What? Journey for Jesus?!
December 24, 2004
Luke 2:1-20
My favorite part of our story tonight is when the text says, “Mary takes it all in and ponders it in her heart.” I always hear that to mean, she didn’t say a word. And I absolutely can’t blame her. First, she’s young. She’s been betrothed with all of its rights and responsibilities to an older man. He’s a good worker, a carpenter who has a trade and will be able to provide. But, before they are married, an angel comes and tells her, she’s to become pregnant by God. By God! That this is a good thing. That this is an important thing. That God was smiling upon her. Yeah. But where was that smiling when all the neighbors were talking about her? Where was that smiling when she had to tell Joseph and he didn’t understand? And how important could she be when she’s forced out of her home when the baby was so close to delivery? Where is this God now? Why did they have to walk and ride the donkey? Why did she have to deliver alone and away from her family? Now, these strangers are all around and proclaiming more blessings and speaking of angels bringing messages…I bet she was just taking it all in. I bet she was thinking now what! How many more signs can I physically take?
And those shepherds. They’re great too. They’re out doing their work in the fields with the flock of sheep. And an angel appears to them. They’re not in the city being counted. Everyone else has left their place of work, been forced out of the city to travel back to where their people are from. And yet, these people, these people are doing their work and angels appear to them proclaiming that they bring Good News. They bring Good News for ALL people that a savior is born. A savior in the city of David. In the city where the census is taking place, the city overrun with people right now. And, then the angel says, let this be a sign to you…A sign…What kind of sign could a baby lying in a manger be? It must have been quite a scene because these shepherds decide to go. These shepherds who are living on the margins of society, they decide to go to seek out this sign. In spite of their status. In spite of their work. In spite of the overcrowded city, the shepherds go.
Can you imagine what Joseph thought when they showed up? First he’s engaged to this girl Mary. She is young. She is pure. And then, she tells him this crazy story about God when she’s obviously broken her promise to him. The shame he’s felt as all the eyes around him are filled with pity. Their sour mouths are full of gossip. And, now, having to come to be counted in Bethlehem. It felt good to get away, away from the whispers, the sideways glances, the knowing. But, it was frightening not to have the midwife or her relatives with her. And now, just as she had said, she’s had a son. And, these crazy shepherds have shown up with more stories about angels, messengers of Good Will and a sign, a sign that this child is the messiah. A sign for ALL a sign. How could this small child be a sign?
And here we are tonight. We’ve arrived at the point of our story where we proclaim Jesus to be our sign. Our sign of what? Where are we being led to? What are we going to experience? What is this journey about? Why is this Jesus, this sign worth knowing?
The journey. This journey tonight. This journey is worth taking because Jesus Is…
- Jesus is Prince of Peace
Jesus was rebuked. He was spit upon. He was chased out of one town after another. He was cast out. He was banned. And yet he never retaliated. He never retaliated with violence. Why? Because his goal was not to liberate a political people. His goal was not to capture a nation. Jesus was a sign of a new kind of liberation. Jesus was a man filled with a larger peace. A peace that comes with knowing God wants all the children fed. A peace that comes with knowing that political gain has nothing to do with the kingdom of God. A peace that comes from knowing that this life is only the beginning in the realm of our God. So this Jesus is…Still filling us with peace.
- Jesus is Transformational Justice
Jesus turned over the tables in the temple. Why? Because the church, the community of faith, the holy place is not a place to profit financially, to be caught up in worldly things. The place of faith is a place of turning over these very types of structures that stratify people. A justice where the least of us is first. Where shepherds hear of the sign before the King. A justice where those who live on the margins are empowered, empowered through this newly found peace and a powerful Spirit of Love. Jesus turned over the tables, he turned over the Roman Household Codes, he turned over his word. He turned over his hope. So this Jesus is…still transforming us all and hoping to see more of his kingdom come.
- Jesus is Charismatic Guru
Jesus was from the wrong family. Jesus was surrounded by odd happenings and all sorts of rumors and fanciful stories. Jesus was constantly the kid asking questions, probing deeper, pushing the adults beyond where we are comfortable going. And yet this oddball character walks around his region collecting people. Collecting anyone willing to come with him. To come with him and be liberated. Liberated for a new kind of peace. Liberated for a new kind of freedom. There is not a benefit package, a new home, a safety net. There is only this experience of being filled up with the Spirit. There is only this experience of having more love and compassion than you’ve ever had before. There is only this experience of always learning something new and being surprised. There is only this experience of being surprised and it all working out even though it’s not at all what you expected. So this Jesus is…still calling us in a variety of ways, from wherever we are on life’s journey to allow our gifts to be enough to give to the glory of God.
- Jesus is Always Learning, Changing, Growing
Jesus wasn’t always nice. Those seated at the tables he turned over probably didn’t like him too much, he made a big mess! He turned a lot of people away saying they couldn’t come with him. He even called one woman a dog before he told her she wasn’t part of his work, she wasn’t included in his vision. And yet each of these times the story doesn’t end there. He was willing to speak with people again when they were ready to let go of all that blocked them from being open to this experience of the spirit. Sometimes it was if he could see what was closing off their souls. And, he said a horrible thing to that woman. But, when she challenged him, when she countered him, he immediately healed her daughter saying her faith was greater than his. Can you imagine the power he had. Constantly surrounded by people, being pulled, pushed, touched, pressed to speak out a word. He could have ignored her and never looked back. But, the power didn’t matter, the peace did. Turning away, not hearing her would have forfeited the peace. He commented, but he still heard. Jesus was always pushing the envelope with this new kind of living and learning. But, he never claimed to know it all or be beyond expanding. Jesus is lifespan education.
- Jesus is Lover of all Lovers
We talk about the contemporary saints of our days…Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Oscar Romero…But they each loved their people or one kind of people. This Jesus, this Jesus left the people he loved. He left his family, his hometown, his relatives and exchanged them for a broader scope of the least of these. He embraced, invited, encouraged those who suffered, those who were weak, those whom no one else could see. He left the narrow love of family and the familiar for the unconditional all-embracing love of God’s creation. Jesus is our sign. Our sign that no matter where we are, who we are, what we’re doing, where we’re living, that God’s love is for us too. That we can grow and change and learn more about this love throughout all of our years. That the story and the word are so charismatic they can transform our world filling it with the unconditional love and peace of our sign, this sign, Jesus. Thanks be to God for Emmanuel. God is with us! Amen