Today is a good day. We have just celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior. Our bodies are full of good food. Our spirits are full of the peace of those who know God. Today is a good day to relax and bask in the wonder of Jesus.
Sadly, for many people, Christmas is both the beginning and the end of Christianity. They have no concept of what happened afterwards. It’s important, therefore, on this day to stop and remember that Christianity did not stop with Jesus’ birth. That was only the beginning. Jesus’ birth set in motion events that changed the world. Many of them were stunningly wonderful. Many of them were heartbreakingly sad.
Jesus grew to adulthood and, for a while, lived the life of a wandering teacher, preacher and miracle worker. He preached a radical message of God’s love for all people, with himself as the embodiment of God’s loving desires for humanity.
This message offended many of the religious leaders. Eventually, because he would not be quiet and because they feared his message would antagonize their Roman overlords, the religious leaders convinced the Romans to crucify Jesus.
Death, however, did not defeat him. Within a few days he appeared to his followers. Not as a ghost or spirit, but as a visibly living human being. Again, he preached a message of God’s love in this world and the next.
The good news of Jesus’ resurrection was both accepted and rejected by many. Stephen, a young believer, was filled with passion and boldly preached the story of God’s love through Jesus. He was stoned to death by those who didn’t want to hear him.
Another young man, this one named Saul, was so angry at Jesus’ followers that he began rounding them up and throwing them in prison. But then, as he was making his Damascus to look for even more followers, Jesus spoke to him. Jesus opened Saul’s eyes to the horror of what he was doing. Saul, now renamed Paul, also became a believer and preached with a passion and love every bit as powerful as Stephen’s.
Many believers were driven from Jerusalem. Philip went to a town in Samaria, a short distance north of Jerusalem, and began teaching and healing. He was a blessing to many, many people in the area.
Yes, Jesus’ birth set in motion world changing events. Many were desperately painful. But God can, and does, bring great joy out of great pain and suffering.
And now, sit back and watch some football. Snack on tasty leftovers. Enjoy your presents. Visit with family and friends.
But remember that the birth we celebrated yesterday is not an end in itself. It set events in motion that are still reverberating around the world. And in our hearts.
And then tomorrow, or the next day, get back on the path of following Jesus and sharing the good news of God’s love. Be part of those world-changing events.
Christmas peace to us all,
Pastor Ken.