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Ever lost someone in a crowd? Ever gotten lost in a crowd? Now for the real question - have you ever intentionally gotten lost in a crowd or lost someone in a crowd?The first known Christmas worship service took place on December 25, 336 A.D. In the ancient world, birthdays were rarely celebrated - which is why we aren’t exactly sure when Jesus was born. Emperor Constantine decriminalized Christianity in 313 A.D. - and while he was officially neutral - he returned confiscated property to the church, built cathedrals, convened the Council of Nicea where the Nicene Creed was formalized and sent his mother to the Holy Land, along with a fairly large army, to find out everything she could about Jesus. While she was there she built churches and monuments - and had a hand in deciding since it was believed March 25th was the date the angel visited Mary - 9 months later - December 25th must be His birthday. While Constantine decriminalized Christianity - he didn’t outlaw other religions. And 4th Century Rome was not a nice place - and just because something was decriminalized didn’t make it safe to practice it. So, many Christians worked their festivals and celebrations around Roman and pagan celebrations to avoid persecution. Jesus’ birthday coincides with the Sol Invictus - the invincible sun - celebration. Believers hid in plain sight. Celebrating the light and the SON and God’s power and love while others were celebrating the S-U-N. The problem with mixing metaphors and celebrations is - eventually people forget what’s what and why they are doing certain things. Think about all the things we use to celebrate Christmas - trees, lights, ornaments, stockings, gifts, a big meal. All of them have their origins in the church. Even Santa Claus - or as we know him - St. Nicholas - started in the church. Eventually someone outside the church loves what the church is doing - so they take a tree home, put up lights, give gifts, talk about Santa Claus - but leave Jesus out of it. As things morph and change and cultures are mashed and new things added and others subtracted - Christmas took on a life of it’s own. Many have tried to rename it Winter Holiday - but they haven’t succeeded, yet. Most people - whether of faith or not - still call it Christmas. And few remember the word is actually ChristMass - the mass or worship service celebrating the birth of Jesus and holiday is HolyDay.Mary and Joseph might have been the first to leave Jesus back at the church - but they weren’t the last. While not in the Bible word for word - the church often uses the phrase, “be in the world, not of the world” - a paraphrase of John 17:14-16 and 1 John 2. One of the hardest things for any believer is learning to live within the constraints, rules, sins and pains of this world while longing for and remaining faithful to the next world that is already ours through Jesus - but is not ours quite yet because we have to die before we can get there - which is why most of us are not in a big hurry. Until we go home to heaven - we have to live here - and it creates some tension.Why wouldn’t you leave Jesus in the manger or at church? If we take Jesus with us into our world - there are going to be problems. A lot of people don’t like Jesus - and if they see Him hanging out with us - it’s going to be a mess. Jesus told Mary and Joseph “He had to be in His Father’s House” - so if He likes church so much - is it wrong to leave Him there and just stop by to visit once a week or so? That way He’s happy and our life is a lot simpler. The author of the book of Hebrews dedicates an entire chapter to the Heroes of the Faith by summarizing their life. His purpose is not for us to try and be them - but to inspire us to be us - but be the best us we can be just as they were the best them they could be. They were not heroes because they were the strongest or wisest or richest - they were heroes because they lived out their faith and proved the grace of God each day.Hebrews 11, “What more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead - they were raised to life again. Some men were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection, and others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them.” It’s that last line that is so important, “the world was not worthy of them...” Before we jump to conclusions - this doesn’t mean we should run off into the desert and let the world suffer because - after all - they don’t deserve us. Jesus clearly told us to live “in the world” - He just didn’t want us to try and do it without Him at our side. Which is why leaving Jesus in the manger or back at the church is not a very good idea.I know Mary and Joseph didn’t mean to leave Jesus at church. They were part of a large group of people from Nazareth making the pilgrimage - and most 12 year olds - even if they happen to be God - would prefer not to hang out with their parents. But if it was that easy for them to accidentally leave Him behind - how much easier is it for us?When we light the Advent Candles we speak the words of Genesis 1 where “in the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth...and God said let there be light and there was light” - and then we speak the words of John 1, “In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God...He is the light...and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it...” You don’t know what darkness is until someone turns on the light. St. Luke spends his time on the human story - shepherds, a manger and no room in the inn. St. John spends his time on the cosmic story - light and darkness, beginnings and truth. Luke’s quiet words are about a family caught up in a holy story. John’s words are poetic mystery and majesty - until the “Word becomes flesh and dwells among the people” and the “light comes into the darkness and the darkness does not understand it.” God is suddenly found among His people - as a little baby wearing diapers and being rocked to sleep by his mom. Suddenly God is touchable - knowable - lovable.John brings the story into the midst of the people. The God who created all things…and who made promises through Abraham, brought freedom through Moses, challenge the faith of people through the prophets, gave guidance through judges and kings…this same God became flesh and blood to redeem His people.And it is in this “Word becoming flesh” that allows us to leave Him in the manger or at church. It was so much easier when He was just a cosmic God - out there - somewhere. We could pretend we didn’t know Him - forget about Him for a little while - look to the sky and say, “I wonder if anyone is out there...” But when God becomes one of you - and does what this God does - it makes it much harder to leave Him behind or forget about Him.A Word made of flesh and blood is cause for reflection. Light and holiness moving in the dark and pushing it back. This language is poetic - but we have a million metaphors that allow us - even if we aren’t poets - to bring it into something we can understand.Mental illness. Alzheimer's. Chronic pain. Loneliness. Anxiety. Being unwanted. Feeling unworthy. Each of these and many more are real struggles between light and dark - between life and death - between love and hate - between existence and nothingness. And they make up our life. If we would sit and talk to each other - being open and transparent about our darknesses - if we named it and described the way it affects us - or affects someone we love - we would then pray for and receive understanding from one another. It is when we set ourselves against one another - competing - struggling - to be different than we really are - that we are enveloped by the darkness. But to be honest and open and accepting of one another - recognizing and naming the sins and failures and struggles - leads us to Jesus who is the only one who can heal us. And if we are willing - St. John would have us see it was not just into the physical darkness of that first Christmas night that Jesus was born - but into our darknesses - each and every time they come over us - and who by His coming brings a defiant and expectant hope to us.Which is why we must return to the temple to find Jesus. Mary and Joseph could have just left Jesus in the Temple - He was in His Father’s house - surrounded by priests and holy men. Worship and sacrifices taking place 24 hours a day. If there is a place for the Son of God to be - it is there among the worshipers and servants and sights and sounds and smells of church. But Jesus didn’t come to be worshiped - that would eventually happen - but that night in Bethlehem He came to save His people. And part of this beautiful plan of salvation is us knowing He understands us - knows what it’s like to live in this skin and suffer the way we suffer and celebrate the things that bring joy to our hearts and ask the questions we ask and cry the tears we cry over Hallmark movies, cute puppies and friendships that got broken. When the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us - it wasn’t just a publicity stunt - a quick selfie with the lost people or one of those inspirational speeches coaches give to their team in the locker room during half time. We don’t have to go very far to find all the broken stuff in our world and in our lives. Every evening around 6:15pm the darkness falls and we turn on lights so we can see and feel safer. But the darkness is still out there - and once in a while when the power fails we realize how vulnerable we are as we fumble to find the flashlight and then batteries and pray the power comes back on quickly.“Jesus Coming Soon” is the sign on the Apostolic Faith Church in Kalihi. You can’t miss it. On an old electrical box just off the H-1 near the Halawa exit - the door is partially torn off and it says, “He is risen.” In Ewa Beach there are scattered signs that say “Jesus Saves.” There was a time when no one gave these signs much thought. Religion - not necessarily faith - was rooted in most people and so they gave them a quick nod and went on their way. But today is different. Many have intentionally left the baby Jesus in the manger or the 12 year old Jesus at church - and they want Him to stay there - and not bother them as they go about their life.And yet - when they see such signs there is an aching in their soul - even if they don’t believe they have one - because they do not have the peace they want, they do not feel happy or whole, they want to be saved - but they don’t want it to be Jesus that saves them. They know the darkness well - it is not the enemy - but it is also not a friend.What bothers them most about the name Jesus is that it is personal. God is nothing more than a concept - an ideology - a religion. But Jesus has a face - lived a life - died and many say rose again. If you reject Him you are rejecting something far more personal - someone who gave up everything to walk beside you - love you - remind you of your worth - and offer you redemption from the darkness and everything that happened in it. People leave the baby Jesus in the manger or the 12 year old Jesus at the Temple thinking He will stay there - and leave them alone. But the light shines in the darkness - and the darkness cannot understand it or do anything about it. And so they close their eyes and say, “I cannot see you” when it is impossible not to see Him. And this is where we often discover the terrible truth that their rejection has little to do with the ability of Jesus to save - but it is far more personal - they question His ability to save them.And here is why I do not mind sharing cookies and trees and ornaments and lights and presents and St. Nick and so many other things with the world at Christmas time. I don’t even mind sharing the name Christmas. I always hope and pray that as people wander in the darkness with their eyes closed trying to pretend they can’t see Jesus - that the smell of the cookies or the pine trees or the rustle of gifts being opened or the lights on the neighbor’s house or the even a Santa Claus behind social distancing Plexiglas waving at the wide-eyed kids - that they might begin to open their eyes and let just a little light in. The darkness is real. But light travels at the speed of light - which is 186,000 miles per second. And light travels to us, whether from the bathroom light or a star 93 million miles away so quickly we don’t see it coming - it’s just suddenly there all around us. So it is with the light of Christ. We can leave Him in the manger or at church - but His light can still reach us - reminding us of God’s love and mercy and grace. The light shines in our darkness - and the only thing the darkness can do is give way. Hold on to the light of Jesus - take Him with you wherever you go - let Him light your way through this world and eventually the path home to heaven. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. ................
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