Sermon - 2014-12-24 - Christmas Eve

We gather together tonight to celebrate a very important gift.  The arrival of the long expected Messiah, Savior, Christ, the Chosen One of God. Tonight, we hear the history that is so familiar because we hear it every single year.  Many of you could even share the details without having to open the Bible.  This history has a way of comforting us and reminds us of what is important.  

However, there is another person who often gets much attention this time of year who often confuses us in the role of God.  A few days ago, there was a department store Santa who was handing out candy canes and other small gifts to children.  After many hours and several hundreds of children, the santa ran out of candy canes and everything else.  The children still in line had seen others who were getting gifts.  When Santa told them that he was out and that they would not get a gift, many of them were so frustrated and angry.  Some of the children threw a tantrum.  Some actually kicked him.   Some of the parents yelled at the Santa for making their child upset.  The children and parents were so focused on the here and now.  They completely forgot that Santa Claus would be coming in just a few days, and would be giving many gifts they had asked for on his knee.

Santa then turned and responded to some of the parents, “Do you see your child? This is the greatest gift that you could have received this year.” Then Santa said to the child, “Do you see your parent?  There is the greatest gift that you could receive this year.”  Then to both, “If that wasn’t enough, God gave you even more, God gave you His Own Son and it is because of God’s Son that we give Christmas present to one another.”  At hearing this, some parents became even more frustrated and angry because it was not what they wanted to hear and others became more humble and left.  

However, I think this also gives us insight for our own self sometimes in our life.  Is God nothing more than a Santa Claus with an empty sack? Someone who we become frustrated with in the moment.  For there are still moments within our life and in the world around in which there is pain and suffering.  The Messiah has come but the world is not perfect.  There is great suffering. There is still war.  There is still great evil in the world.  There is not a simple answer to explain all of this.  However, this also brings up some other questions. What kind of Messiah are you hoping for?  What kind of God are you hoping to see or receive?

As we gather together and we hear that God is with us,  let us stop, look, and be reminded of the big picture.  The whole plan that God is bestowing upon us tonight  is not what we or others may have hoped or planned on.   We trust and know that God will deliver and fulfill the promise that has been given to us.  We should be reminded of what that promise is because there is still darkness in the world. God is there with us, caring, supporting, and loving us to get through this.  This is not a gift that goes away, or one that can be gotten rid of because God said that he would not abandon us.