The Messiah is Born

Christmas Eve

Year C

22 & 24 December 2024

Isaiah 9:2-7

Psalm 96 BAS pg 834

Titus 2 :11-14

Luke 2 :1-20

Eternal God

who made this most holy night

to shine with the brightness of your one true light:

bring us, who known the revelation of that light on earth, to see the radiance of your heavenly glory;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

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As we ponder the Christmas miracle, I wanted to take a moment to look at the world around us and to just note how caught up we are or tend to be in our day-to-day round of activities.

We are so caught up in our ‘to do lists’ that the words of the prophets, the action of the Holy Spirit feels like it bursts upon us, in our lives.

In my home, and throughout Advent, I love to build my Advent calendar nativity. I love to see the scene build toward the climax of the birth of the Christ child. I love that the scene builds, character by character, toward Christmas Day.

Each day it gets a little more cluttered with people, the people of Bethlehem; and just looking at these individual figures, without the birth of the Christ child, I’m able to imagine them going about their daily tasks, and their own seasonal run up to Christmas.

In their lives they’re busy living out their jobs, cleaning the house in preparation of seasonal visitors, deciding and making supper, baking those treats of the season, decorating the house, shovelling the snow, and so much more.

But its into the midst of this, that sense of busy-ness, we discover the inbreaking of God’s love!

It’s in the middle of the nitty-gritty of life that God breaks into the world in ways, patterns, and means that are completely off base for our context, and our lives.

And this is the focus of the Nativity, of the Advent Calendar. It marks the days until we commemorate the birth of the Christ child, the inbreaking of God’s love into the world, and into each of our lives.

Looking at the passage from Luke, the world is in the midst of it’s first census. The Roman Empire is in an uproar, now, needing to count and account for absolutely everyone in the Empire.

As Luke’s tells us: “In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered.” (Lk 2:1-20)

So, into all of the daily and seasonal preparations that we know in our lives and that I see in the building of the Nativity, we also see a general influx of new people into and through absolutely every village, every community, and every city.

You see, this decree affects every travel route, every means of travel, and every wayside rest area or inn along every route in the Empire.

Everyone is moving about so that the Romans, over a 2-to-5-year period are able to stop by absolutely every community on the map and count heads. And all of this was done without our technological and digital support.

For those who could see and take advantage of the financial opportunity in this, I’m sure there was an elevation in the cost of transportation and rentals of all kinds. There would have been an equal increase in cost of accommodations, and food in and for every community affected by this influx of population for such an extended period of time.

Luke tells us: “4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.” (Lk 2:4-5)

So, it’s in the midst of this time, this busy-ness, that the words of the prophets are fulfilled, and God’s promises become a reality.

This is when we see the fruition of the Advent Nativity, the birth of the Christ child, the inbreaking of God’s love in the midst of everyone’s busy routines and tasks.

But the birth is only centre stage on my credenza.

This is when God throws the human plans out the window and throws off the census with a “plus one’!

But it’s so much more than that.

Jesus is born to Mary and Joseph, who although they come from the line of David, are as out of the spotlight of important people as David himself was being the youngest of Jesse’s children.

Jesus is born in the poorest of circumstances because Joseph didn’t preregister their arrival and maybe he didn’t even travel with a credit card.

And yet, this is God’s plan.

In the midst of the busy-ness of our lives we find God.

In the midst of life taking a left turn, we find Christ in our midst.

Luke reminds us: “6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Lk 2:6-7)

But this is also God’s plan.

At every turn God wishes to be a part of our lives. As we rush about our to do lists, and errands, Emmanuel, God with us is born into the world.

Like in the Advent Nativity, he comes when and where we least expect because God wishes to be a part of our lives.

In every circumstance when we least expect to find God, there God is, an active participant in those errands, and those ‘to dos.’

Just imagine it: if Jesus had been born in a palace, then our access to God, to Jesus would have been completely different. The layers and security, and even knowledge of the arrival of the Christ child would have been completely different than what we see and experience in the passage from Luke.

“8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ …

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.” (Lk 2:8-12, 15-18)

I recently had the opportunity to see the two-part series “Prince William: We Can End Homelessness.” It was highly inspirational in the aims of British Social Service agencies to provide the needed help and supports to those who find themselves without homes, jobs, or opportunities no matter who they are or how they came to hit bottom.

At one point the criticism leveled at the heir to the British throne was that he had no business being involved in the national homelessness issue because he had more than one home.

But if we turn that criticism around, Pr. William may not have the same disadvantages as someone living in a tent under a bridge, but he doesn’t own his own home.

At the same time, he’s able to lend the weight of his position to encouraging agencies that are out there addressing such needs in society into patterns of cooperation to encourage greater success in helping someone to experience homelessness as a temporary condition, not as a long-term lifestyle situation.

And in our lives, because we know the comforts of home, why would we deny a home, support, and encouragement to someone who is in need of a roof over their head, as a first step in recovering their very lives?  God is in the midst of that, as well.

But like Jesus being born among the poorest elements of the Roman empire, this involved ways, and means, and access that wouldn’t come as naturally in other patterns of life.

So, what does this mean for each one of us? What does this mean as the nativity grows in population waiting for the arrival of the Christ child?

Do we live with the expectation that the working of the triune God in and for each of our lives will jump out like billboards on the side of the road? Or like in most of our lives, do we find the urging and the working of God visible in hindsight?

So, returning to my progressively growing nativity, each of those individuals are busy being alive and dealing with the demands of the day, of the season, of the census called by the Roman Empire and they know of the words of prophecy that tells of the coming of the Messiah, of the one who will save Israel. But they don’t see it realized before their very eyes as they pour coffee, serve their neighbour, or purchase their groceries.

Yet how many of them, how many of us, would think that this young couple, expecting the imminent birth of a child, who have taken up residence at the back of the stable / shed / garage are the parents of such an exceptional individual as the Messiah?

Today / tonight we celebrate Emmanuel: “Christ with us”. We celebrate the birth of the Christ child in circumstances that strip away all barriers between God and humanity.

Into the chaos of the world, in the midst of all that can happen in life, Jesus is born.

And through all of this looked for but unanticipated inbreaking, we celebrate the participation of God through the Holy Spirit, through the teachings of Christ that have and continues to be a guide in and for each of our lives.

The figures of the Nativity are all still there. The ones shoveling, the ones baking, the ones carrying groceries. They haven’t stopped their work. But something about it feels different now.

Christ is here, and everything ordinary has been caught up in something extraordinary. It’s the same with Mary, treasuring these things in her heart.

It’s the same with the shepherds, glorifying and praising God as they return to their fields. The scene hasn’t changed—but now it’s filled with wonder. When we leave today / tonight we, like Mary, carry these things in our hearts.

And we walk into the world like the shepherds—seeing the sacred all around us, glorifying and praising God for everything we've seen, heard, and felt.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.