Dunbar United Church of Christ - December 20, 2009

I. We talked about Christmas in our Bible For Beginners class last Monday night. There are many characters in the stories Matthew and Luke gave us: soldiers, politicians, priests, shepherds, angels. Which character do you relate with the most this year? Are you feeling afraid, like King Herod? When the wise men told him that a king of the Jews was born, he was afraid -- because he thought he was the only king of the Jews. To protect himself, he killed all the infants two years old and younger in and around Bethlehem.

II. Or maybe you feel the grief and agony of the poor soldiers who had to carry out this command. We don’t talk about them much -- but they are part of the Christmas story too. Can you identify with the dread of the soldiers? A lot of people dread Christmas.

III. Mary was frightened when the angel Gabriel came to her. She protected her virginity for the day of her marriage, but now Gabriel told her that she’s pregnant. Did you notice that Gabriel didn’t ask Mary if she wanted to do this? Just like Moses wasn’t asked if he’d lead Jews out of Egypt. Just like the prophets weren’t asked if they wanted to be God’s messengers. A troubling detail of this story is that when God has a plan for us, he doesn’t ask. Do you realize that Jesus didn’t ask any of the disciples to follow him? He TOLD them, “Follow me.” Paul wasn’t asked to be an apostle. God struck him blind. Paul was doing the devil’s work, and God said, “I want you to work for me now.”

IV. Joseph wanted to divorce Mary but an angel said, “No -- stay with her and help raise her child. And go to Egypt because the king is about to kill all the infants. (Why didn’t Gabriel kill Herod and save all those infant’s lives?) Joseph listened to Gabriel. What could he say? No?

Maybe you’re feeling like Joseph and Mary -- fate comes to us, and what can we say? No? The doctor says, “You have cancer.” A drunk driver slams into our car. We’re working in our office at the World Trade Center and terrorists slam a jet airliner into us. Life happens to us. We’re all fated. We’re not as free as we think we are.

So what should we do this Christmas, celebrate or cry? Maybe both.

V. This Christmas, our lives are as ambivalent as the lives of Mary, and Joseph. And that’s how it should be, because God didn’t put us here to have a vacation (though often we do). We have the same wonderful, painful mission God gave to Joseph and Mary: to give birth to Jesus Christ, through the expression of our lives