Revelations of Life Abundant: a Christmas Eve sermon on Luke 2:1-14
You are beloved. Each of you, whoever you are, wherever you come from, whatever stories you carry, whatever pains and heartbreaks have shaped you, whatever joy you possess or are seeking...you are beloved.
@jeremybishop
That is the message of Christmas for all people: that God so loved the world that God gifted part of Godself to be near to the Creation in an extra-special way, to love the Creation up close and personally. The Holy One took on flesh and lived among us as a human, beginning as a small baby, born in an out-of-the-way place to people on the margins living in the shadow of Empire. And why? Why all of this? To proclaim beloved-ness to all people.
That is the revelation of the angels to the shepherds: abundant life is not only possible, but also happening—the good news is that you are beloved, and you can be in touch with that most sacred gift if you just go to the manger...go and see!
How does that revelation sound to you, here and now, two thousand years after it was shared with the shepherds? Is it hard to believe? Difficult to wrap your mind around? Do you feel like you don’t...deserve it? Like it’s too good to be true?
Sometimes we may think, “well, from living in this messed up world, I don’t expect much, and if I do expect something, it’s only disappointment.” The shepherds could probably relate to this sentiment--in their social position as physical laborers, they knew all about the world—the oppression, the need, the policing of everyday life by the Empire. The shepherds had a lot of reason to be cynical, being as up-close-and-personal with the grit and grime and struggle of daily existence as they were.
And yet--angels appear to them in the field, banishing fear, inviting wonder, and giving direction-- “go and see.” “Good news of great joy” is given to “all the people”! This angelic message was given to regular folks doing their jobs, keeping on keeping’ on. This information was not reserved for those of status, not given to the kings and princes and powerful people. The revelation of life abundant was given first to those on the bottom rungs of power in society.
And so, we know this revelation could come to any of us.
I wonder: do we listen to those living on the margins, leaning close in case they tell us of the revelation?
Friends, what makes life abundant? It is not the amount of money in our bank accounts or the possessions filling our homes. It is not the number of followers on social media. It is not found in having all the degrees or in a list of letters following your name. It does not privilege one race or gender or class or sexuality or nationality above others. Life abundant is for everyone—is for me—is for you. All you need to be is you, living according to the Greatest Commandment: to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.
But abundant life doesn’t mean that everything goes our way, that we are perfect, that illness and grief and trauma do not touch our lives. No, all of that is part of the human experience, which we are reminded at Christmas that Jesus experienced, too. We can experience abundant life when we remember, when we know, when we remind each other, when we believe that there is something deep and abiding in each of our beings that no one can touch, that no one can change. Beloveds, your identity as a beloved child of the Holy, your worthiness of love and wellbeing—no one can take that away from you, not even you at your worst moments.
Life abundant is possible! God’s undeniable, unconditional, expansive love is breaking into our world. God is bring roses to blossom in the sparsest deserted places, proclaiming that from out-of-the-way places and people who have been ignored or forgotten...from these places, God makes good on the promise Mary proclaimed in the Magnificat: God not only WILL but IS bringing down the powerful, raising up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things...thanks be to God!
And we have the opportunity to say “yes,” to join this sacred work. “Yes, I’ll go to the manger and see.” “Yes, I will participate in God’s Magnificat work of ensuring that all people know their beloved-ness by working for justice.” “Yes, I will take my privilege and my resources and put them to use guided by those who are most in need.” “Yes, I will bring my heart to the manger, and let it break open for the world, just like the Holy One showed me.”
Dear ones, like the shepherds, we have an opportunity tonight to experience something wonderful. On Christmas Eve we remember how God’s divine care breaks through the layers of despair, oppressive power-over, through the stories we tell about ourselves and the expectations of others—to remind us that we are beloved. Let us share this Good News with each other, today and always.
May it ever be so. Amen.
This sermon originally preached for Seattle First Baptist Church on December 24, 2022.
