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.
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