CHRISTMAS: THE PROCLAMATION

Luke 1:39-49

We are reminded by the news media and by neighbors that youth can, at times, act outrageously. Some think the way they dress is in order to make a statement and in some cases it is. But in other cases, outrageous dress, piercings, colored or spiked hair are just to do what others are doing. They use cell phones, websites, and text messages in dizzying rates as a primary means of communication. Yes youth seem outrageous to those of us who are beyond it, but when one can look into the heart of the one with hair, or makeup or piercings or bling, there is often either an angry or lost soul trying to belong or to be heard. Too old to feel like children, to young to truly act as adults, and with bodies changing, these young people drive commerce and film, along with the productions of video games, skateboards, roller blades, and downloadable music. Business counts on those trends so that savvy market analysts can ride the wave of profits on products that are often here today and gone tomorrow. But today, to those youth who are here, and to parents who need to download this message -it will be on our website tomorrow and in print by tonight- what statement could you make to your friends and to the world if you were outrageously faithful to God instead? Today we look in the Bible at two outrageously faithful young people.

The classic way to see the nativity story is by opening a Bible and letting your mind make movies as you read. And so, with thanks to lovingly produced but sometimes inaccurate depictions in Christmas carols, we already have our childhood pictures of what Nazareth looked like and Jerusalem and Bethlehem. We already have our own ideas about what Mary and Joseph may have looked like, how old they were, how they traveled to Bethlehem, and what it was like to hear the voice of an angel. Sometimes we wrap the whole story in a glittering Christmas bow, not wanting to have any of our childhood story tarnished by reality. But the Christmas story has at its heart ordinary people- shepherds, parents, children, having their ordinary lives interrupted with extraordinary requests. And the difference between that story and our stories is the outrageous faith it took for them to make the choices they made. Although it may not be Hollywood’s idea of Academy Award material, you and your family may want to consider seeing “The Nativity Story” in theatres this week. I plan to go again to the 1:15 show this Wednesday at the Regal Cinema in Ormond Beach, sadly the only theatre still showing it. In my opinion it is an accurate portrayal of life in those days. It reminds us that Mary’s father would have offered his young daughter- probably a young teenager- in an arranged marriage to Joseph, an older young man who lived in Nazareth whom he had grown to respect. It reminds us that Mary was just a young woman who didn’t like being told who she was to marry and when, and who, after being told this news, went off after her chores to a quiet place to ponder what she had just been told. The Bible doesn’t say how Mary met Joseph so the story in the film is a reasonable depiction. As she is mulling things over, we read that an angel of the Lord appears to her. Television has depicted angels in various ways, and I don’t know how Mary knew this was an angel but she honored this messenger from God. This angel asks Mary to do an outrageously faithful thing: to move up her plans to one day have children, to set aside her own will, and consent to conceiving a child now by the Holy Spirit, giving birth to a child who would be called the Son of God. This was not an easy request, nor was it a forceful one. Mary had listened to parents during her life, and for all we know, she may have also listened to her friends, just like many of the youth of today do. But the event that changed the world was a grownup decision: it was the decision of a girl who was asked to grow up quickly, to act reverently, and to take the ridicule she may suffer from family and friends because of it. God’s angel asked Mary to trust this news and do something outrageously faithful. The human race owes its salvation, in part, to the young woman from a meaningless town called Nazareth saying “yes” to a vision of hope and help that was beyond her ability to fully understand.

As our text tells us, “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country of Judah to visit her cousin Elizabeth.” This was no social call; it was likely that the problem of having a young woman promised to a local young man, Joseph, beginning to show a growing child in her womb would cause a stir, perhaps even a scandal. There was one way to settle things down: Mary left town for awhile and an angel talked with Joseph in a dream. The one person who could either break off the engagement legally and morally, or stay with and support his fiancé publicly with outrageous faith was Joseph. As Mary went away, according to Matthew’s gospel, an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream, paving the way for Jesus to have a human father to raise him. Our Counseling Center Director, Dr. Lex Baer, writes in our January newsletter about the power of dreams to guide us and help our unconscious solve problems. He points to Joseph’s four dreams as each having a huge impact on his life and ultimately on those who follow Jesus as Lord. Thomas Cahill is famous for his “Hinges of History” books about the Jews, Christians, Greeks, Irish, and his newest book THE MYSTERIES OF THE MIDDLE AGES. There are no two decisions that have changed the course of the world as much as those of Mary and Joseph, two young people, saying “yes” to God’s angel, putting their own priorities in second place. What a radical idea!

Starting this season, my youthful friends and all others who are listening, what would outrageous faith in God bring you to do? I am not talking about your buying an extra present or saying prayers for a week. I am talking about actions that fit more into Matthew 25, when Jesus said “whenever you have done these things to the least of these my brothers or sisters, you have done it unto me.” I’m talking about listening for a new word that God may be sending you. Instead of making Christmas lists for yourself, can you imagine asking people to donate money in your name to Heifer Project, or to a Presbyterian Missionary, or to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to help in Darfar or Louisiana? Some in this very congregation do that. What if you decided to take a day a month to help feed hungry people at Halifax Urban Ministries? Some in this congregation do that. What if you decided to genuinely and passionately help your mom or dad or grandma or grandpa instead of them always doing for you? Outrageous suggestions, aren’t these?! I am thrilled with stories of students whose projects have changed the world’s view of ecology. Could it be one of you who sends our president the best idea for ending bloodshed in Iraq or hostilities in the little town of Bethlehem? I have been proud to see some talented youth remember to give to others once they became successful: basketball player Vince Carter of Daytona Beach and baseball player David Eckstein of Sanford both come to mind. But you can do it on a smaller scale, or, you can let God guide your dreams and nothing will be impossible. To youth here today: keep thinking outrageously, but like the ones who bore and raised our Savior, try channeling your energy into outrageous faith. As some here today are far beyond their youth, conclusions like “it won’t work” or “tried it before” or “takes too much energy” form on our lips too quickly. If God is ready to remake the world again, I can see good reason for Heaven to get the attention of a couple of young people again. Harness your energy and your gorgeous appeal, put legs on your faith and insistence in your voice, and God can begin pulling our world from its destructive directions in 2007. I challenge each of you to work to change the world with God, rather than focusing on self. Bring the light of the Lord Jesus where darkness has seeped into corners. Mary said “yes” to a big plan; Joseph said “yes” as well, and the world was changed. What do YOU say; are you ready to collaborate with the mighty acts of God?

Jeffrey A. Sumner December 24, 2006