Christmas 2002
Deacon Fernando Heredia and his wife, Regina, lent me this little statue, of Santa Claus with his red hat off, kneeling at the foot of the manger as Jesús is being born.
I love Santa Claus – his generosity, his joviality, his big round belly fully of jelly. He really brings out – especially in children – the magical joy and enchantment of this season. But Santa really is just a modern-day representation of St. Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop who went around giving out gifts to help remind people of the greatest gift of all, which is Jesus.
This statue reminds us that Santa is NOT the reason for the season. Jesus is the reason for the season.
On your sheets, I’ve printed a little reflection, and I’d like us to read it together. It’s entitled, “Why Jesus is better than Santa Claus.” Let’s read:
Santa lives at the North Pole...JESUS is everywhere. Santa rides in a sleigh...JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water. Santa comes but once a year… JESUS is an ever present help. Santa fills your stockings with goodies...JESUS supplies all your needs. Santa comes down your chimney uninvited...JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited. You have to wait in line to see Santa...JESUS is as close as the mention of His name. Santa lets you sit on his lap...JESUS lets you rest in His arms. Santa doesn't know your name. All he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?"… JESUS knew our name before we were born. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads. Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly… JESUS has a heart full of love. All Santa can offer is HO HO HO… JESUS offers health, help and hope. Santa says "You better not cry"… JESUS says, "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you." Santa's little helpers make toys … JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions. Santa may make you chuckle but … JESUS gives you joy that is your strength. While Santa puts gifts under your tree… JESUS became our gift and died on a tree.… The cross. We need to put Christ back in CHRISTmas, Jesus is still the reason for the season.
I remember when I was living back in Phoenix, working at the parish there and preparing for Midnight Mass for Christmas, I had heard a story of a parish where they couldn’t find the baby Jesus for the crib. Baby Jesus had just vanished. In fact, they had to celebrate all the Christmas Masses without a baby Jesus in the crib. The next day, Dec. 25, after Masses had ended and the priest was walking home, he came across a little boy, pulling a new toy wagon which he had just received for Christmas. In the wagon was the baby Jesus. The boy explained to the priest, “I really wanted a new wagon, so I prayed real hard and I told Jesus that if he gave me a new wagon for Christmas, I would be sure to give him the first ride.” Funny as the story may seem, that little boy understood the real meaning of Christmas – that its about Jesus, not Santa or gifts or other things.
On your sheet is a picture, of gifts. How many here like to give and receive gifts? It’s fun, isn’t it? And at Christmas, we give and receive lots of gifts. I remember a story of a little boy, who really wanted lots of gifts from Santa for Christmas, so he wrote a letter to Santa. It went like this: “Dear Santa: There are three little boys in my house. Juan is 2. David is 4. Rigoberto is 7. Juan is good some of the time. David is good some of the time. Rigoberto is good all of the time. My name is Rigoberto.”
The problem with Santa is that you need to be good – you need to earn your gifts. You know the old song, “He’s keeping a list, he’s checking it twice, he wants to make sure if you’ve been naughty or nice, Santa Claus is coming to town.”
But Christmas is about a free gift. It costs nothing. There are no strings attached. It can’t be rescinded. The Christmas gift is Jesús himself – born among us, a human being just like us, so that he could save us from sin and death. All we have to do is accept the gift – but there is no earning it, no trying to figure out if we’ve been naughty or nice. On your sheet, the good news of Christmas is summarized by one short verse in the Bible, John 3:16. Let’s read it together: This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is
why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. Juan 3:16
Jesus is the reason for the season. But not just Jesus. We too are the reason for the season, because Jesus came for us – to rescue and save us, and to give us life. I want everyone to repeat after me: I am the reason for the season. Once again: I am the reason for the season. Jesus came and gave his life on a cross because he loves us and he wants the very best for us.
Have you ever wondered why God chose to enter the world as he did – in a stable, out in the cold, amid the animals and shepherds, poor and down-and-out? Why didn’t he just announce his arrive with sky writing in the clouds? Why didn’t he just get on the PA system and all the television networks during the Super Bowl? The answer, I think, is rather simple: God came to save us, not to scare us. And that’s because he really, truly, deeply loves us – loves each and every one of us.
Christmas is not necessary to know a lot about God. We can look up at the stars or out at nature and know that God is immensely powerful. We can look at the wide variety of all living things on this planet, and conclude that God likes diversity. We can see through the orderliness and logic of science that ours is a God of order, not chaos. But unless God comes down and reveals himself – unless God decides to actually take upon himself human flesh and become a living, breathing person – then we can never know if God loves us or not, if God forgives us, if God really wants to live in an intimate relationship of friendship with Him. And that’s the reason for Christmas – so that we can look into the very heart of God and see his great love for each and every one of us. Jesus came to help us NOT just exist, but to truly live – live life to its very fullest.
If I offered you a free gift – a gift that would instantly alleviate all your big problems in life; a gift that would heal you of all your pain and hurts, past, present or future; a gift which would forgive all your past mistakes; a gift that would give your life meaning and purpose, and make you into the very best person that you can be – a gift that would always fill you with joy and contentment, here and now and also for all eternity in heaven – would you want and accept that gift? How many said “Yes”? How many said “No”? It would be foolish NOT to accept such a gift.
But did you know – that’s the exact kind of gift that Jesus gives to each and every one of us. But we must accept the gift. And sadly enough, a lot of people never accept the gifts that God has given to them.
Look on your sheets. We have three witnesses to the Christmas good news. First, we have the Gospel of St. John, which talks about how God so loved us that he sent his Son – the very Word of God that existed from before the beginning of the universe – to scatter the darkness and to bring the new light of God into the world. We have the good news of Christmas that God came to us, because we could not come to Him – and that he came to make us his sons and daughters, his children. Let’s read: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world…. To those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God….And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-5,9,12,14
Next, we have the witness of Matthew – the good news that we have a God who is close – Emmanuel, God-with-us. Let’s read: Mary will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means "God is with us." Mateo 1:21-23
Finally, we have the witness of Luke. Let’s read what he says: And the angel said to Mary, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God….for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Lucas 1:35, 37-38
In Luke, we learn that nothing is impossible with God. But like Mary, we need to have faith, we need to have eyes to see – and we need to say “yes” when God calls to us.
It’s Christmas, and I suspect all of us like to sing. I love to hear Christmas carols. So today, I want to use some popular Christmas carols – and to invite you to join in singing these carols with me – as our response to God’s Christmas love. Each song contains a message, a hint as to how God would like us to respond this Christmas to the gift of his Son.
The first song I want us to sing is “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The words are on your sheet. This song says simply, “Come. Accept the invitation. Accept the free gift of Jesus Christ into your heart. Make him king and savior and Lord.” Let’s sing …
The second song is “Silent Night.” Our world is too noisy, too full of distractions, and this song reminds us that we need to slow down – especially at Christmas, but all year round – slow down to pray, to meditate, to read the Bible, to spend time in silence with God. So let us sing …
Our third song is “Joy to the World.” It reminds us that the Christian life is meant to be a life of joy. Let’s sing…
The fourth song is “Angels We Have Heard on High.” Angels are God’s messengers. Two thousand years ago, the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary and Joseph the good news that Mary was to give birth to the savior of the world. And on Christmas day, angels announced this miraculous birth to the shepherds. We too are called to be messengers – angels – of God’s love and God’s light in the world. That too is part of Christmas. So let us sing …
Finally, this last song is not a religious song at all. But we all know it by heart – “Jingle Bells.” Why sing “Jingle Bells” at church for Christmas? Because of a guy named John Pierpont, who lived in the 1800s and was a failure at everything he ever did. He graduated from Yale and became a teacher, but was too nice to the students, who took advantage of him and refused to obey – so he was fired. He started his own business, but was too generous in giving people credit, and they never paid him back, so he went bankrupt. He then became a Protestant minister – and was a staunch opponent of slavery and racism. But his white Congregation was not nearly as progressive, so they kicked him out. He tried politics, but lost twice in different elections. Finally, at age 76, he tried to serve as a chaplain in the military during the Civil War – but by now, he was quite elderly, and he got sick at the sight of blood. So he was a failure even at that! In 1866 at age 81, John Pierpont died working as a lowly government clerk. But he wrote a little song for his family – just a little ditty, really – and that is the song “Jingle Bells.” It reminds us that with God, nothing is impossible.
Can you repeat that? With God – NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. Let’s sing together, “Jingle Bells” …
Christmas – its not about Santa. It’s about Jesus – the greatest gift that God could give to the world. For God loves us. God wants to make us his children. God came down to us, and on Christmas, invites us to open our hearts and lives, and accept this precious and free gift by letting him in.
St. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, perhaps summed it up best. So on your sheets, let us KNEEL (OR BOW) and let us pray out loud: He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. – Philippians 2:6-11
Why are we here?
The famous Christmas song says it all: [Sing…] “Come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come, ye, O come, ye, to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the king of angels. O come, let us adore him. O come, let us adore him. O come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord.”
I love Christmas – the singing, the food, the smells and sounds, lights and trees and gifts and decorations, and – did I mention? – the food. How many here like Christmas?
For some, it may be extra-special – the first Christmas as a young married couple, or with a newborn baby. Or maybe all the kids are home from out of town. But Christmas isn’t merry for everyone – think of the soldiers in Iraq, for example, or those who are all alone or far away from family and friends, or those who’ve lost a loved one in the past year, and this is their first Christmas without that loved one. Last week, I visited the juvenile hall detention facility in Indio and we through a wonderful Christmas party for all the teenagers who were there – cookies, cake, ice cream, gifts. But I would imagine that today is a bit difficult for those kids, and for adults, too, who are locked away in prison.
I read a story just last week of a little boy who, for Christmas, was allowed to visit a pet store, where he could pick out any dog he wanted as a Christmas present. He saw this one little dog whose tail was wagging furiously, so he picked that little puppy. His mom and dad asked him why he picked that particular dog, and he answered, “Because I wanted the one with a happy ending.”
Don’t we all want life to have a happy ending? And in a way, that’s what Christmas is all about. As we stare into the crib at the baby Jesus, we think of peace and joy, even in a world where there is not always peace and joy. We think of light scattering darkness. We see hope defeating despair. We dare to dream that there is a messiah, a savior, someone greater than any problems we might encounter. Christmas is not just about peace, joy, hope and light – it is about a person, Jesus Christ. It is about God’s love which has flooded and invaded our world – and not just 2003 years ago in tiny Bethlehem, but here and now, in our world, in our lives. Jesus lives in us and his greatest gift to us is to allow us to become beacons of his light in the world – his foot soldiers who go into the world in our day and scatter darkness.
Years ago, I remember a Christmas card. Mary was on the donkey. Joseph was walking in front. The caption read: “It’s Christmas, I’m pregnant, and I don’t know how this happened. He just told me we don’t have a reservation. That’s kind of how it is, isn’t it?”
I like that card, because it reminds us that Jesus, Mary and Joseph were human, just like us. That they could laugh. That they could cry. That life was not always easy, for them or for us. But they still trusted that somehow, God was in control of their lives and their destinies – and that they greatest call in life was to continue to say “yes” to call of God the Father.
A pastor I know in Orange County is having a rough Christmas this year. His wife is in the hospital, receiving painful chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer. It’s the first Christmas in more than 20 years that they have not celebrated at their church. It sounds like a pretty dreary and depressing Christmas, doesn’t it? But in his e-mail, that pastor wrote of something that was written on a plaque on the wall of the hospital where his wife is receiving treatment: “Cancer is so limited. It cannot cripple love. It cannot shatter hope. It cannot corrode faith. It cannot destroy peace. It cannot kill friendships. It cannot suppress memories. It cannot silence courage. It cannot invade the soul. It cannot steal eternal life. It cannot conquer the Spirit.”
On your handouts, it says, “Come, Let Us Adore Him!” Then below, it says, “Following in the Footsteps of Joseph and Mary.” That’s what we are invited to do – follow the example of ordinary people like Joseph and Mary, who were not that different from you and me. We trust and hope and walk in faith, just as they did.
On TV now, there is a new show out – not a very good show, I might add. Here’s a clip. [Show video clip] The show is called “Average Joe,” and it’s about whether a beautiful, voluptuous blonde will ever fall for one of the “average Joe’s” – who are guys who are middle aged, balding, with spare tires around their bellies. But the one thing this show might teach us that Joseph was an ordinary Joe, too – as was Mary, his wife; and as are we. And that’s good news, because God came into the world and was born into an average, ordinary family. They weren’t rich or famous or powerful. Joseph was a carpenter, Mary just a young teenage girl.
Or for your children, I have a song. Listen to it for a second, and see if you can guess the name of this song. [Play “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer] On your handouts is a picture of good ol’ Rudolf. But can someone tell me what Rudolf’s problem was? Right! He had a shiny red nose, so all the other reindeer would tease him and make fun of him. But Santa picks Rudolf to be his No. 1 reindeer and to guide his sleigh through the clouds and the fog and the snow and the night. And even more interesting, Santa never asks Rudolf to change – he accepts Rudolf just as he is, red nose and all. He uses what others think is a defect or a flaw in Rudolf – his flashing red nose – and transforms the seeming defect into a strength.
The story of Rudolf is a parable of sorts about God. You see, all of us are “ordinary Joe’s” and we have our weaknesses and defects – some of them hidden, some of them visible for all the world to see, like Rudolf’s red nose. But God loves us for who we are – loves us so much that he sent his Son Jesus into the world to rescue us from sin and death – to give us hope and joy and new life – to scatter the darkness so that we could become children of light. And just as Santa used Rudolf’s shiny nose to scatter the darkness in front of his sleigh, God came into the world 2003 years ago, on that first Christmas, to love us and use us so that we could become God’s instruments for scattering the darkness in our day and age and in our world.
God’s most precious gift is himself, born in a manger. Emmanuel – God-with-us. And that is a marvelous insight. In so many religious, God is a far off and impersonal deity – up in the sky somewhere, maybe raining down thunderbolts of punishment on his wretched creatures below. But Christmas reminds us that Christianity is so very different – God who so loved the world that he invaded the world and lived in it himself, who is one like us and one with us, closer than we can every imagine. I remember years ago hearing the story of a little boy, who came running to his mom and dad in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. His mom and dad told him, “Go back to bed! God is watching over you.” But the little boy insisted on climbing in bed with his mom and dad. “I need a God with skin on,” he said. And don’t we all! Which is why God came down and put skin on, became one with us. That’s Christmas!
Or there’s another story of a little boy, looking up at the sky at an airplane going by. His mom and dad were with him, and they said, “Uncle Scott might be on that plane. He’s flying now to see his family. Let’s wave to him!” The little boy started waving, then asked, “How do people climb way up there and get on those airplanes?” The parents laughed as they explained that people don’t climb into the sky to get onto an airplane. Rather, airplanes come down so we can hop onto them. God did the same thing. He came down to be with us, and was born as one of us in a manger. That’s Christmas!
“Come, let us adore him.” Let’s watch the Christmas story. [Show brief video clip of Christmas story]
On your handout, please look at the last point – and probably the most important point for us today. It says, “Following Jesus requires RISK.”
All of life is a risk, when you really stop and think about it. Last week, I came across some rather startling statistics about risk. Did you know that in a year’s time, 1 in 4,000 Americans will suffer an injury in bed, and that every two days, somebody in this country actually dies by falling out of bed? Men, did you know that in a year’s time, 1 in every 7,000 of us will suffer a shaving accident that is serious enough that we will need some kind of medical attention? Did you know that every year, 1 in 6,500 Americans get hurt using the toilet (don’t ask me how!), and that 1 in every 2,600 Americans will get hurt from a zipper?
Wayne Gretsky, the famous hockey player, once said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.”
God took a risk on us by sending his Son into the world. He didn’t know if we would accept Jesus or reject him. Some people hung him on a cross. Some, like the innkeeper, shut the door in his face. Some, like King Herod, were so afraid of him that they tried everything to rid the world of him. And many people are doing the same thing today – closing him out, shutting the door in his face, missing 100 percent of the shots that God wants them to take and make.
Joseph took a risk. He listened to the angel and he married Mary, even though he would face embarrassment at home. The townspeople would think that Mary had been unfaithful to him, and that he was a fool for taking her back.
Mary took a risk. She said “yes” when the angel asked her to give birth to the savior of the world. She knew it would mean pain, rejection – maybe seeing her son die and cruel and agonizing death that would feel like a spear piercing her own heart.
This Christmas, 2003 – will we take the risk and allow Jesus to truly be born in our hearts and in our lives? Will we really and truly follow Jesus and allow him to lead and control our lives? Or will we simply be content for Christmas to be a mushy, sentimental but essentially meaningless once-a-year opportunity to see family, to sing some songs, to admire the lights, to eat, to open presents?
Last week, I received a Christmas card – in the form of an invitation. It said:
Guest of honor: Jesus
Date: Every day of the year, but traditionally celebrated each Dec. 25
Time: Anytime – but don’t be too late or you will miss the party.
Attire: Come as you are
Cost: Free
Suggested gift: Your heart.
That’s really what Jesus wants – our love, our hearts. It’s like the mom her asked her little son to polish his shoes, because the next day was Christmas. After he had done so, she placed a dollar bill inside his shoe and a simple reward. But the next day, the little boy discovered the dollar bill in his shoes and returned it to his mom, saying, “I done it for love.” God wants us to open our hearts so that he can be born anew inside of us.He wants us to follow him for love.
When we accept the free and most precious gift of Christmas, which is God himself always with us, our lives suddenly become a beacon of God’s love and God’s life. We find joy – true joy – and if you stop for just a second and think about that interesting word:
J stays for Jesus and is the first letter in the word “joy,” to remind us that we need to make Jesus # 1 in
our lives.
O stands for “others” and reminds us that as we make Jesus first in our lives, we also start to reach with Christian love and compassion to others, especially those in need.
Y stands for You – and it is the last letter. Because when we put Jesus first, when we then think of others besides ourselves, then Jesus will fill our lives with joy.
Will you take the risk – follow in the footsteps of Joseph and Mary – allow Jesus to be born in you? Can we sing, and really mean it – “Come, all ye faithful … Come let us adore him!”
Merry Christmas! And let us sing! [Sing “O Come, All Ye Faithful”] ….
Merry Christmas!
I brought with me a few silly Christmas riddles. Ready?
• What did Santa say when his toys misbehaved? Toys will be toys.
• Why does Santa have three gardens? So he can ho, ho, ho.
• What are the three stages of maturity for a man? First, he believes in Santa Claus. Next, he doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. Finally, he is Santa Claus.
• An honest politician, a kind lawyer and Santa Claus see $20 fall out of a person’s pocket. Which of the three picks it up and returns it? Santa Claus. There’s no such thing as an honest politician or a kind lawyer!
Turn to your handouts. It says: A REAL Christmas or an ARTIFICIAL Christmas? The True Meaning of Christmas.
Why are we here? Is it just for the warm fuzzies – pretty music, beautiful lights, habit or tradition? There is a lot of artificial, fake Christmas out there – more a focus on Santa Claus than Jesus Christ, more a focus on Frosty the Snow Man or Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer of getting Christmas gifts than celebrating the true gift – God who became flesh and became one of us and is with us forever. We’ve made Christmas into Xmas. We’ve replaced “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays” so as not to offend anyone.
Look on the TV screen. I’m going to show you several slides. Yell out either “Real” or “Artificial,” depending on whether the slide presents the real meaning of Christmas, or just the artificial meaning of Christmas. Ready? [Show slides, mixing secular Christmas scenes with Christian Christmas scenes]
In a Charlie Brown cartoon strip, Lucy says to Charlie Brown, “Christmas is such a wonderful time of love and joy and peace and kindness.” Charlie Brown agrees but asks, “Why can’t we have love and joy and peace and kindness all the time, not just at Christmas?” Lucy thinks for a moment, then says, “What are you, some kind of religious fanatic?”
Maybe we need to become Christmas fanatics – get rid of the artificial Christmas and get back to what makes Christmas real. Today, I want to look at three aspects of the real Christmas:
1. First: Christmas is about Light that scatters the darkness.
A few years ago, I came across this poem, entitled “The Day After Christmas.” Let me read it to you:
Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the house, Every creature was hurtin' even the mouse. The toys were all broken, their batteries dead; Santa passed out, with some ice on his head. Wrapping and ribbons just covered the floor, while Upstairs the family continued to snore. And I in my T-shirt, new Reeboks and jeans, I went into the kitchen and started to clean. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the sink to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the curtains, and threw up the sash. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a little white truck, with an oversized mirror. The driver was smiling, so lively and grand; The patch on his jacket said "U.S. POSTMAN." With a handful of bills, he grinned like a fox Then quickly he stuffed them into our mailbox. Bill after bill, after bill, they still came. Whistling and shouting he called them by name: "Now Dillard's, now Broadway's, now Penny's and Sears Here's Wal-Mart and K-Mart and Robinson's May. To the tip or your limit, every store, every mall, Now chargeaway--chargeaway--chargeaway all!" He whooped and he whistled as he finished his work. Then I heard him exclaim with great holiday cheer, "ENJOY WHAT YOU GOT........YOU'LL BE PAYING ALL YEAR!"
There’s a lot of darkness in the world: Doubt, disappointment, defeat, depression, despair. We wonder: Where is the perfect world? That perfect world would have no sickness, no death, no divorce, no abortion, no war, no fear, no bullies, no calories, no financial struggles.
Other people sometimes hurt us. They spray verbal graffiti on us: You’re no good; you’re to blame; you’re stupid. Hurtful words. We need some spiritual Vandal Guard – that special anti-graffiti spray paint.
Christmas is about Jesus coming into the world to scatter the darkness. In our first reading, Isaiah tells us: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. – Isaiah 9:2 (NAB)
Just yesterday, at our staff Christmas party gift exchange, I was given this gift of a lava lamp. I love lamps, because they give out light that is so beautiful. That’s why I love Christmas lights. Ushers, please turn out all the lights. [Ushers turn out lights] Let’s all get quiet. Usually we do this at Easter Vigil Mass, not Christmas – but there is a lot of darkness in our world, a lot of people who are trapped in silence and feel nobody loves them or cares about them or even hears them or know they exist. Christmas is about God coming into the world to scatter the darkness. [Ushers turn lights back on]
The light of Christmas doesn’t promise that life will be without its struggles and pains, but it does promise us two things: (1) God is with us in our darkness – Emmanuel, “God-with-Us”; and (2) that God is there to lead us through the darkness. Look at the story of the wise men. They followed the star, which symbolizes God’s guidance. They must have had struggles during such a long journey – but they persevered in following God. Real Christmas is about following the star – about following God – in our lives, and not just one day a year, on Dec. 25, but all the days of our lives.
Last week, I received a funny story through e-mail about a guy who had ordered a tree house for his kids at Christmas time. He opened the box. The tree house was there – but the instruction book was on how to assemble a sail boat. Angrily, he wrote a complaint letter to the company. They apologized but sent the following reply: “We are truly sorry for the error and the inconvenience. However, it might help to consider the possibility that somewhere there is a man out on a lake trying to sail your tree house.”
We laugh. Life is not perfect. There will be darkness. But we need faith in Jesus – He’s the instruction book who will help put our life together. He’s the light that scatters the darkness.
A word to all who are struggling with darkness in their life: DON’T LET DEFEAT AND DESPAIR DEFINE YOU. Let God’s love define you. You are a child a God. Read the next verse on your handout, from John’s Gospel: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.… What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…. To those who accepted him he gave power to become children of God…. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. -- John 1:1, 3-5, 12-14 (NAB)
Who are you listening to – God, or the voice of false prophets and the devil trying to discourage you? Who do you look to – God, following his star, or the false idols of the world that promise happiness and fulfillment, but never deliver on their promises? Let God’s love define you. That leads to our second point:
2. Christmas is about love.
A quick question for one of our children: How old are you? How old is your daddy? How old is your mom? (Hint: Always say 29!) How old is God? But today, Christmas, we celebrate that this God is existed for eternity, from before the beginning of time, decided to become young again, to become a human being, born into our world! Why? Because of love!
I came across a story recently of a group of first graders who got together and decided to write their own version of the Nativity. It was more modern than the traditional drama. Of course, there were the familiar members of the cast: Joseph, the shepherds, the three wise men, the star, and an angel propped up in the background. But Mary was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly behind the bales of hay could be heard some loud moans and groans. Evidently Mary was in labor. Soon the doctor arrived dressed in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck. Joseph, with a look of relief on his face, takes the doctor straight to Mary, then starts pacing back and forth. After a few moments the "doctor" emerges with a big smile on his face. "Congratulations, Joseph," he says. "It's a God!"
The Bible tells us in John 3:16, probably the most famous verse in the entire Bible: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. -- John 3:16 (NAB)
Isaiah the prophet tells us: For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. -- Isaiah 9:5 (NAB)
Our Gospel today tells us: Mary gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. – Luke 2:7 (NAB)
Why a baby? Why didn’t God just send Superman? I don’t know for sure, but let me make a few brief suggestions:
• Babies are signs of hope and joy. Christmas invites us to dream that light can win over darkness.
• Babies are innocent and non-threatening. They do not evoke fear, Maybe this was God’s way of reassuring and comforting us, and helping us not to be afraid.
• Babies are a sign of our humanity. God is telling us: To be human is good.
One of my favorite stories is a Polynesian legend. The custom of the islands was for a groom to pay the family of the bride with cows, in order to secure his wife. A man could pay up to 10 cows. This man fell in love with this girl, but she was not very pretty. Neighbors said she was worth may 1 cow, at the most. But the man gave away 10 cows in order to marry her. The villagers asked later, “Why did you pay 10 cows for her? You could’ve gotten her for just one or two cows?” But the husband replied, “I wanted her to know that she was worth 10 cows, or even more, to me!” The story ends by saying that over the years, she became the most beautiful woman on the island. You see, love transforms us. And God loves us! We just need to believe it!
I once heard a preacher say that God’s love is four-dimensional.
• God’s love is long enough that it never ends;
• God’s love is wide enough that it is everywhere;
• God’s love is deep enough that it can handle any of our hurts; and
• God’s love is high enough to overlook any of our faults and sins.
Let me play a song. You try to identify it. [Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer]
Rudolf is a parable about God’s love. You see, Rudolf had a red nose. He was different from everyone else. Nobody loved him. And all of us have our red-noses – our defects, our imperfections, our sins. But Santa in the parable represents God – who comes down from heaven and rescues Rudolf. God on Christmas comes down and is born into our world to save us. But notice: Rudolf doesn’t get a new nose. Santa uses Rudolf’s nose for his advantage. And God uses us – weaknesses and imperfections, all – for his glory, if we let him.
That leads to our third and final point:
3. Christmas is about a Lifetime Relationship with God.
We need to cooperate with God. Our faith cannot stay at the level of an infant. God wants us to grow into mature faith. Look at what our second reading says today, from Titus: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God… He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right. -- Titus 2:11-12, 14 (NLT)
In other words, we are called to respond to God’s love. In our gospel, Luke tells us not to be afraid of following Jesus. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” -- Luke 2:10 (NAB)
You see, lots of people get the first two points about Christmas: That Christmas is about God scattering darkness with light, and that Christmas is about God’s love. But they miss the final point: That we need to respond by being in a relationship with Jesus. It’s like getting married. At some point, we need to take the plunge and say, “I do!” And it is the same with our faith in God. We need to take the plunge spiritually and say, “I do!” When we enter into that lifetime relationship with Christ, the Bible tells us: When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! -- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Living)
Nicky Ramos, one of our parishioners, sent me a fascinating story a few weeks ago. It is the story of a wealthy man who loved to collect rare works of art, everything from Picasso to Raphael to Michelangelo. During the Vietnam War, his son joined the army, went to fight and was killed in battle while saving another soldier’s life. Months later, at Christmas, the young soldier knocked on the rich man’s door and presented him with a gift. “I know this isn’t much,” said the young man. “I’m not a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted to you to have this. He saved my life.” Inside the package, the young man had painted a portrait of the dead son. The father hung the painting of his son over the mantle. He always showed visitors this painting of his son, before he would show any of his other art works. The man died, and there was an auction of his paintings. The auctioneer began: “We will start the bidding with the painting of the son.” There was silence. Then a voice in the back said, “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.” But the auctioneer persisted. Nobody would make a bid, until finally, the longtime gardener of the man and his son said, “I am a poor man and don’t have much, but I will give $10 for the painting of the son.” Nobody would bid higher, so the gardener received the painting of the son. Then the auctioneer ended the auction. The stunned people who had come to buy the famous paintings were confused and angry. But the auctioneer explained, “The old man, in his will, specified that the person who bought the painting of the son also would inherit the entire estate, including all the famous paintings. So the auction is over!”
God gave his son to us, 2000 years ago. Much like the auctioneer, his message is: “The Son, the Son, who will take the Son?” And whoever takes the Son gets everything.
Let’s end by asking three simple questions, then I want to give you five simple suggestions on how to make Christmas real, not artificial – how to make Christmas last throughout the year, not just one day – and on why the real Christmas with Jesus is better than the artificial Christmas with just Santa Claus.
First, the three questions:
• Am I living in the light or still in the darkness?
• Do I feel loved as a child of God?
• Have I said “I do!” to a lifetime relationship with God?
Now, five simple suggestions for making Christmas real:
• Make quiet time alone with Jesus. Slow down the busyness. Develop that relationship with God.
• Make time with your family. See that the family is holy, sacred. See God in your spouse and in your children. Build a truly Christian family, surrounded and protected by the love of God.
• Make time for yourself to grow spiritually. Read the Bible. Attend a class or retreat at church. Join a small faith community. God wants our faith to grow to maturity, not to stay as a baby faith.
• Make time for God each week by going to church, together as a family, if possible. This helps us feed ourselves spiritually, and shows our love and gratitude to God.
• Finally, make time to serve others. Get involved in some ministry. It is in giving that we receive. It is in giving that God will be able to help us overcome any darkness.
Finally, why is the Real Christmas with Jesus better than the artificial Christmas with Santa? Read along, the final reflection on your handout, :Why Jesus is Better than Santa Claus”:
Santa lives at the North Pole...JESUS is everywhere. Santa rides in a sleigh...JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water. Santa comes but once a year… JESUS is an ever present help. Santa fills your stockings with goodies...JESUS supplies all your needs. Santa comes down your chimney uninvited...JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited. You have to wait in line to see Santa...JESUS is as close as the mention of His name. Santa lets you sit on his lap...JESUS lets you rest in His arms. Santa doesn't know your name. All he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?"… JESUS knew our name before we were born. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads. Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly… JESUS has a heart full of love. All Santa can offer is HO HO HO… JESUS offers health, help and hope. Santa says "You better not cry"… JESUS says, "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you." Santa's little helpers make toys … JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions. Santa may make you chuckle but … JESUS gives you joy that is your strength. While Santa puts gifts under your tree… JESUS became our gift and died on a tree.… The cross. We need to put Christ back in CHRISTmas, Jesus is still the reason for the season.
December 23, 2007
Do Whom Do We Belong?
Christmas is just around the corner. How many here like to receive Christmas cards and notes from family and friends? Last week, I received the following message by e-mail from a friend: “These are pictures of an actual polar bear attach in Churchill, Manitoba & were taken while people watched and did nothing to stop the attack! Reports from the local newspaper say that the victim will make a full recovery. This is not for the squeamish!” Anyone want to see the pictures? Children, close your eyes (just kidding!).
[Show pictures on the screen]
Nobody is afraid of a baby, even if it’s a baby polar bear! In a few days, we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus, the birth of the Son of God, into our world. Just as we think these photos of this baby polar bear are cute, because a baby polar bear can’t hurt anyone – in the same way, Christmas is about God loving us so much that he sent his Son to us – not in power and might, not with lightning bolts and thunder, but as a tiny baby, so that we would not be afraid, so that we could come to know that God loves us, and is not out to frighten or cower us.
One of the best known verses in the Bible is John 3:16. It sums up in a beautiful and powerful way the Good News of the Bible, and the Good News of Christmas: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world as a tiny baby so that we might know and experience God’s tremendous love, so that we might know and experience his tremendous life, life to its fullest, life unto eternity.
On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, our readings today focus us on one simple word: Emmanuel. In Hebrew, it means, “God with Us.” How many here bear the name Emmanuel, or maybe, Emanuela? Let’s give the Emmanuel’s and the Emanuela’s in our midst today a big round of applause. You carry with you, in your name, a constant reminder that “God is with us.” Give thanks to your parents for naming you in such a wonderful way. And always, always, live up to the power of your name – God is with us!
I’ve brought with me today two objects. Anyone know what they are? Right – bookends! [Show bookends] To understand fully our readings today, especially Matthew’s gospel, we need to see that Matthew wrote his gospel with this idea of “Emmanuel” – “God with Us” – as the two bookends at the start and at the end of his gospel. Let’s start with the first bookend – Chapter One of Matthew’s gospel: “Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about… Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." (Matthew 1:18, 22-23) But now let’s go to the second bookend, the very last sentence in Chapter 28 of Matthew’s gospel, where Jesus says, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) You see, this theme of Emmanuel, God with Us, is woven throughout all of Matthew’s gospel, from start to finish, beginning with the promise of the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in Matthew 1, and ending with the promise of Jesus in Matthew 28 – again, “Emmanuel,” “I am with you always until the end of the age.”
Let’s look at the first bookend, the start of Matthew’s gospel, more carefully. At the very start of Matthew’s gospel, we see the love of God poured out upon all of us – “God is with Us,” “Emmanuel.” It’s really a fulfillment of the prophecy and the promise of Isaiah, which we heard in our first reading. Isaiah lived 500 years before the time of Jesus, during the time of King Ahaz, who was a very wicked king. Ahaz mistreated his own people, especially the poor. Ahaz worshipped false pagan gods, and even sacrificed his own son as a burnt offering to one of the pagan gods. The Assyrians were threatening to conquer Ahaz’s armies and to destroy the nation of Israel. The people were dispirited, filled with dread and hopelessness. But into this darkness, Isaiah spoke words of hope, words of light: “A maiden will give birth to a son, whose name will be Emmanuel, God with Us.”
In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise and that prophecy of a messiah, a savior. But Jesus, too, grew up in troubled times. King Herod was much like Ahaz. He mistreated the poor. He killed several of his own family, as well as the innocent babies, the holy innocents, in an effort to kill Jesus. The Holy Family – Joseph, Mary and Jesus, fled to Egypt to escape King Herod. But they, too, in the midst of despair and suffering, hopelessness and pain, clung to the promise: God is with us, Emmanuel.
We, too, live in troubled times. Some government leaders seem corrupt. We are at war in Iraq. There is the violence of terrorism and also, the violence on our American streets. The economy is failing. The housing market is at an all time low. Many people are without jobs or are struggling financially. We live in constant fear – red alerts, orange alerts, yellow alerts, amber alerts. Some of us have experienced personal pain and suffering in this last year – a sickness, the death of a loved one, problems with a job or a marriage or with one of our children. And this first part of Matthew’s gospel, the first bookend, reminds us: We are not alone in our suffering, we are not forsaken or abandoned, because God is always with us, not matter what the pain, no matter what the struggle.
Last week, I heard a wonderful story about a bishop who was asked to celebrate a Confirmation Mass with special children, at a school for children with physical, mental and emotional handicaps. The director of the school asked the bishop to keep his homily short, because many of the children had short attention spans and would not understand a long and complicated sermon. The bishop began his homily: “Little children, your moms and dads stroke your hair, stroke your cheek, gently brush your face and forehead, to show how much they love you. When I pour holy oil on your head for confirmation, remember that God is stroking your hair, stroking your cheeks, gently brushing your face and your forehead, because He is always with you, always at your side, and He loves you very, very much.” The first bookend, the first part of Matthew’s gospel, reminds us that God is also stroking our cheeks, our foreheads, because he loves us so much that he send his only Son, Jesus, into the world to sacrifice his very life on a cross, for our rescue and our salvation.
The second bookend is Matthew 28. This is about our response to God’s love, how we reach out to love others. Let’s read it together: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20) You see, the love we have received is not to be hoarded. It is to be shared. We are the messengers and the missionaries of God’s good news in the world!
As an aside, you may notice that Matthew talks about going out to “all the world.” In God’s eyes, no one nation or race or culture or people is superior to another. We all are God’s children. The Good News of Jesus is meant to be preached to all the nations, so that nobody gets left out. And at Bookend No. 1, at the start of Matthew’s gospel, the first visitors to the newborn babe are curious foreigners, not Jews – the wise men who traveled from afar, following the star.
So, now comes the question: How do we respond? To whom do we belong – to God or to the world? Unfortunately, lots of people put other things besides God and the center of their hearts and their lives: their country, patriotism before faithfulness; their family; pleasures; a bad habit; possessions and purchases; career and work; school; sports, hobbies; and the list goes on.
Our gospel gives us a different example, an example of faithfulness, in the person of Saint Joseph. We learn, first, that he was an honorable man who did not want Mary to get hurt publicly, because of her pregnancy. We also learn that, when the angel appeared to him, he felt afraid. How often do we feel afraid? How often do we allow fear to block us from fulfilling God’s will in our lives? Joseph and Mary listened to the angel, listened to the voice of God instead of the voice of fear. Despite hardships, trials, tribulations, they continued forward, listening and obeying the Lord in their lives. We are called to do the same!
Five profound questions to ponder as we end this Advent season and journey toward Christmas:
1. Who or what is at the center of your life? Is your life centered on God on centered more on self?
2. Who is your community? Are you a spectator or a participant in this family which the Lord has given to us, the Church?
3. What is the character of your life? Do you just seek after your own pleasure and comfort? Or do you live a life of integrity, righteousness, imitating the Lord and reflecting God’s values to your family, acquaintances, co-workers?
4. What is the contribution of your life? Are you a giver or a taker? Do you generously reach out with your time, your talent and your treasure to help other people?
5. What is the “communication” or the “message” of your life? Do you promote yourself mostly? Or do you promote the Kingdom of God?
Saint Paul urges us: “Live in such a way that you are a credit to the message of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27)
Saint Paul applauds the faithfulness of some of his followers: “Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word… The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore – you’re the message!” (1 Thessalonians 1:8)
God is with us! Emmanuel. And He invites us to share His love and His presence with others!
Please stand, and together, let us ask God to come closer to us, to move us to become his living messengers, as we sing this traditional Advent hymn:
O come, O come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appears. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!