Christmas Where You Least Expect It

Text:  Luke 1:46-55

Theme:  “Christmas Where You Least Expect It”

4^th Sunday of Advent

December 20, 2015

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Denton, Texas

Rev. Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

47

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48

for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

49

for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

50

His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

51

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

53

He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

54

He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful

55

to Abraham and his descendants forever,

just as he promised our ancestors.”

She did not get up early to try and beat the crowds on Black Friday.  There were no trees to trim, decorations to arrange, Advent candles to light, cookies to bake, menus to prepare, or gifts to wrap. She did not sing along with Bing Crosby and dream of a white Christmas or attend lavish holiday parties replete with estate-bottled Merlot, finger foods, and sugar cookie Santas. There was nothing particularly special about her hometown.   In a world of Hilton Hotels and reward points, Nazareth was the kind of town that wouldn’t have a Motel 6.   Nothing about her gives us pause; absent from her life are any lucky breaks or perks that foreshadow success.  She was not part of what future generations would call the aristocracy or, more recently, the “1%”. The news of her pregnancy and the special circumstances around it (as announced by the angel) were, it seems, kept rather quiet. 

It was all so unexpected, eerily unexpected, so unexpected that it might capture our attention for longer than a moment in the razzle-dazzle season we’re experiencing now.

Positively, she had her life; she had the new life that was growing within her.  Oh, and she had her energy, her enthusiasm, and a “go-to” person, a relative named Elizabeth.  She, Mary, “hurried” to the hill country of Judea.  Did she have time off?  We are not told.  In any event, sometimes you just have to get away from it all and spend quality time with your relative/best friend.

Relative/Best Friend Elizabeth is in full-on party mode!  She is ecstatic when Mary greets her. 

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

To our modern ears, Elizabeth sounds like she just won the PowerBall.

Mary does not have a freshly baked pie, a small gift from La Ti Da, or something appropriate like that to give to Elizabeth. She can, however, give of herself.  And she does so with her words.  They are poetic, lyrical, psalm-like.

Into that lowly little world of Elizabeth and Zechariah’s home, somewhere out there in the hill country, comes the text that has come to be known, in subsequent centuries, as The Magnificat!

“My soul magnifies the Lord,” says Mary, “and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.”

For you number crunchers out there, here are the results.  In the nine Scriptural verses that contain The Magnificat of Mary in Luke’s rendering, Mary refers to herself six times.  She refers to God twice as many times plus one!  Yet, even when she is the referent, she is not marveling at how absolutely wonderful she is.  She doesn’t even try to score points by using that very adult tactic of trying to sound humble. The humility of which she speaks is her lowly estate, her surroundings.  She is as shocked and surprised as anyone that it would be her that generations would call blessed.

Just in time for your Christmas stockings, there is a new device you can attach to your cell phone that is called a selfie stick.  It won’t break the bank either; I’ve seen them go for $14.95.  You attach phone to stick, hold it out, and snap the shot.  You don’t have to stick your arm out there.

In the Magnificat, Mary takes 6 lyrical selfies, but the pictures in her heart of the Lord are twice as many plus one. 

At the end of the Christmas story that we, Lord willing, will hear again Thursday evening and on Friday, we are told that Mary “kept all these things and pondered them in heart.”  That’s Christmas where one least expects it.  We expect it in sights and sounds and services and singing and feasting and trees and tradition and lights and stimulation and sensory overload.  But Mary pondered it in her heart.  Her heart was the iCloud that kept the data. 

Christmas can be – and is! -- where you least expect it, in the heart, in the caring words and deeds of stranger, on a hillside outside an inconsequential town: 

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

though you are the least among the clans[a] of Judah,

out of you will come for me

one who will be ruler over Israel,

whose origins are from of old,

from ancient times.”

“Oh little town of Bethlehem – now still we see thee lie.”

That’s Christmas where you least expect it.

Then, far more recently, there was the nurse, short of stature, who came into my dad’s darkened hospital room last Wednesday night with her rolling cart of nurse stuff.  She looked at me and said:  “I understand you’re his son; I’ll be taking care of your dad tonight.”  That, too, is Christmas where you least expect it.

Oddly and wonderfully, Christmas where you least expect it is there in literature too.  The Whos down in Whoville surely were shocked to wake up Christmas morning and note that Christmas was stolen from them.  Our culture is angry, distrustful, and afraid.  Christmas feels less real and more surreal; it’s like fast-paced dream.  And even if it was real back in what we have called the “good old days”, it has been taken away by what we might as well call a Grinch or the Grinch.  We feel that evil laughs at our expense.

Oh, why not!  Let’s look into the heart of Dr. Seuss via the lense of his words:

"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!"

"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,

Then the Whos down in Whoville will all cry BooHoo!"

"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch, "That I simply MUST hear!"

So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear.

And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.

It started in low. Then it started to grow.

But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry!

It couldn't be so! But it WAS merry! VERY!

He stared down at Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes!

Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise!

Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,

Was singing! Without any presents at all!

He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!

Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?"

"It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!"

"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store."

"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

And what happened then? Well...in Whoville they say,

That the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day!

And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,

He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light,

And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!

And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the roast beast!

God, to us grant the grace to find Christmas where we least expect it.

Amen.

A Listing of Exhortations!

Text:  St. Luke 3:7-18

Theme:  “A Listing of Exhortations!
Third Sunday of Advent

December 13, 2015

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Denton, Texas

Rev. Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[a] water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

The light on our Advent Wreath deepens and intensifies this morning.  Three candles now burn.  Today’s candle is unique in that it’s the only one that is pink. 

If expectant parents know ahead of time that the child to be born is a girl, they may choose pink as color of choice for the nursery.  If a boy, it’s likely blue.  Pink is the color for breast cancer awareness, the Susan B. Komen Foundation, and the race for a cure.  Traditionally, though, pink was/is the color of joy.  On the wreath, it’s set against the three purple candles that traditionally signified repentance, sorrow over sins, and even royalty.  The reason the third week gets a pink candle is the word of God to Paul that he delivered to the Philippians.  Philippians 4:4:  “Rejoice in the Lord always!  I will say it again:  Rejoice!”  That short verse has shown up in the lectionary for the Third Sunday of Advent for years.

It sort of disrupts all the things we’re “supposed” to be concerned about all the time, doesn’t it?  “Rejoice in the Lord always!”  Doesn’t that leave less time for fretting?  Yes.  As a matter of fact, it does.  So God grant to you a little Christmas before Christmas on this day when a pink candle and a word from God is all you need.

But wait!  There does not appear to be much “pink” – or much joy! – in today’s Gospel reading from Luke.  In Luke 3, we get sermonizing from John the Baptist, the great preacher of Advent.

You’d think he’d start off with “Fellow redeemed!  My dear sisters and brothers in Christ!  With joy I greet you! ” or something appropriate like that.  Instead, his listeners get this:  “You brood of vipers! (“You band of baby snakes!”) Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Here’s a modern paraphrase:  “So, you’ve changed your mind.  You’ve repented.  You have a new beginning with God.  Great!  Now, start acting like it!  You’ve got the word; you have the thoughts and maybe a handful of good intentions. Now give me the deeds!”

Then he headed them off at the pass.  Anticipating that they might be offended at the seemingly harsh, “inappropriate”, and not-very-politically-correct introduction, he counters an argument that his listeners surely had in mind:  they are Israelites, the chosen people!  You can’t talk to us like that!  John declares: 
“Don’t tell me that you have Abraham as a father.  God can take these rocks and make children of Abraham.”

Even we Americans could use a good dose of John the Baptist!  As wonderful as American nationalism and patriotism may be, they do not come at point number one.  Point number one, in any recognizably Christian understanding, is the Kingdom of God – and the Kingdom of God is not the 48 contiguous plus Alaska and Hawaii. Just before that verse on joy, Paul said to the Philippians:  “Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there.”  Jesus Himself said:  “The Kingdom of God is within you.”

John goes on: 

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

“Faith without works is dead,” declare St. James. Without action, there is atrophy.  Without production, there is destruction.  If there is no good fruit, then the tree WILL be cut down and burned.

John the Baptist cannot be accused of telling people what their itching ears want to hear.  You can fill stadiums with people if you have a Pepsodent smile and keep telling them what they WANT to hear. 

John told them what they NEEDED to hear – and that was, of course, the truth. 

The good news here, the pink part, and the joy of it all is that THE WORD OF GOD FROM JOHN HAD ITS DESIRED EFFECT.  “What then should we do?” asks crowd. Good crowd!

Gifted with repentance, with a new beginning, and a fresh faith in God, this is EXACTLY the question that needs to be asked.

Yet more joyfully, John responds with specific answers.  He has an exhortation for the wealthy:  give away that extra coat!  He has an exhortation for the tax collectors:  don’t charge more than the rate.  He has an exhortation for the soldiers:  no extortion, no lying, and be content with your wages.

This is what is so awesome and joyful about John’s preaching:  it’s honest; it’s urgent; it’s practical; it’s visual; it’s down-to-earth; it’s about taking action that make it crystal clear that something has changed in your life!

Yet it’s so hard, twenty-one centuries later, for us to get a grip on this.  The kind of Christianity that seems to work nowadays is pretty much limited to the kind that makes you feel good.  We all want to “feel good” about ourselves, about our opinions, our politics, our country, our selves, and our God.  If we feel good or feel right, we’ve convinced ourselves, we will act right.

John the Baptist, in his preaching, turns it completely around.  “You don’t feel your way into the right action,” he seems to be saying; “You act your way into the right feeling.”

We can forgive the crowd for wondering if this dynamic and somewhat bizarre preacher might be the Messiah.  John quickly put those notions to rest.  Being Messiah wasn’t His job description.  His job – better:  his calling! – was to point to the One who was.  Here, again, are the last words of our text:

 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

I conclude with this observation:  I’ve seen many pictures of Christmas trees on social media this year.  I haven’t seen snapshots of the national Christmas tree in Washington or that massive thing in Rockefeller Center in New York City.   Postings have not included that lovely tree in the middle of the ice rink at the Galleria in North Dallas.

No, instead the pictures are the ones that individuals and individual families have put up and decorated in and around their homes. They’re not the biggest trees; they’re not put up to win any contest.  But people took action to put them up and decorate them.  Now they experience and share the joy of those actions.

There are hints of John the Baptist in this!  He proclaimed the good news with a list of practical applications.  He shared the Gospel of Jesus, the Messiah who was yet to come, which gives us a lively, active faith.  And therein lies the joy.

Color the day pink!

Amen.