Rev.
George Miller
Luke 2:1-20
“Between
Emperors and Angels”
Dec 24, 2011
Ya’ll
may remember that when I arrived at Emmanuel UCC in 2010, one of the first
sermons I gave was about being an A-Type personality.
There’s
no denying that. I am “A” all the
way. Not only that, I’m a list maker.
During
that first sermon, I asked how many of you were the type of list makers that if
you do something that’s not on your list, you write it down and then scratch it
off.
Doesn’t
it feel good to be in solidarity with others and to know you are not alone?
Well,
is it me, or has this holiday season been one long list on top of list on top
of list?
The
lists of who to buy for, what to buy, and there’s always that one person you
forgot?
How
many have created a “Countdown to Christmas list?”
The
time lines for when to wrap and mail presents, when to send out cards, when to
grocery shop, when to take the turkey out of the freezer, when to make certain
dishes.
List
after list after list after list.
Because
of this, how many already feel a bit burned out, tired, and looking forward to
Dec 26 when life slows back down?
It’s
normal to feel this way, that things are uber-busy, because truthfully that’s
part of what’s going on in today’s reading.
Chapter
2 of Luke’s Gospel begins by making reference to a census decreed by Emperor
Augustus.
And
what is a census after all, but a list of lists?
It’s a
government mandated event in which people are to be counted and compiled into
where they are from, where they live now, how much they make etc.
By
letting us know there was a census taking place, Luke is trying to set the
birth of Jesus into a historical, social setting that people could
understand.
And if
you think about it, this census was more then an ordinary census: it was an
event.
What do
people need to do to prepare for an event?
That’s right- make more lists!
For
folk like Joseph and Mary who had to travel about 70 miles by foot or donkey,
there were preparations to be made.
Such a
trip would require food, water, clothes, shelter, supplies for the animals, all
which require packing and planning.
Don’t
forget making provisions for people to mind your business, look after your home,
water the plants and take in the mail.
You
don’t just jump onto a donkey with a pregnant woman and say “Away we go!” No, you plan, you prepare, and you save.
Then there
are the people in places like
For them
there’ll be the cleaning of the house, the washing of linens, the fixing up of broken
windows and creaky doors.
There’s
all the food preparation that will have to take place. Grapes made into wine, grain turned into bread;
the planning of the meals, shopping at the market, killing the fatted calf,
figuring
out who will sit next to Cousin Moira and where the kids table will be.
Lists
upon lists upon lists to plan and prepare!
Let’s
not forget about all the local business owners as they plan to welcome hundreds
if not thousands of people into town.
The
supplies they’ll need to order, the extra staff they’ll have to hire, the
stocking of the shelves, the jacking up of prices, making sure they have the
latest fashions, spices and perfumes so visitors can buy gifts for their hosts
and their friends back home.
Then
there is the underground community gearing up to be busy; the pick pockets
ready to make a catch, the pool halls and nightclubs, call girls and card
sharks.
All
busy busy, making lists and checking them twice to make sure nothing is missed.
The
whole world it seems is moving at a dizzying pace…and this is when and where
Jesus enters into their lives.
Not
when things are calm and peaceful; not when everyone has had a chance to catch
their breath.
But when
the government is busy telling the world what to do and the world is busy and alive with movement.
So busy
that barely anyone notices the birth of Jesus because they are so focused on
their own lists and tasks.
No one
that is, except for some poor shepherds who find a way to leave behind their
work in the field, for the most important task of all: to glorify the Lord.
…The
world was busy when Jesus was born, and the world continues to be busy now…
But for
right here, for right now, for all my list makers, planners, worriers, and deep
thinkers,
Tonight; tonight
we are to take a deep breath
we are
to be present before the Lord; just like Mary and Joseph,
just
like the shepherds who came in from their field.
Tonight
we are to forget about our lists,
our to-dos
about who will sit next to Cousin Moira
forget about where the kids table will be
forget about what still needs to be done
Tonight
we are invited to be still, and to be present and to know that we are about to
witness the greatest gift of all:
Emmanuel,
which means “God with Us.”
And if
you are sitting next to someone you love, someone you trust, I invite to clasp
their hand for a second…and just be….
You
know, just like back then during the census of Emperor Augustus, there is
always so much to do.
Modern
marvels like washing machines and e-mail haven’t really reduced the amount of
work we have, they’ve just created space for new work.
So why
do we continue to rush, rush, rush?
Just
like back then, there will always be the rich and powerful among us, like Augustus
and Quirinius.
Just
like back then, there will always be the poor among us, like the shepherds,
Mary and Joseph.
But
between them exists an entire world, a world ablaze with light, in which there
are angels amongst us, living and heavenly, who point us towards the Lord.
Angels
who break through the darkness of night to remind us that there is so much more
then what we can imagine or what we think we must do.
Nearly
2,000 years ago, between emperors and angels, between palaces and fields of
clover, a baby was born into our world.
His
name is Jesus; Christ the Lord,
born to set us free;
born to give
us true sight;
born to bring good news and joy to the
people,
both the 1
and the 99 percent.
Amongst
all the traveling and list making and planning and doing,
what
really mattered that night,
what
really transpired in the manger,
was
that Jesus was born so that our hearts
may
sing out,
our
minds may open up and
our
spirits may be filled with light.
Light
that says no amount of darkness,
no
amount of worry,
no
amount of anything can dim what we have found,
wrapped
in swaddling clothes,
crying
out to a wounded world
which
will eventually cry out to Him.
Tonight,
while the rest of the world is busy with lists and politics and commerce and
greed, we are called to exist instead somewhere between emperors and angels,
for to
each of us, the Christ child is born and we all are given a chance yet again to
breath anew.
In
conclusion, if you are an A-type personality, like me;
if you
are a list maker, as I think many of us are,
tonight
is the night for us to let that go,
to
surrender to the moment,
and to
know that it is a silent night,
a holy
night,
in
which all is calm,
and all
is bright.
And we
can leave our lists and our worries for another day.
For
that, we can say “Hallelujah!” and for that we can say “Amen.”