Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Reflection on Luke 2:1-20 and John 1:1-14

The Shepherds heard a glorious message declared from the Angel above.

I heard a message blaring at me from the television that I better hurry up, the deals are about gone!

Whose birthday is it anyway?

The Shepherds were terrified when they saw the angel who sent them on their way.

I was terrified when I saw the traffic backed up across the bridge extending all the way past the church; why did I even think to come out at 5:00pm?

Whose birthday is it anyway?

The sign to the shepherd was a child wrapped in bands of cloth, lying a manger. Peace surrounding him.

My sign was a backlight monstrosity; the remains of summer moths still plastered on its surface.

Whose birthday is it anyway?

The heavenly host sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

When I saw the long line of people at the checkouts, despairing even before I searched for my wonderful deal, words to Jesus Christ rang out from my lips also.

Whose birthday is it anyway?

The shepherds made haste to see Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.

I made haste and beat a shrimp of a seven-year-old to my deal.

Whose birthday is it anyway?


"Whose birthday is it anyway?"

“It’s my birthday…I’m a Christmas baby,” the boy shouted.

“Your still to slow,” I shouted back and ran off giggling a triumphant giggle!

All were amazed at the shepherd’s story.

I was amazed how big a bruise a mother’s shopping bag can deliver. Apparently, her children where all getting coal for Christmas.
Whose birthday is it anyway?

Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

I’m not even going to mention the mother’s words, she made sailors sound like a children’s choir.

Whose birthday is it anyway?

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.

I returned battered and bruised, with a gift purchased (but not the one I wanted), looked at myself and the people around me, and wondered aloud:

Whose birthday is it anyway?

With all the extravagant gifts bought for other people, I would swear that we had gone wrong somewhere in celebrating this day. It is a birthday alright, but who is getting the gifts?

This year children of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, and members who pitched in also, did indeed buy a birthday gift for baby Jesus. Since Jesus cared about the poor, we bought a milk cow for a poor family somewhere in the world. I love this gift. It is truly a gift to Jesus, in line with the things Jesus cared about. It is a gift full of grace to the poor. We also bought $25 worth of crabs, a nice stocking stuffer…until you reach in the stocking that is. But, my point is, these gifts seem right, and they are. They remember whose birthday it is this night.

Well, yes and no.

The writer of John sees this night, this anticipated birthday a little differently. The one who reminds us this night that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it,” also reminds us that those people who follow the light, Jesus Christ, became on this night children of God, "born not from the will of man and woman, but born from the will of God." According to John, Jesus Christ (the light of the world), was born on Christmas night, and so were we. It is our birthday also. When Jesus entered into the world as a child of God, "on this night" we did also. Maybe there should be some presents for us too.

The kind and generous bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, St. Nicholas, (yes, the one who shares Santa Claus’ name) seemed to think so anyway. One of the oldest legends about St. Nicholas and his miracles is the one about the stockings. A widowed father had three daughters.  Unfortunately, he had no money and, therefore, no dowry to give them so they may be married. The father despaired at the thought of selling his daughters into slavery, but what else could he do? To save them from being sold into lives of slavery, St. Nicholas threw three bags of gold down their chimney so they may each have a wedding dowry. The bags of gold landed in the three socks hanging there to dry and the girls were thereby saved by the grace of this saint of God. Through the gifts, the father and the girls were reminded that God had not forgotten them. Through the gifts, and through the generosity of the St. Nicholas, the father and daughters knew that God would come to them and save them.

Maybe, the gifts, and the driving, and the angry shoppers are worth it…to a certain degree. The gifts given have always been, and always should be signs that we have a loving God who is willing to come to us and save us. We had simply forgotten this truth about those gifts under our trees. The gifts are a reminder that we have a new life because of Jesus. The gifts are a reminder of the birthday we and Jesus share.

So, go ahead and give your gifts this season without guilt. Give with the generous heart of Saint Nicholas; a generous heart that is given by God. Go ahead and give your gifts as a reminder that it is your loved one’s faith birthday. It is the day we celebrate our new birth as God’s children and the day we celebrate the one who gave us a new birth, Jesus Christ our Lord. Whose birthday is it? It is the Lord’s and it is also ours. Go ahead and celebrate!

 
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.

1 comment:

Ely Biado said...

Everything that is under God’s dominion are named after Him. It is unlikely to name one’s domain into another name. The angel of satan is different from the angels of God though anything attached to the name of God is magnified. What I mean is, the barber is just an ordinary barber but when he is the barber of President Obama then that barber is no ordinary barber. The word barber was magnified by the name of President Obama. More so with anything attached to the name of God.

Ps 138:2 I will worship towards thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

The man of God listens and do the things that are contained in the law.

Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, who have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law to themselves.

Rom 2:15 Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing testimony, and their thoughts the mean while accusing, or else excusing one another)

And how do we know who are the people of God? God said, they are called by his name.

Dan 9:19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thy own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

For the people with the seal of God obtained His mercy.

Isa 48:9 For my name’s sake will I defer my anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.

The people that are called by his name and lived for his name’s sake are in the house of God.

1 Tim 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

The name of the house is called by his name, Church of God.

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

1 Cor 11:22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

To date, the name of the house of God other than the Church of God are the following: Roman Catholic Church, Methodist Church, Pentecostal Church, Church of Christ, Seventh day Adventist Church, Baptist Church, Bread of life Church and introducing the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and many other name of Church built by men.

Ps 127:1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD shall build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD shall keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain.

1 Cor 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with demons.

2 Cor 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Therefore, having not in the house called the Church of God, not belonging to people called by his name where righteousness and mercy dwell, then be afraid.

1 Jn 1:3 That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Rom 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.