Christmas Day, 2019
A friend said to me just yesterday that he wondered how we could have Christmas this year when so many people were suffering from the effects of drought and bush fire. My immediate answer was that it was just at these times of testing that we benefit from giving thanks for the gift of the Christ child to the world. But he also made me think of a time when my wife Jenny and I were the parish priests of Mudgee in New South Wales. One Christmas Eve we were preparing for the Midnight Mass as the town was surrounded by bush fire. Although the town wasn’t under immediate threat an ominous vale of smoke had settled over the town and its acrid smell reminded us that danger was not far away and that many properties in the outlying area would be under threat. As it grew closer to the time to begin the service I had the thought that no one would turn up for the midnight Mass – they would be all defending their properties their homes and their families. They would all be out fighting the fires. Perhaps I should be out there too!
The faithful people of Mudgee did begin to arrive and eventually the church was filled for the joyous celebration. We even had Christmas cake and port after the service. This was what people needed – a sign of hope and an experience of joy amid the changes and chances of this fleeting world, to quote the Prayer Book.
So too the first chapter of John’s Gospel, in a passage known as the Prologue, tells of the hope and joy of God that pierces the uncertainties of creation as a shard of light pierces the darkness. In John’s vision of the Incarnation there is no mention of the powerful figures of history, such as Luke’s mention of the emperor Augustus or the governor Quirinus. There is no mention either of the census or the journey to Bethlehem or shepherds or angels or even wise men. But rather resonances of eternity as John echoes the creation stories of the Old Testament. “In the beginning…” words which also begin the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, now begin the story of the Jesus who is introduced as the Word or the logos, the wisdom of God. And then he tells us: “The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1.14 KGV
As John develops his version of what it means that the Word has been made flesh he focuses on several events in the life of Jesus that he calls signs. These signs include miraculous events, healings and culminate in the raising of Lazarus from the dead - last sign before the passion and resurrection. I recall just one of those signs this morning. The very first sign occurs at a wedding in a village called Cana. We may know this story well. In this story we are told that during the course of the wedding celebrations the wine runs out. Jesus is approached about the situation. He asks that six stone jars are filled with water. When the steward of the celebration tasted what had been drawn from one of the jars he found the water had been changed into wine. The celebrations continue and it is a great surprise to the guests that the best wine seems to have been saved for last. This story not only shows us Jesus who celebrate with friends but that there is a quality that he brings to those celebrations and to life more generally. Water represents that which is crucial to sustaining life. That point is emphasised to us every summer. We give thanks for the water we have and we pray for those places where the need is for more. Wine, on the other hand, represents life as a celebration, and it is Jesus who offers the best wine.
We can celebrate because we know that in Christ we find our true value before God. I was reminded of this one Christmas when I was standing at a tram stop. There was a florist’s shop nearby with all its real Christmas trees outside. I noticed that for $89 you could buy a very robust looking tree. Then I noticed there were trees for $79 and $69. This caught my interest. I went on a quest to find the cheapest Christmas tree. Sure enough there were $59 trees and even $49 trees until I came across one lonely, spindly little shrub with broken branches and sap exuding from its wounds. You could have this tree for $29 dollars. Once I told this story and I was taken to task afterwards for not buying the $29 tree! I wish I had now.
The thing is we place values on things. We value things according to how they look, what use they will be to us and often according to how other people value thins as well. Rightly or wrongly we place values on other people. We value how thy look, how they behave, there backgrounds.
The point is that because Jesus has come into the world we know that God values us all equally and at the highest level. In God’s eyes we are all $89 Christmas trees even if others would not even pay $29! This reality gives cause for great joy and endless possibilities for peace. Yes on Christmas Day but also for everyday!