Have A Good Christmas?

Luke 2:22-40

Albertville

12/27/09

 

Rev. Michael Trask

 

“So, did you have “good” Christmas?” Said one nurse to another as I rode the elevator in the hospital just the other day. I was curious as to what they meant by a good Christmas and was tempted to ask them about it, but I thought better of it. I kind of knew what they meant anyway and so do you. For we hear this a lot. We hear it on the front side, as our friends and coworkers bid fairwell they say “Have a good Christmas”. And then after Christmas is passed and we are back to work they ask “Did you have a good Christmas?”

I think we know what they mean, but let’s define it a little more. What is a more precise definition of this “good Christmas” that everyone bids us to have before and then inquires about afterwards.

I think in the minds of most, having a “good Christmas” is all about expectations. No matter who you are, you have certain expectations for Christmas, and a “good Christmas” is one that meets your expectations.

Some have certain emotional expectations for Christmas. They hope that somehow, someway, something will allow them to feel the so-called “Christmas Spirit” That’s why there are decorations and parties and all that. Most of folks believe that there has got to be some sort of “Up” feeling associated with the season. And if we don’t get it, well then Christmas cannot necessarily be labled as “good”.

Secondly, there are material expectations for Christmas. Retailers count on a huge uptick in sales just before Christmas. Giving and getting is a big part of what Christmas is all about. When we’re kids, we tend to focus on the getting. As we get older we shift gears a little bit and focus on the giving. But inwardly we still like getting. We remember getting as kids and how much fun it was. And that helped set the standard for what a “good Christmas” was in our minds. We don’t get as much as we used to and we wonder if perhaps that is what makes Christmas less powerful in our later years.

And thirdly, a Good Christmas involves relational expectations. We ought to experience the love of family and friends on some deeper level during this season. That’s why so many people travel for Christmas. And where do they go? To be with family and friends. And that’s why Christmas can be so painful after a death in the family because it’s never the same.

We have a lot of expectations for this season don’t we? And don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying that its bad to have expectations. Frankly, I hope that you do feel up. I hope that you gave and received lots of great presents. And I hope that your relationships are as smooth as silk. But my concern is that we not make these our only expectations or even our primary expectations. Here’s why: If Christmas is only about emotions, material goods, and relationships, we would have to be extremely clever to have it all fall into place. You would have to have everything just right. There are just too many variables; nobody can control all of these things! Think Chevy Chase who tried to do it in that movie Christmas Vacation.

Is there an alternative approach to Christmas that is not so heavily dependent on finding or constructing the ideal circumstances? There sure is. The key is to understand the original expectations of Christmas. It just so happens that we learn about them in an event that took place some days after the birth of Jesus. Let me set the scene for you: Mary, Joseph and her newborn son have previously traveled the five miles from Bethlehem to Jerusalem in order to perform the customary ceremonies that accompany the birth of a Hebrew male. Eight days after his birth, Jesus is circumcised. And now 33 days later, Mary and Joseph and Jesus are entering the temple again to perform the final purification rites. At the same time (as it says in the text)

 

..... there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:25-32)

 

This is the only place in the Bible where Simeon is mentioned. For Some reason, God revealed to him in advance that the Christ, or the Messiah, would be born in his lifetime. As a result of that, he had his own expectations.

He expected that the “consolation of Israel would take place. It says he’d been waiting for it for a long time. But what is this consolation of Israel of which Luke speaks? The best way to define it is to recall the passage of scripture from which it first originated. Nearly 700 years before Simeon even laid eyes on Jesus, Isaiah would describe it.

For many centuries, because of their sin and disobedience, Israel suffered the judgement of God, but God pledged that one day he himself would act in their favor. Here’s the pledge, as recorded by Isaiah: “Comfort, yes, comfort my people, says our God speak tenderly to jerusalem and tell her that her sad days are Gone. Her sins are pardoned, and I have punished her in full for her sins.”

And then again “Shout to Jerusalem from the mountaintops! Shout louder! don’t be afraid. Tell the cities of Judah, “Your God is coming” (Is. 40:1-9)

That’s what Simeon was looking forward to, that’s what he was expecting. And his expectation began to be fulfilled on the day that Jesus was born.

How does it apply to us? Well, that’s what Christmas is all about. Take away all the warm fuzzies, all the presents, all the moments with families and friends, and the true significance of Christmas does not change. Here it is in a nutshell: God takes on human flesh, comes to earth in the person of Jesus, lives the perfect and sinless life that you and I could not live, dies on the cross to pay the penalty of sin, a penalty that we could not pay, and rises from the dead three days later so that you and I have eternal life. Christmas is about God coming to save you and me.

So what if instead of focusing exclusively on the emotions, material goods, and relationships of Christmas, we focused on this. The coming of God to save and redeem me for all eternity. “But pastor, that’s so boring, I already know it anyway.” Boring eh? I don’t think you’d say that if you really explored it. Isn’t the deliverance that you have in Jesus exactly what you have always wanted? Don’t you struggle with the idea of getting older and finally dying? Sure you do. And don’t you wish that you could somehow become a more decent person? Are there not times when you hate what you do and wish that you could change so that you don’t do it again? That’s what God promises us with the forgiveness of sins and the new life that we have in Jesus. That is the the kind of expectation that God has said we can have.

So why not take him up on this? Make it your Christmas expectation, for that matter, make it your everyday expectation and start looking a little deeper in to what God has given you in his Son. In him you can have not only a Good Christmas but a Good life. AMEN