were still whispering behind closed doors. And then just as her time to give birth was near, the Roman government had demanded they travel to Bethlehem. If she'd ever dreamed of seeing the world, this was not the time to do it! Now here she was in the middle of the longest night of the year, in a stable in a strange town experiencing the greatest pain of her life.
Our Christmas carols and Christmas cards make it all look so tame, so easy, and so sweet. The innocent young woman, her doting husband, animals that don't smell, a baby that doesn't cry, and a star that gives off as much light as the sun. No smells, no harsh sounds, no pain, no fear, and no darkness.
But that wasn't how it was.
Jesus wasn't born in some supernatural bubble. He was Emmanuel, God with us. So he was born into our very real and scary world. He wasn't some baby doll that never cries but a flesh and blood baby whose parents took a deep sigh of relief when his lungs filled with air and he gave his first cry. He wasn't born in a castle surrounded by comfort and cared for by servants but in a stable surrounded by dirty, stinky animals and cared for by loving but inexperienced parents. Nor was he born in the bright light of day, but instead he was born in the middle of the longest night.
Perhaps that is why we try to clean the story up a bit. Because there is something very uncomfortable about acknowledging the darkness of the world around us and the darkness that exists within ourselves. Better to ignore the darkness. Better to pretend the world is a kind if not a good place and avoid watching the news or asking too many questions or looking too hard within. Better to turn the story of God breaking into the world into a sweet children's story than to acknowledge that God took on flesh and came to dwell among us precisely because the world is a dark place. And they miss the light in the glare of their denial.
On the other hand, there are others who prefer to wallow in the darkness. They spend much time and effort listing off their sins and the sins of others. They watch the news on TV and declare that the world is a horrible place. And they yell at God for allowing the darkness or they refuse to believe in God at all because of it. For them the birth of Jesus was no different than any other birth at any other time. And they can't see the light of God glimmering in the darkness, beckoning them to come into the light.
But here is the good news of Jesus Christ: in the midst of darkness, in the midst of pain, in the most unexpected places and among the most unexpected people, God comes and the people who walk in darkness see a great light and the darkness cannot overcome it! So we can see the darkness and acknowledge its reality but we don't have to let it define us or our world.
This is what I so love about this story-not that God entered the world in some magically light, joyful and perfect place but that God entered into the reality of our dark, broken world and brought light, joy, and hope to it. God entered the world not when we need him the least but when we needed him the most.
If Good Friday reminds us of the seriousness of our sin and rebellion, and Easter reminds us of the possibility of a new life beyond this one, then Christmas reminds us that this life, this world, this flesh are valued by God. The birth in Bethlehem grounds our faith. Christmas reminds us that God came for those of us who still live and struggle, who hunger and feast, who cry and laugh, who celebrate and mourn. In the midst of this present darkness-our pain, our sins, our grief, our fears, God came and his light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.
The first Christmas gift-a baby born to a poor couple in a stable-a candle lit in the midst of our darkness. A single solitary flame-but one which pierces our darkness.
Truly we worship a peculiar God. The creator God who created and put the universe in motion, yet stoops to meet us in common every day things-a baby in a manger, a bit of water on a head, a sip of juice and a piece of bread. The sovereign God who placed the sun in the sky choose to change the world through a baby-to pierce the darkness with a single tiny flame.
And this peculiar and magnificent God did it all for us! Because God so loved the world-he gave Jesus to us! For us-those who walk in darkness-God gave his light to us! For us, a child is given! For us a son is born! For love of us, God has given us the most extraordinary gift in the most ordinary thing- a light in our darkness in the form of a baby in a manger.
We didn't earn it. We surely don't deserve it. We probably wouldn't have known to ask for it. Yet here it is this tremendous earth shaking, darkness defeating gift.
So what do we do with such an unexpected and delightful gift? We share it.
Someone once said there are two ways to spread the light. One is to be the light and the other is to be the mirror which reflects it. God sent Jesus as a single solitary light in the midst of a dark world, but then he called on us to reflect that light through our lives.
Just as God entered into our darkness, he calls us to enter into the darkness of others. Just as God loved, accepted and forgave us when we were unworthy, he calls us to love, accept and forgive others. Just as God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to us, so too we must bring God to those whom God loves. And as we do these things, the light is reflected, the flame is shared, and one day the whole earth will glow with the love of God and the darkness will be no more!
That is the good news of Christmas! Thanks be to God!
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