It reminds me of my first visit to Bethlehem some years ago. What did I expect to see there? It didn't help that the year before I had been to see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall with its extravaganza Nativity Scene at the close of the show. Did I expect something like that? If I did I would have been terribly disappointed. Because in fact the place traditionally hallowed as the place of Christ's birth is a small cave beneath the 6th century Church of the Nativity. It is small, rather dim, airless, the walls covered with a patina of candle grease and incense from over the years; not particularly clean by our standards; and its decorations rather taudry. It came as somewhat of a shock to our party. One member, a good Baptist minister, said out loud that he was frankly disappointed. A friend, an Anglican priest with a sharp tongue, snapped back “for God's sake get down on your knees and pray, for this is the place where Christ was born!” He was right of course. Our expectations were so out of sync with reality.

When you consider the Christmas texts you realize that the actual birth gets scant attention. Luke deals with it in one line: “And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger.” Matthew having described the angelic announcement to Joseph (yesterday's gospel) says “He(Joseph) took her as his wife but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.” As we well know the gospels of Mark and John make no mention of the birth of Jesus. And in any case the chief focus for Matthew is Announcement to Joseph and the Visit of the Magi and for Luke the Announcement to Mary and the Angels and Shepherds. Are we missing something? Surely this great festival of Christmas, the birthday of Jesus whom we call Lord and Savior, demands more biblical basis than these scant references? But the reality is someone's birth details really only become important as a result of the life they lived and the death they died. We would probably not visit Springfield, Illinois, or Tupelo, Mississippi, but for the fact that Abraham Lincoln was born in the former and Elvis Presley in the latter. And so we could go on. The reality is that the birth of Jesus really only became of interest to the gospel writers and to the early church because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. I have said many times, but it is worth repeating that all the gospels, indeed all the New Testament are written through the lenses of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. In fact some biblical critics would say that the first three gospels, the so-called synoptic gospels, are accounts of the Passion of Jesus with introductions.

Once we accept that approach to the birth of Jesus we can make more sense of the Christmas story in Luke. Luke really only had two things he wanted to say. One was that Jesus was born and the other that his birth was significant. All the rest, the emperor, the governor, the angels, shepherds, magi, the manger scene, the census and so forth are there to amplify and to give theological significance to the event. For instance Luke mentions the census ordered by Rome. However since the Romans were good record keepers and well organized we know almost for certain that there was no such census at the time. Luke had undoubtedly heard of censuses and he may have experienced one. But historically his account is inaccurate. But in another sense no matter. For he is not telling history but rather he is writing a theological commentary on the birth of a person who had become enormously significant to him and to many people of his day. By mentioning the Emperor and the Governor and the census, Luke immediately placed the humble birth of Jesus in a universal context. No longer was this birth of local or provincial interest only but this took place on the stage of the known world. Likewise the angels. Angels are always a device (whether we personally believe in them or not) to indicate a cosmic dimension to the event. So Jesus' birth is heralded by angels: the very cosmos sings out in recognition of its maker and redeemer. But what about those shepherds? Who do they represent? The shepherds of the day were marginalized people; they were on the edges of society. They represent all who feel the burdens of life; those who feel oppressed and downtrodden; the poor and the weak. These are those who heard Jesus gladly because he preached good news to the poor. The birth is announced to them as a sign of fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. If the emperor and the census put Jesus on the world stage, Bethlehem and the Davidic line and all that put Jesus fair square in the middle of the Jewish context. Bethlehem and the David's line were prerequisites for the Jewish Messiah. And here in this account Luke states clearly that Jesus has the lot.

But what about our expectations? What did we set out to see tonight? What do we expect of this Christ Child? “What did you go out to see?” to echo Jesus' question of his hearers. With regard to tonight I expect you came expecting some good music and liturgy, a sense of participation in the traditional Christmas celebrations, the comfort of the familiar readings and hymns, the inspiration of the story of Christ's birth. Perhaps that is enough. But I wonder how comfortable we are with the consequences of this birth; with the unfolding of the gospel story in the life, the teachings and above all in the passion and death of Jesus?

Because it is the full gospel story that gives integrity to this feast. Christmas at least from a faith perspective is not a neat bit you can break off and enjoy and ignore the rest as it were. Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas and all that goes with it from the lights and decorated trees, to the windows of Macys, Lord and Taylors and all the rest. I love taking the bus down 5th Ave at night just to glimpse all the magic. But that is not all there is. The Christmas proclamation with its fundamental universal message of Joyous Good News and Peace on Earth is as real and as needed as ever. It is the announcement that our God has a future for us and that that future is God's. This Jesus whose birth we rightly and joyfully celebrate has by his life and death and resurrection won our salvation for us. It is as we enter faithfully into the mystery of that salvation, as we participate in this eucharist that we receive a foretaste of what is to come, which is nothing less than eternal life in God's love.

Have a blessed, holy and happy Christmas. And may the One whose birth we celebrate bring you the peace which is beyond understanding. Amen

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