John 1:1-14
Christmas Eve, 2023
The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor
Rush United Methodist Church
John 1:1-14
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
| Centering Prayer |
I find it interesting
That the God who created the cosmos
Decided to get some “hands on” experience.
Why?
Why go through the trouble, the pain, the sorrow, the suffering
When a snap of the fingers would have done nicely?
The same God who wove the tapestry of the universe
Was willing to rend the heavens and step through.
The same God who acted with unlimited power and authority
Willingly chose to humbly submit,
Become wholly helpless and dependent upon others.
Life in the womb comes from the mother.
She supplies it all: food, nutrients, protection;
The warmth and love that only a mother can give.
The circle of care is extended at birth,
But only a little bit.
Responsibility rests largely upon the mother.
Men in most cultures like to make a big show of it,
But, in reality, the child looks to the mother for its every need.
The burden of responsibility lay heavily upon Mary,
Here, now, lay the creator and savior of the world,
Vulnerable, helpless, dependent.
I find it interesting that God chose Mary.
Mary, who?
A young, inexperienced, adolescent engaged in an arranged marriage.
Mary was poor,
From a modest Nazarene family.
When you have nothing,
Pride is the only substitute.
It is hard to be proud of the fact
That she was unmarried, pregnant, and with a shattered reputation.
It is really hard to be proud of the fact
That there was no doctor, no mid-wife, no assistance
Other than the supportive presence of Joseph
(yea, like I’m sure that was real helpful).
Where is Mary’s mother? Her mother-in-law?
Where were the other women in her life that
Could provide her with all the love and support necessary for childbirth?
Mary probably had nothing more than Joseph and
A childhood experience of watching animals give birth.
Yet, God took the risk
Was born onto a bed of straw
In a cold, damp cave,
Dug out of the rocks and cobbled together
for the purpose of feeding farm animals.
Think of the obstetrical dangers:
Women die in childbirth.
Babies can be born breach,
Or with the cord around the neck.
Think about infection, disease, and illness of infancy.
Yet, God took the risk.
The risk of
Infant and maternal mortality was very high,
Known to God from the beginning;
A hugely significant danger.
(According to Google)
“For most of human history,
Around 1 in 2 newborns died before reaching the age of 15.”
Yet, God took the risk.
Modern wisdom would suggest that God postpone this folly.
If a thousand years is as a day,
As is written in 2 Peter 3:8,
Perhaps it would be wise to wait a day
To be born in the safety of Highland, Strong, Unity, or RGH.
Yet, God took the risk.
When you consider
the history of the universe was on the line,
The one responsible for the future salvation of the world
Had plans to test the waters of the human condition,
Wouldn’t it at least be wise to consider
Pre-emptive prenatal care,
A planned C-Section,
At a modern birthing center,
By one of the best obstetricians available?
Yet, God took the risk.
The future was less than certain.
Oh, in hindsight, we speak with certainty about God,
“Of course it turned out that way. Why wouldn’t it?”
But when it comes to predicting the future
Of God’s intersection with humanity,
We fail miserably.
God’s agenda is God’s agenda.
God’s plan is God’s plan.
Not ours.
God has made a sport of
out witting, out playing, and out lasting
Every human initiative.
God hasn’t made a habit of chasing the sticks thrown to fetch.
And God isn’t likely to change for us now.
The baby Jesus faced danger at every turn.
It began with his birth, but quickly escalated.
In a chilling nod to Gaza and Israel today,
Herod slaughtered all the children
Sending the Holy Family fleeing into Egypt.
Danger waited around every corner for Jesus.
The wrong word,
The disrespectful look,
Bloodthirsty crowds,
A military occupation,
Authorities with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
God took a whale of a risk.
Humans with free will are about as predictable
As an Iranian mullah,
An alcoholic out of booze, or
A grizzly caught in a trap.
Yet, God took the risk.
God took the risk to bridge the gap between heaven and earth
And to, once and for all,
Cement not only a sacred past
But establish an eternal future for every one of God’s people.
God took the risk of a less than certain outcome
For your behalf, and mine.
God took the risk of a less than certain outcome
For your behalf, and mine.
I understand that it is hard to believe.
It is hard to believe in much of anything in today’s world.
When humankind is so cruel to one another,
Where terrorists assault villages and farms,
Concerts and festivals,
And soldiers assault trench, bunker, and tunnels.
It is hard to believe
When some lives appear to be valued more than other lives,
Where suffering has become the common denominator.
The wounds of war.
The wounds of death.
The wounds of hypocrisy.
The wounds of violated trust.
Wounded people often find it hard to believe.
It is hard to believe
Given the current status of organized religion;
Schism and decline,
All the while preaching about a peaceful, loving god.
It is hard to believe
when surrounded by the massive indifference
Of people who just don’t want to be bothered
By the suffering and injustice taking place right in our own backyard.
Nothing to look at here.
Move along.
Just move along.
I understand that it is hard to believe in Jesus Christ.
What I’m suggesting this evening
Is that just as God took a risk for you
So, too, should you take a risk in God
By extending to God your belief.
Belief isn’t certainty.
It is not being certain about heaven, the virgin birth, or that Jesus is the Son of God.
No pastor, priest, or pope is able to speak with certainty;
Present company included.
The only language we clerics know
Comes from the Word, the Sacrament, and experience.
Belief isn’t certainty.
I’m able to share with you about the God of my experience.
No one is able to make you believe the god of their experience.
If you want what I have,
Come with me.
Let us journey together.
Neither is belief proof,
Which particularly upsets me, because, as you know,
I am a child of the enlightened scientific era.
My discipline is in mathematics.
Math demands proof.
I can no more prove to you the divinity of Christ
Than I can jump over the moon.
Belief in a baby is daring.
It’s risky.
It does set you apart from the rest of the crowd,
The faceless masses of the dull,
The self-interested,
The endless consumers of retail garbage.
Belief in a baby makes you colorful,
A trend setter,
One who is ready and willing
To advance faith beyond where is has been
To what it can become.
Belief in a baby named Jesus
Makes one filled with hope.
The name Jesus means Savior.
Our hope is that Jesus will save us from the trials and temptations of this earth.
Our hope is that Jesus will save us into eternal glory.
Belief in a baby places our hope in God
And not in anything of this earth
Or in our less-than-perfect selves.
Ultimately, belief in this divine birth
Means that we are ready to match God’s risk even up.
Better than even up.
Give a little to get a lot.
We don’t need much;
have you seen just how small a mustard seed is?
That’s all the faith we need to take
A little risk.
A little belief.
That’s all the baby Jesus is asking.
Amen.
Breaking Yokes 