Jeanne Davies
Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren
Dec. 26, 2004
Christmas is about the giving and receiving of gifts, large and small. When I was a small child, I carried a blanket. It was my most precious possession, and the most wonderful part of it was the satin binding, which I rubbed between my thumb and fingers as I sucked my other thumb. With all that rubbing the binding became tattered and was coming off. My grandmother noticed this and offered to fix it for me. We visited my grandmother on Sundays. I would have to give up my blanket for a whole week to have it repaired. I agreed to make the sacrifice. The next week, I came for my blanket, expecting a brand new satin binding. When I received it, I was shocked. My heart sank. The satin binding, the most precious part of my blanket was gone, and in it’s place was a carefully and delicately embroidered edging. I began to cry. My father, embarassed at my poor reaction and lack of gratitude, demanded, “Say thank you. Say thank you.” “Thank you,” I managed to croak out tearfully.
As a child, I was so dismayed at the loss of my blanket’s satin binding, that I was unable to appreciate my grandmother’s precious gift of her handwork to me. Today, I still have the blanket. Part of the beautiful blue edging has started to come undone. I would fix it but I don’t know how. I think about trying to find someone who knows how to fix it. But most of all, I cherish it and keep it as a reminder of my grandmother’s love for me, as she has been gone now for many years.
The Jews, at the time of Jesus’ birth, were an occupied people, hoping for a Messiah to come to liberate them from their Roman oppressors. But they didn’t get the gift they expected. The Messiah came as a tiny baby, born in a stable and laid in a manger. He did not come down with an angel army to overthrow the Romans and re-establish the Kingdom of Israel through military might but eventually died on a cross, executed as a political criminal.
In most cases, God’s people are not able to see the scope of God’s vision. Their sight is too limited. Their dreams are too small. Jesus did not overcome the rule of the Roman Empire, but overcame the rule of sin and death. He did not come just for the salvation of Israel, but for the salvation of all people, including Romans. He came to bring God’s light and life to the whole world, a world oppressed by suffering and injustice.
Isaiah speaks of a reign of endless peace, justice and righteousness. A reign in which military boots and uniforms are burned, in which the rod of the oppressor is broken. In our present day, we still long for this reign of peace. In 2000 years after the birth of Christ, it seems that not much has changed. Last Tuesday, a suicide bomber in Iraq killed 22 American soldiers and civilians. The people of Iraq continue to suffer in their war-torn country. Last Thursday, in the Honduras, six children and 22 adults died when suspected gang members opened fire on a bus with assault weapons. A note left by the assailants said, “People should take advantage of this Christmas because the next one will be worse.” And we do not have to look beyond the borders of our country to find people who suffer from hunger, violence, and injustice.
In our own personal lives, we suffer brokenness, disappointments, depression, loss, illness, pain, the death of friends and loved ones. When will the reign of peace, justice and mercy come… in our own hearts, in our own lives, in our world? The apostle Paul instructs us to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances. How can we learn to celebrate always, in a world with such suffering?
The prophet Isaiah tells us, “Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old.” God is in the process of doing something new. Do you not see it? Open your eyes! Open your hearts! God came to earth in an unexpected way, as a little baby, weak and vulnerable, to bring healing and victory in an unexpected way, overcoming the sins of the world with peace, love and mercy. It’s not too late. Even now, God is still working to renew all things, to bring healing and wholeness to the world.
At Christmas, many of us make wish lists so that loved ones can buy us gifts that we can really use and appreciate. But no Christmas wish list that we can create that is better than what God has in store for us. God knows our deepest need. Are we ready for God’s gift? We must be well prepared to receive it because Christ brings us living water in the desert, light in the darkness. God will lead you to the place in your life that most needs redemption, that most needs healing. Are we ready to invite Christ into the desert of our lives? The desert is where we face our own frailty, our failings, our need, our inadequacy. We must go to this place of darkness, the very place we do not want to look at, and let the light be born there.
In a book called, The Spirituality of Imperfection, authors Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketchem say, “’God comes through the wound.’: Our very imperfection – what religion labels our ‘sins,’ what therapy calls our ‘sickness,’ what philosophy terms our ‘errors’ – are precisely what bring us closer to the reality that no matter how hard we try to deny it, we are not the ones in control here. And this realization, inevitably and joyously, brings us closer to God.”
Fortunately, although God may lead us to the wilderness, we are not left there alone. God will stay with us. Immanuel, God-With-Us accompanies us in our struggle. In Isaiah 43: 1-4 God says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… you are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you.” This intimate companionship and loving protection in our time of trial is God’s promise to us.
Are we willing to believe in the promise, and celebrate the promise fulfilled? The passage that was read from Isaiah 9 this morning is a song of gratitude, a song of hope, a song of confidence in God’s future. As Christians we believe God can establish a reign of justice and righteousness, that God can bring peace to the earth and that He has already begun to do so, by means of a little baby, born in a stable and laid in a manger 2000 years ago.
Like my grandmother’s gift of a crocheted edge on my blanket, many of God’s gifts to us are difficult to receive and only appreciated in hindsight. If we have a preconceived notion of what God should give us, if we expect to know beforehand in what kind of package God’s blessing will come to us, we may miss seeing the gift. The Messiah was not what the Jews expected. We often meet God’s grace in unexpected places. Salvation comes in unexpected ways.
When we see the sacred, will we know it? We cannot look for a sure thing, a known thing, or even a successful thing. For God alone knows what is successful and God alone can see all ends. Like that satin blanket binding, we must also be prepared to let go of things that are precious to us. We are called to be faithful, to be trusting, to let go of our expectations and be willing to be surprised and delighted by the inbreaking of the Holy in our lives and in the world.
Whenever the angels, God’s messengers, appear in the stories about Jesus’ birth, they always reassure with the words, “Do not be afraid.” Let us open ourselves to whatever God has in store for us without fear and without hestitation, trusting in God’s boundless love for us. Those who mourn can take comfort in the coming of Christ the comforter who wipes the tears from our eyes. Those who are heavy laden can rejoice at the coming of Christ who lifts the burden from our shoulders. Those who are most aware of their sorrow and need are those who most intimately know the joy of Christmas. Let us celebrate God’s greatest gift to us, the gift of Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God-With-Us, who brings light in our darkness to guide us in the way of peace and righteousness. Amen.