JC Disciples
It's Supposed to be Christmas Time
Reading: Hebrews 2:10-18
"In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes me holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says,
'I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congrgation I will sing your praises.'
And again he says,
'Here am I, and the children God has given me.'
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death -- that is, the devil -- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."
One of the things that amazes me is that it is still Christmas time. The song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" derives the number of days from the season of Christmas in the Liturgical year. Christmas, as defined in the liturgical cycle, begins on December 25th with the celebration of the Nativity and ends on January 6th, Epiphany when we remember how the magi visited Jesus and gave him gifts. So today we are in day five of the Christmas season. Of course, Christmas ended for the world on Monday sometime.
The world, you know that place where people don't know Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. For them Christmas ended on Monday morning. Go to any mall around town and I am sure you will not find a single trace of Christmas. Santa is gone. All the decorations are down now. The radio stations have stopped playing all their secular Christmas music. And TV stations have stopped showing repeats of Christmas TV shows and holiday movies. The world is packing Christmas away for another year. It's time to move on.
For the world, the Christmas season starts on the Friday after Thanksgiving and ends the Monday after Christmas day. And while Christmas is happening, the world just perverts the holiday into a time of selfishness.
For some people, it is the only time when they are being charitable and giving. But for many it is just a time to spend with friends and family. Once the gifts are exchanged, unwrapped and enjoyed, the season is over and Christmas is dead until next year.
But here we are right in the middle of the liturgical Christmas season. We still sing Christmas carols and our decorations are still up. This is about the half way point of the season. We still have a full week to celebrate. But what are we celebrating? The world doesn't see why we are still celebrating Christmas. Do we know? True, the world has missed the meaning of Christmas, but have we missed it as well?
The writer of Hebrews knew what Christmas was all about. The cross of Jesus Christ. We have to look at that cross today and ask ourselves what would our world be like if Christmas was just about Jesus being born and not about Jesus dying on the cross of Calvary. There would be no Christmas without Jesus suffering and dying on the cross. Who would care about a baby born in a cow stall, from a no-name town, and no-name country? No one would care. Jesus would have lived, taught and then died. We would not know about Jesus at all, if it wasn't for the cross.
In Hebrews the author writes (Hebrews 2:10) "In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering." We are brought to glory through the perfect suffering of Jesus. But its Christmas time, Jesus' suffering isn't what we want to think about right now.
And we are no different than the disciples. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to suffer at the hands of the leaders of Israel. But all Peter wanted to think about was the wonderful miracles and how Jesus would save Israel from the Romans. Peter didn't want to think about Jesus' suffering anymore than we do.
However in this season of Christmas, we are confronted by a text that points us not to the stable in Bethlehem, but to the cross on Calvary. In the midst of our celebration, it is fitting that we should think about Jesus' suffering because if he had not suffered, Christmas would not be celebrated.
Jesus' suffering began to peak when he was betrayed and arrested in the middle of the night. His friends who swore they would die with him, abandoned him at the first sign of real trouble. The leaders of Israel humiliated and rejected him.
But its Christmas, a time to make cookies and sing holiday songs. It's a time to buy and wrap gifts. We'd rather watch Miracle on 42nd Street and find ourselves able to believe again in Santa Claus. We want to see the joy of promises kept and hopes fulfilled. Suffering doesn't fit this fanciful image of Christmas.
The soldiers flogged Jesus, until the flesh on his back hung like ribbons. They pushed a crown of thorns on his perfect brow and laughed. The soldiers mocked him by putting a royal robe across his blood covered back.
No wait its Christmas we don't want to think about this! We want to be thinking about the baby Jesus laying cute and cuddly in the manager. We want to bask in the quiet glow of candlelight and croon Silent Night on Christmas Eve. We want to imagine shepherds who saw angels. We want to hear the song of heaven's choir. Christmas is about peace and joy; how could we think about suffering?
Jesus then dragged his cross through Jerusalem. All the way to Calvary he could see the angry and disappointed stares of the crowd. And he knew they were rejecting him. When Jesus reached Calvary, the Roman soldiers carried out the cruelest form of execution ever devised by man. They drove nails the size of rail- road spikes into his flesh and crucified Him. Every breath caused his joints and muscles to scream with pain. Jesus' mouth grew as dry as the sand of his homeland. His heart pounded in His chest as he felt His life melt away.
But isn't Christmas about peace and goodwill towards all men? We like to see the re-runs of It's a Wonderful Life. We cry as we see Jimmy Stewart's character of George get his life back. Our hearts swell as George's friends come to help him in his time of need as he has helped all of them. There's the spirit of Christmas - the recognition of the family of humankind. We want to eliminate the suffering, not dwell on it.
But Jesus did suffer and die. He died as an innocent man. And then Jesus went to hell where he suffered fully for our sins.
Why did Jesus do this for us? The author of Hebrews tells us that "by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2:14b-15) Jesus came to set us free from the fear of death. We have been set free to begin our eternal life with God.
And now we begin to see why this text is so important at Christmas time. The Jews of Jesus day were waiting for a savior who would rescue them from their Roman oppressors. They were and still are looking for a Messiah who will physically rescue them from the oppression they have experienced for centuries.
But God knew that we needed to be rescued from a greater oppressor, the fear of death. God wanted us to know that He loved us enough to send His Son who would be the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Because without that perfect sacrifice, God would need to justly punish us for our sin. But because Jesus has been punished for our sin and because we believe and trust in the work of Jesus, we will not be punished.
Instead of being punished, God will call us His children. A people that Jesus proudly calls His brothers and sisters. In 1 John, the disciple that Jesus loved, he writes "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1a)
John's joy and hope rings true through those words. Christmas is about the overflowing joy and hope that starts with Jesus coming to us as a human being, continues through His work on the cross and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. How can a mere Twelve Days of Christmas contain the celebration of what Jesus has done for you?
For Christians, the liturgical Christmas season is not long enough. For us, this time of joy and hope continues every day we live knowing that Jesus Christ paid fully for our sin and welcomes us as His brothers and sisters. When we grab hold of this truth and trust in it, we can celebrate the joy and hope of Christmas all year long. And when we celebrate what God has done for us, people around us will want to be a part of that celebration.
After the decorations come down, the gifts you received have been forgotten, and the holiday food has been eaten what will you remember about this Christmas season? Will you let this time of joy and hope fade away as the year progresses or will you hold onto that joy and hope all year long. If nothing else, remember the gift of salvation that Jesus gave to you. And remember the price He paid so that you could have that gift. Amen.