What Do You Want For Christmas?
Sermon
Between Gloom and Glory
First Lesson Sermons For Advent/Christmas/Epiphany
(Originally published in 1998)
What do you want for Christmas? What is on your list? A new Nintendo 64? A Sony PlayStation? Maybe a new computer or a trip to Europe. Perhaps your desires are simpler. A new pair of socks and something sweet to eat between meals on Christmas day. Then again, I know that some of you really do want world peace and new hope for the world. Some of you just want a few minutes of peace and quiet -- a chance to calmly reflect on the life that you have been given. I know of a minister's spouse who would just like the reverend to be home for two nights in a row instead of attending committee meetings on finance or education or who knows what. I remember asking my grandmother one Christmas if she got everything she wanted. She smiled at me and said, "Every time I hear my grandchildren laugh on Christmas day I get everything I wanted!" Some of you know just how she feels.
Isaiah writes in chapter 35 of a time when the blind will be given sight, the lame will walk, the deaf hear and the dumb speak. Deserts will bloom. Burning sands will produce crystal clear water. It will be a time when God will vindicate the redeemed. In other words, the whole of creation will be renewed and rejuvenated. The earth and the humanity that lives there will be given a new life, a new beginning. Amazing stuff when we look carefully at what he is promising.
These are the kind of gifts anyone would want for Christmas. These are the type of gifts we gladly wait for until the dawn of the new day. Isn't this what we really want for Christmas? I know, the computers and the cars and the toys for all sizes and ages are wonderful to get (I'm hoping for a couple of neat things, too), but the transformation of the earthly and human handicaps that are listed here must be on everyone's list.
Then again, maybe not. If you've lived in the wilderness of disappointment or the desert of broken promises, these words from Isaiah may feel like verses from a cheap Christmas card. Isaiah says, "Do not fear," but how can that be possible when the bills outnumber the income? How can we wait for the water to run through the desert when we have already gone without for so long that we can no longer remember the taste?
But Isaiah refuses to give up on this message. He refuses to let despair and agony be the final word. In the season of Advent we are given the hope and the promise of a Messiah who will come to change the world. During Advent we are reminded that the savior coming to the stable in Bethlehem is no less than the son of God. This child of heaven will bring more than a collection of beautifully-wrapped presents on a sleigh or bags of goodies for boys and girls. He will bring a new creation, a new way of living and being in the world, a way so filled with love and mercy that fear will be no more. The promise in Isaiah is focused on a God who is actively involved in the lives of Israel. This whole text describes God as one who is in relationship with God's people. This is a God different from the other gods.
The other cultures surrounding Israel had many different kinds of gods. Their religions were often powerful, psychologically reaffirming aspects of some part of human life. In many ways they represented humankind's ongoing search for something greater than itself. The single greatest difference, however, was this: the God of Israel was above all nature and human action. Yahweh was not the rain god or the sun god. Yahweh was the king of the universe, the creator of all that was, is, and shall be. The promise of the prophet was based on this God, the God of all, who was choosing to act among God's people. The gifts God brings to the world are not wrapped in fancy paper and tied with pretty bows. They are the stuff of new life and new creation. They come from the hard work of being involved with the world and the people that populate it. This isn't fairy godmother type stuff; this is God delivering the people from exile and redeeming them to new life.
I have a friend who has been married to his wife Mary for sixteen years. It is his second marriage. He said to me the other day that he would gladly go through the pain, sadness, and emotional trauma of his first marriage if he knew that at the end of it all he would still be married to Mary. That is a wonderful compliment to his wife, but it is also a view that comes from having lived in the wilderness. The promised land of milk and honey looked as sweet as it did because the Israelites knew about the desert. They knew what it was like to wander from one dry watering hole to the next. They had experienced hunger and famine. When the promised land lay before them, they rejoiced because they had been to the desert.
There is no way, though, that they could fully anticipate and appreciate what lay before them. They had nothing more than hope and the spirit of God to lead them onward. My friend did not wade through the muck and the mire of his failed marriage chanting little prayers about how "it's okay now because in the long run I'll get out of this hopeless situation." But he will tell you that somewhere, somehow, through the power of the community of faith and the grace of God's re-creative ability, he discovered something new. One of the results of living through his first marriage is the fact that he is a better person and a better spouse because of it.
The question we need to ask today is this: What kind of a Messiah are we waiting for? One that will come and transform our lives into something new and miraculous? Or are we just hoping for a friendly uncle who comes bearing gifts and presents but never utters a challenging word? What do we want? A Jesus who will change our lives and challenge us to move through the desert to something new, or a sweet little baby who will be nice to cuddle with but nothing more? Are we expecting a Messiah who massages our egos but never requires anything in return? What do you want for Christmas? The messiah who is coming to the world is one who will call us to move forward in new and creative ways. We will be challenged to look at the world with an entirely new set of eyes.
This is not easy to do. Fred Craddock spoke to the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) back in 1995. His sermon was delivered to the whole assembly, but he spoke primarily to the clergy who were gathered there. He wondered, is it ever worth it? Do we really do any good? He spoke from the heart and it got everyone's attention. Well, I suppose I can't speak for everyone, but he certainly got mine. Then, he really got me hooked. He noted how hard it is for ministers to get what they deserve. After all, we have graduate degrees, we work hard for small salaries. We deserve to be recognized for who we are and what we do.
"Yeah, Fred, preach it, brother," I wanted to stand up and shout. "These non-clergy who are here need to hear this stuff. Maybe it will filter back to my congregation too. Maybe I'll finally get what I deserve in recognition and pay. If I am really lucky I'll get a raise even. Hallelujah!" As they say on Monday Night Football, I was fired up.
While I was amening myself into a frenzy, he went on and said something like this, "Well, since you are wondering about upward mobility, let's go to the upper room and ask Jesus when we are going to get what we deserve. We'll have to wait, though. You see, right now he is washing the feet of the disciples. He may talk with you later about upward mobility." My thoughts of getting what I deserve were stunned into silence. I admitted to myself that my silly desires have little if anything to do with my ministry.
Ministers and churches must deal with their egos and with the reality of a God who does not call us to fame and fortune but to new life and new hope. Knowing who we are and telling the truth about that is one of the most difficult things we will ever have to do in our lives. The really tough questions faced by ministers and churches today are not "what do you want for Christmas" or "when do we get the gifts we deserve," but rather, in this season of Advent, "where is God calling us to next? Where are we to serve? Where does God need us to go to celebrate the water flowing in the dry sand? What can we do in response to this wonderful gift of life?"
Bono, the lead singer in the rock band U2 sings, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for." It is a great rock and roll ballad. It speaks from the heart. However, I wonder if it is the right question. It is close, but maybe what we need to be clear about is this: What exactly are we looking for? What is it we are seeking? What do we want? Our answers will reveal the truth of who we really are.
We need to be reminded that the Messiah being sent to the world is the one who said to his cousin, John the Baptist, "the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense." Not a single word in there about us getting what we deserve. Nothing about moving up in the world to a new level of income or notoriety. Those things are fine in their place, but in the long run they have nothing to do with the promises of God.
Do you want a Messiah? Is that what we really want for Christmas? Tangible proof of the God of the universe living and working among us? Then maybe what we need to do is turn our gaze from heaven and look a little lower. Perhaps what we need to do is look among the poor, the lame, the blind. Possibly what we need to do is travel to the dry sands of poverty and despair and look around. If we do not find the Messiah, it will be because we are not looking in the right direction.
I saw something on the internet a couple of years ago about a Christian conference center that had posted this sign on the door:
Church service in progress.
Please do not ring the bell.
Please come back later.
Have they forgotten? Have they failed to remember who it is they are worshiping? The promise of the prophets and the words of the Gospels are reminders to us that we can't keep God to ourselves. No matter how hard we try or how clear we make it to others that we do not want them around, God is going to invite the whole world anyway.
So the question we are left with is this: Where is God calling us to next? Wherever it is, it is a place with a bright and hope-filled future. In the service of the poor, and the communion of the saints, we will discover that the deserts are blooming, the blind are seeing, and the people of God are loving in ways they never dreamed possible.
What do you want for Christmas? What is on your list? A new Nintendo 64? A Sony PlayStation? Maybe a new computer or a trip to Europe. Perhaps your desires are simpler. A new pair of socks and something sweet to eat between meals on Christmas day. Then again, I know that some of you really do want world peace and new hope for the world. Some of you just want a few minutes of peace and quiet -- a chance to calmly reflect on the life that you have been given. I know of a minister's spouse who would just like the reverend to be home for two nights in a row instead of attending committee meetings on finance or education or who knows what. I remember asking my grandmother one Christmas if she got everything she wanted. She smiled at me and said, "Every time I hear my grandchildren laugh on Christmas day I get everything I wanted!" Some of you know just how she feels.
Isaiah writes in chapter 35 of a time when the blind will be given sight, the lame will walk, the deaf hear and the dumb speak. Deserts will bloom. Burning sands will produce crystal clear water. It will be a time when God will vindicate the redeemed. In other words, the whole of creation will be renewed and rejuvenated. The earth and the humanity that lives there will be given a new life, a new beginning. Amazing stuff when we look carefully at what he is promising.
These are the kind of gifts anyone would want for Christmas. These are the type of gifts we gladly wait for until the dawn of the new day. Isn't this what we really want for Christmas? I know, the computers and the cars and the toys for all sizes and ages are wonderful to get (I'm hoping for a couple of neat things, too), but the transformation of the earthly and human handicaps that are listed here must be on everyone's list.
Then again, maybe not. If you've lived in the wilderness of disappointment or the desert of broken promises, these words from Isaiah may feel like verses from a cheap Christmas card. Isaiah says, "Do not fear," but how can that be possible when the bills outnumber the income? How can we wait for the water to run through the desert when we have already gone without for so long that we can no longer remember the taste?
But Isaiah refuses to give up on this message. He refuses to let despair and agony be the final word. In the season of Advent we are given the hope and the promise of a Messiah who will come to change the world. During Advent we are reminded that the savior coming to the stable in Bethlehem is no less than the son of God. This child of heaven will bring more than a collection of beautifully-wrapped presents on a sleigh or bags of goodies for boys and girls. He will bring a new creation, a new way of living and being in the world, a way so filled with love and mercy that fear will be no more. The promise in Isaiah is focused on a God who is actively involved in the lives of Israel. This whole text describes God as one who is in relationship with God's people. This is a God different from the other gods.
The other cultures surrounding Israel had many different kinds of gods. Their religions were often powerful, psychologically reaffirming aspects of some part of human life. In many ways they represented humankind's ongoing search for something greater than itself. The single greatest difference, however, was this: the God of Israel was above all nature and human action. Yahweh was not the rain god or the sun god. Yahweh was the king of the universe, the creator of all that was, is, and shall be. The promise of the prophet was based on this God, the God of all, who was choosing to act among God's people. The gifts God brings to the world are not wrapped in fancy paper and tied with pretty bows. They are the stuff of new life and new creation. They come from the hard work of being involved with the world and the people that populate it. This isn't fairy godmother type stuff; this is God delivering the people from exile and redeeming them to new life.
I have a friend who has been married to his wife Mary for sixteen years. It is his second marriage. He said to me the other day that he would gladly go through the pain, sadness, and emotional trauma of his first marriage if he knew that at the end of it all he would still be married to Mary. That is a wonderful compliment to his wife, but it is also a view that comes from having lived in the wilderness. The promised land of milk and honey looked as sweet as it did because the Israelites knew about the desert. They knew what it was like to wander from one dry watering hole to the next. They had experienced hunger and famine. When the promised land lay before them, they rejoiced because they had been to the desert.
There is no way, though, that they could fully anticipate and appreciate what lay before them. They had nothing more than hope and the spirit of God to lead them onward. My friend did not wade through the muck and the mire of his failed marriage chanting little prayers about how "it's okay now because in the long run I'll get out of this hopeless situation." But he will tell you that somewhere, somehow, through the power of the community of faith and the grace of God's re-creative ability, he discovered something new. One of the results of living through his first marriage is the fact that he is a better person and a better spouse because of it.
The question we need to ask today is this: What kind of a Messiah are we waiting for? One that will come and transform our lives into something new and miraculous? Or are we just hoping for a friendly uncle who comes bearing gifts and presents but never utters a challenging word? What do we want? A Jesus who will change our lives and challenge us to move through the desert to something new, or a sweet little baby who will be nice to cuddle with but nothing more? Are we expecting a Messiah who massages our egos but never requires anything in return? What do you want for Christmas? The messiah who is coming to the world is one who will call us to move forward in new and creative ways. We will be challenged to look at the world with an entirely new set of eyes.
This is not easy to do. Fred Craddock spoke to the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) back in 1995. His sermon was delivered to the whole assembly, but he spoke primarily to the clergy who were gathered there. He wondered, is it ever worth it? Do we really do any good? He spoke from the heart and it got everyone's attention. Well, I suppose I can't speak for everyone, but he certainly got mine. Then, he really got me hooked. He noted how hard it is for ministers to get what they deserve. After all, we have graduate degrees, we work hard for small salaries. We deserve to be recognized for who we are and what we do.
"Yeah, Fred, preach it, brother," I wanted to stand up and shout. "These non-clergy who are here need to hear this stuff. Maybe it will filter back to my congregation too. Maybe I'll finally get what I deserve in recognition and pay. If I am really lucky I'll get a raise even. Hallelujah!" As they say on Monday Night Football, I was fired up.
While I was amening myself into a frenzy, he went on and said something like this, "Well, since you are wondering about upward mobility, let's go to the upper room and ask Jesus when we are going to get what we deserve. We'll have to wait, though. You see, right now he is washing the feet of the disciples. He may talk with you later about upward mobility." My thoughts of getting what I deserve were stunned into silence. I admitted to myself that my silly desires have little if anything to do with my ministry.
Ministers and churches must deal with their egos and with the reality of a God who does not call us to fame and fortune but to new life and new hope. Knowing who we are and telling the truth about that is one of the most difficult things we will ever have to do in our lives. The really tough questions faced by ministers and churches today are not "what do you want for Christmas" or "when do we get the gifts we deserve," but rather, in this season of Advent, "where is God calling us to next? Where are we to serve? Where does God need us to go to celebrate the water flowing in the dry sand? What can we do in response to this wonderful gift of life?"
Bono, the lead singer in the rock band U2 sings, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for." It is a great rock and roll ballad. It speaks from the heart. However, I wonder if it is the right question. It is close, but maybe what we need to be clear about is this: What exactly are we looking for? What is it we are seeking? What do we want? Our answers will reveal the truth of who we really are.
We need to be reminded that the Messiah being sent to the world is the one who said to his cousin, John the Baptist, "the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense." Not a single word in there about us getting what we deserve. Nothing about moving up in the world to a new level of income or notoriety. Those things are fine in their place, but in the long run they have nothing to do with the promises of God.
Do you want a Messiah? Is that what we really want for Christmas? Tangible proof of the God of the universe living and working among us? Then maybe what we need to do is turn our gaze from heaven and look a little lower. Perhaps what we need to do is look among the poor, the lame, the blind. Possibly what we need to do is travel to the dry sands of poverty and despair and look around. If we do not find the Messiah, it will be because we are not looking in the right direction.
I saw something on the internet a couple of years ago about a Christian conference center that had posted this sign on the door:
Church service in progress.
Please do not ring the bell.
Please come back later.
Have they forgotten? Have they failed to remember who it is they are worshiping? The promise of the prophets and the words of the Gospels are reminders to us that we can't keep God to ourselves. No matter how hard we try or how clear we make it to others that we do not want them around, God is going to invite the whole world anyway.
So the question we are left with is this: Where is God calling us to next? Wherever it is, it is a place with a bright and hope-filled future. In the service of the poor, and the communion of the saints, we will discover that the deserts are blooming, the blind are seeing, and the people of God are loving in ways they never dreamed possible.
