During a Christmas Eve service several years ago, the senior pastor began his Christmas sermon in a most interesting way. After retelling the details of the Christmas story, he then paused and asked the congregation if they had noticed any mistakes in what he had just shared with them.
He then retold the same story, this time; inviting the congregation to shout out if they heard anything that wasn’t true to the biblical Christmas story. Detail by detail, he told the story again.
Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem on a donkey because of the Roman census. While they were in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger.
Angels appeared to some shepherds who were out in the fields and they announced that a savior had been born. The shepherds went to Bethlehem, found Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus, telling them that the angels had shared this good news with them.
And after going through this story again, detail by detail, this senior pastor, asked, “Do you mean that you didn’t catch the mistake in this story?”
I remember wondering to myself which detail he purposely got wrong, but nothing was jumping out at me.
And then he said, “Everything was true except for one thing. The gospel writers never mention that Mary and Joseph rode on a donkey.”
The point that this senior pastor was making was that many of us hear the Christmas story so many times, that we don’t really pay attention to the details.
He finished his sermon and we sang a Christmas carol. It was then my turn to offer the children’s sermon. I remember spending the whole week leading up to Christmas Eve, trying to think of a creative children’s sermon to use for that night. Penny suggested a really good idea that the children might like.
For the children’s sermon, I ended up bringing a large gift-wrapped box with a big bow on it and I told the children that God wanted to give them a Christmas present. I said, “Let’s open it up and see what Christmas present God wants to give us.”
I lifted the large lid of this beautifully gift wrapped box and pulled out something which also was wrapped. After I unwrapped it, I said, “Look, it’s Joseph. Let’s stand him up right here.” And then I pulled out another item that was gift wrapped. This time it was Mary. And I said, “Let’s put Mary next to Joseph.”
“But wait, there are more presents in the gift box. What do we have here?” I unwrapped a shepherd and placed him right behind Mary and Joseph there on the altar steps.
Now keep in mind that I was randomly taking the nativity display figures out of the box. I didn’t know which figurine was going to appear next.
And boy did I have the attention of these children. They couldn’t wait to see if Jesus would be the next one. With great anticipation, I pulled out the next figurine and unwrapped it, showed it to the children, and said, “Uh-oh. We have a problem. It’s the donkey. He needs to go back in the box!” The congregation about lost it. They were laughing so hard.
After a few more figurines, I finally pulled out the baby Jesus in a manger and placed it in front of Mary and Joseph.
But I still had three more wrapped pieces that were still in the box. And they ended up being the wise men and I said to the boys and girls, “These are the wise men and technically they didn’t arrive until after Christmas, so they need to go back into the box with the donkey!”
So that’s how my children’s sermon went on that Christmas Eve. Not as I had expected!
So let’s get the details straight. There’s no mention of a donkey and there’s no mention of wise men being present when Jesus was born in Matthew and Luke’s telling of the Christmas story. But at least we get a birth story.
So what’s up with the Gospel of John? Forget about the donkey and the wise men because John doesn’t even include Mary and Joseph. And there’s no mention of angels and shepherds. What kind of Christmas reading is this on a Christmas Eve? If I would offer a children’s sermon tonight, according to the Gospel of John, I wouldn’t even be able to use the crèche scene at all.
Well, actually there is a birth story in John’s opening verses. We just have to dig a little bit to find it, but it is there.
True, John doesn’t have in mind the birth of Jesus specifically. Instead he wants to tell us about the birth of the world. Or should I say the rebirth of the world.
Listen to how he begins his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.”
The first three words from John’s Gospel are the same three words from the Book of Genesis. “In the beginning.” And then John refers to light in describing Jesus. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.”
Again, John’s reference to light reminds us of the creation story when for the first day of creation God creates light and separates the light from the darkness. The birth of the world.
John clearly wants us to make the connection. Jesus, who he introduces as the light of the world is the embodiment of the creator God who was the one who created light in the first place.
Just by speaking a word, God creates the world. We are told for each day of creation, “And God said...” Notice that the Gospel writer John refers to Jesus as the Word. Jesus is the word which God speaks and brings about creation and new life. “And the Word became flesh and lived among us,” John tells us.
When the world was born, everything was the way God designed it to be. A place filled with beauty, harmony, peace, and justice. A place where there was no sin or death. But then the Book of Genesis tells us that sin entered the world when we disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.
And because of this, our world lives with the reality of sin, brokenness, and death. And ever since, the world which was born through God’s spoken word has been waiting to be reborn as it was meant to be.
Yes, even with the Gospel of John, we do get a birth story, just not the one we were thinking we were going to hear on this holy night.
A while back, I ran across a Larry King Live video clip of an interview he had with the singer and actress, Naomi Judd. She asked Larry, "What will be the first question you will want to ask God?" And true to style and with his typical wit, Larry said that his question to God would be, "Do you have a son?"
Now, if that’s what Christmas is all about – life and light from God through Jesus Christ – it kind of makes you want to celebrate Christmas more than just once a year doesn’t it? Maybe even throughout the year and not just this Christmas season.
Jesus is the light of the world. What good news for those who are waiting for rebirth and newness of life!
Christians didn’t celebrate Christmas as a holiday until the 4th century. Since the Roman Empire celebrated the winter solstice on December 25 which was a celebration of the birth of the sun, the church decided to transform this pagan holiday of light into a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, who they believed to be the true light of the world.
How fitting that during this darkest time of the year, that we celebrate the coming of the light of the world, Jesus Christ.
But it’s not so much about Jesus’ birthday. It’s a story about OUR new birth.
On this holy night, we are invited to receive the light and the life of Jesus and be born again.
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