The First Day of a New World

Welcome to our service celebrating the birth of Jesus, God’s Incarnation.  It is an awe-inspiring moment each year when our families and friends gather for this festive celebration.  This is your spiritual home, a safe and sacred place where everyone is invited to worship in thanksgiving to God who is our true hope for peace and justice.  May this season be for you and for those you love one of peace, joy and happiness, and may God's grace and mercy always abide in your heart.

At Christmas we tell the story of our faith and we recount God's living and active presence in the community of faithful people.  The story of our faith begins with the birth of Jesus.  It is a narrative told by Matthew and Luke to assure their communities that the Scriptures have been fulfilled: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined."  Jesus was born.  God has become incarnate, taking the form of human flesh and blood, bringing hope for peace and salvation to all people.

The Gospel of Luke tells the story of a poor family. Mary "gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified…. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, `Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!'"

What an impressive and frightening experience this must have been.  What happened later for the early followers of Jesus, and what happens for Christians to this day is that the birth of Jesus is a mystery.  It is part of an entire mystery that cannot be understood as an isolated event.  God's incarnation is not only about the birth of Jesus but it includes Jesus' death and resurrection, and the experience people had as they looked back in history to understand how it all came to be. 

Unraveling the actual details of the birth is a complex task.  Matthew and Luke report that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea; that his birth occurred during the reigns of Herod the Great and the Emperor Augustus; and that he grew up in Nazareth of Galilee.  Matthew tells the story from the perspective of Joseph and traces the family genealogy beginning with Abraham. Joseph and Mary live in Bethlehem.  Luke’s account begins in the town of Nazareth in Galilee and has Joseph and his family traveling to Bethlehem to be registered to comply with a decree issued by the Roman Emperor Augustus. 

The point of the story, whether from Matthew or Luke, is not the actual detail of how it happened, but its importance and meaning for people of faith.  God's grace appeared in the incarnation and redemptive action of Christ.  As faithful followers of Jesus’ teaching and ministry, we accept this revelation by living a righteous life of service to people in need.  Faith in the revelation shapes our view of life "while we wait for the blessed hope… of the glory of God."

In his Christmas message, our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry said, “This child, when He grew up, came to show us the way to live lives of love, lives of compassion, lives of goodness, lives of kindness, lives of justice. This child came to show us how to change the world.  So this Christmas, make room for him to change us.  This Christmas help us change the world.  And make a new commitment, to go out from this day, to let this Christmas Day, be the first day of a new world.”

Jesus' sacrificial suffering and death on a cross opens our eyes to behold God's presence and mercy wherever suffering, pain, rejection, and loneliness occur.  This Christmas can be “the first day of a new world” whenever and wherever we are vehicles for bestowing the mercy and grace of God on those in need.  It is the first day of a new world whenever and wherever we recognize God in the lives of others, regardless of their religious or non-religious tradition.  It is the first day of a new world whenever and wherever we share our Christian faith and hope with people who have no hope.  It is the first day of a new world when the full measure of Christmas abides in our hearts. 

We come together in this place to worship and invoke God's support and presence among us and throughout our broken and troubled world.  God becomes flesh and dwells among us in the birth of Jesus Christ.  The reality of his death and resurrection is an indescribable mystery pointing to a new day and a new world of hope, justice and peace for all people.

A savior is born. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace.”  Alleluia!  Amen.