MIDNIGHT MASS 2019
In
a broken society, in the midst of a divided nation, three simple words became a
game changer. Three words which became a
rallying call that in time brought people together, broke down walls and
overturned the assumptions and preconceptions of many. Three
words which promised to bring an end to a crippling uncertainty. Three words which for many embodied a real
sense of hope. Three words that had the
potential to change the course of history. Just three words…Get. Brexit. Done.
Well of
course, I couldn’t possibly comment. But
we shall see… I mention it only because tonight, Christmas Eve, is also about
three simple words. Our first
reading from the book of Isaiah was written down towards the beginning of the 8th
century BC, but refers to the national and political situation of 30 years earlier. The kingdom
of Judah in the south was in conflict with both the kingdom of Ephraim and the
kingdom of Syria in the north. There’s no specific mention of a ‘red wall’ but clearly
the divisions were deep, and the hostility bloody. And into
that deadlock, the prophet Isaiah speaks to the King of Judah and brings a
message of hope.
The
passage we heard tonight from Chapter 9 speaks of the people who walked in
darkness who have seen a great light. Dramatic and powerful imagery. But earlier in Chapter 7, Isaiah is more specific, and foretells the
birth of a child with the promise that by the time the infant is old enough to know right from
wrong, the threat of aggression will be no more.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign” says Isaiah. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel
Without doubt, Isaiah was
speaking very much about his own time, he wasnt looking into the future to any great length. But the earliest Christian community
took his 800 year old words and used them to describe what they believed was happening
in the life and ministry of Jesus. “Look, the
young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel" Names are important,
especially in the Hebrew Scriptures. And
the name Emmanuel translates into 3 simple words. In a broken society, in the midst of a divided nation, three simple
words became a game changer.
Three words
which became a rallying call that in time brought people together, broke down walls
and overturned the assumptions and preconceptions of many. Three
words which promised to bring an end to a crippling uncertainty. Three words which for many embodied a real
sense of hope – and still do. Three
words that changed the course of history. God. With.
Us. Three
simple words – but they change everything.
The
message of Christmas lies at the very heart of the good news of the gospel. Whoever you are, whatever you're like, whoever
you’re with, whatever you’ve done or not done, whichever way you voted, whoever
you love, whether you’re optimistic or pessimistic about the future - God is
with you. Whatever
your situation tonight, God is with you - because just as God chose to live
among us 2,000 years ago in the child of Bethlehem, God chooses to be with you
tonight. Tonight, and every night. Whatever
you think the pros and cons of Brexit might be might be, Brexit is exactly that
– it is an exit, a moving away from. But Christmas is exactly the
opposite. God doesn’t move away
from us, but rather God moves towards us. Towards you. And that’s
the bit that so often gets misunderstood – mainly because that’s the bit the
church so often has got spectacularly wrong.
Those
three simple words God with us are what theologians call the
Incarnation, the belief than in Jesus God entered fully into human life and
experience. All of
it. The good, the bad and the ugly. The things we think are holy and the
things we know are not. All of
it. And the
point we so often miss, or forget, or obscure, or just can’t conceive - is that those three simple words do not
require any of us to do anything. It's not
even about being religious. It’s about
God – and where God wants to be.
In one of
the books I’ve had my nose in recently, I noted the following quote:
The incarnation (and so therefore I would also argue, Christmas) is not owned, trademarked, or controlled by any church. It belongs to every human being. The incarnation is not something that requires a distributor or a middleman. It is a gracious gift to every person everywhere, religious or not.
(Mere Churchianity: Finding your way back to Jesus-Shaped Spirituality, Michael Spencer)
So that
means tonight, this is between you and God. No middle man.
No broker. Just you, and the God
who comes alongside you in the child of Bethlehem. The God who is already wrapped up in your
life. The God who meets you in bread and
wine.
Those
three simple words are a game changer – breaking down walls and overturning all
our assumptions and preconceptions. Three words which speak to our uncertainty
and embody a real sense of hope. Three
words that have the potential to change the course of history – and to change your
life.
Just three
words.