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.
Luke 2:1-20
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!”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
My sermon from Christmas Eve (December 24, 2024) on Luke 2:1-20.
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So I think there’s a moment every fall when we feel like we’re finally in the Christmas season. It might show up when we buy that plane ticket to visit our family or when we mail our first (of many) lists to Santa. What sets Christmas in motion for me varies from year to year but this time, what made Christmas begin was the conversation my wife and I kept having after we put up our Christmas inflatables. This year was busier than usual so it took a bit of time to put them on our front lawn. But for some reason both of us couldn’t remember where our 8 foot tall inflatable Santa had gone. I assumed I misplaced it in our garage so I spent way too long digging through all kinds of junk trying to find it. Searching for that box while also taking care of everything else I needed to do made the whole thing a very annoying inconvenience. And after spending several days trying to find it, I realized that our giant and fragile plastic friend had actually come apart on a windy day last year. We often assume, I think, that Christmas is defined by what we see around us: the twinkling lights, a golden Christmas tree, and the hope we might get a moment of joy and peace at some point this week. But it’s also a season when all kinds of inconveniences become our norm. There is, for example, the weeping and gnashing of teeth parents and kids both express while trying to get to their holiday concerts on time. Every store we go to, every highway we drive down, and every airport we find ourselves in is just full of people doing exactly what we want to do too. And when we open the mountain of cardboard boxes sitting on our front porch with several being from online orders we forgot we even placed, the time and energy spent to return the things that were the wrong size or color or are just broken is something we don’t want to deal with. For a season filled with songs about being merry and bright – these inconveniences pile up in ways that are not physically, emotionally, or spiritually healthy. And while that, on its own, would be enough to make this joyous season into a very difficult one – there’s also all the heartbreak and sorrow and grief we feel that we’d trade for any of the inconveniences I named above. If we could make every inconvenience simply go away, we’d do it so that this season can be full of the peace, comfort, and kindness we imagine it’s supposed to be about. Yet it’s kind of amazing that while we do everything we can to avoid every possible inconvenience, we’re spending this moment celebrating the God who chose to live through every inconvenience life throws our way.
Now as I reflected on Luke’s version of Jesus’ birth, I couldn’t help but notice all the inconveniences that kept showing up. It began, as we just heard, with the incredible inconvenience Mary, who was 9 months pregnant, and Joseph faced when they left their home in Nazareth and headed to Bethlehem. The Roman Emperor decided on conducting a special kind of census asking people to return to the places their ancestors came from. The roadways and pathways were full of people traveling mostly on foot and the lines at every pitstop would have been ridiculous. I’m sure the amount of patience people had was practically zero while they looked for places to stay in towns that were never really their home in the first place. The number of people – as well as the biblical call to always show hospitality to strangers – would have caused these inconveniences to spread to those living in these places as they invited complete strangers to stay in their homes. And if that wasn’t enough, the plan Mary had for her own birth went completely out the window since strangers – and furry little friends – were the only midwives she could find. These minor – and major – inconveniences snowballed as even the sheep and oxen noticed a wrapped baby shaped burrito sleeping in their food dish. And while everyone was wondering where they were now going to eat and sleep, a whole bunch of shepherds suddenly burst in after they were told by an army of angels to inconveniently leave their sheep behind to visit a new family who needed as much rest as they could get. There was, at that moment, a lot of joy, love, and awe while they participated in God’s manifestation in the lives of very ordinary people. But rather than choosing to transcend our inconveniences, God took the fullness of whatever life had to offer – straight on.
And so that means, I think, that God decided to experience what it was like to be inconvenienced by the whims and egos of others. God chose to discover what comes with being vulnerable, fragile, and needing to be cared for. God accepted the inconveniences that come with having to talk, converse, and form relationships with folks who we will never fully understand and who will never fully understand us too. And we did our very best to push aside and cast down the inconvenience to our own lives caused deep and holy love that invites us to experience life in a new way – God wouldn’t let us be the inconvenient end to Jesus’ story. The inconveniences we inflict on ourselves and on others aren’t always intentional. Yet the God who showed up on Christmas intentionally decided that your life, while you live it, should instead be inconvenienced by a grace, mercy, and faith that will always transform us into something more. God knows that when we notice another person’s needs, wants, struggles, and joys – our eyes can be inconveniently opened to the multitude of ways God moves through our world and our lives. A God who chooses to become truly human is a God who won’t let our inconveniences, our fears, and our sorrows be the end of the story. Rather the God-who-is-with-us will be a God who-is-with-us no matter how inconvenient our lives become. In this season full of inconveniences that I’m sure will generate even new ones when you head back home and draw closer to the first light of Christmas morning, I pray that you hear the promise at the heart of this story: that there is no inconvenience, no sorrow, no heartbreak, and no grief that will ever keep God from choosing to be with you no matter what comes next. And may the Jesus who was born; who lived; who is here; and who lives with us through every inconvenience that comes our way continue to show you how transformational, inspiring, and life-giving His holy and everlasting love will always be as He continues to inconvenience the ways we try to limit what God’s love will always choose to do.
Amen.