Its A New Day

It's A New Day

First Sunday of Christmas

December 28, 2014

Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Luke 2:22-40

There is something amazing about a good story! It manages to draw you into its narrative, make you feel a part and get you emotionally invested in the characters. Growing up I remember the stories of the bible being told in this way. I remember feeling connected and intertwined with the different storylines. I remember being able to recite the stories because they were told in such an engaging way.

The nativity story is familiar to many of us. It is a story we have heard for many years, from different perspectives, yet we still can find new and incredible things in it.

Earlier this week we sat in this sanctuary to sing songs of adoration and love. We sat in this sanctuary to hear yet again the story of a blessed baby who would grow to be the Savior of us all. But today we are not called to sit, rather we must jump with joy! Good news has been proclaimed!  Have you heard it?

Friends, Christ has been born!

See its easy to get wrapped up in the commercialism, the sensationalism of the birth, the Isaiah prophecy fulfilled and forget that Christmas is more than a day. The spirit of Christmas is now among us and we are called to proclaim the miracle and majesty of Jesus and our God.

In our Gospel lesson today we are introduced to two believers-Simeon and Anna. Both were devout followers of God who devoted life and self to the Creator of All. Simeon had been shown by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. He has a personal relationship with God that had been seen through personal and public declarations of devotion and worship. Simeon devoted his life looking for the Messiah, the promise of his people Israel.

"God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes Ive seen your salvation; its now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel."

Rephrased by Eugene Peterson this declaration, this song of Simeon spoken to Jesus and all those around is one that I hope we can make as we go into the world. Friends- Simeon had no preconceived notion of who the Messiah, how he was coming. Rather he was able to accept the Messiah as a baby, giving glory to God for this gift.

Anna like Simeon declares and praises God for this child. Their eyes were not covered or blinded by the world, rather they saw clearly the Messiah.

What do our eyes see after our encounter with Jesus through stories? Through our encounters in this place?

Contrary to medieval artwork Jesus did not have a halo around his head or have choirs of angels around. He was ordinary, just like us! Joseph and Mary had brought him to the temple for a normal ceremony where a traditional rite would occur. They were being good parents under Jewish law. Yet the Holy Spirit working in Simeon and Anna gave them the ability to recognize an ordinary looking baby going through an ordinary ceremony as extraordinary. The Holy Spirit of God transforms our eyes today to see things in a new and different way. To see Christ in ordinary places, in ordinary things; to bring hope to a world in despair.

What kind of Messiah do we look for? What kind of person do we expect to see? Friends I tell you if you expect to see a man in shining robes, arms outstretched you will miss Jesus.

A friend sent me an article about a Methodist Church in California that has an artist design their nativity. This year he depicted Mary as a homeless woman at a bus stop, with all her possessions in a shopping cart, clutching a baby. Not everyone agrees with the depiction but the point is to cause people to see Christmas in a different way, to imagine what Jesus might look like if he had been born today.

In our Isaiah passage we are told by the prophet “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (vs 10). We are clothed in garments not of this earth! This is what the season of Advent teaches us, prepares us for. Love, Hope, Joy, Peace are gifts we have been covered with so that on Christmas morning we can go into the world proclaiming Jesus is born, the Messiah is here! Light and hope and joy and peace are born into our world and call us to look at life in new ways.

Amid the ordinary is extraordinary. Church once we look with these new eyes we can see clearly the importance, the specialness, the extra ordinary in everyone we encounter. We can look in the mirror at ourselves and see what God has done, will do and is doing!

So as we prepare for the new year, as we celebrate this first Sunday of Christmas my declaration is similar to Simeon-“God I get it! You are here, you have fulfilled your promise to your people. You are light for all, guiding us amid the darkness. Help me to shine like you, reflecting your glory!”

It’s a new day! Let us proclaim the magnificence of God.