“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as
your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him
Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” --Matthew
1:20
The
angel’s words to Joseph are shocking when we hear them by themselves. Taken in isolation, they sound like someone’s
desperate attempt to excuse a young woman’s transgression, or save face after
her victimization. Joseph’s mind and heart
were in conflict when he learned his beloved Mary was bearing a child, but this
angel comes to bring a new perspective.
An angel is a messenger of God, and through the angel God presents an
alternative possibility for the way Joseph views the situation he and Mary find
themselves in. The child is not a
problem to be solved, or merely a broken social taboo. This child is what every child should be -- a
blessing. Not only that, this child is
unique beyond the ways that every child is unique – he is a blessing not just
to mother and adoptive father, not just to his family and relatives, but to all
the people.
Christmas
is an alternative, a new perspective, a way of seeing the situation in which we
find ourselves. Christmas shows us our
own lives in the light of Jesus.
Christmas reminds us that many of the things we see as problems are
blessings in disguise, that the human beings in our lives have been put there
by God, that life carries meaning that is deeper and more immediate that
society’s spiderweb of expectations and demands. The coming of the Lord Jesus, his birth in
such an out-of-the way place, his cradle in a barn out back of the inn, his
life wandering with fishermen, eating with outcasts, calling people wherever he
went to return to God and fill their lives with love, and finally his giving of
the greatest gift we could ever receive – his own life, body and blood all
wrapped up in forgiveness of sins and life everlasting – this is the real
Christmas we come back to every year. This
is the story that brings to the world a new perspective, new possibilities, new
hope. This is the story we love to hear
and long to tell.
Here at
Atonement, we tell that story with everything we have. The decorations in the sanctuary, the songs
of the season, the tree and lights, and the scriptures we read all hearken back
to the hope of the ages and recall the longing of those who waited so long for
Messiah to come. We sing the story in our
annual cantata which our singers, musicians and readers will be taking on tour
to local nursing homes as well as presenting in worship at the 10am service on
December 13. Later that day we’re all
invited to take the story to the streets in song as Kelly Frasier leads us
Christmas caroling through the neighborhood.
We also
tell the Christmas story through giving and generosity. The essence of that story is the free gift of
God to his children. The love of Christ comes
to us out of God’s grace and has nothing to do with how naughty or nice we’ve
been. Here at Atonement along with the
usual food, countless toys will be given out on a Wednesday before Christmas
through the Helping Hands food pantry.
We are presently taking donations.
In years
past we have told the story to our local community through a “live nativity.” We reconstructed the manger scene out behind
our church, read verses and sang carols in a way that put the story of
Christmas together from right out of the Bible.
Children and adults dressed up as Joseph and Mary, wise men and
shepherds, angels and innkeepers, and we even had real babies play the starring
role of the Christ child. We haven’t
done this in a couple years, but I will never forget the time a father who
lived next door to the church came to me and asked when we were doing it
again. He said it was really important
to his family because seeing our nativity was how his children heard that story
and learned what Christmas was all about.
For 2016,
we have money in our proposed budget to re-establish the live nativity. There are costumes, scripts, and backgrounds
in storage… we will be looking for a leader to help put it all together for
next year’s Christmas celebration. Of
all the many things we do at Atonement, this is one of the most fundamental to
our mission to share the love of Jesus.
If the children around us haven’t heard the story, how can they follow
him? If they think Christmas is all
about Santa and Toys R Us, when will they hear of the silent night, the shining
star, and the sleeping babe who is heaven’s king?
Keep
telling the story in your homes and hearts… share it with your families and
neighbors… re-read the first 2 chapters of Matthew and of Luke… try to listen
to at least as much “Jesus” Christmas music as “Santa” Christmas music… bring in
a toy along with your food donations for the food pantry… create an Advent
wreath for your home, or use an Advent calendar… come to worship each Sunday
and on Christmas eve… find someone in your life who really needs to hear that
story, maybe for the first time… sing it, shout it, say it however you can, but
let the world know that “a child has been born for us, a son given to us…”
(Isaiah 9:6) and his name is Jesus! May
he dwell close to you and your family this season and always!
Peace,
Pastor Scott
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