The Feast of the Incarnation (Christmas Day) 2014

Rev. Carl M. Saxton, II 

John 1.1-18

This prologue to the Gospel of John is a Christmas story unlike the one we are familiar with.  In our experience the story of Christ’s birth is a story of the Holy Family’s search for safety and comfort.  We know the story of the angel announcing to Mary that she would conceive a child by “the Power of the Most High.”  We know the story of an angel coming to Joseph in a dream and assuring him that the child Mary carried was of God and that he, Joseph, had been entrusted to keep that child safe.  We’ve heard, all our lives, the story of Joseph and Mary returning to Joseph’s hometown in order to be counted for Roman tax purposes.  How the pregnant Mary and Christ’s foster father were forced to take shelter in a stable.  How the angels appeared to shepherds to announce the birth of the Savior, and the coming of the Three gentile Wise Me or Kings.  We know the story of Herod, who terrorized the mothers of Bethlehem in his bid to ensure his position of power and the Holy Family fleeing into Egypt to avoid Herod’s wrath.

Matthew and Luke tell us these details of the life and time surrounding the Holy Family at Christ’s birth.  They give us what we, as men and women, want to know about Jesus’ birth and early days.  Even now, two thousand years later, one of the first things we ask new people when we meet them is, ‘Where do you come from?  Where did you grow up?  Where’s your family from?’  It is a deep-rooted part of our nature that we need to know about origins - our’s and other people’s.  That’s the question Matthew and Luke were answering in their recounting of shepherds, angels, dreams, the stable, and the manger.

John is answering a completely different question.  For John, the real truth of Christ’s birth lie not in the earthly details of Joseph and Mary’s search for a place to sleep and eventual flight into Egypt...the real truth lies in the spiritual reality of who Christ is and where He came from.  John’s Christmas story highlights the heart of the Christmas story: the good news that God's amazing love for us is expressed in the birth of Mary's son. We have come to call this time of year Christmas (Christ’s Mass) but, even today the Church’s name for this most important feast is the Feast of the Incarnation.  It is the mystery of the Incarnation which John expressed in these words: 

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.

The Word became flesh. The Word, or in Greek the Λόγος (logos), was a term used in the ancient philosophies of Plato and the Stoics. John’s use of the term is probably more influenced by Jewish and Early Christian understandings.  The Jewish author Philo, who was probably a contemporary of John the Evangelist, used Λόγος to refer to the generative or creative force of God.  But the Fourth Gospel says that the Word lived in community with God, and at the same time was God. The Word was eternal, existing at the beginning of time. The Word was the very creative essence of God, through whom all things were made. The Word was the source of light--that is, of goodness and truth--and of life at every level. 

The Word became flesh; what an amazing thing!! If you really think about it...it’s impossible to wrap your mind around.  It’s that ‘not being able to understand the things of God’ that we call a divine mystery.  We call it the Incarnation, but Incarnation is really too limited a term to encapsulate such a mystery. Incarnation means "putting on a body." But, the Word became flesh means the Word took on our entire human nature. The Word became one of us; except for sin, totally human. In that child born in Bethlehem, nothing human was lacking. He had a body just like ours, He had a mind like ours. He had emotions like ours. At birth he was a real baby, totally dependent on his parents. He became a real child, who had to learn how to walk and talk and read and write. He went through puberty, just like we do, and turned from a boy into a man. He learned the trade of carpentry from Joseph and only honed his skills through hard work and practice. Jesus was completely one of us, a human being.

The Word became flesh. Both sides of this statement of one of the central mysteries of our faith are important, and we need to hold tightly to both of them. The Son of God became a human being and lived a human life among other humans. That's the first part of the Christmas story, the part that gets the attention at this time of year, and it’s really important. Sometimes, though, we try to separate God from the hustle and bustle of human life, as if God has nothing to do with the messiness of life as we know it. The Incarnation tells, shows us, proves to us that we can't do that, because God came into our world as one of us, and nothing earthly or human is beyond His experience.

There's also a second part to John’s Christmas story: we have seen God's glory. That's what John tells us. What does John mean by that? Is he talking about some special, unique part of Jesus' life and ministry? I don't think so. I think that the glory of God was revealed in Jesus’ life. His disciples, who knew him best, saw that he was full of grace and truth.

Jesus reflected and radiated the unconditional love of God. He loved the Pharisee and the tax-collector, the Jew and the Samaritan, the lovely and the unlovely, the sinner and the righteous. His love was never a reaction to the love of others; he reached out even to those who hated him. He displayed God's grace. He offered acceptance and salvation to Zaccheus, the outcast tax-collector. He challenged the rich young man to escape the slavery of riches. His lament over Jerusalem, when he cried

Jerusalem, Jerusalem!...How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!  [Matthew 23.37-39]

was a plaintive expression of God's love and grace. Even his words to Judas at the moment when Judas betrayed him, ‘Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?’ expressed deep love and concern.

Jesus expressed the absolute faithfulness of God--and faithfulness is central to the Hebrew idea of truth. You could depend on Jesus. You could depend on Jesus to satisfy needs: to feed the hungry, heal the sick, bless the children, cast out demons, raise the dead, break the chains of sin. Jesus was utterly dependable: he reflected the righteousness, justice, wisdom, and truth of God the Father. When the disciples saw Jesus in action, they saw God with a human face.

So in this Christmas season we need to be open to the continued work of God in Jesus Christ. For the Christmas story does not end in Bethlehem. It goes on. It includes the death and resurrection of Jesus. It includes everything that made Jesus the one who would save people from their sins. It includes the fact that Jesus is still alive with God, that Jesus is still active, that Jesus is still reflecting the grace and truth of God to those who are willing to receive it.

We are here today because we believe that God is still working through Jesus Christ. Right? We're here because we believe that Jesus Christ can satisfy the needs in our lives and in our world. Even if you have doubts and questions about Jesus and about Christianity, being here today says that you haven't closed your mind to the possibility that God is still working through Jesus Christ.

God works through Jesus Christ, but Jesus Christ works through us. That’s why we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. In the Eucharist Jesus comes to us, Jesus meets with us, Jesus feeds us with his grace. The Eucharist is an extension of the mystery of the Incarnation, of Christ’s coming to us in humble and earthly form. As we receive the consecrated bread and wine we confess that Jesus is alive, that he is still with us, that he makes it possible for us to live as he lived.  When we strive to live as Jesus lived, reflecting the unconditional love and the incredible faithfulness of God, then Christmas will truly continue here in our world and in our lives; and Emmanuel, God with us, becomes our everyday reality. ‘And the Word became flesh and lived among us’ - thanks be to God for the mystery of the Incarnation - the joining of humanity and the grace and truth of God.

The Third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent                                                                                       The Rev. Carl M. Saxton

1 Thessalonians 5.16-24; John 1.6-8, 19-28

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In this season of Advent, as we prepare our hearts, minds and souls for the coming of the Christ child - and the coming of Christ at the end of time - we light successive candles on the Advent wreath.  This, however, is a special Sunday - the Third Sunday of Advent - when we light the rose candle.  Why is one candle not like the others?

Advent is somewhat related to Lent.  It has the underlying message of penitence in its message of expectant waiting for the coming of Christ.  The readings, especially the Gospel readings for the last two weeks, have pointed toward the end of time, and the Collects have the Last Days and repentance for sin as their themes.  In fact, today’s Collect asks the Lord to

Stir up [His] power...and with great might come among us, because we are sorely hindered by our sins...

On the Advent wreath, the three blue candles mark the preparation Christians undergo while awaiting the arrival of Christ on Earth.

This can be a difficult season for us, as liturgical Christians, because as we hear the Lessons, Gospel readings, and Collects call us to examine our relationships with God and one another, and to evaluate our spiritual lives in the light of the future coming of Christ, it seems as if the rest of the world around us is already celebrating the joy of Christmas.  All around us we there is food, parties, shopping, music and lights. In the retail world, Christmas begins right after Halloween and then kicks into overdrive on the day after Thanksgiving. Many people willingly participate in this, barely putting away the leftover turkey before putting up every Christmas decoration they own.- while we try to stay in the expectant and reflective frame of mind to which Advent calls us.  While this calendar is fine for secular society, it has nothing to do with the Child at the heart of the season. We won’t celebrate His birth - the glorious and mysterious Incarnation of God - until Christmas Eve, and all the early bird sales in the world won’t speed that up.

In the old Latin Rite of the Mass this Third Sunday of Advent was known as Gaudete Sunday.  It took its name from the first words of the Introit which come from Philippians 4.4:

Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete. -- Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

We light the rose-colored candle to remind us of that Gaudete, that Rejoice! and in some places the priests and deacons wear rose-colored vestments on this Sunday as well.  Why do we need a reminder to rejoice on this Sunday?  Because the happiness that comes from being surrounded by friends and family, and from the full belly of Christmas feasting – the happiness we associate with the season – is not the same thing as Christian joy.

It’s because of the penitential nature of the season that we need the reminder.  Even as we evaluate our spiritual lives, looking for ways in which God is calling us to draw closer to Him, and recognizing our imperfections and failures as we look forward with both awe and anxiety to Christ’s coming, this Sunday calls us to hold onto our Christian joy.  Our joy as Christians doesn’t come from the world around us, it comes from our relationship to God through Jesus Christ.

Rejoice always: this isn’t about wearing a goofy smile through life - like hiding behind a mask from the realities of life, or worse, trying to avoid them altogether. This isn’t some kind of existentialist escapism.  For the Apostle Paul there is a definite reason that you and I are to rejoice always, even living in a world where there is war, violence, cruelty, poverty, and hunger.

We’re to rejoice because in the face of all of that, we know, in Paul's words, "If God be for us, who can be against us?"[1] We’re to rejoice because we know that having been joined to Christ in baptism, we will be joined to him in glory. We’re supposed to rejoice because our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We’re supposed to rejoice because, as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians just a few verses earlier than today's lesson, "God has destined us not for wrath, but for salvation."[2] The Day of the Lord is not doomsday, but a day of redemption for us because we belong to God in Jesus Christ.

There is another reason for us to rejoice always: despite the fallen, broken world we live in, we see signs of its redemption, signs of its righteousness around us and inside of us that signal the presence of God's Spirit. The saints continue to reveal holy lives: the Word is proclaimed, the sacraments are celebrated, the homeless are housed, the hungry are fed, acts of mercy take place as Christ shows up anonymously around us. When Paul says "Rejoice always," he is not saying "Cheer up!" or "Get happy!" He is talking about keeping ourselves centered in the deep joy that knows, regardless of how dark life may seem, we are children of light rather than darkness, not because we are enlightened, but because we belong to the light.[3] We endure, not because of our own steadfastness, but because of God's. Rejoice in this always, without ceasing, and in all circumstances; this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

We are to pray without ceasing. This doesn’t mean a life spent on your knees in a chapel or cave – at least not for everyone. On the other hand, time on our knees, whether literally or figuratively, must be a part of the daily rhythm of our lives if we are to remain faithful. In prayer, we are drawn into the intimacy of God's presence and are nurtured by His presence and power.

Paul says, pray, not only at regular times – for him it was three times a day – but at all times "without ceasing." He tells us to live a life in constant dialogue and interaction with God, whether on our knees or seated at our desk, in the chapel or on the bus, as well as on the street, at the computer, the dinner table, in front of the TV or with a newspaper in hand. Such conscious contact with God, faithfully added to our day, actually brings God's power and holiness into our lives. The seventeenth century Carmelite Brother Lawrence famously called it "practicing the presence of God."[4] When our lives are in such constant dialogue with God, all that we see, contemplate and do is held before God, while we are, in turn, strengthened with a divine self-giving that happens inside of us. Here is the real power of prayer--it is our divine lifeline--it sustains, strengthens and empowers us. Prayer links us to life's power source as surely as the cord on any appliance links it to the electricity that comes from the wall socket. Unplugged, it is useless. Pray always, without ceasing, in every circumstance. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Give thanks in all circumstances. Notice what Paul does not say: he does not say give thanks for all circumstances. There are circumstances in life that no one can give thanks for. Not every circumstance that comes to us is of God's making, nor God's will for us. Evil is real and present in our world. Yet, none of that--no circumstance in life--is beyond God's reach and God's power. God's power is such that even the worst evil can be overcome with good, transformed and folded into God's purposes. The ultimate example of this is the cross. Those who wanted to destroy Jesus forgot about the power of God; and so they simply created the opportunity for God to reveal the scope and dimension of His goodness and power. Do not give thanks for every circumstance, but in every circumstance give thanks for the power of God, thanks for the power of the resurrection, thanks that our hope is in God, thanks that what we see is not all that there is. Give thanks always, unceasingly, and in all circumstances. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The life of holiness to which Christians are called does not necessarily demand from all complete withdrawal from the world, nor does it fling us blindly into life's corruptions and brokenness, to try to fix the world on our own. Instead, God promises that holiness will develop in us as we rejoice, pray and give thanks always, unceasingly, in all circumstances. In this way, the God of peace is making us His own and giving us His peace; the God of holiness is making us holy, sound and fit for Him in body, mind and spirit.We light the rose candle to remind us of the joy we find in our life together in Christ; our joy born of the reality that God became flesh and dwelt among us. The God of hope is holding us in such a way, forming us in such a life, that we may be found blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  This, my beloved brothers and sisters, is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

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[1] Romans 8:31

[2] 1 Thessalonians 5:9

[3] 1 Thessalonians 5:5

[4] of the Resurrection, Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God: the Best Rule of Holy Life, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Pub, 2011).  [Many other editions available]