Your Christmas Gift

Sermon preached by the Rev. Lowell E. Grisham, Rector
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas
December 24, 2009; Christmas Eve
Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary

(Luke 2:1-14) – In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "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. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
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At this summer's General Convention of the Episcopal Church, I spent long hours with a committee doing that tedious but necessary work of turning ideas into words that can open new life, new possibilities for our church. That kind of work is hard and honorable work. It often produces good results, but the process is as ugly as making sausage. Keep our friends and representatives in Washington in your prayers as they spend their time and talents in that hard work of turning ideas into words that can open new life, new possibilities for our nation, especially when it looks like making sausage.

In our shared committee work this summer, I was especially drawn to one person who sat directly across from me. Jeffrey Lee is the bishop of Chicago, and is remarkably centered, wise and generous. He makes me glad to be part of a church with such fine leaders.

This year Jeffrey's son Jonathan turned 21. Jonathan's reaching maturity now, as a strong, strapping young man, brought back memories for Jeffrey of Jonathan's birth 21 years ago. Jonathan was born prematurely, two months early. He weighed only two-and-one-half pounds – so tiny that Jeffrey could hold him in one hand like a teacup. Jonathan was lucky; he avoided so many of the difficulties of premature babies – he could breathe pretty well on his own; his parents could take him out of the warm, Lucite-box with all of its wires and tubes, and, from time to time, they could hold him, tightly bundled.

But Jonathan was born with one "circumstance, problem, or what some people might call a handicap." He was born without a left hand.

Jeffrey says that he's not one who remembers his dreams regularly, but he had a recurring dream during those days as they watched and cared for tiny Jonathan. In his dream there appeared a little blonde haired boy in an Easter suit – beautiful and perfect, with two hands. The image occurred repeatedly in Jeffrey's dreams, and became a companion for him on his journey, as Jeffrey speculated about what his son's life would be like. What will he be able to do? What will he not be able to do? How will the other kids treat him?

About a month after Jonathan's birth, Jeffrey was scheduled to preach, and he decided to tell some of this story, and to share the sense of grace that he had received from his dream and his interpretation of the dream's meaning. Jeffrey sensed that this dream image had been the fantasy version of his prefect son, the fantasy that had gestated in his mind all of those months while they waited on their child. The dream was telling him to let go of that fantasy, and to "receive the real gift of the child he was given." The child he was given was good and was to be loved just as he is. After all, in Jesus, God emptied the divine self to take on our imperfect humanity, in order to raise it all up into God's fullness of life.

Jeffrey and a good friend were in the habit of exchanging sermons with one another. Jeffrey says that this friend is one of those blessed people who knows him better than he knows himself. The friend wrote his own sermon telling about Jonathan's birth, about how his friend Jeffrey was dealing with it – about the dreams, about the interpretation. Then the friend said, "Jeffrey's wrong. It's not a perfect-fantasy Jonathan in the dream. It's a perfect-fantasy Jeffrey." Jeffrey realized, "He was right."

It seems that Jonathan's birth opened up something profound in Jeffrey's own self-consciousness and opened him to an important healing journey. Jeffrey realized that Jonathan was just fine. It was Jeffrey himself that God wanted to heal.

Most of his life, Jeffrey had believed that if he were only "smart enough, good enough, elegant enough, capable enough, hard working enough, enough enough..." that he would be okay, he would be acceptable, he would be safe. That belief is an ancient curse.

Most of us absorb the message that we need to be fixed, and that the responsibility is on us to fix ourselves. It's a lie. We are not projects to be fixed; we are mysteries to be lived. But most of us grow up getting messages that tell us that we can and we should fix ourselves. If we believe those messages, we will be deeply damaged. That belief is the big lie; the ancient curse.

The curse is amplified when it is falsely projected upon God, as if God is the cosmic CEO, and we dare not present ourselves without polishing our resume, cleaning up our act and perfecting our interview techniques before going through that door. Some of us were raised with deep suspicions that "God really is that demanding, angry judging figure behind the smoke and mirrors of Oz."

The story of Jesus unmasks that lie. In Jesus, we see God poured out into our human life – our earthy, human life with all of its flaws, limitations, tragedies and evils. God embraces it all, and gives back only love.

The Christmas story: A refugee family, outcast among the animals, their child born under suspicious circumstances – is God's version of a triumphant divine entry into our world. The Jesus story: A Jewish peasant who gets convicted of blasphemy and treason and is painfully executed in a public hanging before he can grow old – is God's embrace of our failed humanity. What does God do? Nothing but love - love expressed as compassion, mercy and forgiveness. Then God makes new life happen out of our suffering and wrong – resurrection.

The whole Christian message that begins with the announcement of the savior's birth this night, is the message that God loves us before we are even able to love ourselves. God pours out God's divine life into Jesus, and into every human life, and sees us as beautiful, perfect, in our Easter suit. God loves us through our doubts and failures; and even when we crucify him, God does nothing but love. When we need encouragement, God is the encourager. When we need forgiveness, God is the forgiver. When we need vision, God is the light.

We don't need to be fixed anymore than baby Jonathan did. We don't need to become something we aren't in order to be God's beloved. We are God's beloved. Period.

In the birth of Jesus, God the Holy Trinity goes into some divine committee work to turn the idea of God's love into the Word incarnate that opens up new life, new possibilities for everyone on earth. God invites us into a liberated life as God's beloved children. Just be who you are, regardless of the flaws. Do the best you can. Immerse yourself moment by moment into whatever life presents you. Let things be. Things are as they are whether one accepts them or not. So they may as well be accepted.

Some of us have one hand; others are inconveniently pregnant; some are forced to live with animals; sometimes we get crucified. The story of Jesus tells us that God is in all of it, loving and healing throughout. Let it be, and do your best. That's enough. We don't have to become the perfect blond-headed child in an Easter suit, because God already regards us that way. God loves you and me, as the old hymn says, "Just as I am."

So relax. Enjoy life. Let the child that is Christ in you be born today and reborn every day.

Here's your Christmas present from God: You are loved just as you are. You don't have to be smart enough, good enough, elegant enough, capable enough, hard working enough, enough enough... God loves you here and now, just as you are. Unqualified, eternal divine Love given freely to every human being. Unwrap that gift for yourself. It's yours for the claiming.

Merry Christmas!
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Listen to Bishop Lee's fine meditation at
http://www.episcopalcafe.com/video/2009/12/jeff_lee.html
It is one of many resources on the excellent web page episcopalcafe.com
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The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance and love.

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