Ls7j63ixo294ei4q8614v15v-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com



Living Our ExpectationIsaiah 52:7-10Rev. J. Douglas PatersonChristmas Day, 2016Paul Robinson, who wrote a book titled “Hope Beneath The Surface,” highlights that if you ask kids what their favorite Christmas carol is, you better brace yourself for their answer. It may not be “Away in a Manger,” or “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” or any of the faith-based carols we hope our children are learning. There is a good chance their favorite “carol” is “Santa Clause is Coming to Town.” We all know it. Sing it with me.You better watch out, you better not cryYou better not pout, I’m telling you whySanta Claus is coming to town.He’s making a list, checking it twiceHe’s gonna find out whose naughty and niceSanta Claus is coming to town.He knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you’re awake.He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.Oh, you better watch out, you better not cryYou better not pout, I’m telling you whySanta Claus is coming to town.It seems harmless enough. It’s fun and catchy. But the theology is horrible. We will get to that in a bit.It is not too often we get to worship on Christmas Day. I suppose that is a choice we make. We could always worship on Christmas Day, but since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, we feel more inclined to provide and go to worship. Thank you for taking part of your Christmas to spend in worship with the rest of us. And a special thank you to Gale Kramer and David Wilson who are willing to share their talents with us this morning that we might also worship with beauty.We have been preparing for this holy season through the eyes of Isaiah. The Gospels draw heavily from this prophet’s voice. And even though Isaiah was speaking to a particular time in history, his insights are ageless, and his words seem to have foreseen God’s redeeming work in the person Jesus Christ.So this morning we hear from Isaiah one more time – a song of joy and wonderment at what God chooses to do for God’s people. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation. The prophet goes on to say: Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people.See how that is different from “You better watch out. You better not cry.”From John 1, part of our liturgy this morning, we read,In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of all. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.Not, “He’s making a list and checking it twice, going to find out who’s naughty and nice.”There was a man who found his way to church one day for the first time. He had a long police record; he was on drugs and was on a downward spiral. He plopped himself down in the back of the church to see what it was all about.The theme of the service that day was conversion and forgiveness and the pastor asked people who had stolen things in the course of their lives to stand. Then he asked people who had been on drugs and people who were recovering alcoholics to stand. The pastor went on and on listing a whole variety of depravities and immoralities until basically everyone in the congregation was standing.The man who had plopped himself in the back thought to himself, “Man, this is my kind of people.”How many Christians do you think would walk into the proverbial den of sin and proclaim, “These are my kind of people?” Not many. But it would be true. And isn’t that what God does with the incarnation and the birth of Christ? Jesus walks into our world and proclaims, “This is my kind of people. I will not leave you where you are at, but will redeem the world.”Compare, if you will, the difference between the songs about Santa coming to town, before whom you must be perfect or miss out on all the good gifts, and God, who embraces imperfect creature and gifting them with redemption. You see, our secular hymnody knows nothing about our loving God. The world only knows of Santa Claus, who doles out gifts to those who are “good.”There is another secular favorite that leads us down the trail of terrible theology. And I am really going to move from preaching to interfering with this one: Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. You know it. Sing it with me.Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose;And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows.All of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names;They never let poor Rudolph, join in any reindeer games.Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say:Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight.Then all the reindeer loved him, as they shouted out with glee;Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, you’ll go down in history.So here is the hilarious thing about this book by Paul Robinson. He says “A man by the name of Bill Kincaid of Ann Arbor…” What!!??!! I know a man named Bill Kincaid of Ann Arbor. You know a man by the name Bill Kincaid of Ann Arbor. In fact, he is sitting right over there. He credits Bill Kincaid with saying this about the song Rudolph: “It is one of the most morally dangerous and damaging songs.” The question is why?Because the song says “Then the other reindeer loved him.” It isn’t until Rudolph was approved by the authority figure Santa that he is actually accepted. It’s not until Rudolph had proven that his disability could actually be useful and not until he had done something heroic was Rudolph, with all his differences and disabilities, accepted.Interesting isn’t it? Love and acceptance in this world tends to be conditional, and seems to be taught even in our secular Christmas songs. It’s not so with our Christmas carols though. Because what this day represents more than anything is the unconditional nature of God’s love. God choosing to say in no uncertain terms, “You are my kind of people. I choose to live with you.”These last four weeks we have been hearing from Isaiah that we should be people of expectation. God always moves in ways to save, not to condemn. That doesn’t mean we will not suffer at the hands of our own stupidity. But the incarnation of love means that God refuses to leave us alone, even in our stupidity. If we believe that, how do our lives change?So Santa and Rudolph, we love you. But this day belongs to the love of God dwelling among us in the one whose birth we celebrate, Jesus the Christ.Let’s sing with Isaiah: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation. Amen. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download