Dec. 27 Sermon: The Gift of Christmas
“The Gift of Christmas”
Jeffrey A Dodson
Sunday, December 27, 2009
First Sunday after Christmas
Focus Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17
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Merry Christmas everyone! I welcome you to this First Sunday after Christmas here at Holy Covenant; I welcome you from the places you have traveled, both far and near, from the spaces you have come, filled to the brim with joy or pulsating with sadness and loss. I welcome you here, in whatever frame of mind you come, to this place and at this time so that we may seek to experience the birthed Christ, alive and dwelling in and with and through us.
This year at Holy Covenant, we have been encouraged to seek Compassion, Not Consumption. Rather than focus on the consumption that prevails in our communities and our country, it has been beneficial to focus on the compassion of Giving. The intention and awareness we have of the gift we give can bring as much meaning to ourselves as to the person who receives. As part of this campaign towards Compassion, the church has taken up United Methodist organization Water for Life’s mission to “develop a safe water system that will meet the domestic water needs for the entire community” in Kosovo. In doing so, we acknowledge the benefits that come with spending less on our consumption, and more on the needs of the world. In a tangible way we experience and celebrate the birth of Christ. It is fitting that on His birthday, we do something great for the kingdom of God.
In our own homes, we have just experienced Christmas, in whatever way it chose to express itself to us this year. Gifts have been given to one another and through this sharing there is hope that our family and loved ones might know our love for them. I would like to encourage you to share your Christmas experiences with one another after worship this morning in conversation with our Advent theme of Compassion, Not Consumption. In what ways did you find unique gifts to give? What de-consumptive presents you received this year? In what ways has Christmas changed for you, if any?
This year has been different for me, I didn’t experience Christmas as I have in the past, and for numerous reasons. It seems that every year I want Christmas to be perfect, and I draw up the most idyllic memory from my childhood. I rise out of bed at five in the morning; wait at the top of the stairs, peeking down them to catch a glimpse of those perfectly wrapped gifts. I run down the stairs at the first sighting of my parents and eagerly seat myself as close to the tree as possible. The next few hours contain piles of wrapping paper being removed from gifts and escorted to trash bags. At some point I find myself hauling gifts to my room. This is the Christmas I want, but no Christmas can repeat itself, no matter how hard we try.
This year, my family and I attempted to try something new: in attention to the financial situations of many of us, and in an attempt to bring out the better in ourselves and our gifts, we all promised not to buy anything new for each other. There were, of course, a few stipulations. We could purchase consumables, that is, things that may only be used once, such as food items and theatre tickets. We could make things as a gift, or we could buy something used, such as a piece of art or clothing. While this was challenging from years past, it was also fun and interesting how everything worked out.
One of my favorite gifts I received was a knitted hat from my lovely sister-in-law. This is an example of something that had been transformed. It started out as a ball of handspun yarn, worked its way through the hands of my sister-in-law and knitting needles, and through an elaborate process of knotting and tying it was worked into this wonderful object which I can use to keep my head warm, and we all know how much I need extra covering on top of my head!
This gift held meaning beyond the usual Christmas gift of the past… it was personable and special. It was a tangible expression of love. As I slipped it onto my head for the first time, I could feel the love that built this present engulf my noggin. In a way, it helped me experience Christmas, it many ways, it helped me experience Christ, alive and well and born anew this year. Through the act of making and thinking of alternative gifts to give at Christmas, my family discovered a different way to look at Christmas; we discovered that Christmas can hold a different meaning than it has in the past. Not one of rush-and-push, but of care and share, not phony-baloney, but genuinely holy, not of consumerism, but of blessed-ism. Indeed, the gift giving this year allowed my family to EXPERIENCE Christmas.
This was an invitation for me to fully participate in and with the Christmas incarnation. Experience is what God is all about, it is what the incarnation is all about – that Christ experienced this world that we might experience Christ. Christ experienced this world that we might experience Christ!
In today’s scripture reading from Colossians 3:12-17, the author, perhaps Paul, is speaking to a gentile congregation probably founded by Epaphras. Paul sees that they have come to know Christ through Christ’s suffering, and feels that they have died with Christ, yet they have not experienced the resurrection with Christ. By appealing to the congregation’s experiences the author of Colossians asserts that the there are no requirements to being a better Christian beyond experiencing the “Christ in you.” The author asks that they stay steadfast in their faith as they learn what it means to be born with Christ.
I believe the author of Colossians is asking us to do three things:
First, Experience Christ
We are to take on components of Christ-like attributes as if they were a piece of clothing:
“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Putting on these things is real; it is how we experience Christ.
Second, Live with Christ
We are to let these virtues dwell within us, which are indeed virtues of Christ, thus Christ dwells within us:
“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;”
And thirdly, Express Christ
Because we have tried on these attributes, and we have let them dwell within us, a serious dwelling within the soul and body and mind, we have no other option but to share those qualities:
“Teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Our expression, our outreach of Christ, can be an invitation for others to fully experience and participate in and with the Christmas incarnation!
I was thinking about the Dr. Suess classic The Grinch Who Stole Christmas over the past week, and I think it beautifully illustrates what participation in the Christmas incarnation looks like. It is a transformation story. In his final monologue, the Grinch stands atop a hill overlooking Whoville, his sleigh filled with the gifts and splendor of Christmas. In the midst of this stolen Christmas the Whos begin to sing, sharing joy and happiness despite a lack of gifts. He puzzles,
He HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?”
“It came without ribbons! It came without tags!”
“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.”
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
And what happened then? Well…in Whoville they say,
That the Grinch’s small heart Grew three sizes that day!
I pause here because it is the Whos’ singing that becomes an outreach, and thus an invitation to fully participate in and with the Christmas incarnation. And in the midst of this, transformation takes place with the Grinch,
And the minute his heart didn’t feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light,
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the roast beast!
The Grinch Experienced it, Lived with it, and Expressed it. Outreach is an invitation to fully participate in and with the Christmas incarnation. What will we do with our Christmas incarnation gifts this year?
My Christmas experience this year lived out a circular paradigm of being a Christian. I clothed myself with the knitted hat, then lived with the love which had “bonded everything in harmony,” as the Paul says, and now I have come before you to “teach and admonish in all wisdom,” and we will fill these halls with singing to give blessing to Christ Jesus from whom all these gifts flow. Experience of Christ and God can help us claim and profess our faith.
So let us experience these gifts. You arrive at home. You enter inside to greet your surroundings. You walk to your room and find your closet. You open it, take a deep breath. You see the clothes that usually hang in sight, but feel compelled to move them aside. Your hand touches the fabrics and they are distant and rough to you. But beyond them, you see it. A garment. You realize it is what you need right now.
Compassion
Kindness
Forgiveness
Humility
Meekness
Patience
LOVE
You take a hold of it and note it’s color, texture, weight. Putting it on, you pause, you dwell, you savor and blossom. You feel your lips begin to move. In ritual they release a “Thank you.” You breathe and are in knowledge of your transformation.
Let the people say, “Amen.”
