The Christmas season is filled with many family traditions. One of the newest traditions that many families have acquired is watching some of the myriad of Christmas movies that we have at a whim's notice. But for other than pure entertainment, can these flicks help remind us of some eternal truths? Today, we look to find The Hope of Christmas.
This morning is the first Sunday of Advent. The name Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means arrival or approaching. So, while the actual season of Christmas doesn't begin until sunset on December 24th, it is upon us, rapidly approaching. So, this season is one to help us prepare for it, Christmas.
Now, let me ask you, "How do you prepare for Christmas?"
[Allow responses]
In all of this activity of getting ready, what is the driving factor behind it?
Yeah...Hope. I mean, think about it, who goes about making all these preparations without investing in a bit of hope? That would be silly. It would be like not giving a least a little clue as to what you would like to receive as a gift. Take a look at what you may end up with:
[Images of bad Christmas gifts projected here]
You see, there is an importance in asking. One of the opening stories of the Gospel of Luke tells of a priest, name Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, who were childless and pretty old. Yet, one day, while Zechariah was in the temple, the angel Gabriel came to him and announced that God had heard his prayers and that his wife would give birth to a boy and they would call him John. Of course, Zechariah, being an old man and knowing his wife was well beyond child-bearing years, questioned, "How can this be?" Basically, Gabriel's response is that nothing is impossible with God.
So, here we see an instance where someone received what he asked for. But, what if you got something that you weren't prepared for...like a child you didn't know you had?
[Scene from Elf where Buddy first meets his father shown here]
Okay, that's one way to react - with total disregard because it just doesn't even seem in the realm of possibility. But, there is another way to react, even when it still seems to be to fantastic to believe.
This next story falls right on the heels of the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. At first, it seems to be furthering their story, but we come to discover it is really about an even greater miracle. This passage comes form Luke 1:26-38.
Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God." 38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
(Prayer)
There are quite a few similarities between these two pregnancy announcements, but there are also some stark contrasts.
In both of these incidences, the angel Gabriel appears and proclaims, "Don't be afraid." You know, one of the most profound theological assertions I have ever heard is that when Gabriel shows up and says, "Don't be afraid," you can bet that someone is going to be pregnant.
But, there is something else that I found very revealing about God, something that really warmed my heart. It was the geographical placement that was described here. Take a look at what I mean:
- God sent Gabriel to Nazareth
- a town in Galilee
- to a virgin
- engaged to a man named Joseph
- a descendant of David
- Mary
It's like God is narrowing down all the possibilities, narrowing it down to this one young girl, named Mary. There could be no doubt of who God had in mind. It was this Mary.
Right now, my family (extended family) is debating whether or not if we will continue carrying on the tradition of exchanging gifts. As the family has grown and as our parents have now passed on into Glory, we are trying to figure out if we want to continue doing as we have since my sisters and I were little or let Christmas be a time of just enjoying being together. We have also though about just exchanging gag gifts or playing "Dirty Santa" with some generic gifts, but you know, I just can't get into that. The reason why is because of the name, not "Dirty Santa" but the name of the recipient on the gift. That's special! Having a name on a gift means that for just a brief moment, the giver actually thought about the person they are buying the gift for. That makes it special and I personally would rather not exchange gifts than to make it impersonal. Gifts, by their very nature, are personal. They tell the recipient, by name, that they were thought of. Here, in this text, God addresses the gift, exclusively to Mary, engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David, in a town in Galilee, called Nazareth.
Yet, we also see that there is a huge difference in these two stories. In the case of Elizabeth's pregnancy, it is the answer to prayers. But in Mary's case, it is totally unanticipated, not to mention, (at the time) biologically impossible.
Maybe that's the point of comparing and contrasting these two stories. The first diverts some attention to that of an old and barren woman while the second alludes to a young virgin. But in each, the central figure is who?....God.
I love initial pronouncement Gabriel says to Mary, "The LORD is with you!" That sounds vaguely familiar to me though...where have I heard something like this? Oh, right...over in Matthew's rendition of the birth story.
Matthew 1:20b-23
20 "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."
Immanuel - "God with us." Think about that for a moment - That's the very point of Christmas! God with us. Even that thought can make us want to echo Mary as she utters out of apprehension, "How can this be?"
[Scene from Elf where Michael comes out with Santa's list is shown here]
Hope is often relegated as a wishful fantasy. We may say, "I hope the Panthers win." "I hope toothache gets better." "I hope my stocks go up." ""I hope I make a good grade." But that's not the kind of hope that Christmas avails itself for. No, the Hope of Christmas affords a much greater miracle.
The Hope of Christmas says that if a barren woman can give birth, then a virgin can conceive. If a virgin can conceive, then God can come in flesh. If God can come in flesh, then a tomb can lead to resurrection. And if a tomb can lead to resurrection, then a church empowered by the Holy Spirit can transform the world.
Brothers and sisters, the Hope of Christmas says to you and to me, there is hope, there is a new day, and despite who you are, there is a God who loves you and calls you by name. It announces that nothing is impossible with God. That is the Hope of Christmas.
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