His story (Christmas A1)

When I was little my cousins gave me a story book of fairy tales. The odd thing about this book was that I was written into it, and my dog. I had to go with mother goose to find something I think. I'm pretty sure that book is on my daughter's shelf now. If I can find it I think I'll bring it to church on Sunday.

It strikes me how, with all his use of old testament prophesies, Matthew is showing how Jesus shares in the old stories. It is like he is the thread woven into every bit of history. Every event points to Immanuel, the king, the horn of Israel.

If he is written into the stories of old it is also true that he is written into the plot of our lives as well. He shares in our sufferings, our joys, our saddnesses. In a real way he has lived my life along with me.

Chuck told us today that the corpus on the Crucifix at Gethsemani Abbey held the face of a young man who died of AIDS. He said this while we sat around a Moravian Putz, an elaborate village of nativity sets and scenes from the birth story. We listened to the scripture readings that painted each scene and meditated on the images. It was powerful to set with God and other ministers pondering this old story. And then this Christ with the face of a man dying of AIDS. He is all of us in our troubles and suffering. He embodied all of it when he became flesh.

Maybe that old storybook of mine, as a child reads a page to the church will teach all of us that truth.

Sharing (Christmas A1)

Matthew evokes exodus imagery, when God takes his son Israel from the land of slavery. He identifies Jesus, the Son, with his Jewish audience in experience. This fits with the strain of shared suffering. Jesus shares in the suffering of the historic Israel, he escapes an infant massacre reminiscent of the time of Moses. He is called out of Egypt a Son of God like Israel of old. Isaiah picks up the refrain. "He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."

Hebrews tells us that he learned suffering and can share in any trial we have. "Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people." This sharing is at the heart of the incarnation.

All the praise called for in Psalm 148 are because God has raised up a horn. Let us praise him for he has given us a big brother who has shared in our sufferings. Let us praise him, he became flesh and shared our form, our emotions, our pains. Let us praise him!