Readings: Isaiah 9:1-6; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14
After living more days that we can count
amidst death and desolation,
the cure has been announced,
the promises of an end
to the deadly contagion
that has afflicted our world.
This happy news is greeted
with skepticism by some
and with joy by others,
but even those who believe this good news
know that there are still dark days ahead.
Victory is assured,
but it will take time—
and we do not know
how much time—
before we can let down our guard
and live and move freely,
as we are meant to live.
But the corner has been turned,
the deadly foe has been defeated,
and a better day is coming.
amidst death and desolation,
the cure has been announced,
the promises of an end
to the deadly contagion
that has afflicted our world.
This happy news is greeted
with skepticism by some
and with joy by others,
but even those who believe this good news
know that there are still dark days ahead.
Victory is assured,
but it will take time—
and we do not know
how much time—
before we can let down our guard
and live and move freely,
as we are meant to live.
But the corner has been turned,
the deadly foe has been defeated,
and a better day is coming.
This enemy of which I speak,
of course, is sin—
the deadly contagion that has spread
throughout the human race
down the centuries—
our primal alienation from God
that is the yoke that has burdened us.
It is sin that has separated us from others,
sin that has robbed us
of the sustaining breath of the Spirit,
sin that has condemned us to eternal death.
But today we celebrate
the glad tidings of victory,
the announcing of sin’s defeat
by the one who is called
“Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace,”
the “good news of great joy
that will be for all the people,”
the news that
“a savior has been born for us
who is Christ and Lord.”
of course, is sin—
the deadly contagion that has spread
throughout the human race
down the centuries—
our primal alienation from God
that is the yoke that has burdened us.
It is sin that has separated us from others,
sin that has robbed us
of the sustaining breath of the Spirit,
sin that has condemned us to eternal death.
But today we celebrate
the glad tidings of victory,
the announcing of sin’s defeat
by the one who is called
“Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace,”
the “good news of great joy
that will be for all the people,”
the news that
“a savior has been born for us
who is Christ and Lord.”
Yet, even as we celebrate good news,
we know that sin still stalks the world;
we see its effects around us
and feel its power in our souls.
The new age has dawned
and defeat of our ancient foe is assured,
but we still, as St. Paul writes,
“await the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory
of our great God and savior Jesus Christ.”
we know that sin still stalks the world;
we see its effects around us
and feel its power in our souls.
The new age has dawned
and defeat of our ancient foe is assured,
but we still, as St. Paul writes,
“await the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory
of our great God and savior Jesus Christ.”
In our waiting, we can fall prey
to one of two temptations.
On the one hand, we can be tempted
to disbelieve the good news of so great a victory
because the signs of triumph
are so small,
so easily overlooked—
as obscure and hidden
as a newborn child
laid in a feeding trough in a stable.
It is easy to doubt news so astounding:
the eternal God
has come to dwell with us in time.
It is easy to doubt a victory
that our eyes cannot yet see.
On the other hand, we can also be tempted
to think that God’s victory means
that the struggle for justice and mercy is over,
that it doesn’t matter what we do,
that we no longer need to guard ourselves from sin
or work for a world that is less cruel,
less marked by the yoke of sin.
We can forget that we still have a role to play,
still have the path of cross and resurrection ahead of us,
still have an unknown length of days before us
until the reign of Christ arrives in its fullness.
to one of two temptations.
On the one hand, we can be tempted
to disbelieve the good news of so great a victory
because the signs of triumph
are so small,
so easily overlooked—
as obscure and hidden
as a newborn child
laid in a feeding trough in a stable.
It is easy to doubt news so astounding:
the eternal God
has come to dwell with us in time.
It is easy to doubt a victory
that our eyes cannot yet see.
On the other hand, we can also be tempted
to think that God’s victory means
that the struggle for justice and mercy is over,
that it doesn’t matter what we do,
that we no longer need to guard ourselves from sin
or work for a world that is less cruel,
less marked by the yoke of sin.
We can forget that we still have a role to play,
still have the path of cross and resurrection ahead of us,
still have an unknown length of days before us
until the reign of Christ arrives in its fullness.
Christmas calls us to resist both these temptations
by being people of hope and patience.
Hope and patience should not be confused
with optimism and resignation.
Hope is not the belief
that things will work out fine on their own,
but rather that God is even now,
in ways that may escape our eyes,
at work in our world to defeat evil.
Patience is not throwing up our hands
and sinking into resigned desolation;
patience is rather the chief remedy for desolation,
the active choice to wait for the God
who can heal our lacerated souls.
This is always a hard discipline:
to genuinely believe that God has won the victory,
and yet to recognize that we must still live and labor
amidst the ruin that sin has made of our existence.
by being people of hope and patience.
Hope and patience should not be confused
with optimism and resignation.
Hope is not the belief
that things will work out fine on their own,
but rather that God is even now,
in ways that may escape our eyes,
at work in our world to defeat evil.
Patience is not throwing up our hands
and sinking into resigned desolation;
patience is rather the chief remedy for desolation,
the active choice to wait for the God
who can heal our lacerated souls.
This is always a hard discipline:
to genuinely believe that God has won the victory,
and yet to recognize that we must still live and labor
amidst the ruin that sin has made of our existence.
This Christmas more than most
we need this hard discipline.
We need to be people of hope and patience
as we hear news of vaccines
that can protect us from the novel coronavirus,
even as we continue to live amidst a global pandemic
that has killed 1.7 million people worldwide
and over 330,000 people in our country alone,
that has turned our lives upside down,
that has isolated and separated us
precisely when we most need each other.
we need this hard discipline.
We need to be people of hope and patience
as we hear news of vaccines
that can protect us from the novel coronavirus,
even as we continue to live amidst a global pandemic
that has killed 1.7 million people worldwide
and over 330,000 people in our country alone,
that has turned our lives upside down,
that has isolated and separated us
precisely when we most need each other.
This Christmas more than most
we need the gift of hope
to believe better days are coming,
and the gift of patience
to combat the desolation
of hard days still ahead.
we need the gift of hope
to believe better days are coming,
and the gift of patience
to combat the desolation
of hard days still ahead.
This Christmas more than most
we need to hear the good news of great joy
that God is with us in our waiting;
we need to hear
the message of the angel to the shepherds:
“Do not be afraid.”
Do not be afraid to hope and believe.
Do not be afraid to patiently wait.
Do not be afraid
because God in Christ
has plunged into the depths
of human desolation and pain
and planted there the seed of the kingdom,
the seed of hope and patience
that can sustain us through our darkest days.
Christ is born for us today.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice,
for he comes to save us from our ancient foe.
we need to hear the good news of great joy
that God is with us in our waiting;
we need to hear
the message of the angel to the shepherds:
“Do not be afraid.”
Do not be afraid to hope and believe.
Do not be afraid to patiently wait.
Do not be afraid
because God in Christ
has plunged into the depths
of human desolation and pain
and planted there the seed of the kingdom,
the seed of hope and patience
that can sustain us through our darkest days.
Christ is born for us today.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice,
for he comes to save us from our ancient foe.
May the joy of this day
make us people of hope and patience,
and may God have mercy on us all.
make us people of hope and patience,
and may God have mercy on us all.
