Into Imperfection

This post is my Christmas Eve sermon. I hope that it enriches your Christmas season just a little bit more.

Those of you who know me well know that every Christmas Eve, I hold my breath until the worship service is over. There’s a reason for that. Christmas Eve is the one service of the year when things seem to go wrong. It’s the night that gremlins hide in the woodwork and pop out at the most inopportune moment! During one of my first Christmas Eve services here at Nashville, just as I was about to begin the service of candle lighting, the sound system let out a feedback screech that a banshee would have been proud of. (I am relieved to say that we put in a new sound system shortly thereafter.) On another Christmas Eve, as we sang “Silent Night” and held our lighted candles high, one of the worshipers passed out. He fell over sideways and right out of the pew; and we had to perform CPR on him while the squad was on the way. It turned out that he was simply dehydrated from a long day of activities and not enough food and drink; but it ended the worship service rather abruptly. Sometimes the gremlins don’t even wait until worship starts to play their pranks. One year, as I was pulling into the parking lot, I was greeted by a dead, bloated raccoon lying right in the middle of the driveway. Nothing says “Merry Christmas” like roadkill. And Christmas Eve is the one worship service in the whole year that I want to be perfect. I want it to be perfect for all the worshipers who gather here to celebrate the birth of the Savior; and I want it to be worthy of that Savior who was born this night! But things don’t always go the way that I want them to.

You’ve probably felt the same way every now and then. You don’t have to worry that a worship service is going to fall apart right before your eyes; but I’ll bet that, from time to time, you have hoped something else would run smoothly. Maybe it was a family reunion that you organized. You remember that reunion. Aunt Maggie and Uncle Ted were both invited; but Aunt Maggie is a staunch Democrat, while Uncle Ted is Republican all the way. “Please, please,” you prayed, while visions of screaming matches over the potato salad danced through your head, “just let them both be polite.” Sure, we’ve all felt that way. And sometimes things go just fine. But other times, they don’t. On those times, your perfectly organized event falls apart at the seams, and there isn’t anything that you can do about it.

We want perfection. Let’s face it, when we envision what we want, it’s perfect. We yearn for a perfect marriage with no fights over whose in-laws to visit for the holidays. We dream of having perfect children who never throw tantrums, always do their homework cheerfully, and would never even think of sneaking out at night to attend a drinking party. We want a perfect job with no stress; one in which the boss is unfailingly understanding and compassionate. But deep in our hearts, we know that there is no such thing. No perfect marriage, no perfect children, no perfect job. This world is imperfect. It always has been, and it always will be. And the good news of Christmas Eve is that God came into our world anyway!

That might be the most amazing aspect of the miracle that is Christmas. It is miracle enough that the creator of the universe took flesh and came into our world. But it is even more of a miracle that the creator came to live among us despite our imperfections; despite our mistakes, despite the downright cussedness that is in the heart of each and every one of us! God didn’t wait until we loved one another, and dealt justly with everyone, and stopped running after power and wealth. God didn’t wait to come to us until we perfected the world. The world wasn’t going as God wanted it to go when Jesus was born. On the contrary, it was full of violence and greed and injustice. Tyrants oppressed the people that they governed, and manipulated events for their own benefit. Poverty lived with the common people; hunger sat at their tables; and hopelessness slept at their bedsides. Our world was broken; and God came anyway. And things haven’t changed much. Violence, greed, and injustice are still the order of the day. Tyrants still cling to power; and many people are still poor, hungry, and hopeless. But into our broken world, where nothing is perfect and never has been, God comes anyway!

A poem by Madelaine L’Engle expresses both the miracle and the hope of Christmas.

This is no time for a child to be born,

With the earth betrayed by war and hate

And a nova lighting the sky to warn

That time runs out and the sun burns late.

That was no time for a child to be born,

In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;

Honor and truth were trampled by scorn –

Yet here did the Savior make his home.

When is the time for love to be born?

The inn is full on the planet earth,

And by greed and pride the sky is torn –

Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

On this Christmas, rejoice!

In our imperfect world, Love has come to live among us.

Glory be to God!

In the Darkness

Why are so many people eager to attend church on Christmas Eve? Is it that they have the chance to be the first ones to say "Merry Christmas," or is it... perhaps... something more?

During this Advent season, I have been using some of our holiday traditions as a springboard for considering the deeper meanings of Christmas. On the first Sunday, decorations reminded us that Advent is an “already… not yet” season. Although Christ was born over 2,000 years ago, God’s kingdom is not yet fully here. On the second Sunday, Santa Claus showed up, together with his European sidekick Schmutzli. That led to the question, “What kind of Messiah are we expecting?” Last week, we talked about connecting with others at this time of year; and realized that while we may send Christmas cards, God connected with us by coming in the flesh. Today, as Christmas is almost here, I want to think about Midnight Mass, the traditional Christmas Eve worship service.

Midnight Mass, of course, is for our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers; but late-night worship on Christmas Eve is celebrated by Protestant and Roman Catholic alike. Many Christmas Eve services begin at 11:00 p.m. and end just in time for worshipers to wish each other “Merry Christmas” in the wee hours of Christmas morning. I used to be a member of a large church in Philadelphia that promised “at midnight, we will be in prayer.” The pastor of that congregation was a formidable man, a Scotsman who was a force to be reckoned with. We used to joke that if midnight arrived and the service was running late, God would stop the clock so that the pastor could keep his promise! Even congregations who don’t worship that late on Christmas Eve hold services in the evening. Oh, sure, there are the occasional family services that are held in the late afternoon; but even the churches who offer those usually worship again at 7:30 or 8:00 so that grown-ups can gather without the kiddies.

What lies behind this fascination with worship services on Christmas Eve night? After all, it’s a terribly inconvenient time to attend worship. One would think that worship on Christmas morning would be much more popular since it doesn’t involve leaving a warm, cozy home and traveling to church in the dark. And yet, Christmas Eve worship is the frequently the most well-attended service of the entire year! What brings worshipers out at such a late hour in weather that is frequently nasty to sing Christmas carols that they’ve been hearing on the radio for over a month? I think that the attraction of Christmas Eve service goes much deeper than just the opportunity to be one of the first to say “Merry Christmas” to fellow worshipers at midnight. I think that gathering in the night to worship embodies what Christmas is really all about: God comes to us when we need him the most, in the darkness of midnight. We don’t usually yearn for God at noon. When the light is shining brightly, we can see our way; and we have confidence that we can control things – at least, to some extent. But in the dark, we’re blind. We don’t have a clue what might be lurking around the next corner – or standing right next to us, for that matter. In the dark of midnight, we yearn for a Savior and most need to see the light that he brings.

One of my clergy colleagues recently bought a house. It’s the first one that she has ever owned. She has had a wonderful time decorating it exactly the way that she wants it – new paint, new furniture, and new decorations. Especially new decorations! She has adorned that house for the Christmas seasons with yards and yards of twinkling lights that are set on a timer. When she comes home from an evening church meeting, the lights greet her as she steps out of her car. But one evening last week when she pulled up in front of her house, the lights weren’t on. Had there been a power failure? Did a circuit breaker overload? She even wondered briefly if someone had turned the lights off on purpose and was waiting inside her dark house. We all know the kinds of things that run through our minds in the dark. It turned out that a plug had merely worked its way out of the socket; and it was a very simple matter to get the lights back on. But her reaction was… well… illuminating (pun intended). When she was greeted not by comforting lights but by the cold dark, she was frightened.

Isn’t that that the way that we feel, too, when our world is plunged into darkness? Imagine that you are on a cave tour, deep underground. In the midst of admiring the fairyland of stalactites and stalagmites, the lights go out. But this is not a planned presentation by the park ranger. This is a real emergency. There is no light anywhere. As much as you strain your eyes, there is only darkness. What thoughts run through your mind? How long will it be dark? How will you find your way out? Will you ever find your way out? That kind of fearsome darkness isn’t always physical, either. Ignorance, the darkness of the mind; depression, the darkness of the spirit; and loneliness, the darkness of the soul – all these can be just as terrifying as physical blackness. But these are precisely the situations in which God comes to us bringing the light of a Savior.

You probably never noticed this detail, but the Bible never tells us that Jesus was born at night. All that it says is that when Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, there was no room for them in the inn; so Mary gave birth to Jesus in a barn. The first that we hear of the night is when the angels proclaim the good news to the shepherds. For all we know, Jesus was born at 2:30 in the afternoon! But in the end, that really doesn’t matter. The good news of the Savior comes to the shepherds at night; and that’s the way that the good news always comes to us, bursting into our lives when they are the darkest: when a relationship has ended, when illness has imposed a new reality on our routine, or when we are so depressed by the evening news that we want to curl up into a ball and pull the covers over our heads. Christ brings his light to us in the dark; because that’s when we need it the most.

In just about a week, we will gather on Christmas Eve when the world is dark. We will rejoice together at the birth of a Savior; and we remember the story through scripture, music, and prayer. And then, a single candle will be lighted. As many other candles are lighted, the light that was begun by that one candle will grow until it fills the sanctuary! God promises that the light of the Savior will one day fill a dark world in the very same way. “For unto you is born a savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Glory to God in the highest! The Light has come at last!

Reconnecting

 How do you connect with your loved ones at Christmas time? A card? An email? A party? God did one better. God came to be with us as one of us; and that made all the difference!

We have come to that point in the Christmas season when our lives are beginning to get a little crunched – if they aren’t that way already. At about this time every year, we start worrying about all the things that we still need to do before Christmas arrives. Lots of people, for example, haven’t sent out their Christmas cards yet. Sending cards takes a lot of time, but it’s something that’s high on most people’s “to do” list. After all, many of those cards are sent to people that we almost never see, but that we don’t want to lose touch with.

The very first Christmas card was sent way back in 1843. (That’s 173 years ago, for those of you who care about such things.) It was sent by an English gentleman named Sir Henry Cole. At that time, it was customary to write personal notes to friends at the holidays. Sir Henry was a very successful businessman; and he really didn’t have the time to write a personal note to everyone on his list. So he asked an artist friend of his to design a card that he could simply mail to all of his friends. The result was a postcard with a picture of a happy family gathering, complete with a bowl of wassail. On each side was a symbol of holiday charity: feeding the hungry on the left, and clothing the naked on the right. Below the picture was Sir Henry’s message: “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.”

Many of us still send Christmas cards to friends and family. Although some folks still include hand-written notes in their cards, many send a photocopied holiday letter summarizing their activities during the past year. But there are all kinds of other options these days for connecting with people we want to keep in touch with. You can send an email, or post a message on Facebook. You can even send an e-card! The website JibJab, for example, offers customized e-cards. You can put your own face and the faces of your family members into short videos that deliver your Christmas message when the recipient opens the email. I imagine that you can even add the dog and the cat if you want to! Connecting is, after all, what we do at Christmas. Whether we do it by sending Christmas cards, attending office parties, or scheduling a special dinner with friends, Christmas is the time that we want to tell folks, “I care about you. I’m glad that you’re in my life!”

That’s what God did for us on the very first Christmas. God connected with us. Before Jesus was born, God seemed very far away indeed. Israel was occupied by the power of Rome, and the Jewish religion was regulated by the authorities who controlled the Jerusalem Temple. They had fenced God in and most people out with all kinds of rules and regulations that were nearly impossible to follow! How could worshippers get to God? The simple answer was that couldn’t – at least, not very easily. And God was having none of it. If the people couldn’t get to God, then God would get to the people! This morning’s Old Testament text describes the lengths to which God would go to get to his people. God was prepared to build a highway right across the desert – a six-lane highway with rest stops conveniently placed every 30 miles. It would cut right through the mountains, and have sturdy bridges over all the valleys so that it would be easily travelled. It would be a turnpike heading straight for God’s people! God knew that they needed someone to take care of them – to love them, to comfort them, and to guide them. And since they couldn’t get to God, God went to them.

Of course, no one expected God to come as one of us. But how could we relate to a God who wasn’t a human being? So that we could connect with God the way that we connect with each other, he came to us as one of us. And that made all the difference. Because God came to us in a familiar form, we can connect with God in all kinds of ways! Some years ago, I read a report from the Global Ministries division of our own United Church of Christ. People from all over the world had been asked, “Who do you find Jesus where you are today?” The answers were as diverse as the people who responded. In China, Christians see Jesus as their shepherd, one who cares for each beloved individual. In the war-torn Middle East, Jesus is the one who works tirelessly for peace. In Africa, suffering from medical epidemics and social brokenness, Jesus is the healer. In Latin America, Jesus is the liberator, the one who fights social injustice and stands in solidarity with oppressed peasants. And in India, Jesus is the one who suffers with people who are struggling for their dignity, especially the “untouchables” of the lowest social caste. Which one is “right”? They all are! Whether you see Jesus as shepherd, peacemaker, healer, liberator, or something else, Jesus is the one who is on our side. Jesus is the one with whom we can connect whatever our circumstances in life happen to be. God wasn’t content to send just a Christmas card to us. God came to us in the flesh!

I saw a beautiful illustration of this recently in – of all places – a commercial that was produced in Poland. You can find it on the internet if you look for it. It begins with a dignified older man looking out his window while awaiting a package. When it arrives, he opens it eagerly and reads the title of the book it contains: “English for Beginners.” He is clearly a bit overwhelmed as he skims the pages, but he continues undaunted. He begins the first lesson: “I am, you are, he/she/it is.” Soon his living space is covered with sticky notes identifying each item: teapot, toilet, fridge. Even his pet wears a sticky note that says “dog.” We hear him name each item as he eats lunch: fork, knife, bread; and even as he takes a bath: tub, towel, rubber duck. Soon his single words are strung together into sentences: “I love you. You are perfect.” Who he is talking about. Another package arrives with even more opportunities for vocabulary practice: suitcase, slippers, passport. Then, we see him going on a journey. On an airplane, in the airport, on a bus he practices: “Hi. I am…” Who is he going to meet? Why has he gone to such lengths to learn this foreign language? Finally, a taxi drops him off in front of a gaily decorated house, and he warmly embraces the young man who meets him at the door. But the reason for all his efforts waits inside. Peering shyly from behind a door is a little girl of about two. He kneels down to her level as he says to her, softly and in perfect English, “Hi. I am your grandpa.”

We will go to any lengths to connect with those we love. And that’s what God did, too. When God had tried everything else to connect with us, God learned our language and knelt down to us, so that we would be sure to hear him say, “Hi. I am your Father. I love you. You are perfect.” I hope that this Christmas, you can hear God saying that to you. After all, it’s the reason that Jesus was born.