Christmas II (Lk 2:1-20) – 12/24/2009

Amazing! Spectacular! Extraordinary! There is no lack of adjectives to describe the sights, sounds and experiences of the season of Christmas…and I’m not referring to the sales at the Westfarms Mall. The beauty and splendor of the season can easily capture our minds and charm our hearts. But the message of Christmas, as told in the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, is a different story: it is a story of overwhelming simplicity and humility, yet a powerful story of all that is sacred and holy. And if we are to continue to find the meaning of this holy story, alive for us today, we must continually challenge our worldly assumptions and search for God’s heavenly gifts to us on this Christmas day.

While reading through the daily news about a week ago, I was fascinated to read a story about a search for heavenly things by a group of scientists. The article was entitled, “Super-Earth: Astronomers find a Watery New Planet.”[i] The article begins by exclaiming that the discovery of this new planet, just 40 light years from Earth, is so exciting that “extraordinary may be too understated a descriptor”[ii] to describe the significance of this event. Another scientist commented that this discovery is “spectacular…a top-of-the-top discovery in the quest for Earth-sized planets.”[iii] The article continues to explain the details of the presence of water on the planet, the extreme temperatures of the planet’s surface and the relationship of the planet to the star in which it orbits. Although I found these facts interesting, the explanation of the heavenly search itself was what grabbed my attention. The discovery of this planet was as surprising to scientists as it was amazing because the planet was discovered in orbit around a small dwarf star. Scientists have for years searched for Earth-like planets by studying Sun-like stars; “assuming that if you are looking for [planets like Earth], you should look in a place that is as similar to our solar system as possible.”[iv] Dwarf stars are far more numerous than stars like our sun and were never assumed to have the possibility of supporting a planet of any scientific interest. After years of looking the other way, quite literally, these scientists changed their assumptions and successfully found a heavenly discovery that was so simple, yet so profound.

This evening we gather together to celebrate the birth of Jesus; a birth that is spectacular, extraordinary, and the top-of-the-top among babies born unto us. Born this day in the city of David, Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. With this in mind, the story we hear this evening from Luke’s Gospel account should be surprising to us. The birth of the Messiah should take place in David’s kingly city of Jerusalem, not David’s city of birth, Bethlehem? The King of Kings should sleep in an elegant and beautiful crib, not in a bed of straw in the manger? The birth of the Messiah should be announced to the Head Priest and the highest Jewish councils, not the shepherds watching their flocks by night? And yet, the shepherds of the field are the first to be visited by the angel of the Lord and they are afraid…why us, they are likely thinking? And the angel said, do not be afraid. Do not be afraid because there is good news to hear, the Good News of Jesus Christ. And the angel told the shepherds the news of Jesus: “And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” The news is so profound; the pronouncement is so joyous that the angel is immediately “joined by the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward all.” The shepherds are strengthened by this news and go to Bethlehem to see the baby named Jesus, perhaps still more than a bit curious about the news they have heard and the angel’s visitation. Can their previous understandings about the Messiah really be so different from this holy night?

The shepherds make their way to Bethlehem and discover for themselves the holy family, just as the angel had described. Full of joy, the shepherds spread the word to all the people they encounter that evening…and the people are full of wonder. The author of Luke’s Gospel account means to tell us that the people were full of amazement or awe that such a thing could be true. We, too, show our amazement and joy at the birth of Christ by singing songs, decorating our houses, and giving gifts to celebrate this day. But the story of that first Christmas night continues, as Luke tells us that Mary “kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” Mary’s pondering is meant to tell us that she is faithfully discerning the events of this holy night in her heart. Although full of the same joy and thanksgiving given by the shepherds, Mary seeks to understand and participate with the new reality that the Christ child brings into the world. God’s Incarnate Word has been born to us; Christ, the Savior has entered the world, and has entered the world in a manner that challenges every assumption we would have ever made.

We all encounter the world in which we live through our expectations and assumptions. The astronomers searching the heavens for Earth-like planets were distracted by their assumptions regarding the many possibilities of how planets exist. Once they had successfully challenged their understandings, they were able to make incredible discoveries using very simple methods. On this Christmas day, we too must challenge our understanding of how we encounter God’s world around us. God’s gift of Christmas is Jesus Christ, our Savior. And although, like the many people at that first Christmas, we are amazed and wonder at the spectacular gifts of the Christmas season; Christ comes to us in a different way (a simple and holy way) and Jesus’ birth challenges us to respond with simple loving grace toward each other. In this world, that simple grace is a radically new gift to share with others. This season of Christmas, Jesus has given us many, many gifts. We are given the sacred gift of the birth of Jesus wrapped in the simplicity of the manger; we discover the holy gift of Christmas through the humility and faithfulness of Mary; and we are reminded through these gifts that the heavenly light of Christ is to be found in our everyday lives. Christmas shines bright and we are blessed to glow in the brightness of the true Light. Amen.

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[i] Michael D. Lemonick, “Super-Earth: Astronomers Find a Water New Planet,” Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 online issue of Time, http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1947868,00.html, accessed 12-21-2009.

[ii] Lemonick, “Super-Earth.”

[iii] Lemonick, “Super-Earth.”

[iv] Lemonick, “Super-Earth.”