12/21/03

Micah 5:2-5a
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-55

Have you ever thought about how the Christmas story, or for that matter the entire biblical story, could be made into a soap opera? I can see it now - each weekday at 2:30 PM, on CBS - "Passion in Palestine." Imagine the characters: an elderly man (Zechariah) struck dumb, unable to speak, rendered voiceless by a psychosomatic anxiety; an aged dowager (Elizabeth) reeling from morning sickness; an adolescent girl (you know who) agonizing over an unplanned pregnancy; an upright, uptight citizen (Joe) desperately trying to save his reputation; foolish farmers leaving their animals untended; learned scientists with post-doctoral fellowships traveling across a desert following an errant star (i) (a rumor is they may even be royalty); angels with strange dreams and weird visions; and finally the "star" of Bethlehem himself, a precocious baby who we could not even imagine crying, let alone making a mess in his swaddling clothes.

Here we are with a custom-made soap opera, speaking to our deepest fantasies and passions. And as the baby grows older, the soap opera could probably continue for many, many years with great material written by four writers whose works have stood the test of time. But of course, this is not entertainment, not a soap opera, but instead a sacred story, not filled with fantasy, but rather, brimming with excitement and mystery. One of the interesting things about the biblical sacred story, including the Christmas portion, is the way the writers weave into their narratives many reversals of fortune, turning what we would expect, completely upside-down.

Think about it. "A paunchy patriarch becomes the progenitor of a chosen people. A stuttering murderer is challenged to become the greatest emancipator of all time. A ragtag band of Hebrew slaves gets liberated for holy living.

Vinedressers, temple technicians, and unsuspecting farmers get catapulted into prophetic leadership. A gentle-woman is called to be an army general." And in this season's story, an old woman conceives, a young teenager also becomes mysteriously pregnant, and polished professionals are shaken up by dreams. (ii) Even the prophet Micah talks of tiny, insignificant Bethlehem, out of which will come the one who is to rule Israel, the one of peace who will be called the Prince of Peace. All of these are amazing reversals!

Today in Luke, there are three characters who illustrate this theme of reversal of fortunes, of lowliness being lifted up, of pride being set aside or humbled. The first is Elizabeth, the wife of a priest, herself a direct descendent of Aaron, a woman of distinction among her people. Yet she puts aside her status, exclaiming that she is honored by her distant cousin's visit; she even puts herself on a lower social scale than Mary by identifying Mary as the mother of her Lord and calling her blessed, three times. Protocol would have had Mary deferring to her elder and more socially prominent kinswoman, but Elizabeth voluntarily humbles herself. (iii)

The next character to demonstrate the theme of reversal is the baby John the Baptist, still in his mother's womb. He leaps for joy when he hears Mary's voice. John actually is the first one in the Bible to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus, and he is still as we say in utero. What makes this especially an example of upside-downess, is the role of children, born or unborn, in the biblical stories. Children had no status at all in Bible times. This is why Jesus' positive treatment of children later in his ministry is so remarkable. And it is why Luke's portrayal of an unborn child as the first witness of the messiah is so important. It sets the tone for a major theme in Luke, the inclusion within the blessed community of those who were seen by others as insignificant outsiders. (iv)

The third character, of course, is Mary herself. In spite of the enormity of her newly discovered status, she remains the perfect example of humility. Rather than claim any personal honor for herself or for the important role she now has, she rightly gives God the credit for her incredible reversal of fortune: "My soul magnifies the Lord ... he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant ... the Mighty One has done great things for me ..." Everything that has happened to her is an outgrowth of who God is, the God who made promises to her ancestors, and now to her. Mary claims no virtue or special right as to why she has become so blessed.

Then, in an abrupt mood switch, what at first sounds like a lovely praise song quickly becomes a political manifesto. Those who have been oppressors are judged harshly by God's intervention. God reduces the rulers but lifts up the lowly, empties the emperors but fills the famished, arrests the arrogant but helps the helpless. (v) But we shouldn't be surprised that God plans to turn the world upside-down in this way. This is what God has been doing all along. Even in our day tyrants are finally brought to justice. But sometimes God's justice is bestowed in ways we would not expect, sometimes even modified with a healthy dose of grace. Back in 1994, after the collapse of apartheid in South Africa, the government of Nelson Mandela established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate acts of brutality and to seek resolution. Bishop Tutu has been very involved in its work.

One case involved the family of an elderly black woman, whose son was brutally murdered by a white police officer, a Mr. van de Broek. This same man and others some years later also savagely killed the woman's husband by tying him up, dousing him with gasoline, and lighting him on fire - in front of the woman. Her husband's last words to her in the midst of the flames were, "Forgive them." Now in the courtroom, it was time for justice to be done, and the woman was given the opportunity to give a statement.

"I want three things," she said calmly. "I want Mr. van de Broek to take me to the place where they burned my husband's body. I would like to gather up the dust and give him a decent burial. Second, Mr. van de Broek took all my family away from me, and I still have a lot of love to give. Twice a month, I would like for him to come to the ghetto and spend a day with me so I can be a mother to him. Third, I would like Mr. van de Broek to know that he is forgiven by God and that I forgive him, also. I would like someone to lead me over to where Mr. van de Broek is seated, so I can embrace him and he can know my forgiveness is real." As the elderly woman was helped across the silent courtroom, Mr. van de Broek reportedly fainted. The silence was broken when someone started singing "Amazing Grace," and soon the entire audience joined in the song. (vi) Amazing upside-down grace indeed!

A similar incident happened this week at the victim-impact hearing for the Green River serial killer, when the father of one of the victims told his daughter's murderer that he forgave him - perhaps you saw it on the news. Upside-down amazing grace.

Back to Mary's song of praise. If we listen carefully, her words are quite disconcerting. In this upside-down Christmas story, if the rich are sent away empty, isn't that us? We are fully aware that most of us are far wealthier than most of the rest of the world. Fortunately, we have a Savior who offers hope for those of us who have much, as well as for those who are less well off. Unfortunately, there is a major string attached for us.

Jesus puts it this way: "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required ..." That's us, folks! A rich young man comes to Jesus asking how he can obtain eternal life. He's told to sell his possessions and give to the poor and follow Jesus, but he goes away sad because he is not willing to share with others what he has accumulated. There's another rich guy, so unsure of himself, that he hides up in a tree when Jesus comes to town. But Jesus finds him, calls Zacchaeus out of the tree, the tax collector has a genuine conversion experience, and he lavishly shares from his bounty. Salvation comes to his house that very day. (vii) As Jesus would say, those of us who have ears to hear, let us hear.

There's one final way to look at Mary's words in this upside-down Christmas story. Most of us are rich in material things, but some of us, perhaps many of us are poor in spirit. We may not be homeless or hungry, but in this season filled with joy and gladness, many of us feel anything but joyful or happy. The message of Christmas, the message of the incarnation, that God has come among us and become one of us, is especially for those of us who need God the most: the broken and the broken-hearted, the estranged, the grieving, the lost, the lonely, the powerless, those who need to be forgiven and those who need to forgive, those in pain or in ill health and those who care for them or care about them, those who long for and who work for peace, those at war with guns or words or silences, those whose burdens are too heavy to bear, those who long to be looked upon with dignity, who only wish to be treated equally with others, those who have concluded because of life's circumstances that God is no longer present or just doesn't care, those who are searching for, hoping for, a place to call home. (viii)

We who experience any of these feelings can perhaps most relate to the upside-down aspects of the Christmas story - to places like Bethlehem, the least prestigious address in Judah; to the pregnant teenager and her reluctant fiancé, whose credit wasn't good enough even for the cheapest hotel in this two-bit town; to the helpless child, the dirty stable, the scruffy shepherds. It's only when we go to the weakest, smallest, saddest, scariest, most broken places of our lives that we can receive the gift of really understanding Christmas, and celebrate it with the kind of deep joy that outlasts the needles that fall from the tree or the fancy wrapping paper carried out to the trash. (ix)

May each of us deep within our souls hear the good news of Christmas: God, Emmanuel is with us; light will shine in our darkness. Regardless of our joys or our sorrows, let us keep the faith, keep hoping, keep praying. God's upside-down, turned-around Christmas is coming. Christ is coming. Peace be with you, and may each of you have a blessed Christmas. Amen.

The Pilgrim Church of Duxbury
Rev. Kenneth C. Landall

i Susan R. Andrews, Lectionary Homiletics, Vol. XV, No. 1, 12/21/03
ii Ibid.
iii Homiletics, Vol. 15, No. 6, 12/21/03, Commentary.
iv Ibid.
v Franklyn Jost, Preaching Word & Witness, 12/21/03.
vi John D. Roth, in Choosing Against War, in P W & W, op. cit.
vii Jost,. op. cit.
viii Rochelle A. Stackhouse, Lectionary Homiletics, op. cit.
ix Ibid.