The end of the year,
Usually is a culmination of Holy festivals
Throughout our global neighborhood
Some which we are familiar
Hanukkah
And
Kwanzaa
And some which perhaps,
We are not familiar
Winter Solstice
And
Bodhi Day,
(pause)
As followers of Christ,
Celebrating both Advent
And
Christmas,
We are called to remember what is important
In this Holy season,
We are called to keep the meaning of Christ’s Holy
And mysterious Birth
In everything that we are immersed in
(pause)
But some of our fellow sisters and brothers in Christ,
Think this only amounts to,
Complaining and protesting viciously,
About the fact that Starbucks didn’t put
“Merry Christmas”
On their red holiday cups
Or griping when many retail workers,
Say “Happy Holidays”
And that we are not more demanding,
That everyone should say
“Merry Christmas”
Regardless of who they are
(pause)
What does it mean, truly
To Keep the Christ
In Christmas?
(pause)
Perhaps
The definition needs to be confessed
And proclaimed
Is that the only way to keep Christ in Christmas,
Is by keeping CHRIST
IN US.
(pause)
Keeping Christ
In Christmas
Means,
Showing someone kindness
Through random acts,
With no reward received back.
(Tell the story, simple about how Arif and a number of his friends had piled into the doorway after school on Friday, with plans to see Rogue One. Now, the young boy, my neighbor’s son had gotten permission to go from his mother but as she was at work at 3pm in the afternoon, he didn’t know how he would be able to pay for his ticket. This is where motherhood becomes universal, as I told Jared that I would make sure, he could get a ticket to join his friends for an afternoon of fun).
What story can you relate in your journey,
Where someone showed you kindness,
Especially in this holiday season,
Where stress is always a factor
Or maybe
It was YOU
Who brought joy and hope to someone’s life
That reminder
They were not alone.
(pause)
Showing someone kindness means too,
Opening up our sacred spaces
Where we live,
Where we worship
To those who have nothing,
Especially when others in power
Immersed in greed
Decide that those on the outskirts,
The outcasts
That their humanity
Means nothing.
Are we willing
To exude Christ’s grace?
(pause)
Keeping Christ in Christmas
Means,
Embracing those on the margins-
The undocumented
The refugee
Those who are fleeing a life of terror
Of Emptiness
Of certain Death
Simply so that they can take a full breath
Simply so that they can experience laughter
And freedom
And its funny,
We, as a people in this nation
Are so enraged about the issue of the undocumented,
Right?
We see them as a threat!
They come into our communities
Crowding our space
Coming from unknown places,
That unknown factor
We don’t know anything about them
Their families
Their lineage
Their history
(pause)
Interesting,
Sounds like Joseph and Mary
(pause)
Jesus’s parents,
And we are so quick to forget this,
Jesus’s parents
Were UNDOCUMENTED
Were fleeing Herod and his wrath,
His unjust laws
His persecution of their people!
We are so quick to lift up and adore and admire
Joseph and Mary,
We set out nativity scenes
And yet,
We turn our backs upon those refugees
Which by the way,
Come from the same peoples
We persecute today,
Fleeing oppressive regimes
Fleeing situations
That they themselves cannot be responsible for
Facing soldiers
Weaponry
Bent on oppressive destruction
Intrusion in those people’s homes,
Where they are vulnerable
Fragile.
We turn our backs upon them,
And the stress
The tragedy
The burdens that they carry,
Both physically
And emotionally
(pause)
Joseph was carrying such a burden.
Besides being born into
And shouldering poverty,
And making do,
Joseph, a righteous man,
Had to deal with the fact
That his bride to be,
Was ALREADY PREGNANT!
How would he keep up appearances?
Should he adhere to the law?
Which offered no grace
No reprieve
No forgiveness
Should he remain with her,
To be shamed possibly
By his community?
(pause)
We are so quick,
To lift up Mary and Joseph,
These devoted parents
Of the One,
Whose Birth
Has the power
To
TRANSFORM
Our
Reality,
Bringing in
Ushering in
A new horizon,
A new Kingdom
A new HOPE
(pause)
But we forget,
That Mary and Joseph
Were
TEENAGERS,
And yet,
We as humanity,
As people of faith even, sometimes
We condemn our young teenage mothers
And fathers
Labeling them only with their sin,
Forgetting we are all imperfect,
Instead of embracing them with our wisdom,
Our knowledge
And being present to guide
Mentor
Advise
Advocate
So that these children that they bear,
Grow up to be healthy,
Safe
Loved.
Just as Jesus Christ’s life was sacred,
So should every child’s life be as such,
Regardless to their beginnings.
(pause)
We forget,
That when we turn away
The undocumented,
Who are fleeing violence
The refugees
Who are fleeing war
The unexperienced
Who yes, make immature choices
We are in essence,
Turning away Joseph and Mary,
Rejecting God
Because see,
Because of this Birth,
Jesus Christ was born,
So that ALL would be deemed EQUAL
Because ALL were already LOVED
By the Creator God
(pause)
Keeping the Christ in Christmas,
Means
Sharing Good News
To a weary people.
Jesus’s name means
God Saves!
The angel who came before Joseph,
Shared with him Good News
In a time where he needed to hear it
In a moment when he was uncertain
But the angel proclaimed
that Mary,
“Shall bear a son,
And you are to name Him Jesus,
For He will save His people
From their sins.”
Emmanuel,
God is with US!
(pause)
Creator God,
Did not breathe sacred and holy LIFE
Within us
For us
To Disregard,
Disavow
One another.
Just as Joseph,
Claimed something precious
That was not his own,
We should claim
Adopt
Embrace
One another
Even if we are not the same
The same Blood
Culture
Tribe
Language
It is because of Jesus Christ,
The One whose Birth we await
The One to come
(pause)
Being Christ in Christmas
Means BREATHING LIFE
Into something once thought dead
Discarded
Useless
Worthless
A ministry,
An idea
A project
A neighbor
A relationship
A FIGHT
Towards
Righteousness
Truth
And
Justice
Thanks Be to God
Transforming Change; The Beginning or The End? 