One of the
things our congregation has had a lot of experience with is babies. We have
baptized something like 15 babies a year since I've been here. We baptized 20
babies just this year. That makes well over a hundred babies since I've been
here. That's a lot of babies. That's about the size of an average congregation
in this country. Now, I've heard a lot of people suggest a lot of different
methods for church growth. I've never heard of anyone talking about having babies
as a major form of evangelism. But maybe it's something we should think about.
Obviously, our congregation is highly talented in this area. Being a pastor of a congregation with so many babies, I've learned a lot about what happens after a baby is born. The process as I see it has four phases. The first phase is the announcement phase. Everyone needs to know about it. The announcement spreads verbally and quickly among family and friends. And then the announcement is sent out in official form. You learn all the vital statistics: the name, the date of birth, the place of birth, the height, the weight, the color of the eyes and hair.
Sometimes the announcement assumes gigantic proportions. I will never forget one such announcement. I experienced it several years ago just before Christmas. It was a blustery, snowy day and on the front porch of this home was a large sign. I think it was a large bed sheet tied to the porch posts with some heavy rope. It was flapping in the wind. It was hastily made and on it in big black letters, ending with an exclamation mark, were these words: IT'S A BOY!
It wasn't difficult to imagine what was being announced. Someone just had a baby and was eager to announce it to friends, family, neighbors and the entire world. There was no self-consciousness involved. No wondering, "Gee, won't people think I'm strange?" or "Golly, my art work is really not too great." No, there was just this sheer exuberant joy, a forgetting of self because of this beautiful wonderful event.
And when you think about it, on that dark night in Bethlehem, God is just like any other proud parent, isn't he? God pulls out all the stops as he makes the big announcement. Luke doesn't say anything about it, but Matthew tells us that God hung out a star to indicate the place of birth. He didn't want anyone to miss it. I guess you can't get much bolder than that. And Luke tells us that God sent a special messenger, an angel, to announce all the vital details to the world: "Good news of great joy," the angel says, "A little baby is born in Bethlehem. You will find him in a manger, wrapped in swaddling cloths. His name is Christ. He is your savior."
Then, after the announcement phase comes the celebration phase. We invite others to share in our joy. Friends and relative stop by the hospital. People come by the house. Fathers hand out cigars or some candy or something that facilitates the sharing of the good news. And gifts are given. And I guess baptisms are part of this phase, too. They are opportunities for Christian friends and the family of God to rejoice at the promise a baby brings. Everybody loves to see a baby.
And the birth of Jesus is no different in this regard. Once the announcement is made, the heavenly choirs join in the celebration: "Glory to God in the highest," they sing, which is to say, "God you really do great work!" And the wise men come with gifts, and the shepherds come to adore him. And you've got to believe that they were only part of the crew that gathered around the baby that evening.
Next comes the adjustment phase. Because of this new baby, nothing will ever be the same again. Room needs to be made for this little one. Relationships need to be readjusted. The child needs to be cared for. And, as parents soon find out, the little kid makes his presence known. He is going to jerk mom and dad around a bit as he finds out who he is. He creates problems as he elbows out room for himself. The baby tests us and we learn the meaning of love.
And so it is with Jesus. The world received him with love and joy. But as he grows, he teaches them what love it all about. As he elbows out room, he creates room in them for God. He shows us just how far God will go in his love for us. He is willing to stretch himself out on a cross and go out of the world almost as naked as he came in. And he does it all in order to fulfill the promise that God will save us from our sins. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Tonight we are called to dwell on the joy of receiving a savior, not the pain that was suffered for our sake.
And then comes the final phase: the remembering. Mary doesn't just celebrate the event, she ponders it. She stores up the memories of what just happened. And when we have a baby we do the same: We take pictures, we save the announcements and cards, we save locks of the baby hair, we put the baptismal gown into safekeeping, we make scrapbooks so that we can treasure the event throughout the years. It is so important to remember and give thanks again and again for the gift that has been given.
This year in a two year Bible study called Crossways that some in our congregation are doing, we have heard again and again how important the process of remembering is in the Bible. The people of Israel are tremendously grateful for all the wonderful things God has done for them, especially the mighty act of God by which he delivered them from slavery. In worship, at special festivals, in special ceremonies in their homes, through the use of special meals and special symbols, they remember the mighty things that God has done for them. And they do it in such a way that they imagine themselves as actually participating in the event itself, watching God at work.
In the same way we are called to remember the birth of Jesus. And this is not so hard to do is it? We do this kind of remembering all the time. There are moments in our life that are so wonderful that from time to time we return to them in our imagination, and we re-live them again and again. Each time we do, we experience the feelings and joy we did then. We receive all the benefits we received in that very moment. In the same way we return to the birth of Jesus. We imagine ourselves as among those kneeling at the manger, feeling their feelings, receiving the benefits they received.
Many centuries ago one of the most faithful and loving follower of Jesus whoever lived, St. Francis of Assissi, encouraged his people to do this. It is called the "living nativity". He would encourage the people of the village to build a stable, bring their own animals, and play the parts of Mary and Joseph and the wise men and the shepherds who gathered around the baby Jesus that day. He wanted them to feel the same feelings and think the same thoughts as the people who experienced the first Nativity. He knew that as they did this they would experience the joy of having a savior.
As we gather tonight, we are called to remember as they did. We are called to imaginatively enter into the story. And as we enter in, we receive the benefits. And that's really the point of so many Christmas practices isn't it-even if the meaning has been lost to many of us. The Christmas tree represents the new life we receive when we commit ourselves to Jesus. The Christmas lights are a witness to the light that enters into the darkness of our lives when we accept him as our Savior. And the gifts that are given, what are they meant to represent except our joy over the great gift that has been given to us in Jesus.
And so tonight we are invited to step into the excitement and joy and wonder of the birth of a child. The announcement is made to us. IT'S A BOY! The invitation is extended to us. The celebration is held for us. We are asked to give ourselves over to the excitement and joy and wonder of it all.
When it come right down to it I think that we are the shepherds in the story. We are the needy ones. We have sins that need to be forgiven. We have wounds that need to be healed. We wonder about how God feels about us. He tells us tonight. He wants us to draw close. In order to help us draw close, he comes in a form that no one can fear-a gentle baby. Let's come to the manger and receive him.