Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
Original Manuscript:
One of my favorite authors who is still living is Neil Gaiman. In one of his recent works, he has a lot to say about reading and stories. He talks about the importance of escapism. He talks about our need for it.
Often times Christmas is used as escapism. It allows us to move into a story in an idealistic setting.We like to give the Christmas Story an idealistic setting. We want to believe, as we will later sing, that it was a silent night with everything calm and everything bright.
But that is often unhelpful when we are suffering. Whether it is something in your personal life, or events from around the world, escapism might not be enough right now.
And that's the hope that we receive from the story. Jesus' birth isn't some idealistic event. The "silent" of Silent Night is just the calm before the storm, the calm in the midst of storms really. Jesus can relate to our sorrow because from the beginning He faced adversity.
Before Jesus was even born, His life was in trouble. Mary, being pregnant by the Holy Spirit, was in a very dangerous situation. Since this baby wasn't Joseph's, her betrothed's, child, there would have been many who would have thought her child was the result of her cheating on her future husband. This was such a bad crime that she could have been stoned to death, if Joseph had so chosen. Joseph is often called "the righteous one" because he didn't do that. He's righteous because he listened to God and pledged to keep Mary and the yet-to-be-born baby Jesus safe, even though that child was not his.
And then we have the situation following Jesus' birth, where King Herod was threatened by the prophesies about Jesus and put to death all the innocent children born in Bethlehem the same time as Jesus. It is only through the intervention of God with the Wise Men and Joseph in their dreams that the Holy family was able to escape.
"Silent Night. Holy Night. All is calm, all is bright." This is the calm in the midst of what looks like an action/adventure film. It's that one moment in between all the danger where Mary and Jesus get to rest and be together. It's the one moment when they are safe.
When things seem hard out in the world, remember that they were hard for Jesus too, even from before His birth. Because that is the true power of Christmas.
When we struggle and want someone to turn to, we have that person in Jesus because from the very beginning, He went through trials. He knows what it is like to face hardship. He knows what it is like to suffer.
So when you face difficult times, you know that Jesus is there, right in the midst of it with you. He knows what it is like to face those times. So when you're looking for that Christmas message, that Christmas magic, that Christmas hope, look to Jesus. Know that no matter the time of day or year, He is right there with you whether it is through storm an conflict or if it is in those moments of calm, those silent nights. Jesus is there to comfort you. Jesus is there to give you peace. That is the true meaning of Christmas. That is the true meaning of our faith. That is why we are here and why we have a reason to celebrate during these 12 days of Christmas, even at the end of a very long and difficult year.