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Christmas Day, 12/25/2009
Sermon on Luke 2:1-7 (8-20), by David Zersen
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph 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. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And 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.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" 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." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
PONDERING
One of the family Christmas traditions placed at the center of our dinner table is a German-made Pyramide, a three-tiered, conical shaped nativity set with wooden blades at the top propelled by candle-power that keeps everything turning around and around. As I pondered the device during the noon meal today, I realized that something had gone awry. The shepherds and the wise-men, not to mention Joseph, Mary and the child, were all zooming backwards following a simple principle of physics. The wooden blades had been twisted incorrectly (I think I was the culprit) and were using the candlepower to spin everything in the wrong direction.
It's interesting to ponder the events of the Christmas story on this Christmas Day and to reflect on all that could have gone wrong or moved in a different direction. In fact, it's interesting to wonder what kind of pondering the characters did in our Gospel lesson.
Augustus the emperor
I was born Gaius, but you know me as Caesar Augustus, emperor of the Romans. I was orphaned at age four and raised by my grandmother. Julius Caesar adopted me because he had no heir and I succeeded him as emperor. Rulers always have many problems with which to deal. Among my problems were declining populations and declining numbers of families. Often this resulted from the numbers of soldiers who represented Rome in foreign countries and didn't return to father children. Additionally, the costs for maintaining my armies were huge and taxation was the only way I could support them. I pondered these issues a great deal and decided that by taking a periodic population census I could determine whether the population was growing or declining. I could also raise money to support my armies by taxing the people at a census. It was a huge undertaking to conduct this census and taxation throughout the empire. Some of it was done in large cities like Antioch and some of it was done in small villages like Bethlehem. Now and again there were uprisings from people who objected to the process. What was I to do, however? I was the emperor and after pondering the issues from all sides, I decided this approach was in the best interests of the empire. Was I right?
Joseph of Nazareth
I am Joseph of Nazareth and according to my family tradition, I am descended from the line of King David whose family seat was in Bethlehem. Because the emperor decided to have everyone return to his or her family seat for a census, I had to travel to Bethlehem. My problem was that I was engaged and my wife to be was pregnant. This was not my child and this caused great consternation for me. What was I to do? If I refused to acknowledge her child as mine and left her behind in Nazareth, she might be stoned to death. If I took Mary along, I was acknowledging that her child was my child, a deceit I could not overcome. I pondered this matter for many days and even had a dream about it to give me some guidance. Finally, I decided that my love for Mary would overcome any problems involved and we would work this out together. So we left for Bethlehem and there were a lot of quiet moments on the journey as we attempted to re-establish trust and plan a future for us and for our child. Was I right?
Jehoiachim the shepherd
I am Jehoiachim, a shepherd from a field near Bethlehem. We watched our flocks at night to protect them from wild animals. It was also a rainy time of the year when the grass grew and sheep pastured as much as they wanted. Sometimes they stayed in one area for a while, but typically they just kept moving, munching grass as they went. We kept a fire to keep us warm on cold nights, and there was a stone wall in which we could enclose the sheep if we needed to contain them for a time. Sometimes, we dozed by the fire and dreamed of better lives. Sometimes the dreams were grandiose and opened up the heavens to us as we lay there. One night, strange as it may seem, all of us were arrested by a band of heavenly messengers who told us that a child to be born in Bethlehem was to be the Messiah. We checked with each other to see if we were dreaming or if we had all heard the same thing. Discovering that we had all experienced this, we pondered the matter, trying to decide what to do. What should we do? We decided we needed to go to Bethlehem to check this out. Were we right?
Mary of Nazareth
I am Mary of Nazareth and came with my husband, Joseph, to Bethlehem. It was very hard for him to decide what to do with and for me and I want to assure you that he is the most loving husband there ever was. I could only tell him that the child being born to me was promised in a dream I had and that he should have no fear. Joseph himself had a similar dream, which assured him that his defending and protecting me was part of the love that was calling him. So we traveled along dirt roads for several weeks and finally came to the village of our ancestors, Bethlehem. It was a difficult time for both of us, but many other travelers found themselves in the same straits. When we finally arrived, there were no accommodations to be found so we took refuge in a cave where an innkeeper kept his livestock. There in the middle of the night, I gave birth to my son and, as was the custom, wrapped him tightly in cloth to contain his arms and legs. In that same night, some shepherds came into the cave, saying they had received news of this birth from a heavenly messenger, and they had come to learn what they could. I pondered such thoughts for a long time. What could this possibly mean? Who were these shepherds and how could they have learned about this birth? And who really was this child and what did his birth mean to me and to others as well? Were we right to be here?
David of Austin
I am David of Austin and I have heard this story many times and have celebrated the birth in song and pageantry. Each time I celebrate it, I ask myself whether there is more here than I have grasped before and how the meaning of this story can impact me this time as never before. I ponder this over and over again.
In my life I have been privileged to go to the very Bethlehem cave where Mary and Joseph and the child waited for the shepherds. I lit a candle over the presumed spot of the birth and pondered what it could mean for me to have the truth of this story claim me in all its fullness.
Each year I ask myself when and how I will more completely grasp that God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will have eternal life (John. 3:16). Sometimes in a powerful organ prelude or in a beloved hymn like "Once in David's Royal City" or in a concert of carols or in a pageant with live animals I wait for the moment to come. I ponder the words and the message as did Mary and Joseph and the shepherds.
And I ask myself, as surely you do as well, what has to happen for this message about grace and love to claim me more fully-to empower me more genuinely.
I even ask myself what would have happened to the story and in the story if Caesar or Joseph or the shepherds or Mary had made different decisions-had moved in a different direction. I ponder such things looking for answers.
The reflections aren't always clear, and in some years they are more robust than in others.
However, I have come to cherish the pondering, the waiting and the wondering, the longing and the hope. I know that in God's own good time the fullness will touch me as it perhaps once touched Mary or the shepherds. I know that it my touch me in unexpected ways and in unexpected times. For the present, however, I'm thankful for the pondering, the creative quest for glory in heaven and peace on earth which comes in its own way and time.
On this day, Christmas 2009, I wait with all of you for the fullness of God's great love to dawn in us as we seek to apply this message in our time and place.
On this Christmas Day let's be waiting.
(The preacher may choose to stand in different places as the various monologues are delivered, representing different characters from the different places. Also, the preacher can choose to express his own form of pondering in the final section when he either stands center aisle before the congregation or enters the pulpit.)