December 21, 2003
By Jack Price

"O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie."  The little town of Bethlehem was an out-of-the-way place, a distant suburb of Jerusalem, and truly a backwater village for most of its history.  If you could have looked up the word "obscure" in a Judean dictionary, you might well have seen a picture of Bethlehem.  In a thousand years of history, the only noteworthy event that happened in Bethlehem of Ephratha in Judea was the birth of a shepherd boy named David.  Even that was insignificant until that boy left Bethlehem, traveled to the big city Jerusalem, and eventually became King of Israel.

200 years later, a prophet named Micah addresses this insignificant village  -- "You, O Bethlehem of Ephratha, [you] who are one of the little villages in Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel," -- Micah speaks of the young shepherd David becoming king of all Israel as though God were speaking at the time of David's call.  In reality, Micah lived two centuries after David's reign in the southern kingdom of Judah during the time his people were threatened by the military might of Assyria and betrayal by their brothers in Israel to the north. 

            Judah was a small and insignificant nation, Ephratha a forgotten province, and Bethlehem a tiny village in a small country.  Yet, from her came David, the messiah.  Micah reminds his people of their heritage, then warns them of troubles to come.  Servitude and exile lie in the path of the people first of Israel and then of Judah.  Exile was inevitable, but it would not be outside the providence of Yahweh and would not be the final word for faithful people. 

³Therefore [God] shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.  ⁴And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.  And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth, ⁵and he shall be the one of peace.

Micah's prediction referred to a new king for Judah, a descendent of David to end the coming time of exile.  The last words are of hope and peace. 

            It is no wonder that the Christian Gospel writers found in Micah's words the symbolic place for the birth of the one they believed to be the Messiah, the anointed one from the line of David whose coming brought salvation from God.  It is to this deeply symbolic meaning that the gospels point when they proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem."  In our own time, when advancements in biblical scholarship and increased scientific knowledge have brought new understanding, insight, and questions to the historic realities of the time of Jesus, the familiar carol still challenges us to embrace the deeper truth of the savior's birth:

How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given.

So God imparts to human hearts the blessedness of heaven.

No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.

            The manger of Bethlehem is found within the hearts of people, then and now. Jesus' birth 2,000 years ago means little unless you and I give birth to God in our own lives, to pray:   "O holy child of Bethlehem, be born in us today."

I have found that one of the occupational hazards of preaching is the tendency to find a story or illustration, then start looking for a place to use it.  Today is the day for this story.  Some of you know that I have some background is music.  In my studies, I learned something that, strangely enough, seems to connect back to the Christmas story.  For much of music history, the primary elements of music that determined musical form and structure were melody, harmony, rhythm, and sometimes the words of whatever "text" is sung.  Pretty basic, huh?  Well, during the past century, some composers began to emphasize other aspects of the music, such as dynamics, texture, and articulation, as primary elements of structure and form.   The challenge for the listener becomes to learn to hear differently:  to pay less attention to what has been more important and more attention to what has been relatively insignificant.

So, what does this have to do with Christmas?  Let's return to the Christmas story, a story that is insignificant.  It is a story about an obscure place - Bethlehem, about insignificant people such as shepherds, Gentiles, peasants, and especially one young peasant woman - Mary.  Luke records Mary's song in his narrative of Jesus' birth (Luke 1: 46-55):

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with for on the lowliness of his servant.  Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 

What is significant about this story of insignificants?  To what is God is giving birth?  If we are to believe the New Testament, it is nothing less than a new age, a revolution in creation itself.  If this is true, then what is the nature of this Jesus' revolution?  How are we to understand the new era Jesus' birth inaugurates?  It is not a regime of military might and strength.  Rather, its defining characteristic is the power of love.

Mary's song tells us four things about this new era:

1.      "[God] has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts."  This is not a "Lord of the Rings" God defeating the mighty in battle, nor a time of meeting strength with overwhelming power.  God is challenging "the proud in the thoughts of their hearts."  The challenge to all of us is to set down weapons of war and embrace the way of shalom, of peace.

2.      "[God] has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly."  This is not socio-political revolution because they never usher in the new creation of God.  It is spiritual revolution with social and political implications -- a      revolution in perspective that turns the world "upside down."

3.      "[God] has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty."  Jesus' revolution took place in the context of a culture in which wealth and success were seen as sure signs of God's blessing and favor.   In our own time, let us be reminded that God is no respecter of persons.  Men, women, and children are equally valued.  God does not discriminate between Jews and Gentiles, between Caucasian, Hispanic, Oriental, or African.  With God there is none of the division of race, class, gender, religion, and nationality that is too common among human beings.

4.      "[God] has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."  The Abraham covenant is rekindled.  The faithful are blessed to be a blessing to all people. 

God's ends are redemption and peace (shalom).  God's means are mercy, faithfulness, and love.  We like to divide our world between good and bad.  The Gospel message proclaims that God embraces all people while redeeming the evil within us.  God embraces all creation while redeeming even systemic evil in our institutions, cultures, and religious organizations.

The significance of Christmas is found in small acts of loving and self-sacrifice, in daily gifts of giving that are easily overlooked and not readily valued.  Poet Ann Weems, in her book Kneeling in Bethlehem, writes,

Even now we simply do not expect to find a deity in a stable.

.Even now we simply do not expect to face the world armed with only love.

Even in this season, especially in this season, we may find ourselves invested in desiring power, security, and the need to be accepted.  These may come in the guise of holiday cheer and brightly wrapped packages, or end-of-year anxieties. 

What does it mean for us to face the world armed with only love?  At least in part, it means to value waiting to hear the Spirit's calling.  For those armed with only love it means to come to Bethlehem bringing the gift of ourselves, in the stillness of simplicity, trusting that Christmas is God's gift to us.

Today is the last Sunday in Advent.  Christmas is almost here.  Poet Ann Weems reminds us,

The church is Advent.  The unwrapping of God's greatest gift is near.

God will take away tinsel and decorate our human hearts in hope.

For no matter how long the darkness, God will send the Light.

In spite of cursing and violence and the massacring of human dignity,

We will dance in the streets of Bethlehem, for He will be born.

We are freed to free others.  We are affirmed to affirm others.

We are loved to love others. 

We are family; we are community.

We are the Lord's church, the church of justice and mercy,

The people sent to open prisons, to heal the sick, to clothe the naked,

to feed the hungry, to reconcile, to be alleluias when there is no music

The mantle is upon our shoulders. 

Joy is apparent in our living.

We have been commissioned to be the church of Jesus Christ.

"O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray.

Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today."

In Jesus', we have come to know more of your nature.

In the living Spirit of Christ, you invite us into deep relationship with you.

Through your sacrificial love, you teach us not to fear death and whatever the world can do to us.

In this season, and throughout the year, let us "hear the Christmas angels, their great glad tidings tell.

O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Immanuel" as we face this world unafraid, armed only with love.  Bring your love to life in us.  Amen.

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with for on the lowliness of his servant.  Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.  He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

What is significant in this story of insignificants?  God is giving birth to a new age, a revolution in creation itself.  What is this revolutionary new era Jesus' birth inaugurates?  It is an era, not of military might and strength, but of the power of love.  Mary's song tells us four things:

"[God] has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts."  This is not God defeating the mighty in battle, meeting strength with overwhelming power, but challenging "the proud in the thoughts of their hearts" to set down weapons of war and embrace the way of shalom, of peace.

"[God] has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly."  This is not political revolution, contrary to some early exponents of liberation theology.  There have been socio-political revolutions before and since Jesus and none of them has ushered in the new creation of God.  It is a spiritual revolution with social and political implications, a revolution in perspective that turns the world "upside down."

"[God] has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty."  Again, the Jesus' revolution is not a Marxist utopian workers' paradise.  It is also not an endorsement of business-as-usual in a capitalist economy.  Rather, in the context of a culture that saw wealth and success as sure signs of God's blessing and favor, God is no respecter of persons.  Men are of no more, and no less, value than women or children.  God does not discriminate between Jews and Gentiles or subscribe to any of the divisions of race, class, gender, religion, or nationality too common among human beings.

"[God] has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."  The revolution inaugurated at Jesus' birth rekindles the Abraham covenant to bless the faithful to be a blessing to all people.  God's ends are redemption and peace (shalom).  God's means are mercy, faithfulness, and love.   We like to divide our world between good and bad, but the God who is born in us embraces all people, redeeming the evil within us.  God embraces all creation redeeming even the systemic evil in our institutions and our cultures.  The significance of Christmas is found in the small things of our lives, easily overlooked and not readily valued.  We are products of our world's investment in power, security, and the need to be accepted.  Poet Ann Weems writes,

Even now we simply do not expect to find a deity in a stable.  .Even now we simply do not expect to face the world armed with love.  (-Ann Weems)

            What does this mean for us?  Crossroads Church values many things that can seem insignificant.  We value the differences between people, not because we can't agree on anything, but because those differences reflect who God is.   Along the same lines, we value the spiritual journey of each individual the diversity of our paths reveal the unity of the Spirit. 

            We value each person's opinion, not because we like long meetings.  Each voice is necessary so we can find our collective voice as God's people.  We value waiting to hear the Spirit's calling, not because we lack direction, but because only one direction truly matters and we are so prone to step out on strength that is not God's strength and in directions that reflect values of power, efficiency, and security rather than spiritual growth and faithful service.

            Today is the last Sunday in Advent.  Christmas is almost here.  Poet Ann Weems reminds us,

The church is Advent.  The unwrapping of God's greatest gift is near. Advent - coming.  God will take away tinsel and decorate our human hearts in hope so that Christians can sit laughing in the rain, knowing that the Lord is going to shine in upon their being.

For no matter how long the darkness, God will send the Light.

In spite of cursing and violence and the massacring of human dignity,

We will dance in the streets of Bethlehem, for He will be born.

We are freed to free others.  We are affirmed to affirm others.

We are loved to love others.  We are family; we are community.

We are the Lord's church, the church of justice and mercy,

The people sent to open prisons, to heal the sick, to clothe the naked

To feed the hungry, to reconcile, to be alleluias when there is no music

The mantle is upon our shoulders.  Joy is apparent in our living.

We have been commissioned to be the church of Jesus Christ.

Eternal God,

            O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray.

Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell.

O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Immanuel.

We celebrate Christmas because you are a Great God of love.  We face this world armed only with that love.  It is more than enough.  Amen.