Reverend Ref +

CHRISTMAS I

So now we have John. I think these first few verses of this gospel make more sense if you read it using the voice of Yoda. It just has that kind of feeling to it. John does a lot with images of light and dark. And if you couple that with the readings from Luke, it’s clear that something special is going on.

The baby Jesus born in a manger. The shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks by night. The glory of the Lord that lit up the night sky around the angels. Isaiah saying that the people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light.

All of these things shine a little light in our dark world. In a world where terrorism and wars and threats of wars and natural disasters and the general inhumanity of people towards other people, the birth of Christ sheds a little light of hope and peace and love. At Christmas we can look into the face of a sleeping baby, or a smiling baby, and instinctively know that the world is a brighter place.

And yes, that baby will grow up and everything will not be so rosy. John points out that, even though Jesus came into the world that was his own, he was not accepted by his own people. This doesn’t just apply to the Jews, this applies to us today as well. Think about how many people in this community don’t profess the Christian faith, for whatever reason.

We all have the power to become children of God, simply by accepting Jesus as Savior. Once we do that, the light of Jesus, the light that is in that baby, will enlighten us. And once we have that light in us, we will be able to overcome the darkness. That’s not to say that it will be easy, but nothing worth obtaining is ever easy.

The best way to fight the darkness is with light. The best way to fight hate is with love. When the skinheads and neo-nazis marched through downtown Coeur d’Alene, store owners closed up shop and held a community-wide picnic in the park. Rather than line the streets and shout obscenities at them (and giving the media some prime footage), they simply ignored them and found a way to build community over destroying it. When a synagogue in Missoula was at the receiving end of vandalism, the majority of churches in town and other groups banded together to help clean and repair the building.

These are just a few examples of the light outshining the darkness. The darkness can fight it, but the light will always win. And that light first appeared to us in the form of a baby, born to an unwed mother in a manger. That light was first proclaimed to shepherds by angels, and then by John the Baptist. And now it is our turn to shine the light of Christ into a dark world.

We are the shepherds to whom the angels announced the birth of Jesus. We are the shepherds who came and saw and then told everyone what they had witnessed. Just as they began to spread the light so long ago, we continue in their footsteps, spreading the light throughout the world.

However, we also represent the people who don’t accept Jesus. Do we really accept him, or are we just going through the motions? Do we really believe that the light of Christ can change the world, or are we embarrassed and hide our own light? Do we really believe that this child, who lit up a manger, has the ability to transform us? Are we really ready to be as goofy in the world’s eyes as we seem to be when attracting the attention of a baby?

What’s special about this whole event? What is God doing here? What’s special is that we recognize that this baby has not only the ability to light up our own lives, but that he has the ability to light up the lives of others through us. What God is doing here is showing us that it’s relationships that matter. The relationship of parent and child, teacher and student, us and them.

Yes, God is omnipotent and omniscient and could use that power in a myriad of ways. But God became incarnate so that we could experience that relationship one-on-one. The joy of holding a baby. The excitement of learning from a favorite teacher. The satisfaction of a good conversation over pizza and beer. And it is the light of those relationships that will overcome the dark.

So go be a shepherd and tell everyone of this miracle. Go follow John and bring people to be baptized. Go follow Jesus and love people for who they are. Go shine your light into the world.