Disappointment- the True Meaning of Christmas (kind of).

So, we've canceled our Christmas Eve service for tonight. There's new snow coming, another winter storm warning, and the Chapel where we were going to have our gathering has parking lots that haven't been plowed (not to mention it sits on top of a hill that some might have trouble making it up)...

I'm disappointed. Disappointed not to be with our community tonight, to see the hard work that was put into the gathering seemingly go for nothing. But mostly, disappointed because the reality won't match my vision of how it could and should have been. 

Never mind that it might even be better...

Here's what I was going to share tonight. Merry Christmas everyone. 

A lot of Christmas Eve sermons tonight are going to decry the commercialization, the gifts and spending and giving and getting of the Christmas season as somehow contrary to the True Nature Of Christmas. Well, maybe. But they might also, if we think of them rightly, point us to the real meaning- What Christmas itself is meant to point us towards. Let me tell you what I mean.

Some of the strongest memories I have are of the two sides of Christmas- the first side being the anticipation- looking at all the gifts under the tree, wondering what could be in them, sneaking out early on Christmas morning to raid my stocking and shake presents trying to make a mental tally of the heavy ones which probably had something cool in them and the light ones that were more likely to be underwear or socks or something else that was so NOT a Christmas-y gift, but would get wrapped up anyway, no doubt just to “up” the present count. 

I loved it, and even though it was hard when I was younger, as I got older I eventually even learned to love stringing out the anticipation by stringing out the opening of presents. Some years it seemed to last most of the day- none of the everyone-tear-in-and-get-’em-opened-in-15-minutes-or-less stuff. Of course, I could never last quite as long as everyone else. So often, my grandparents would still be opening their last presents after dessert, at 7, 8 oclock at night, while I just watched. 

And that’s the second feeling I remember- not quite as nice as the first. The feeling, when it was all over of.. Huh. So... That’s all? That was pretty cool, but...

Anticipation. Disappointment. And if the disappointment didn’t come right away, it came eventually. All those things I was sure would complete me, make me into the kid I dreamed of being... all those things seemed a little less vital, a little more chintzy a day, a week, a month later. But by then, I could start looking forward to my Birthday, so...

What does that disappointment year after year, when we got what we wanted but then realized- not quite as meaningful as maybe we thought- what does that tell us? 

Something crucial. 

There’s a story in the Gospel of Luke, chpt 2 where Mary and Joseph take the newborn Jesus to the Temple for dedication. It says in Luke 2...

At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
  “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
      as you have promised.

Stop and think for a minute: what would it take to get you to say, “Now, I can die in peace”? Simeon had been waiting his whole life just to catch a glimpse of the salvation that God was sending- talk about anticipation. And when it came, he knew. He knew- this was it- the real thing.

I have seen your salvation,
     which you have prepared for all people.
 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
      and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

This was forgiveness and light and life all wrapped up in one.tiny.baby. 

But... we do ourselves an injustice if we follow Ricky Bobby’s lead and refuse to think of Him as anything but a baby- Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild. Why Look what Simeon said next. 

Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

Simeon prophesied that Jesus would have a confrontational effect on the world around Him. He’d cause many to fall, but would be a joy to others. Sent as a sign from God, and yet... opposed. Like so much in life, how Jesus impacts you depends on how you take Him. And as a result of that dynamic, we can say along with Simeon that Jesus reveals the deepest thoughts of our hearts.

How?

Just by showing up. Just by being the presence of God to us, the salvation that God has been promising since the beginning. Christmas- Christ, reveals the deepest thoughts of our hearts by breaking into our world and claiming our allegiance. By saying: Here is salvation, and no where else. Not in your family, your job or career, your artistic pursuits, not in your 401k. Especially not in your 401k- not this year. 

What’s the deepest part of you? What you worship. What you rest all your hopes of happiness and fulfillment on. And Jesus, by showing up and claiming our worship, reveals where we’ve already placed that worship, what our hearts are resting on. 

And no matter what it is we put our hearts on, it will always come up short. Just try it. Try looking to your spouse to make you happy. Your kids. Your anything... anything but Him. Whatever it is, No matter how great, just like unwrapping that thing we so thought we wanted, when we actually get it, we find, it doesn’t do quite all we had hoped it would do for us. No- nothing wrong with family, job, career, 401k... But don’t ask it to do for you what only Jesus can. 

Satisfy. 

Bring lasting peace. 

Save you. 

Every year we have in Christmas a beautiful reminder: A reminder that God has shown up on the scene, become Immanuel, God With Us, to be our salvation, our peace, our joy. AND a reminder, with the inevitable disappointments of the season, that nothing else can fill that role. 

So- tonight, tomorrow. enjoy Christmas. Enjoy the presents, the family, all the trappings of the Season. There’s nothing wrong with that. But remember- when you inevitably feel a twinge when it’s not exactly like you hoped it would be, when even should you get everything on your list, you find that there’s still something missing, something not quite there... that is, in a sense, Christmas doing its best possible work: Pointing you to your need for something deeper, pointing out where you are putting your hopes for happiness, on people, on presents and things, and pointing you towards something, Someone, that truly can bring peace, Jesus. The salvation prepared for all people. 

Tonight, tomorrow, in fact every day... Remember Simeon and find the peace that he had. Put your hope in the one he waited his whole life to see. Put your hope in Jesus.

 

Comments

[Sarah McGuire]

Thanks Bob, it's cool to have a different passage than I normally read at Christmas. A much needed reminder for me as well...to be ok with the let downs we can feel from life...or sometimes from letting others down. It's pointing to the One who can really give us peace and help us endure those down times with the knowledge that we've been given everythng we need through the gift of Jesus Christ! Merry Christmas to you, Amy and the kiddos!

[ktjane]

thanks, bob!