Christmas Day Message 2022; Luke 2 8-20

 

Rev. George Miller

Dec 25, 2022

Luke 2: 8-20

 

Our minds are amazing things, made to process information in a way that’s quick and simple.

 

One way they do this is the things we see everyday eventually become almost invisible.  We get used to them, so we no longer have to process them.

 

For instance, the big, beautiful oak in front of my cozy cottage. I see it every day, but it’s not until I go out for a night walk or come back from a vacation that I actually “see” and appreciate how magnificent it is, the limbs, the Spanish moss, the height.

 

Same with the Christmas story.  We’ve heard it so many times, seen so many depictions, that we think we know the story, only to discover that we’re just starting to know the story.

 

We celebrate Jesus’ birth with a tale so familiar, that it feels comforting.

 

Shepherds in the night greeted by a heavenly messenger as the sky lights up with the glory of our Creator.

 

The shepherds receive the Good News and run to the manger where they see Mary, Joseph and the holy child.

 

Such a well-known story.  We think- of course there were shepherds, of course it was night, of course it was a manger.  What else could it be?

 

But since Jesus is revolutionary, so is his birth.  Not only did it involve Joseph making a radical choice and Mary taking a treacherous journey, it involved unexpected people.

 

Think about it.

 

If you were God, and you were fulfilling ancient prophecies, sending your Son to be King of the world to save the people and lead them into glory, who would you send your messenger to?

 

Shouldn’t it be to the highest-ranking priest at the Temple, during Sabbath worship with everyone in attendance?

 

If you were God, giving the best news the world has heard, wouldn’t it be to the King of the country, in the palace with banners, trumpets, and royal decree?

 

If the purpose of sending your Son was to save the people, wouldn’t you send your messenger to the army general with all the troops are in attendance?

 

If it was today, and you were God, how efficient it would be to share your message during the Super Bowl half time show?

 

If Jesus was born today in Highlands County, wouldn’t it make sense to let a church the size of Grace Bable or Bible Fellowship, to first get the news?

 

But that’s not what God does.  God gives the message at night to a few shepherds in a field.

 

This great news is given to the smallest audience possible, to what was seen as the lowest class of people,

 

at the darkest time of day, where they are exposed to the elements and far from any temple, palace, army barracks or community center.

 

To put it this way- more sheep hear the news before people do!

 

If this story took place in 1868 Cuba, the angel would’ve appeared to the enslaved people on the plantation of Carols Manuel.

 

If this story took place in Germany 1938, the angel would have appeared to the Gypsies at their seasonal camp.

 

If this story took place in Florida 1968, the angel would have appeared to the cucumber pickers in Okeechobee.

 

If this story took place in the Dominican Republic, the angel would have appeared to the Haitian community.

 

If the angel was to come to Sebring today, it would not be to Chief Blackman, or Mayor Shoop, or Alan Jay or even me, but to be the migrant workers in the orange groves.

 

When we step outside of our comfort zone, the Christmas story isn’t what we think it is.  It doesn’t make sense in terms of world logic or those who think in terms of “I’m better than you.”

 

But in other ways, it does make sense.

 

It does make sense that God would send a message of hope to folk who the world sees as hopeless.

 

It makes sense that God would bring light to those in literal darkness.

 

It makes sense that new life would enter in when others are asleep.

 

Think about it, think of your own life.

 

When have you felt the most alone?

When were you the outsider?

 

When were you surrounded by darkness?  When have you been vulnerable to the elements of life?

 

When were you up and awake when the rest of the world was asleep?

 

When have you felt the furthest from another, even if they were in the bed beside you or you were in a house filled with family?

 

Looking over my life, the times I felt the loneliest was when I was in a store full of folk, surrounded by smiling faces while shopping for presents.

 

Can it be said that when it comes to feeling like an outsider, feeling like we are alone, feeling like we can’t fall asleep because our minds are racing with worry, we are all shepherds?

 

Is it fair to say that no matter how rich we are, no matter how powerful we are, no matter what role we play, no matter who we are or what we do-

 

We still get cold when it cold?  Lonely when we are away?  Worry when someone gets hurt or sick?  Feel like heck when a loved one dies?

 

Is it fair to say that no matter who we are, we all have moments in which we feel like we are by ourselves, we are in the dark, and we are victim to whatever circumstances that life throws our way?

 

Is it fair to say that we have all been the shepherds, will be the shepherds, and may even be the shepherds right now?

 

And when you are a shepherd, when you feel like a shepherd, that’s when you need the Lord’s light the most.

 

That’s when you need a message from Heaven.  That’s when you need to hear angelic songs to lift up your soul.

 

The Christmas story can seem so comfortable, but it’s not.  It’s not cozy, it’s not neat, it’s not drama free.

 

The Christmas story is about how God enters into our lives via situations that are not ideal, how God enters our lives that are not what we planned.

 

The Christmas story is a reminder that the presence of Jesus often comes to us at the moments we feel the most alone, the most rejected, the most in the dark, and the coldest of heart.

 

The Christmas story isn’t about perfect people having the most perfect life.

 

It’s a validation that life is messy, life is unexpected, life is not what we always hope for…

 

…but there God is, and there God will be. 

 

And when Jesus enters our lives, we can’t help but to move and act in a way we never imagined a few moments before.

 

Amen and amen.

Revolutionary Love; Matthew 1:18-25

 

Rev. George Miller

Dec 18, 2022

Matthew 1:18-25

 

Love is the candle we light today; one of the greatest forces of the world. 

 

When we know we are loved, we feel joy.  When we know we are loved we experience peace. 

 

When we are loved and love in return there is hope for the world.

 

Hope, peace, joy, and love illuminate us with their light as we await the birth of Christ.

 

When I think of love, I think of an incident that took place when I was 16.  I went to a house party, got drunk for the 1^st time, blacked out; threw up everywhere.  Dad came to get me. 

 

I ranted and raved, sharing deep dark secrets.  I kept saying again and again “I’m not gay, I’m not gay.”  Woke up the next day with Mom and Dad by my side.

 

Later, Dad stepped into my room to process the events.  There was no shame, no punishing  words- the hangover was consequence enough.

 

My Dad, a big, burly, New York City Police officer, Vietnam Vet, Eagle Scout, Troop 100 Leader simply spoke what a concerned father would say.

 

Then he said, “In regard to you being gay, it doesn’t matter to me if you are gay or straight, I love you no matter what.”  He hugged me and kissed me.

 

My Father’s actions bore at least 2 gifts- one, knowing that when I was ready to come out, I would never have to worry about being dismissed, kicked out, or treated as less than.

 

Two, Dad demonstrated to me what God’s love truly looks like.  

 

I never had to wrestle with if in God’s eyes I am unworthy, if I’m an evil degenerate, or if God is displeased with me based on my identity.

 

Something else- though Dad was very traditional, when it came to accepting me, he was a revolutionary.

 

At a time in American History when the topic was still taboo, feared, ridiculed, silenced, “cured” or beat out of you, my Dad chose instead to love.

 

Love. Joy. Peace. Hope- they illuminate us with their revolutionary light as we await the birth of Christ.

 

Revolutionary Love is today’s focus, using the stories of 2 parents who make 2 similar decisions that will forever change it all.  We start in Matthew, then go back to Exodus. 

 

The author of Matthew is excited about Jesus.  He can’t wait to share the Good News, to convince us that Jesus is such an amazing event.

 

With this knowledge, we hear today’s reading.  We have Joseph, a righteous man, a holy man.  He knows the Law; he knows all that scripture says.

 

But he’s in a bit of a quandary- he’s engaged to be married, but his fiancé is already pregnant.

 

And the letter of the Law makes it very clear- she is to be brought to her father’s house where the men of the village will stone her to death.

 

Mary’s pregnancy makes Jospeh very afraid.  He’s afraid to violate the Law, he’s afraid to take her as his wife.

 

He wrestles with his faith.  He decides that it is better to send her away than to have Mary experience death and disgrace.

 

Talk about compassion in action.

 

He is visited by God’s Messenger who invites him to stop being afraid, to wed Mary, that her child will free people from their “bad hearts and broken ways”.

 

Which Joseph does, and it is revolutionary. 

 

Jospeh may not have realized it, but he is showing us how to be righteous in a whole new way.  He shows how to follow the spirit of the Law.

 

For what had seemed to be a moral outrage is really a heavenly disruption.  Mary’s son is not a violation of God’s will, but a sign of Heaven’s love.

 

Joseph could have chosen the way of death.  But instead he opted for life- just like the mother of Moses.

 

1,300 years before Joseph, his ancestors were in Egypt, enslaved.  They were so feared that a decree was sent out that all the Hebrew boys are to be tossed into the river like trash.

 

But a brave woman from the house of Levi has a son; she looks upon him with great love and chooses to hide him for 3 months, breaking the law. 

 

When she could no longer hide him, she put her son in a papyrus basket and placed him in the river’s reeds.

 

In doing so she saved not only his life, but the lives of thousands of people who her son would later set free.

 

She was a revolutionary.  She didn’t need an angel to tell her what was right.  She didn’t need words to face her fear.  This mother boldly, bravely stood against the unjust law of death, choosing instead to say “Yes” to life.

 

Revolutionary Love.

 

One parent wrestles with a law that would’ve meant death to his fiancé and her child; another parent wrestles with a legal decree that would’ve taken away the breath of her boy.

 

Both Joseph and the Mother of Moses had difficult choices to make, choices that had moral and legal ramifications.

 

Somehow, some way, they both chose life, and in doing so they both played a part in changing the course of the world.  In doing so they both played a part in bringing forth salvation.

 

The Revolutionary choice of Moses’s mother was to go against the law of Pharaoh and to keep her son alive.

 

The Revolutionary choice of Jospeh was to stay righteous by following the spirit of the law when it was clear that the letter of the law was inhumane.

 

Revolutionary Love.  It literally changes the world.

 

And we get to see here that God is so amazing, so astounding that even before Moses and Jesus spoke a single word, their very existence was already making things brand new.

 

At a time in which folk are using the Bible as a weapon and faith as a moralistic measuring rod,

 

it is good to be reminded that when Joseph had the chance to hurt, had the chance to harm, had the chance to send away,

 

he opted instead to love.

 

He opted to wrestle with God, wrestle with his faith, wrestle with what was right and what was wrong,

 

He opted to show compassion, and instead he chose life. 

 

He chose hope, peace, joy, and love- illuminating us with the light of Christ.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emmanuel As An Adjective; Isaiah 42: 1-9

 

Rev. George Miller

Dec 11, 2022

Isaiah 42:1-9

 

In the spirit of gifts, grace, and gratitude, it is good to remember that we are who we are because of those who have come before and the legacy they left behind.

 

Our founding pastor, Rev. Bob Loffer, who worked with the FL Conference to create Emmanuel UCC as a progressive voice in central, rural Florida.

 

Gene and John who gifted us with this gorgeous piano that takes on the life and talents of each player.

 

Sue Shellhammer who created our Mission Theme Song- “We are Emmanuel, we love we give we share.  We show God’s Holy Spirit through the ways we care.”

 

We are Emmanuel.  Emmanuel means “God With Us.”  Our First Nation Sisters and Brothers may say that Emmanuel means “Creator Is with Us.”

 

I wonder if there is another layer to this whole Emmanuel thing.

 

Typically, we think Emmanuel refers to Jesus, but what if Emmanuel could mean any person in which you can clearly see that God is with us through their actions and words?

 

What if Emmanuel was not just a name but also an adjective? 

 

What if Emmanuel was used the same way we’d use words like smart, kind, compassionate to describe someone?

 

Imagine- a child opens a door for an elder and the response is “Why thank you, you are such an ‘emmanuel’.”

 

Or a girl fixes her friend’s bike and the neighbors call her an “emmanuel.”

 

When someone’s generous, we said they were “emmanuel.”  When someone does something just or humble people could say “I see the emmanuel in you.”

 

Is this what Isaiah 42 is actually about?

 

As Christians, we may have difficulty separating what Isaiah discussed from discussion about Jesus because we’ve been taught to take this text and place it upon the Christmas and Easter story.

 

But what if the author’s original intent had nothing to do with a future servant, but had to do with the present moment and present people?

 

Isaiah 42 was written about 600 years before Jesus, during a time of great confusion.  Folk were wondering when they would ever get to experience “normal” again.  Folk were losing hope.

 

Without hope it is hard to live, so the author redirects them, channeling God- 

 

“Look!  Here is my servant who makes me happy!  Here is the person I have chosen to bring the gifts of justice.  Here is the one I have breathed my breathe into!”

 

For so long, people assumed that Isaiah is referring to Jesus; that he had a window into the future.

 

What if Isaiah did have a window into the future, but what if the person he is talking about…is you?

 

What if Isaiah is saying “You’ve been waiting all this time for someone to make things right, but the person who can best do it, is you!”?

 

What if God’s reference to a servant who is chosen, who pleases God, who has the spirit of God within them, is really referring to you?

 

Could you be God’s chosen servant?  Could you be the one in whom God’s soul delights?  Could you be the one in whom God’s spirit rests upon?

 

Of course you are.  YOU are God’s servant.  YOU are God’s chosen.  YOU are the bearer of God’s breath.

 

If so, what will you do about it?

 

Think of 21-year-old Suzanne Belair of Haiti who though free, chose to fight with those who were oppressed.  She could be called an “emmanuel.”

 

Or Carlos Manuel of Cuba who let his enslaved-workers free.  He could be called an “emmanuel.”

 

The American suffragettes who wrote letters, marched, used the power of their purchases. They were “emmanuels.”

 

Gregario Aglipay of the Philippines who spoke up for the rights of agricultural workers and was excommunicated for his activism.  He could be called an “emmanuel.”

 

17-year-old Canadian Ann Harvey who saved 163 shipwrecked immigrants off the coast.  She became known as the “grace darling of Newfoundland.”  Surely, she was to them “emmanuel.”

 

As we heard last week, Dr. Gilbert Mason and UCC pastor Rev. Jack Aregood who waded in the waters of Biloxi to make the beaches integrated were certainly acting as “emmanuels.”

 

Isaiah speaks of Emmanuel and says “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, who makes me happy.”

 

Isaiah isn’t just talking about one person, nor is he just talking about Christ, but anyone who embodies the spirit and justice of God.

 

Nancy’s prophetic words a few weeks ago about the LGBTQ community, she was an “emmanuel.”

 

Anytime Fe, Randy, Roxie feeds us, they are “emmanuel.”

 

Anytime Kim cares for the property he is being an “emmanuel.”

 

Our Back Bay team, Shepherd’s Pantry volunteers, Garden of Hope imagineers, you are all “emmanuels” because you show us that the Creator is With Us, that God is Here.

 

Who else is God’s servant, in whom God is pleased?  It’s you.  And you.  And you. 

 

Any time you’ve done something kind, every time you’ve been just and fair, every time you bent but did not break, God has been so pleased with you.

 

It is God who has called us into righteousness, it is God who gives us the breath to do what we do, and it is God who hold us accountable, cheering us on each step of the way.

 

God is holding out God’s hand.  God is inviting you to be a light unto the world, and it is God who is keeping you at God’s breast.  For you are God’s beloved, and in you the Lord is well pleased.                                               

 

Amen.