The Ultimate Gift

This was my sermon for December 30 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC.

⁴¹Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. ⁴²And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. ⁴³When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” ⁴⁹He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s domain?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he said to them. ⁵¹Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

Luke 2: 41-52

One of my favorite shows lately is “Little Mosque”- the story of a growing Muslim community in a very small Canadian town where a small protestant church, about the same size as Westminster, has opened its doors and converted their fellowship hall into a mosque.  Each episode chronicles the struggles, both humorous and serious, of the community as people of many beliefs come together.  One of my favorite episodes deals with a wedding gift for a young Muslim couple that no one knows anything about.  The young couple goes to everyone they know and talks about how wonderful this gift is and how they can’t wait to use it, hoping to trick their friends into actually saying what it is used for.  After a long day of “research” they find out that the family member who sent the gift to them actually re-gifted because they had no idea what it was for.  We have all been there at some point, trying to figure out why we were given something or what its function is.  About ten years ago our family was given a very pretty and interesting plate shaped like a flower- huge purple petals, yellow center, and green leaves.  There was no denying that it was a pretty plate but there was also no denying that it matched absolutely nothing in our house.  Mom tucked it away in a cabinet for us to see again and again over the next five years, always wondering if we had any use for it yet.  It finally found a new home where it was loved in a white elephant gift exchange.  Maybe some of us are struggling with that now as we try to find the right place to put that “wonderful” gift from your co-worker where you can confidently say that you set it out right away while only you know that it was strategically placed behind a few things.

            I wouldn’t be surprised if people felt the same way about Jesus when he was born- all of this excitement and traveling and for what?  Mary was told that her son was the son of God, however I am sure that did not make the labor process any easier.  Joseph probably had high expectations for this kid, maybe expecting him to be born and immediately pick up a hammer and work beside Joseph.  Shepherds were called to by angels and went immediately to see this precious child, and all he did was lay there in the manger and probably cry.  The animals saw this baby in their food and doing nothing but knew that for some reason, even though it wasn’t terribly visible at the time, this was ok.  This child is the son of God, but he looks like a normal baby!  

            Thankfully, Luke doesn’t take long to get to the point and almost immediately we find the twelve-year old Jesus in the temple.  It is left to our imaginations what happens in the twelve years that have passed but I can only imagine that Jesus had his fun and caused his own amount of trouble just like any other kid.  I’m sure Mary and Joseph wanted to wring his neck after the third time he came running through the house with muddy feet and he probably didn’t always go to bed when he was told to.  However, that is not important.  What is important is what we find in today’s New Testament reading.

            In today’s text we find what is supposed to be the role model family as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus travel to Jerusalem to observe Passover according to the Torah just as they always do.  Everything seems to have gone smoothly until the return- Jesus is missing.  Now, remembering that Jesus is only twelve and thinking about our own children both at home and at the church we can probably understand why Mary and Joseph thought little of his disappearance at first, figuring that he was with some other travelers in the crowd.  However after a few days have passed they realize that something wrong and they return to Jerusalem, probably wishing they had given Jesus that Camel Phone he had asked for on his last birthday.  The fun begins when they finally reach Jerusalem a few days later and find a completely unphased Jesus in the temple and acting quite unlike most twelve year old boys today- he is sitting with and asking questions of the teachers and my guess is it must be a pretty great conversation if they aren’t shooing him away as if he was any other twelve year old boy. 

Now, I don’t have children but I do have nieces who can be very troublesome, so I can almost understand how Mary probably felt when she found him- and it wasn’t the warm fuzzy feeling that her son was the Child of God.  Right away she asks her son why he has put his father and herself through all of this and making them sick with worry.  This is when we find Jesus’ very first words in the Gospel so of course they carry a whole lot of meaning- the young Jesus asks his mother why they even looked for him, that surely they knew he would be in his Father’s domain.  While Jesus may not necessarily be referring directly to the building of the temple itself but rather among the activity and people of his Father, it is very interesting and important to note that the temple served as the center for Israelite life all the way back to the time of Samuel when the temple was finally built in a permanent location.  Jesus’ response is a loaded response if I ever heard one- not only was he not concerned, but he cancelled out Joseph as his father.  Here we find what one commentator refers to as Jesus’ “precocious understanding of himself” not as the son of Mary and Joseph, but rather as the Son of God.  This is probably the first time that Mary has thought of her special gift in a very long time.  This is when we see that the angels were right in all that they told the Shepherds in the field- that baby in the manger wasn’t just any other baby and gift from God, he was THE baby and the ULTIMATE gift from God.  Jesus’ twelve year old escapades bring that to the surface for the first time, and from here on out we are never given the opportunity in the Gospel to forget it.  

One of my favorite movies to watch this time of year is “The Ultimate Gift”, based on the novel by Jim Stovall.  This movie tells the story of a young man named Jason, probably in his late twenties, who has always had everything handed to him on a silver platter and never wanted for anything.  His grandfather has recently passed away and has supposedly left Jason a gift, only he has to complete a series of tasks to receive this gift.  At the end of a very long twelve months Jason has completed the twelve tasks set out by his late Grandfather and has consequently received a series of immaterial gifts such as friendship and hard work.  In the end, Jason also receives just a few billion dollars to use in a way that gives these same gifts to others and is appropriately called “The Ultimate Gift”.  I have recently read the sequel to this book and movie, “The Ultimate Life” in which Jason is taken to court by his very jealous and greedy family.  In order to keep control of the Ultimate Gift, Jason must once again prove that he did truly learn his lesson from each task and can pass the lesson and gift on to others.  Throughout the year-long trial, Jason not only passes the gifts onto others, but must keep continue to remember the words of his grandfather as he gave each gift to him through a series of videos, as well as all that he experienced first hand as he received them.

Jason is not terribly unlike Mary who, having been reminded that Jesus is God’s Son, has to remember all that she was told and saw when she conceived her son and gave birth.  From this point on, she will continue to raise Jesus with her husband Joseph, but they have been reminded and Jesus is obviously very aware that there are far greater things waiting for him beyond working next to Joseph in the woodshop.  As much as Mary has likely enjoyed her time with her son as they celebrated birthdays, enjoyed family dinners, went to temple, and were simply a family she must now take the time to remember a much greater layer that exists in her little boy and begin to allow that layer to come to surface for the rest of the world to see.

Jesus’ time in the temple is only the first of many, many occasions in which he begins to show his family and the world the way in which we should live.  Jesus has laid the first of many, many stepping stones and it is up to not just Mary, but to all of us to remember the promises that came before and all that comes after in a way that doesn’t just live in our minds, but rather in our hearts and most importantly our actions.

This past Tuesday many of us gathered with our families and friends to celebrate a very joyous holiday.  Presents were given and received, food was consumed, and laughs were shared.  We may not have known what to do with some of our gifts or maybe we did and just didn’t quite see why it was given to us.  The what is not the point though, but rather the how.  The gifts that we received over this past week were given with love, in hopes that they would bring a smile to our face and joy to our heart and show us how much our friends and family care for us.  Just as the friend sent the mysterious gift to the young couple in “Little Mosque” to recognize their engagement and celebrate with them, and just as our family friend gave us a very pretty plate for Christmas to show us that they remembered us and were thinking of us, God gave Mary and the whole world his one and only Son to remind us that God is with us always and to give us a new way to hear God’s word in our lives.  The fact that Jesus’ first words in the Gospel of Luke relate him as the Son of God is not anything to take lightly- this is a reminder of the true gift that the little baby in the manger was, and all that he will one day be.

Beginning in the temple and continuing throughout the rest of his life, Jesus laid out a path for us to follow- a path that showed us how to share the love of God through the way that we live our lives, a way that doesn’t just reach into our own lives but into the lives of those that are around us.  When Jason’s grandfather left him “the ultimate gift” it wasn’t so that he alone would learn these twelve important life lessons, but so that he could share them with the world.

Jesus started his journey as the true ultimate gift by sitting with the teachers in the temple and asking them questions.  We can start our journey by reaching out to our neighbors, family, and friends with the love of God and Christmas joy in our hearts.  Maybe we simply need to give them a hug or maybe it includes spending an afternoon at a soup kitchen.  For others it might be sending a card just to say that you are thinking of them.  

Jesus was given to the world as the one and only, true ultimate gift.  He isn’t the kind of gift that gets put on the shelf to be admired from afar and only brought down to be dusted.  He definitely doesn’t belong in a kitchen cabinet until we find a use for him.  Jesus is the gift that gets carried around with us everywhere we go, just as young children carry around their favorite Christmas presents to show off to any and everyone that they meet in the coming days.

It turns out there really was a reason for the shepherds to come to the stable, for the animals to relinquish their food, and for Mary to go through the pain of childbirth.  Sure, Jesus may have appeared to be like any other baby at first but there was so much more to come and even after he reminds his earthly parents of his purpose, even Jesus recognizes that he has some growing to do and returns home with Mary and Joseph and the text says, “Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”

 

Santa and Christ: A Followup

            After receiving some various feedback against my last post I just want to clarify a few things from MY perspective.  I understand that many people believe many different things and I have absolutely no problem with that, in fact I support it.  I refuse to force my opinions and beliefs on to other people and that is one reason I am incredibly fed up with Facebook and Twitter and debating deleting both accounts- I am tired of being told that everything I think is completely wrong because I don’t agree with one person.  So that being said, first I want to make sure that whoever reads this knows that I am voicing MY thoughts from MY perspective and have never asked for you to believe me, follow what I say, or care at all- I simply use this blog as a way to get my thoughts out there, not directed at any people in particular and if it makes one person think than great.

            NOW, in regard to the issues brought to my attention regarding my blog about bring Christ and Santa back into Christmas.  There are two key things that you need to know about me before we go any further- I am a Christian and celebrate Christmas from the Christian standpoint AND I am 24 years old and believe 100% in the SPIRIT of Santa.

            We never really had a big Christmas in my family.  Sure, there was one year that I got a trumpet… my sister got a cell phone another year… my other sister got some American Girl dolls… but they were special years.  In general my family celebrates Christmas in what I have learned to be a very unique way- we never focus on the gifts.  Yes, we do give gifts but the Santa gifts especially always had an important reminder with them- we got three.  Yes… only three Santa gifts and I guess one from my parents.  Don’t go running away with your imagination though thinking these were huge gifts- they were and still are a book, a piece of jewelry (never anything super nice but always something beautiful, unique, and special each of us), and something else.  We got three gifts because Jesus got three gifts.  When we bought gifts for each other we didn’t go overboard either- usually a CD or stuffed animal for the sisters and I honestly don’t remember what we did for my parents before we could go out on or own at which time we generally combined on something nice for them.  We never focused on the gifts, but always on the meaning behind the three and more importantly the togetherness.  Christmas morning has always been a special time for my family and probably one of the few times my sisters and I can be in a room without fighting (mostly because stockings had already been placed and that fight was big enough for two days :D).

            In addition to the three gifts, my parents were always great at reminding us what we were really celebrating- it wasn’t Santa coming to see us or the gifts we were given (of which I can maybe tell you 3-4 today) but instead it was the birth of Jesus Christ.  Our house was full of gorgeous nativity scenes, we never missed church during Advent or on Christmas Eve (I blame Mom being Director of Christian Ed), and it was a continual discussion in our house all through the season.  That being said, Santa was never absent from our home either.

            Every year we did and still do leave out cookies or some kind of snack for Santa.  We still hang stockings.  We still go to bed “early” so that Santa can come (i.e. Mom and Dad can get to bed too lol).  Every Christmas morning we still stop what we are doing and listen to our Santa letter- a letter that addresses each child individually and gives advice, sometimes “scolds”, but always gives hope based on what has happened over the past year and is to come.  Apart from Christmas, we went to the mall every year and got a Santa picture until sometime when Felicity was in college.  I still try to go and do it.

            That gives you a brief background of how I see Christmas- as someone who always tries to remember the Christian Christmas and celebrates with Santa, even at 24 years old.  Now- people brought up issues of Christ and Santa coexisting and the negative aspects of Santa from a variety of places and times.  So here is the requested response-

            Yes, I full heartedly believe that Christ and Santa can in fact coexist.  Santa is not about getting, but about giving.  The man that Santa is based off of, Saint Nicholas, was a very prominent Christian who set a wonderful example for all of us to live by and one that follows the path laid out by Christ.  There are those who have turned Santa into a figure that represents the receiving of gifts and has only focused on what they want from Santa, but believe it or not they seem to be few and far between.  You cannot tell me that people are only focused on themselves and that Santa isn’t important anymore because I have watched hundreds of children (and heard about thousands more) sit on Santa’s lap when my Dad has gone to Ft. Bragg to sit as Santa- many of them asked for something for themselves, but many more asked for something for a friend or family member.  Letters to Santa aren’t always lists of things that kids want- I have talked to people who volunteered with the post office and read these letters and read stories of kids who were in trouble in school, wanted jobs for their parents, were worried about the world and showed to be so much more self-less than we ever gave them credit for.  Santa serves as an adult figure for many to look to when they can’t talk to someone else.  As a child I knew that I could pray to God and bring my problems to God, but I also saw that Santa was physical and I saw things on the news and TV of Santa making people’s lives better.  There is nothing wrong with keeping both in my life.  I have also had to sit down with kids who just told a younger kid that Santa wasn’t real, explaining to them why the younger kid was devastated and crying and the importance of keeping the secret that Santa isn’t real.  There is so much good represented in Santa when you let go of the commercialism (which I will admit is way out of hand and I am the first one to tell you I am against it- even the coca-cola red suit).

            There are cultures and people that do not see Santa in this way and I will never fault them.  Something has happened that has changed the outlook on Santa in many places and I may never understand it because I have never lived in those situations.  However I also know that when I traveled to Ghana and Chiapas, Santa was a bonding point.  That being said, there are many many places where Christians are persecuted and every fault that can be thought of is brought to surface about God but does that mean that we can’t celebrate our own faith?

            I can sit here and address everything on the lists that were sent to me, but I don’t think it is necessary.  Things can be summed up like this- the true spirit of Santa focuses on giving to those in need and following a path set forth by Jesus Christ, God’s son.  I fully believe that this spirit is still alive in many- I see it in the kids that come to see Santa, I see it in the men who sit as Santa (and yes, I do know many of these men and they are incredibly special and I would venture to say that 98% of them are truly living the spirit of Santa year round), I see it in strangers that I pass at the mall.  Further, I fully believe that this spirit of Santa can and does co-exist with Christ and serves as another representation of the Christian life.  I also believe that the spirit of both should not only be looked to and celebrated during the month of Advent, but year round.

Were Santa and Jesus given a one way ticket?

The last few Christmas’s  have been very disappointing for me with the exception of one.  I wasn’t disappointed because of presents or anything like that (I really am not a present receiving person… I hate trying to find somewhere to put stuff or even worse, what if I don’t like it?)- I was disappointed because it never felt like Christmas because I was so busy with everything else, hence the only exception is right after I graduated and had nothing to do but sit back and relax.  Now, for any of you who really know me even a little bit you know that I LOVE Christmas so when I wasn’t feeling it this year I started to think a little deeper about what the problem is and thankfully (and not) heard from friends that they had the same problem.  My conclusion? Christmas is missing two things- Santa, and more importantly, Christ.

Think about it- when you were a kid and still believed in Santa the world was glittery and nothing could go wrong during the moth between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We wrote letters to Santa and checked the mailbox every day until we got our reply.  We wondered in amazement at the fact that there were so many Santa’s at the mall and tried to figure out which one was real.  We “ALWAYS” behaved just in case Santa found out and we lost our presents.  I remember laying awake in bed on Christmas Eve listening for any little sound that could be Santa- one time I even heard him break a mug when he was making coffee! I could go on and on but don’t need to- we all remember those days.  Then, one day in fourth grade Dad asked me to go shopping with him.  I will never forget that day- I even remember exactly where we were when he told me the truth (sitting at the light at the intersection of Atlantic Ave and New Hope Church Rd) that he and Mom helped Santa out because there are too many kids for him to get to in one night, and now that I knew I got to help as well.  The next few years were great- I knew Santa didn’t come to our house but I got to help Mom and Dad (and Felicity) pick out things for stockings and keep it going for Noel.  Over the years we didn’t pick out stocking gifts anymore- that was back to Mom and Dad and since Noel knew the secret there wasn’t any reason to keep playing around.  Then came the point when I really didn’t want anything for Christmas, probably because I realized just how expensive things got and knew the difference between need and want.  Studying for exams took precedence over preparing for Christmas… then it was figuring out schedules and how everything was actually going to happen when I finally got home.  This year my focus turned from exams almost immediately to writing sermons and preparing for interviews.  I let life take Santa away.

Then there is the more immediate problem, and a quite ironic one for someone in seminary- we have let Christ slip slowly away from CHRISTmas.  You think I’m kidding? If you have one, go look at your ADVENT calendar.  What is on it? Mine has a pretty nativity scene… but under the doors are simple pictures dealing with Christmas and not Advent.  When looking on Pinterest I keep finding cute ideas for making advent calendars- my favorite is a muffin tin with magnetic circles to cover the holes that are filled with a present for each day.  City governments are passing laws that ban nativity scenes in public areas.  We are getting so caught up in all of our party planning and exam studying that we skip church (I’m guilty), which has been turned into a month-long production rather than worship (this is the best time of year to find new members, right?).  Just the other day I was talking to a minister friend who was stressed and frazzled and told me that she misses enjoying Christmas- now it is all about getting the right presents for her kids, getting everything ready for her family vacations, and of course preparing for every service and event at her church while ministering to those who are in great need during this time.  Gave me a whole lot to look forward to.  Schools can’t even celebrate Christmas because of its relation to Christianity and it would be a terrible thing to bring Christ into the schools.

So, here is my proposal.  Let’s bring Santa back and especially let’s bring Christ back.  You still have a few days- write a letter to Santa.  It doesn’t have to be a list of toys, but maybe there is something you want (material or otherwise) and going back to your childhood and sending that request to Santa could do wonders.  Make a point to get to church this weekend and on Christmas Eve.  Sit down and read the birth narrative in the Bible (this year’s lectionary is using the Luke account).  Even better, tie the two together.  My absolute favorite decoration at Christmas is Santa kneeling at the manger- I have the image on an ornament that hangs at the very front of my tree.  On the back of my ornament is this prayer-

“Lord, you know that you’re the reason I take pleasure in this season.  I don’t want to take Your place, but just reflect your wondrous grace.  And so when they       begin to open gifts which they have been hoping, may they give You all the glory, for you’re the one true Christmas story.”

SO, in these last few days of ADVENT bring both Santa, who works on behalf of Christ, and Christ back into the season.  My nieces have it right- they listen when Mommy reminds them that Santa is watching and they worry because they can’t find the Baby Jesus ornament. Let’s learn from that toddler innocence.