Pastor's Message

December 2003

As we approach this most wonderful holiday season, even though things get hectic, we still want this to be “the best Christmas ever.” So it just doesn’t seem right when something comes along and throws a wet blanket over this jovial time of year. We all want to be happy, just as jovial as good old Feziwig (read or watch the Ebenezer Scrooge story if you have forgotten who Feziwig is). Sadness and tragedy just doesn’t seem to be right in this season.

And yet, it happens. Life is too full of challenges and disappointments for December to be exempt. Personal hardships, illness and even the loss of a loved one have hit many of us in this “holiday season.” But we should not think this is unusual. In fact, it is not completely at odds with the Biblical story.

The first “event” of Christmas was when the angel appeared to Mary and announced that she would give birth to the long-awaited Messiah. From our perspective, that is wonderful news. But it wasn’t for Mary. Although engaged to Joseph, becoming pregnant out of wedlock was a crime that could be punished by execution. At the least, it was justification for canceling the wedding and she would live with shame for the rest of her life. But she bowed her head and said, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

Joseph didn’t take the news much more graciously. At least he was kind, so that when he found out that Mary was pregnant, he didn’t want to have her executed. He thought he would just “dismiss her quietly” (Matthew 1:18). It took an angel visit to calm him down enough to go through with the marriage, but even then he kept Mary pretty well at arm’s length until after the birth of Jesus. No happy honeymoon for these newlyweds!

The shepherds in the hills didn’t welcome the visit of the angels with shouts of joy. They were afraid. The angel told them to “fear not” but I don’t know if that really calmed them down. When the angels went away the shepherds “made haste” to go to Bethlehem. I can assure you that if a whole host of angels appeared to me and told me to jump, I would make haste, too, and ask how high on my way up – and I wouldn’t be jumping for joy!

Then how about the wise men? Don’t you think they were happy to come and see a newborn king? Well, maybe, but they really didn’t know what they were looking for. And they brought “kingly” gifts. Why? Were they hoping to “bribe” this new king so that if he grew up and became powerful he wouldn’t attack their country? Maybe not, but that would not have been an uncommon practice in those days.

But in spite of all these difficulties leading up to that first Christmas, in spite of their initial fear, each one could come away from the manger “glorifying and praising God.” The wise men would have to find a different road home. Mary and Joseph would have to flee to Egypt and their neighbors were left behind to suffer the wrath of a paranoid king (who didn’t like the whole idea of Christmas from the first time he heard about it).

So maybe, like that first Christmas, our Christmas isn’t supposed to be perfect. Maybe there is too much to do. Maybe it is too commercialized. Maybe the turkey will be overcooked. Maybe the kids can’t make it home this year. Maybe there is illness in the family. Maybe it is the first Christmas without a loved one. But the center of the Christmas story is none of these. Christmas isn’t the gifts we give, it is the Gift we receive. Christmas isn’t just the family gathered together, but the wonderful news that we are part of a new family, the Family of God. Christmas isn’t just December 25th, but it is the promise of an eternity with God. Christmas isn’t just mistletoe, it is real love, eternal love, God’s love.

Maybe this will be your best Christmas ever. But even if it isn’t, remember the Gift – the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, God with us, Immanuel.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!