NATIVITY OF THE LORD
25 DECEMBER 2018
For centuries, the descendants
of Abraham looked for an anointed king who would fulfill the promises made to
King David. When David wanted to build a
temple for the Lord, the prophet Nathan assured him that the Lord would
eventually dwell in his house, in his lineage, and not in a physical
building. On Christmas, the Scriptures
remind us that promise was fulfilled in the birth of Christ over two thousand
years ago. At that time, those who saw
themselves as the movers and shakers of that day were busy doing what rulers like
to do. The Roman Emperor, Caesar
Augustus, decided to take a census and count how many subjects he had. King Herod and his cronies were consolidating
their rule and marginalizing their enemies.
The
promised child was not born in a royal palace or in a sacred temple. He was born in a stable in a tiny village
south of Jerusalem. His birth was not
proclaimed by royal decree. It was
announced by angels to shepherds. When
we see this scene acted out in Christmas pageants, we see the shepherds as
quaint and innocent people dressed in colorful bathrobes with towels wrapped
around their heads. However, the truth
about shepherds is not that romantic. They lived on the fringes of society. Without a permanent residence, they moved
with their flocks to find green pastures for grazing and sources of water. The local people did not trust them. When I was pastor at Saint Paul of the Cross
in Columbia City, the parishioners helped me understand the actual status of
shepherds. Every summer, the city closed
down the main street for a weeklong celebration. Carnival workers swarmed into town, turning
the main street into a carnival with rides and all kinds of attractions. During the year, no one in Columbia City ever
locked their doors. I did not lock the
doors of the rectory, because people would open the back door and put wonderful
produce on top of the washing machine.
But everyone locked their doors during Old Settlers Days, because the
carnies were in town, and no one trusted them.
It was to
this group of shifty characters that the birth of the Messiah was
announced. They responded and found the
infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, the feed trough for
cattle. This encounter profoundly affected
them, causing them to leave glorifying and praising God. What they experienced changed their
lives. We have no idea how long this
change lasted. I may sound cynical. But I wonder if this transformation quickly
wore off, and they returned to their devious ways as quickly as our Christmas
trees are thrown on the curb.
We gather
for Christmas not just to remember what happened a long time ago. We gather today, because the Mystery of God
dwelling in our midst is a present reality.
His birth was just announced to us in the Word of God proclaimed
here. We encounter the Lord in the
Eucharist, remembering that Bethlehem means “House of Bread.” We are like the shepherds in the sense that
we can be shifty and devious at times.
We are not always faithful. We
are not worthy of so great a gift. And
yet, we encounter him just as the shepherds did and are drawn into the Mystery
of God taking on human flesh.
We have no
idea whether or not the shepherds’ lives remained transformed. Instead, it is now up to us. We leave this church glorifying and praising
God like they did. We go back into a
world filled with darkness – wars, terrorist attacks, bitter divisions in our
country and Church and families, natural disasters, human tragedies, and the
reality of death. God has taken on our
human nature, so that we can be transformed into God’s divinity. Once we believe this message, then we can
more readily see the signs of God’s love and goodness in a broken world. Then we can become instruments of that
transforming love ourselves and live the Christmas mystery long after our
Christmas trees have hit the curb!
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