Christmas Eve, Year A; December 24, 2015 Episcopal Church of the Ascension The Power of The Incarnation The Reverend Dr. Howard J. Hess
I. Introduction. It is the best of times; it is the worst of times. So opens the introduction to Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Sydney Carton, one of the main characters of the novel, has hatched a clever plot to switch places with a condemned friend in 18th century revolutionary Paris. The city is in turmoil and by doing so he seals his own death. Carton asserted: “It is a far, far better thing than I have ever done before.” And as the story makes clear, this sacrifice is quite surprising becauseCarton was a self-absorbed, profligate man. What is it that allows Carton or any of us to transcend our own instinctive self-interest in order to make true sacrifices for others? Dickens’ answer, as evident in so many of his stories, includingA Christmas Carol, is having an encounter with love that results in a willingness to set self aside long enough to experience the life-altering qualities of transformation, reconciliation, and peace. In experiences of love and reconciliation, I believe we move closest to the heart of Jesus Christ, the Jesus Christ of the Incarnation.
II. Reconciliation: It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. More than 2000 years ago, God sent his Son to become one of us at a time of darkness in our world. There was constant strife between political powers; seething ethnic and religious divisions; slavery throughout the known world; and oppression against those who were vulnerable. The world into which Jesus was born knew very little peace and was desperately in need of reconciliation – reconciliation with God and between human beings. This was the world that God chose to enter as a healer, teacher, and peacemaker. We refer to the coming of Jesus Christ into this world as the Incarnation. In the Christian faith, the Incarnation is the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ. And let it be known that Christianity is the only religion in the world where God actually became one with human beings. The Incarnation, including all of the complex circumstances surrounding Christ’s birth, was not a random event of history. Rather, the Incarnation was an intentional act of God to provide us with a bridge to God’s self. The Incarnation broke right through the darkness and allowed the worst to become the best of times.
It has been long emphasized by Christian theologians that Christ became one of us so that we could become one with God. Jesus Christ became the light who would ultimately defeat every form of darkness. Another way to say this is that, through his teaching and by his example Jesus demonstrated that we too, could become reconciled to God and with one another through living out of deep love. And when that love prevails, the result is peace – for individuals, for families, for communities, and countries, and for the world.
III. You see, the Incarnation is the first chapter of the Christ story. The night of the Incarnation was a night of promise and hope. The elements of the story convey the intent of the Incarnation. Christ came into a challenging world, born into a very primitive setting, and immediately was visited by a group of rather clueless shepherds who had encountered angels in the middle of the night. The theme of humility is instrumental in the birth of Christ. But then there were also the angels, the host of angels singing “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among people of good will.” Just like everything else in the birth story, the angels’ words were quite intentional. The angels were singing from a script and the key word was peace.
The story of the Incarnation is also an unfolding story of new life – new life for us now, Christmas Eve 2014. We, too, live in a time of darkness. There continues to be constant strife between political powers; seething ethnic and religious division; slavery throughout the known world; and oppression against those who are vulnerable. Our world is desperately in need of reconciliation. But do not despair about this world. Here, tonight, Christ is born. Again it is the worst of times, yet paradoxically it is the best of times. Against all odds, peace can prevail through the love that Christ has given us and taught us to give to one another.
Oh my, how complicated it can be to experience peace in our world! Recently the Rev. Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Church in New York City, was asked mid-sermon to address racial tensions, grand jury decisions, and the murder of police. Keller tried to take the clergy-quick exit. He answered that he didn’t preach on political events from the pulpit. Unsatisfied, the man asked the same question a second time. This is how Keller responded: “Let me tell you what I think the Gospel does to people in power, to people with resources: it humbles them. It tells them to listen to the people [who are] without. But here is what the Gospel says to people who do not have resources and might be tempted to be bitter and angry: it tells them to forgive.” The man said thank you and sat down. You see, through the Gospel love can replace hate, and peace can prevail over antagonism.
IV. Conclusion. Incarnation makes it possible for us to see through Christ all of the bridges that connect us with God and connect us with one another. These bridges guide us beyond ourselves. On them we learn that the very core of our Christian faith is love and suspended judgment. When we are reconciled with God, who sent his son to be one with us, then there is no limit to the love that we can experience and share with others. For example, I can very often become attached to my own perceptions and prescriptions. Out of those views I can develop judgments that may create distance between me and others. But when I am able to stop my own mental processing long enough to pray, to listen to God, to listen to my family, and to listen to many of you, my ideas and my feelings are often transformed and softened. The Incarnate Christ gives me a more loving and peaceful heart. I believe this is how the process of reconciliation takes place – over and over again.
I urge you to think of this Christmas Eve as an opportunity to seek a closer relationship with Christ and then to commit to reconciliation with at least one person with whom you have had an estranged or tense relationship. This could be someone in our families, our workplaces, or even our church. Such reconciliation will come out of our humility and our Christ-like love, not from our expertise or superior wisdom. I would ask all of us to commit to bringing peace into our reactions towards others, to seek charitable responses, and to listen carefully, both to the voice of God and to the voices of one another. Participation in the Incarnation requires us to be open to the Spirit of God and to actively seek reconciliation with one another. I invite us to emulate the humility and vulnerability of a small infant who left a place of perfection to enter a world experiencing the worst of times. The birth of this infant, Jesus, brought humankind the promise of the best of times in the joy and hope of reconciliation with our Creator and with one another. We are called to be a people of peace and witness to the presence of the light in the darkness. Amen.