Image of God

Psalm 8

The ghost of Christmas future

He had seen the future, and he didn’t like it one bit. So he set out to change it. By changing himself. See, Ebeneezer Scrooge knew that he had made bad choices in life. He had been so driven to succeed that he had driven away anyone who cared about him. He loved money more than people so he had turned his back on anyone in need. He did not actively hurt them, not physically, anyway. Words were his weapon of choice. Words and indifference. Scrooge did the most damage to others simply by choosing not to see them. But, one Christmas, his eyes were opened. He saw clearly all that he had been missing. All the joy. And all the opportunities.

Scrooge had the power to make a lot of people happy. He had the means to make them happy. He had opportunities to make them happy. He had LOTS of opportunities to make a difference, but, for most of his life, Scrooge had failed to take advantage of any of them. Unless something changed, and changed quickly, all that money that Scrooge had accumulated would simply be wasted. It did not bring him joy, and it did not help anyone.

Not until love was born in Scrooge. Love was just a word. A notion. An idea. And one that Scrooge scoffed at, to be honest. Until it was born in him that Christmas. But once love WAS born in Scrooge, he donated a huge sum of money to charity, bought a prize turkey for the Cratchit family’s Christmas dinner, gave his clerk a raise and pledged to help the struggling family. When love was born in Scrooge, he helped Tiny Tim get the medical care that would save his life. In fact, the reborn Scrooge spent so much time with the Cratchits that he became like a second father to the frail child. That Christmas, love took on flesh in Scrooge.

That’s what Christmas is all about: Word taking on flesh.

The first chapter of John’s gospel tells us that the Word of God became flesh when Jesus was born. The Word had always been there. With God. The Word was there when everything came into being. In fact, everything came into being THROUGH the Word. Without the Word, nothing would have ever existed. Not one tree. Not one snowflake. Not one shooting star. All things came into being through the Word. All things and all people.

One day, God said, “Let us make humankind in our image.” So we were created in the image of the Word. And God led humanity through the Word.

Over the years, God had a lot of good words for the people. Words like victory, love, faithfulness, joy, gratitude, righteousness, equity, peace and justice. But, when you’re living by faith in a God you cannot see, it can be easy to doubt. To get discouraged. Or give up hope.

So the Word took on flesh. At Christmas, the Almighty God, the One who created all things and rules all things, the Lord God Almighty came into our world as a helpless child. God came to us as one of us. The Word took on flesh in Jesus. So we could finally see for ourselves what God is really like.

The Gospels are full of stories of the Word made flesh. In Jesus, we can see the Word at work in the world. We don’t have to figure out what it means to love. Jesus shows us when he heals a man who had been sick for 38 years. We don’t have to figure out what it means to forgive. Jesus shows us when he does not condemn a woman caught in adultery. We don’t have to figure out what it means to serve. Jesus shows us when he washes the feet of his followers. The Word took on flesh.

There are a lot of good words in us. And God calls us to let those good words take on flesh. It’s not enough to say, “You can trust me.” God calls us to embody trust. To be trustworthy.[i] It’s not enough to say, “Peace be with you.” God calls us to embody peace. To be peacemakers. It’s not enough to say, “I am a Christian.” God calls us to embody Christ. To be Christ-like. That’s what it means for the Word to take on flesh in us.

And amazing things happen when the Word takes on flesh. When the Word takes on flesh in us, it becomes real for those around us.

Early this spring, a desperate situation turned deadly when Philippine security forces fired on a peaceful demonstration of 5,000 farmers who were asking for rice.[ii] The hungry people got bullets from the government, but were offered compassion and shelter by Bishop Ciriaco Francisco and other members of the Spottswood Methodist Mission Center. The bishop’s decision to offer sanctuary to the starving families put him in danger, and he was threatened with arrest. But he was adamant. “…it is a sin to deny them food,” he said.

The protesters were blocking Quezon Boulevard, a major road that runs in front of the Spottswood mission center, which is the home of the bishop’s office. When the violence broke out, protesters poured into the center, and the compound was surrounded by police. The violence left three dead and 18 severely injured. Close to a 100 people were wounded, and scores were missing. The center sheltered thousands of women, men and children for three days.

The province of Cotabato, where the farmers live, was under a “state of calamity” due to El Nino phenomenon, a weather condition that destroyed crops. The farmers were starving and were asking for 15,000 sacks of rice.

“The farmers gathered for three days in front of the National Food Authority warehouse hoping the governor would listen to their cries,” Bishop Francisco said. “But her heart was callous and she did not listen.”

However, the farmers finally received rice from non-government organizations, private individuals and religious groups. They got help because words like “compassion” and “justice” took on flesh in Bishop Francisco. The Word took on flesh, and countless lives have been forever changed.

That’s what happens when the Word takes on flesh. Lives are changed. Life changes. And we move ever closer to the future God envisioned for us so many years ago. A future of endless peace when the Son of God is seated on the throne, and his authority grows all the time.

It's simple, really. The future changes when we change. God has given us so many good words, words like peace, justice, righteousness, salvation, comfort, redemption, power, life, light, healing, wholeness, joy. What good words are within you just waiting, waiting to take on flesh?[iii]

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel![iv]

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[i] Parker J. Palmer. “When Words Become Flesh: Risking Vulnerability in a Violent World.” Published Wednesday, December 23, 2015 on the On Being with Krista Tippett website at www.onbeing.org. Downloaded December 23, 2016.

[ii] The story of Bishop Francisco is told by Kathy Gilbert in “Philippines bishop honored for sheltering poor.” Published December 15, 2016 on the United Methodist Church website at www.umc.org/news-and-media/philippine-bishop-honored-for-sheltering-poor. Downloaded December 24, 2016.

[iii] Palmer.

[iv] Phillips Brooks. “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” The United Methodist Hymnal. Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989. 230.

The ghost of Christmas present

Sometimes Christmas is not all that it is cracked up to be. We like to sing about a silent night but the reality is something very different. It always has been. When Christ was born, it was anything BUT quiet. Or peaceful.

Palestine and every other country in the Mediterranean was ruled by the Roman Empire, and, even though Caesar was supposed to have been divinely ordained to bring peace and salvation to the whole world, the empire had been rocked by murder and civil war. Conquered people, like the Jews, were kept in line by threats of attack by the massive Roman army. In Israel, Herod was installed as King, cities were named after Caesar, and Jewish priests were required to make sacrifices to him. Numerous Roman temples and fortresses were built, and the Jews were taxed to pay for all of it.

That is why Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem that night. The governor of Syria had decided to count all the citizens, presumably so he could make sure everyone was paying taxes. And, for whatever reason, Quirinius thought it was a good idea to make everyone return to their home towns in order to be counted.

It was a HUGE inconvenience. It’s not like they could jump in a car and make a quick road trip. For Joseph and Mary, it meant walking 100 miles, over mountains to the Sea of Galilee and then south through the desert until they reached the rocky hills of Bethlehem. It was a difficult journey, and a dangerous one. Thieves often attacked travelers on the road. But none of that mattered to Quirinius, as long as he got what he wanted.

He did not care about the Jews. To be honest, no one did. The Romans and their supporters had all the power. They owned most of the land, and they were the only ones who could hold political office, so their interests were the only ones directly represented in the government. The rich lived luxurious lives in the city. They rented out their land in the countryside to tenant farmers, who paid substantial rents and taxes. But the tax revenue was not used to build schools or improve roads, things that might benefit the poor. Instead, it was all used to further the interests of the rich. International trade also focused on the desires of the rich. And, even though others worked the land, rich land owners decided what crops to plant. Of course, they wanted to make the most money possible, so they favored cash crops instead of growing food that the poor could live on. As a result, most people were constantly in danger of hunger or starvation. Since most farms were too small for workers to make a comfortable living, some became day laborers to make ends meet, but work was not steady. Farmers and tradesmen often fell into debt, and failure to pay could be disastrous. The debtor and his family could be sold as slaves, or they might be tortured or imprisoned to force other family members to pay the debt. Anyone without family was extremely vulnerable.[i]

But those were not the only problems facing the people of Israel. God had not spoken to them for 400 years. There had been no word from God, no new prophet, since Malachi.[ii] And their own nation was divided. Four different groups sought to lead the people. Riots were common, and everyone lived in a constant state of stress and anxiety.[iii]

On top of all that, they lived in a highly structured class system that declared some more honorable than others. Associating with anyone less honorable could bring shame on your whole family.

That’s the world that Jesus was born into. A world of poverty, prejudice, injustice and violence. That’s the reality of Christmas. Jesus was born in the midst of chaos. In the midst of confusion. In the midst of noise. He was born in a tiny town that was overrun with weary travelers. To parents who were dirty, tired and disgraced. To a nation that was occupied by a powerful enemy. To a land where the rich and powerful exploited the poor and weak. The Son of the Most High God was born into a dangerous and difficult world. But he came! He came! Just as God promised! He came!

Jesus was born like us, into a world full of sin and death and disease. Into a world of conflict and crime and conceit. Into a world that celebrated strength. Jesus was born. He was born as a weak and vulnerable child. Helpless. Defenseless. Completely at the mercy of God and man.

This is the reality of Christmas. It’s messy. It’s scary. It’s hard! It’s life.

And life is what Ebeneezer Scrooge needed to see. He had lived for far too long behind carefully constructed walls that kept the world at a distance. So the Ghost of Christmas Present came and commanded Scrooge to come and see and know.[iv]

Then the Spirit showed Scrooge the world as it truly is, which is what the Spirit will do for all of us, if we are willing to open our eyes and see. That night, Scrooge saw hard work and joy. Simplicity and beauty. Poverty and grace. Everywhere there was hardship and peace. Miners on a bleak desert moor. Lighthouse keepers on a dismal reef of sunken rock. Sailors on a black and heaving sea. They knew what Scrooge had failed to see.[v] The Son of God was born into their world. Jesus had come to save them from the chaos. Jesus had come to them.

Sometimes Christmas isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. We need to see. We need to see the hardworking people around us. The poor. The lonely. We need to see those who are separated from their families. Those who are sick. Those who are in prison. We need to see those who will spend Christmas in a shelter or passed out on park bench or dancing in some strip club. We need to see. We can no longer turn a blind eye to the world around us. Ignorance brings destruction.

But the good news of Christmas is that Jesus Christ is born! He has come like us to live in this world, in this present reality. Right here where we are. Wherever we are. Whoever we are.

The angel told the shepherds living in the fields, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for ALL the people!” Even for dirty shepherds who were considered unclean, unworthy, and unacceptable. To YOU is born this day a Savior!

We cannot turn a blind eye to the world because Jesus is in the world. Jesus has come to save us ALL. Jesus has come into our turbulent world to save us from the chaos. Jesus has come to give us peace. Lord knows, we need it.

On Tuesday, August 16, 2005, Brother Roger, the founder of a Catholic community in Taize, France, was stabbed to death during a prayer service. While the brothers were praying, a Romanian woman emerged from the congregation and murdered the 90-year-old man in his wheelchair. At his funeral service, the brothers lifted up the name of the murderer and asked God to forgive her.[vi] They found peace in the chaos. Jesus gave them peace.

We may not witness murder, but are witnesses daily to the suffering of others. Sometimes, we are the ones who suffer. To all of us, the angels sing, “I bring you good news of great joy! To you is born this day a Savior! Glory to God and on earth peace.”

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[i] Much of the history is from “The Life and Times of First-Century Palestine.” Published on the St. Mary’s Press website at www.smp.org/resourcecenter/resource/4011/. Copyrighted 2010 by St. Mary’s Press. Downloaded December 19, 2016. P 7.

[ii] David Schrock. “Darkness: The World in Which Christ was Born.” Published December 12, 2011 on the Via Emmaus website at https://davidschrock.com/2011/12/12/darkness-the-world-in-which-christ-was-born/. Downloaded December 19, 2016.

[iii] Schrock.

[iv] Charles Dickens.  A Christmas Carol. New York: Scholastic Book Services, 1962. 57

[v] Dickens, 60-77.

[vi] Matt Rawle. The Redemption of Scrooge. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2016. Location 1153, Kindle edition.