God With Us
A Sermon by The Reverend Shearon Sykes Williams on Christmas Day, 2022.
Merry Christmas, everyone! What a joy it is to be gathered today to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is wonderful to be together to receive the gift of Immanuel, “God with us” in three different ways for the Feast of the Nativity. On Christmas Eve, we have the 4:00 pageant, a service filled with exuberance and the joy of expectant children. At the 6 and 10 p.m. services we have the formality and beauty of the light shining forth against the backdrop of the night sky with exquisite music bringing us into the mystery of “God with us”. And this morning we have the gift of this bright new day to look upon the Christchild in quiet simplicity with a smaller group of us.
As we enter our sacred story, walking into the stable with May, Joseph, and their newborn son, it reminds us of how it often is when a child is born. You have the rejoicing of family and friends immediately after the birth and the next day the parent or parents and child are left alone to start figuring out their new life together. The joy is still very present, but it is quieter. Being here this morning in a simpler way helps us to appreciate the nativity story differently, and perhaps see something we couldn’t see last night. We join Mary as we look at Jesus laying in her arms and wonder what his birth means, for us and for the world.
Jesus came into the world as a vulnerable baby born to poor, desperate parents. He grew to manhood, preaching good news to the poor and marginalized. And he died at the hands of an oppressive religious structure and brutal government. But he was also resurrected, God’s glory prevailing and still shining forth today. As we think about our world this morning, this bright, cold, clear, Christmas morning, we are reminded of the fresh start this day gives us to love the people in our lives more intentionally and to work for justice and peace in the world. Jesus came to show us what God’s kingdom looks like and as his followers we are called to continue his ministry of “God with us”. This morning quietly testifies to God’s glory, reminding us that we are people of hope and joy, never giving into cynicism and despair, and working for a better future for the world, no matter how dire things may seem.
After Jesus’ birth, he as his parents fled to Egypt to escape an evil empire determined to kill all of the Jewish baby boys. But God’s purposes were realized. Jesus was kept safe for two years before returning home to Nazareth, so that he could grow to manhood and live out the vocation God had given him. Today we think about the parallels in our own world. There are wars raging around the globe and like the Holy Family there are refugees fleeing violence and oppression.
Today is a fresh opportunity for us to think about how we are called as Christians to work to make the world more as God intends it to be and to do that with the joy of Christmas morning every day of the year. We look at the world as it really is and yet believe that tomorrow can be better. We see the light of Christ shining forth from the manger and shining forth in the darkest circumstances of our own day, giving us hope for the world Jesus came to save. Amen.