Christmas 2020 Isaiah 9:2-7 Luke 2:1-20

“The snow lay on the ground, the stars shone bright, when Christ our Lord was born on Christmas night.” - Anglo-English carol These are the opening lyrics to one of the many, many beautiful Christmas carols we sing at this time of year. Each song is filled with joy, with angels, or with peaceful slumbers and the sounds of gentle animals. Over the years we’ve built up the most glorious mental images of our Lord’s birthday to the point where we have pretty much shelved the real story, the real “what it was like” on that night over two millennia ago. Considering that for most of us Christmas is meant to be about warmth, good food, good friends, family gatherings, gifts, and – that all important church service and all the joy it brings – our current situation in the midst of the pandemic has a tendency to dampen one’s spirits. So – let’s take a look at something joyful - the first Christmas. The setting:” The snow lay on the ground . . .” only if you happened to live in the United Kingdom where the carol originated. In Judea it would have been either autumn or early spring, those were the traditional times for shepherds to graze their sheep on the hillside, where the animals could feast on the last vegetation leftover from a long hot summer, or enjoy the new vegetation beginning to flourish. Shepherds do not graze their flocks in snow – so whenever Jesus was born, it was probably mild outside. The choice of December 25th as the day to celebrate Jesus’ birth was set in 336 under the reign of Constantine. However, this impacted only the Church in the West. In the East the date of January 6th was favoured, and that is when, to this day, the Eastern Church celebrates Christmas. So – we don’t really know the exact time of year our Lord was born, but we can be happy that the long trek to Jerusalem wasn’t made in the freezing cold. In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. Everyone had to register and, as we know, Joseph, who lived in Nazareth, headed off to Jerusalem. Why? Certainly when we respond to a census, we do it from where we are resident, but – there was a point to be made, 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. The house and family of David must figure in the story of the Messiah, who prophecy foretold was to be descended from David, so – in our Christmas story, in the Gospel, Joseph makes that trip. But, despite probably pleasant weather, to head off to Jerusalem wasn’t easy for Joseph. He wasn’t all that young, and he had a very young, very pregnant betrothed (fiancée) who apparently wanted to travel with him. It was not required that both appear in Jerusalem. Joseph could have registered for them both. But, close as she was to “her time”, and being young, tradition tells us she was a teenager, Mary must have decided, with Joseph’s permission of course, she would also make the trip. We have no idea if there were any of the standard problems with her pregnancy, like lower back pain, which would have made the donkey ride even more uncomfortable than it had to be in her ninth month. But youth can cope with many things older folks would think impossible. Mary might well have been quite excited to be heading to the big city. It was probably her very first trip beyond the borders of Nazareth. This gives us something to think about when we’re uncomfortable and are suddenly put upon to extend ourselves beyond what we thought were our limits. It happens a lot right now as we patiently wait for the vaccine to become available and the pandemic to end. Just look at how inconvenient things were for the Holy couple, and yet, they made the trip. And despite discomforts there’s a good chance they anticipated it would be a pleasant one. While they were there [in Jerusalem], the time came for Mary 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. Was Jesus’ born in a stable? There has been a lot of scholarly debate over this question. Would not Joseph have stayed with relatives in Jerusalem? Was the manger referred to possibly in a special room that most private houses had at that time for animals or guests or both – as Matthew suggests in his Gospel? Does it matter? Not really! St. Francis of Assisi built the first Christmas crèche and locked-in forever our concept of the stable, but this is not the most important thing to ponder on this day. The Christmas story is filled with food for thought. We can relate to the Holy Couple, to Joseph, who has indulged his young fiancée’s desire to travel to Jerusalem, and her excitement at going with him. We can sympathize with, when once they arrive, their being forced to stay in less than luxurious surroundings. But none of these interesting details are what matters, because, as we know, it is what happens next that changes everything, that changes the world forever. And what happens is announced to simple people like us, to the less than elegant and upright, to a group of shepherds who are keeping watch over their flocks 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. And now the story becomes a mystery beyond our ability to explain. Now come the trumpets in church, the swelling hymn sung by the choir and joined by the congregation. O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem O come and behold Him, born the King of Angels Our hearts swell with joy and delight, tears come to some eyes – for it is Christmas. Christ our Savior is born. Did the Baby lie lonely in the manger, in the cold of midwinter? Not for a moment! It is spring, or fall, and His family is there with Him, perhaps only His parents, and perhaps, if they were actually in that guest room some scholars postulate and to which Matthew seems to refer, His extended family. There might have been animals, as second rooms were often used for the animals as well, exuding warmth from their bodies and love from their hearts. And shepherds arrive to join the throng. And while we cannot fathom the miracle beyond our understanding, that God came down to us as a tiny helpless baby, to walk among us, to live and die for us, we can understand the warmth and love that surrounded Him at His birth. This is within our grasp, and this is the important part of the story, this is what Jesus wants us to understand He is all about, love and warmth, caring and giving, amongst the poor, the lowly, and with all people and all that God has created. We may be living right now in a dark time, but not at Christmas – and not ever when we turn our hearts and lives over to the King of Love, our Shepherd, He who on this Christmas Day came down to earth to save us. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined… - Isaiah 9:2 The glory of the Lord that shone around the shepherds was not reserved for just that one group on that one night long ago. We are created to be drawn to that which is glorious, but when we limit our search to worldly things, even glorious art and music, we are not satisfied. In troubled times, we need something deeper, something that fills us with calm and peace, with warmth and love, with happiness and joy.

I love to tell the story Of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, Of Jesus and His love… I love to tell the story “Twill be my theme in glory To tell the old old story of Jesus and His love. Hymn - Hankey & Fischer 1860s

The story of the first Christmas is fascinating, so many details, so many questions unanswered. But the deeper story is a more important one, one we are called to live.

The shepherds came and told their story to those assembled around the Holy Child, repeating all that the angels had said, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. And we are amazed every Christmas.

When the day has passed, when we are back in the middle of the pandemic, we can continue in the Glory of the Lord by taking our cue from a happy teenage girl. Mary listened to all that was said, and then she treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The glory of the Lord is always available to us when we open our hearts to Jesus and give ourselves over to His love.

Let us pray:

Thank you Lord Jesus for Your perfect Love which never fails and was born to us this day. Help us to love as You love. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and equip us to face each day with the power of Your love, Your forgiveness, and Your grace. Lord make our love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as Yours did for us on that day so long ago, and continues to do for us. We ask through Your love, Amen.