The nativity of our Lord Christmas Eve December 24, 2003.

Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14 [15-20]

First Reading

Isaiah announces a word of hope, employing imagery that resonates deeply in the human psyche. Light speaks promise both for the darkness of shortened days and for the darkness of troubled times. In the eighth century B.C.E., the source of the darkness was the Assyrian invasion under Tiglath-Pilesar III. But following the death of the Assyrian monarch, the prophet declares that in the darkness, light has shined! The text then completes the metaphor by naming the light and identifying the specific content of the hope-defeat of the enemy, deliverance from oppression, and gift of peace. Although the language might suggest the birth of a royal heir, it more likely refers to a new king ascending to the throne (note the similarity to Psalm 2), probably Hezekiah. Hope for endless peace, justice, and righteousness is kindled and burns brightly.

This hope is assured not because of human power or wisdom but because "the zeal of the Lord of hosts" will accomplish it. Zeal is perhaps a weak translation for qin'ah which can refer to jealousy, envy, even fury. Isaiah pictures God not as remote and unmoved but as passionately involved on behalf of Israel. It calls to mind how God speaks in Exodus 20--"I the Lord your God am a jealous God." It is not human agency but God's passion that will bring fulfillment to the people's hope.

The Gospel text narrates the surprising turn to God's passionate involvement with humanity. God's powerful work of salvation comes under the appearance of weakness. The royal child--heir to King David's throne and bearer of wonderful titles--is born in poverty. He is laid in a manger because there is no room in the inn. From the very beginning, Luke challenges all human expectations about how God will fulfill our hopes for endless peace, justice, and righteousness.

Within the larger context of chapters 1 and 2, Luke employs the story of Jesus' birth to proclaim who Jesus is, thus helping the reader to better appreciate the significance of the story to follow. As the story of the annunciation has already told us, Jesus' life and ministry are the embodiment of the work of God's Spirit. Locating the birth in Bethlehem permits Luke to return King David into the picture, reminding us of the promise that Jesus, descended from David, will "reign over the house of Jacob." He is Messiah-the one anointed to fulfill God's promises to deliver God's people. Referring to the Roman census that brings Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem represents Luke's attempt to locate Jesus' birth in time. It also identifies God's intention for salvation as global. Through Jesus, God will bring salvation to the whole world.

Pastoral Reflection

The letter to Titus invites us to consider how we are to live now that God has come to us in the life of Jesus. We are to renounce impiety and worldly passions. We are to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly. Once in worship I misread Titus, declaring that we are to be "uptight" instead of "upright" (a Freudian slip?). It occurs to me that this is how I have usually thought of the Pastoral Epistles, regarding them as representing an accommodation to the paternalistic values of Mediterranean family structures. I have never chosen to preach on the Pastorals, feeling that they feed a legalizing, overly controlled, uptight way of faith. This year, though, I'm rethinking that judgment.

If the language of "renouncing impiety and worldly passions" and being "self-controlled, upright, and godly" seems oppressive, perhaps it says more about us and our culture than it does about the intentions of the writer of the Pastoral Epistles. We live in a tremendously impious culture. (We are a people of unclean lips!) We have been led to believe that life should always be fun and entertaining and that we should never be denied anything we desire. Advertising tries to manipulate those desires, to control us for the financial gain of others, and never more than in the Christmas season. As a culture, we are out of control to such an extent that we endanger not only our own health--physical, emotional, and spiritual--but even the health of the earth. Titus carries a wonderful message for us. Our lives can never be the same, now that God has come to us in Christ. Because of God's passionate involvement with humanity, we have been delivered from futility and endless self-seeking, so that our lives might count for something.

Perhaps Titus also permits the preacher to say a surprising word on Christmas Eve. While the story of Jesus' birth from Luke's Gospel tells us what happened, more or less, Titus leads us into "and then what." Because God loves humanity with a love that is stronger and purer than any of our loves, God has acted with "zeal." In Jesus, God has come to give us new life. This life is a gift of God's mercy. It is not a matter of rules to obey to earn God's favor. God offers us anew life in which we are free from impiety and its cousins, cynicism and despair. God invites us into a life that is self-controlled, not ruled by ever-shifting inner desires--directionless, senseless, and finally meaningless (a tale told by an idiot ...). As we enter deeply into the love of God through the practices of faith, such as prayer, Bible reading, and worship, God gives us back our truest self. When we receive Jesus, the most priceless gift of God, we also receive our own genuine life.