Christmas Eve Message from Pastor Rob
On this Christmas Eve, I find myself returning again and again to the angel’s words to the frightened shepherds, “Fear not! Behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all the people! Unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…”
It is that “for all the people” that rings so loudly for me on this Christmas Eve of 2020.
Let’s be honest–2020 has been a year that has marked every one of us. A pandemic wreaked havoc with normalcy. An election wreaked havoc with our national community. We are still very much in the midst of all of it. So many families are doing Christmas differently this year, forsaking being together so that hopefully next year we can pull out all the stops and really blow the roof off Christmas. So many of our oldest loved ones are going to have to be with family via ZOOM instead of sitting in a living room surrounded by grands and great-grands. And, yes, many families will be gathering with some empty places at the table, feeling the ache of grief. My neighborhood still has signs of the division and rancor that roared through the past year as flags still fly, signs still stand in yards, and inhabit windows proclaiming loudly that we have a long way to go to feel strongly and deeply our nation’s motto, E pluribus unum–out of many, one. 2020 has been unlike any other year.
Do we hear the angel sing?
Because the angel is still singing–for all of us.
God has not given up on God’s great miracle of grace–creating a being with a will free to make of creation what he or she would; of being able to feel the depth and breadth of love, twining souls together; of being able to alter reality to allow love to flourish; and, of course, being free to do absolutely none of it, following self-interest, self-fixation, and self-centeredness to their logical ends. God has not abandoned us.
There is good news of great joy. And it is good news of great joy for all the people.
We need to remember that, note it deeply, and allow it to plunge into the depths of our hearts. Of course, we know it is good news of great joy for our friends and families. It is good news for our bubbles of COVID friends. It is good news for our party allies. It is good news for our closest neighbors. But it is also good news for everyone opposite to any of these beloveds. It is good news for the stranger in our midst. It is good news for the persons taking unnecessary risks during the pandemic. It is good news for folks wearing blue to our red, or red to our blue. It is good news for that person you really, honestly cannot stand. It is good news FOR ALL PEOPLE.
The wonder of an infant savior is that an infant can’t save too many folks. For an infant to be the savior, that baby is going to have to grow up. That is going to take nurture, nourishment, preservation, and providence from a whole host of other human beings to make it so. Do you see what God did on Christmas? Handed the salvation of the world over to human beings just like you and me!
Wow!
We have a child to care for. We have a baby to raise.
And that is going to take all of us committing anew to out of many, one. God is counting on us overcoming–no, overwhelming our differences. God is entrusting the saving grace of Jesus to us.
For me, that changes everything. It changes how I view my neighbors–especially the one flying a flag from the back of a jeep. It changes how I go about my business–am I ensuring everyone’s safety and health? It changes how I choose to interact with folks–we really, really need connection right n0w–am I reaching out enough? am I staying in touch with folks as I need to? Do my words and actions match the grace of Jesus? Am I spreading good news of great joy for all the people?
I do not hear those questions as weighty obligations, draining joy from me; instead, I hear them as a mighty invitation to really live into Christmas. The shepherds ran to Bethlehem, shouting, yelling, singing, raising a ruckus–they had good news!
So do we.
Please share sharing it with me.
Merry Christmas!