Christmas Time

A nation cries, mourning
A kingdom torn apart
The Promise left undone
By the sins they bore

Rachel is heard weeping
Her children are no more
Taken from her this night
Swallowed up in despair

Voices loud can be heard
Crying out for redemption
From all of their souls
Chained down by iniquity

In a calm and silent night
Fulfillment will be found
Through a prophesy foretold
Long ago in ancient days

Kings of a far off land
Would follow a distant star
To discover the sacred truth
To all they were searching for

And angels sing aloud
Of one sent from Heaven
As shepherds watch in awe
Hearing of a newborn king

In a near little village town
Far from lofty palace walls
An infant child born tonight
In a stable made of hay

And in this holy moment
A shadow would be cast
Leading to a wooden cross
Salvation born for us all

Christmas Reality

(this was written a couple of years ago for a Christmas production, keep it mind it was written to be orally presented!)


I remember watching the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and hearing a word I had never heard.  Superfluous.  Did you ever wonder what superfluous meant? I did, and I looked it up.  It means: exceed what is sufficient and necessary; excessive. It seems that at times we have become a society of excess.  We want more, and don’t seem satisfied with what we have.

A while back I asked people in my local community “If you could have anything, what would you want for Christmas?” I remember hearing some of the responses we received when we asked some people in our community. For some their responses were for things they wanted: money, toys, and things like that.   For others it brought up the ideals that we dream of: peace, love, hope, happiness.   For many however, it brought up the painful reality of their current situations:  families split up, jobs lost, dreams vanished.

I was recently driving to my family’s house for Thanksgiving just a few weeks ago.  On my way, I looked over to the street corner, and there was a man, standing there with a sign that said “homeless, need food.” Here he is, standing there, hungry; begging for food, on a day when we will consume more food than any of us could ever need or want.
How often do we see this?  What goes through our minds as we see them standing there?  How do we respond?  What goes through his mind as we pass him by?  How does he feel?

I am sure as a child he didn’t ever think he would be someone who would have to beg on a street corner.  I’m sure he had greater hopes and dreams; passions and ambition.  But somewhere in this life, his hopes and dreams slipped away…

As we sat eating tacos at Jack in the Box, Dave talked about the hole in his head, the wife that left him for another man, the move to California from Kansas, and life as a homeless man for four years.  As I dropped him off and drove on to eat really good food, I said “God Bless You.”  His respond stuck with me, “He already has through you…”

How often do we find that Christmas is not a time of joy, but of sorrow, stress, and frustration? Maybe it’s a mom and dad, with bills piling up on the desk downstairs. Maybe it’s the single mom, with a low-paying job,  2 kids to take care of. Maybe it’s the older gentleman who waits in the rest home, hoping his family will come by to visit him on Christmas day.   We sing of peace on earth, but don’t talk about the turmoil in our own hearts.

When did this season of joy become a season of parties, recitals, gift exchanges, Christmas programs, specials, shopping, Christmas caroling, travelling, decorating, wrapping, and get-togethers?  The list never seems to end!

For many of us, the rush hides what we may not want to deal with, our present reality.   Christmas too often reminds us of love that has been lost.  A family member no longer with us, or a strained relationship we would love to make right.  Maybe it is the painful reality of the son or daughter who won’t be spending Christmas with you this year, whatever the reason may be.

So we step back and ask ourselves.  What is Christmas all about?  What is it that we really want for Christmas?  What does a homeless man want, who struggles to simply find food for that day?   What is a wife looking for, when she has just lost her best friend after 40 years of marriage?  What does the father really want, who is losing sleep at night over unpaid bills, and unmet needs?  What does the mother really want, whose son is away at war?

When it is all said and done, when the gifts have been opened, when the money has been spent, and when the parties have subsided, where does it leave us, where does it leave you?

“There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

The message of hope was announced!  And it wasn’t brought to the insiders, but it was first announced to those who felt like outcasts, the overshadowed, the despised, and the ones who had no home.  (Maybe today, he would have appeared to a homeless man.)

Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory— this was during Herod's kingship—a group of magi arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on pilgrimage to worship him." Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!  They entered the stable and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.

God revealed himself to those who didn’t even fully understand what was taking place.  They had simply seen signs in the heavens that spoke of a king being born.  In their uncertainties they clung to the prophetic promise they saw in the sky, and worshiped Him.  They hold on to the hope  of promised redemption.

The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they were married, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.

While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is of God. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, which means God saves, because he will save his people from their sins."
I am sure Joseph faced many uncertainties about his future.  Joseph had questions about how he was going to provide for his new wife and child, wondering what would become of this little boy that he was going to raise to be a man.  But when the angel visited him, he had peace that God was in it all. (Maybe not unlike a father today trying to take care of his own family.)

The beauty of  Jesus is that this miracle connects his birth to the very struggles we face day in and day it.  He didn’t come as a King or in power, but he came as a helpless infant and right in to the middle of our brokeness to bring redemption.

It brings hope to the homeless man with questions of meaning.  It brings peace to a mother who's son is at was.  It brings love to a widow who is lonely, and it ultimately brings redemption to a broken humanity who's only hope is found in a Cross.