(This is based on a message I gave pre-Covid)

What was he thinking?

Hebrews 2:17 & 18: For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

     Today we celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus. That part of me that needs to poke at everything wants to point out: it is mostly made up.  Not that Christ wasn’t born, but he was not born in December. The entire nonsense of shepherds tending their flock while ass deep in snow did not happen. At least not in snow.

     This year is a little darker, maybe even sinister, for me. I find myself questioning the birth of Christ. Questioning, not if it happened, but why it happened. What was he thinking? It is one of those times I stand convinced of our collective putridness. To my perspective Jesus coming here would be like going for a dip in a septic tank. (I am hoping the meds kick-in in the New Year.)

     Did he come as God, with all the fanfare and celebration we would expect? No. Did he come forcing everyone to genuflect and bow? No. There was no privilege claimed. He came as the lowliest of positions; the illegitimate child of a peasant girl from a town that defines insignificance. Mary being pregnant outside of marriage should have been stoned to death.

     We know that the pretense for Joseph going to Bethlehem does not hold up to scrutiny. The timing of the events don't line up. When biblical commentaries do acknowledge this they say that it makes for a better narrative. I prefer the narrative that Joseph being a decent guy got Mary out of town until it was safe to come home. He seemed to be that kind of guy. Perhaps the idea of a census taking place was part of an original deception on Joseph's part.. 

     Jesus was fully human. His birth would have been anguishing for Mary and tinged with anxiety. She would have known of women dying during and after child birth. As a child, there would have been skinned knees to kiss; tears, puke and shit to clean up. As a teenager did he have a crush? I would think so. His purity came not from abstinence – a concept that is ours, and is disturbing. His purity came from the love he had, and still has, for us. But he must have known desire, and the heart break of rejection. Otherwise how could scripture be accurate in claiming he had to be like us in EVERY way? He would have known exhaustion, illness, rejection, and all the foibles of life. 

    Contemplate that, the guy who created everything had become fully human.

  Ultimately, he was a despised one. His death on the cross would have been a fitting finish to a life spent being shunned by people. At least those people who seemed to matter. Crucifixion at its core was about shaming the executed. Those who accepted Jesus, generally the other despised ones, grieved. Mary who had borne the anguish of his birth, would bear the anguish of his death. She would have known that she had one last job; to care for his broken body.

    His coming here, if we really pay attention, let’s us know how wrong we have things. The Kingdom of Heaven is the opposite of what we assume it to be. It is not about competition, it is not about being at the top of a pyramid scheme of righteousness. Rather, we are called to service. It is recognizing ourselves in each other. It is recognizing Christ in each other.

Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

 

      God does not simply sit on high demanding love, praise and obedience. Rather he seeks an involvement in our lives, individually and collectively. That is what advent is about. The celebration of which should be everyday not just this time of the year. That involvement comes through us. I am not a fan of the salvation from hell doctrine. I believe we are called into a salvation from idiotic living. A life of service to each other. As I learned in 12 step groups, “Let it begin with me.”

1 Corinthians 1:27 -  29 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

 

Merry Christmas, may you feel the full weight of the Love of God in this time of year!