Dear Friends,

Robert and I wish each of you Christmas peace, love and joy! Even though this lovely season is one of joy and family times, we realize too that some of you are missing a loved one for the first time and so your joy may not be as complete as it might be but for that loss. Hold onto all the good memories and may those be in the upper part of your minds and hearts today. Many in our world are suffering also on this day of joy, especially in the war-torn countries of Ukraine, Palestine and Syria. Yet, Emmanuel, God-with-us continues to come into our time and presence and asks for us to continue the work that he began. We wish you each, and all, the peace, joy and love that Jesus, our brother and friend brings into our world. Following, find the homily from last evening–Pastor Kathy and Robert

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   My friends – A merry and joy-filled Christmas to each of you!  Last Sunday, I promised more on the journey of Mary and Joseph tonight as perhaps a more realistic picture of this age-old story of Emmanuel, God-with-us.

   But first, let’s “set the stage,” as it were with tonight’s Scripture readings: Isaiah prophesies that “the people walking in darkness [will see] a brilliant light.”  He continues – [this] “child…born to us” [will be] “an heir” – quite a significant thought!  We know that Jesus – Emmanuel, meaning, “God-with-us,” not only has chosen to enter into our existence, but that, “he is our heir[!]”  — a more intimate connection, it seems to me, and one that in my nearly 18 years as a priest, I had never really considered before. 

   Isaiah continues…this child will be called many wonderful names, among them, “Champion of Peace,” and that “this peace will grow without end.”  Again, for me, the thought of Jesus being a “champion of peace” is one that I had never considered before either.  Perhaps in our present world, devoid of peace in many places, Ukraine and Palestine, Syria, the need for “peace without end” is foremost in our minds, but more so, in our hearts, thus the importance of thinking of this aspect of Jesus’ mission. 

   In the second reading from Titus, speaking of “the grace of God, [appearing], offering salvation to all,” I will simply say, we need to immediately, “go deeper” on this one, and realize that the message isn’t about “salvation from our sins,” but from our human tendency at times, to be less than we can be. 

   Then we come to tonight’s gospel and I think it leads us nicely into the continuing story of Mary and Joseph and all that was perhaps back of them, to give the world the Messiah.

   We see clearly with open eyes and hearts that this long-awaited Messiah is coming to uplift the poor, the down-trodden, those with no power in our world.  We see this immediately in “what is provided” for Mary and Joseph – there is “no room at the inn.”  When Jesus does arrive, he must be laid in a feeding trough for animals in a stable – the only place available.  And who are the first to congratulate the young parents at the birth of their son, but poor shepherds.  It might be good for us to consider during these Christmas days, why our God chose to come among us in such simplicity, such poverty.

   Additionally, the angels who brought glad tidings foretold what this Messiah would be about in his life, in their counsel to, “fear not.” Through Jesus’ public life, we are told, by the “miracle” of AI,  that he spoke about “not fearing” 21 times, and previous to AI, it was erroneously thought to be 365 times – a bit of trivia, as I’m not sure Robert has any for us tonight! (:  Luke concludes with, “And on earth peace to those on whom God’s favor rests. 

   The Jewish people, as we spoke of last Sunday, waited eons for their Messiah to appear, many thinking that this One would come as a king to rule them and put down their enemies.  But in reality, we see that as Jesus will show throughout his public life – Our ways are not God’s ways, and Jesus will continually “turn things on their heads.” 

   We really must marvel at the way that God chose to “become one-with-us [!]”  As someone said, “not in glory, but simplicity, not in splendor, but in poverty, not in power, but in weakness.”  Again, my friends, if we stay on the surface, then “kingship” is about royalty and status; but Jesus’ simple coming among the poor, signals a new meaning for “kingship” and that is about “what people do” in their lives, not about who they are, or where they came from.

   The way that God chose to be one-with-us proclaimed in many ways a message of hope, love and joy to those with so little in our world, and gave all of humanity, no matter our physical state or status in life, the promise that Jesus comes for “all of us” who are poor and weak at times, be it physically, emotionally, or spiritually. 

   So then, let us look at  the possible real-life story of Mary and Joseph, and of the little Jesus entering our world.  As the Scripture story is presented in tonight’s reading, we get the idea, as mentioned last Sunday that this event happened, rather “easy-peasy” as no details are given.  Simply put, it seems to me if “Lucy” rather than Luke had written the text, we may have gotten a clearer view of what went on.  And some might ask, why is that important?  It is important because the more we can relate to these spiritual models of old, the more their example can be meaningful and relevant to our own lives. 

   Again, Marjorie Holmes in Two from Galilee does this well.  Anyone of you who has physically gone through childbirth, or witnessed another giving birth, knows that it isn’t at all, “easy-peasy,” but that it takes all the physical strength and determination that you can muster.  And for the spouses or helpers who have stood by, watching and trying to give their wives/loved ones support through the ordeal, it takes all that they have to give as well. 

   Historically, as Holmes writes, there was a taboo that men should not see a woman in childbirth, but more than likely, Joseph had no choice, not only “to see,” but to assist his beloved at this time of great fear, pain, hope and love as no one was there but the two of them. 

   Joseph no doubt hoped that the God of this miracle would swoop in at the end to miraculously bring forth the baby Messiah, but we shouldn’t be surprised that God who chose to be one-with-us, completely, would come into the world as each one of us did.  And for Joseph , there was, “a dying to self” as Holmes puts it, “to be born again for the beloved.”

   My friends, humanly put, this is what Christmas time is really all about, forgetting self for a time, and balancing that with love and care for the other – it’s a simple message, but a profound one too! 

   You all know of my love for Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister.  In her weekly message for Christmas, she had some profound things to say, and I will end with some of them:

• She says, “the child in each of us is waiting to be born again.” For those of us with a few years under our belts, she says, “Christmas is about finding life where we did not expect life to be.”
• “Each year waxes and wanes – every good moment…becomes a memory…until Christmas comes again – then we are called on the deepest, most subconscious, least cognizant level to live again.”  Simply put, not through our heads, but our hearts. 
• “Christmas,” she continues, “brings us back to the crib of life, to start over; aware of what has gone on before, conscious that nothing can last, but full of hope that this time, finally, we can learn what it takes to live well, grow to full stature of soul and spirit, and get it right!” 
• “There is a child in each of us waiting to be born again.  Christmas is not for children. It is for those who refuse to give up and grow old, for those to whom life comes newly and with purpose each and every day…life is for the living, for those in whom Christmas is a feast without finish, a celebration of the constancy of change, a call to begin once more the journey to human joy and holy meaning.”

   And my friends, it is for this reason that I refuse to concede that, “there is no Santa Claus!” – as it is an idea bigger than the gifts under the tree!  Amen?  Amen!