Monday, December 24, 2012

Come, Rule the Universe!

Brad Sullivan
Christmas Eve, Year C
Monday, December 24, 2012
St. Mark’s, Bay City
Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20

“…Renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age [live] lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly…” (Titus 2).  Merry Christmas, everybody.  That was from our reading from Titus, and I thought couldn’t we get one night without exhortation to live a better life?  On Christmas Eve, can’t we just enjoy the coming of God, living among us as one of us?  The joy of Christmas is actually awesome for me (not the overused, mediocre meaning of awesome, but the actual awe inspiring, great meaning of awesome).

The God of the universe wanted us to know and love him more, so he became one of us that we might better know and love him.  I think of parents, or mentors, or teachers going to the level of the child or the student to help that one understand and build that relationship.  My kids are four and two, and I don’t tell them, come write this sermon and anoint the sick that you may better know me.  I’m guessing folks who work at the nuclear plant or do people’s taxes don’t have their kids spend a day doing their jobs for them in order for their kids to get to know them better either.

We tend to spend time playing with kids, talking to them and reaching out to them on their level in order to form loving relationships with them.  I can’t help but feel like that’s what God did in becoming human.  Rather than say, “come, humans rule the sky and the seas, and keep the planets moving about in their courses, and govern all the universe…”, God said, “hey, humans, I’ll become one of you, that you might know me and love me more.”

God is with us and knows intimately what we go through on a daily basis.  “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”  God is with you, Gabriel was saying, and you need not be afraid. 

So we have the joy of Jesus’ birth, of God born as a human among us, and then we have Titus.  “…Renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age [live] lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly…” (Titus 2).  That doesn’t sound too dissimilar from what a parent or teach might tell a child.  We play with kids to help form great relationships with kids, but not just so they can play for the rest of their lives.  We have important lessons to teach them, one of which is to play, and also how to care for oneself, and to care for others, and to learn right from wrong.  Kids are going to trust those important lessons from us a lot more if we’ve spent time building relationships of love with them. 

God has important lessons to teach us, how to care for ourselves and others, how to love deeply, how not to do harm, but to do good, how to live a life of love and peace.  I find those lessons from God trustworthy because they came from God not only as the God of the universe, but also as a human being.  We can trust those lessons from God because, having become human, God showed us his love for us, that the lessons he gives and the way of life he gives is out of that same love that thought it would be a good idea to live among us as a human being, trusting us enough to be born as a little baby.

The words of exhortation from Titus are words of love from God who cares for us and teaches us to love deeply.  “…Renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age [live] lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly…”   Those words are really very similar to Isaiah’s words.  “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…for a child has been born for us, a son given to us…and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Rather, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9)  “Do not be afraid;” Gabriel said, “for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”  Amen.

 

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