This year Christmas seems different. During this season of joy, we were confronted with incredible violence. And as if a few days of being inundated with the horror stories is not enough, the killing of innocents is a story that the news media continues to keep in front of us. They seem to be determined to find all the peripheral stories. One of which is how can anyone believe in God after this event? It is beyond reason. Of course this fits right in with the usual Christmas articles, asking is there any truth to the Jesus story? It makes no sense.
Yet here we are on Christmas Eve celebrating the birth of Jesus. The one who was and is and is to come. But when you think about that statement who was, is and is to come, past, present and future at the same time, it really makes no sense at all.
In fact if you look at the entire story about a young teenage girl who becomes pregnant and then convinces her fiance that an angle came and told her she was having the child of God, it makes no sense at all. And to top it off the Gospel stories don’t even back each other up. Luke has the angel coming to Mary, but Matthew has an angle coming to Joseph in a dream. Luke has shepherds, but Matthew has wise men.
Heck, we don’t even know when this birth really happened. The date we celebrate Jesus’ birth was decided by a Roman Emperor to coincide with a pagan festival. It’s were we get the colors red and green.
So why are we here this evening? I think it’s because it doesn’t come down to facts. This wonderful birth whenever and however it occurred is too big to be explained in mere words. The gospels were written 2000 years ago. They were not written as newspaper reports or historical documents. They were written as a statement of how God enters into our lives. They never were to be a textbook of facts. They are a confession of faith shown in stories of God’s love. They are stories of how God’s love touches everyday people. And how God came to us and knows our fears, our joys, our sorrows, and our hopes.
There is the story of Rachel who weeps inconsolably for her lost children. We understand that weeping, these past weeks we too have wept. Just as us, Rachel was comforted by God through her weeping. So even if this story is not factual, we know there is a truth in the story of Rachel, because we too have wept and been comforted.
The story about a baby born to a scared unwed teenager is full of truths even if they are not all facts. It is a story about God’s love. It is story of how God comes to each of us in our fears. It is a story of Jesus born not in a palace but in lowly manger. It’s a story where the first to understand God’s presence in the world are the lowly shepherds. Those who have nothing but, their trust in a baby to change the world. And it’s at story about how those who have power and wealth try to keep that change from happening. We know the truth in that story in today’s world.
It is a story of God’s love and comfort. A feeling I know many of you have experienced. A feeling we know is true. But, as much as we try, it is a feeling that we cannot put into words. The feeling of God’s love and comfort is beyond human words. So tonight as we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child - we are celebrating the truth of God’s love for us.
Is this reasonable? Absolutely not! But that is the point. Our faith is at the edge of reason, the place where the mystery of God enters. The place where we don’t have words to explain.
The place that is beyond reality where our lives are drawn into the stories of thousands of years ago because they hold the same truths about how we are touched by God.
Is tonight the exact same date that Jesus was born, was Mary a virgin, was the baby born in a barn or in a house? Does it really matter? Whether all the facts are correct or not, the truth of the story stands. Emmanuel, God with us, draws us into a reality that stretches us beyond
our reality and into a story that is too big for words. A story that we know fills our lives, touches our hearts and brings us here tonight. The story of God’s love for us and for the world. The story of the one who was, who is and who is to come. The Christ Child coming into the world for us. Thanks be to God for the story!
