A SERMON FOR CHRISTMAS
"DRINK IT OR PRIME IT"
By The Rev. Harry J. Whitehorne, B.Th. (retired)On December 3 we began a new season in the Church Year. This season is referred to by many as "the season of Luke." During this church year most of the gospel readings that are read in church will be taken from the gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke could have been called, "Luke, Volume One" because his work consists of two volumes - the gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. In these two volumes Luke traces not only the birth, life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but also the beginnings of the Christian community. In the gospel, Luke seems to be addressing his remarks to some person named Theophilus. But to this day no one knows who Theophilus was. Was he a real person, or is it simply a generic title indicating any reader of the gospel? We may never know.
It may also seem a bit strange to some that Luke begins his infancy narrative, not with the birth of Jesus, but rather with the birth of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. Finally, though, Luke gets around to telling us about the conception and birth of Jesus. The news was first announced by an angel named Gabriel who appeared to Mary, and told her: "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High... and of his kingdom there will be no end." The announcement is made!
Then, in the second chapter of his gospel Luke proceeds to describe the birth of this child. And, in his usual style, Luke sets his story in the events of the time in which it happened. "This was the first registration and was taken at the time when Quirinius was governor of Syria." Luke wants everyone to know the time in history when this miraculous event occurred.
But why was December 25 chosen to be celebrated by Christian people around the world as Christmas Day? The question is another one that cannot be precisely answered. We do know that in the year 336 the Christian church in Rome decided on that date to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity. Before that it was celebrated in conjunction with the winter solstice and the Roman Festival of Saturnalia. And since that time we celebrate Christmas on December 25 and millions of people believe that Jesus was actually born on exactly that date.
Do you believe the story of Jesus’ birth? Literally? If your fiancee who had always claimed to be a virgin came home one day and said she was pregnant but she swore that she had never had sexual relations with any one - would you believe her? Would you believe your daughter? Your niece? Would you believe anyone who made such a claim? Have you really sat down and thought about it, or do you simply accept it because it is written in the Bible? How do you think Joseph felt when he heard this amazing news?
Everyone has heard the old story about the traveler lost in the desert and faced with the real possibility of dying with thirst. He found an oasis, but there was no water. But there was a pump. Near the pump were two other objects - a jar of water and a note. The note said that there was a leather gasket inside the pump and this gasket had to be saturated with water in order for the pump to work. There was just exactly enough water in the jar to saturate the gasket, and there was a stern warning that if one drop of water was used for any other purpose the pump would never function. To get the water he needed to stay alive the traveler would need complete faith in what was written in the note. And to me, that is exactly the position that Joseph was placed in.
Joseph was familiar with the Jewish Law. He had two choices and only two. He could divorce Mary. He knew that he was n’t the father. He also knew that if he didn’t divorce her everyone would naturally assume that he was the father. He, a religious man, would be considered to have broken the law. So, after much struggling Joseph decided that he would divorce her quietly. That way no charges would be brought against her because adultery was considered to be a capital offence. Then comes the dream and Joseph is faced with a great dilemma. Drink the water or prime the pump!
What do we do in the face of uncertainty? I believe that most of us turn to God. We ask God to help us do the right thing. Deliver us. Save us from our current situation. In many ways we are like the old fisherman who was caught out in a terrible storm one day. He had never gone to church; he had never helped his neighbor; he had never prayed. But now he knew that this could be the end of his life, and in desperation he lifted his face to heaven and he said, "Lord, for sixty years you know I’ve never bothered you, and if you will get me ashore now I promise that I’ll never bother you again!" Isn’t there a part in all of us that often acts that way? We call upon God when we get in trouble, and we forget God when everything is going well. But Christmas invites us to call on God in thanksgiving. Not because we want something, but because we owe something. Thanksgiving for what God has already done in our lives. Make a list of all the things that we are thankful for. Family, friends, co-workers, job, skills, social life. Drink the water or prime the pump?
But after we give thanks we are still faced with a question. The problem won’t go away just because we have said "thank you" to God. It is great to fill our churches on Christmas Eve and to marvel at the creche and get all sentimental with the singing of "Silent Night." This baby was not the gift that Joseph had been waiting for. There is no other religion that is bold enough to admit that God could come in such a vulnerable form. We want a God who will meet us in the realm of abstract ideals and self-contained superiority - and what do we get? A baby! In a shed! Out back! Crying in the feed trough! All year long we speak of our need for God, but now, at Christmas, we must speak of God’s need for us. An infant needs care, and warmth, and food, and family, and love. You ask me to place all my cares and worries and fears on a baby! Drink the water. Don’t waste it trying to prime a pump which may never work.
Joseph faced the pump and he made his choice. May it be so for us. Amen.