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Gospel: Luke 2: 15-20
When the angels went away from them to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
“Let us go, then, to Bethlehem
to see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us.”
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Often people imagine God as being a bigger version of Santa Claus. Even religious art depicts God the Father as an old man with a flowing white beard.
We imagine God sitting up there in heaven, making his list, checking it twice. He’s going to find out who’s naughty or nice. We might cheer and sing, but we can also shudder, wondering if we’re getting a sack of coal for Christmas.
Maybe we made a mistake or two this year. Maybe life took an unexpected turn. Or maybe we blame the health scare, the loss, or the disappointments we experienced on God; it was his fault. He means to punish us.
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But that is not the God whom the prophets foretold. Isaiah tells us, when our God comes to earth, the blind will see; the lame will walk; the sick will be healed; the dead will be raised.
This is our God.
Mighty. Powerful. Compassionate. A missionary, who left the glory of heaven to come down to earth.
Today as an infant. Wrapped in swaddling clothes, warmed by the breath of oxen, cuddled in his mother’s arms. Weak, tender, and mild.
Off in the distance, Mary and Joseph can hear the roar of the crowds, packed into the inn, eating and drinking, warm, and cheery-eyed with no room for them in that place or in their hearts. The rejection Jesus experienced that night foreshadows what will come.
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Still, Mary and Joseph rest out in the elements under a starry night sky, wondering, “What child is this, whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?”
This is the mystery of Christmas. God becomes flesh of our flesh. Bone of our bones. Immanuel. God with us. God for us, who comes, not with coal, but with mercy.
Not to judge, but to heal. Not to make his list and check it twice, but to offer a clean slate, hope and salvation to all.
In that sense, his birth is our birth. His life is our life. He will live among us – and yes, he will die among us – so that all who believe in him might not perish, but might have eternal life.
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While our Christmas trees have been surrounded by gifts large and small – toys, trinkets, the newest technology – we gather to celebrate someone greater than Santa, Jesus Christ.
May we welcome him into our hearts and homes, for salvation has come! Merry Christmas!
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Image credits: (1) HubPages (2) God the Father, Cima da Conegliano (3) The Christ Child, Andreas Johan Jacob Müeller