"There’s Something Happening Here" - Luke 2:1-14 - December 24, 2002

Many of our college students are home for the holidays which follows final exams. My students at Edison have a practice that when you are not sure of an answer on an exam you always check, "all the above." Sometimes I like to keep them guessing so I sometimes add as a possible answer, "none of the above."

When we look at the birth story of Jesus there are several possible ways to validate the event. One answer is found in history. It was during the reign of Caesar Augustus and when Quirinius was governor of Syria, two historic leaders who actually existed. We can also determine that the government was involved since each family was required to return to their home town, in this case, Bethlehem, for a census. If you recall it was in the movie, "Miracle on 34th Street," whereby a government agency, in that case, the US Postal Service, validated Santa Claus. Third, we have this passage from Luke which tells the story of how Jesus was born in the city of David, with Mary, being his mother.

Suppose you had an exam and were asked the question; "In what ways could you verify the birth of Jesus?" If your possible answers were (a) historic facts, (b) a government agency and (c) scripture, you would answer, "all the above." But this is a trick question and includes the answer, "none of the above." The correct answer is "none of the above," since the only way to truly authentic the birth story of Jesus is with faith.

To have faith means you believe in something and the way in which you live your life reflects that belief. You are here tonight because you believe. Now if that were a test question you may answer (a) I am here because someone made me come or (b) I am here because it’s our family tradition or (c) I am here because I have a part in the worship service. Hopefully, the real reason you are here is because of your faith.

If I were to give a test where you get to fill in the blank instead of a multiple choice test I believe that some of you would tell me the reason you are here is simply this; "I’m afraid." Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is what holds us back, causes us to give up. Fear causes us to be anxious. A psychologist once studied 500 people and found 7,000 different fears among them. In one way or another, to some degree, we are all afraid of the future. It could be the fear of failing. It could be the fear of getting sick or even dying. It could be the fear of changing jobs or the fear of getting married. It may simply be the fear of having everyone in your family getting along on Christmas Day.

Where do we get the faith to overcome our fears? In the birth story of Jesus the angels said to the shepherds, "Be not afraid." Know that God is with you and go to the place where Jesus is born. In other words, go to Bethlehem, because there is something happening there.

I never realized how much we have neglected to acknowledge the faith of the shepherds. Here were these uneducated, outcasts of society, doing the work that no one else would want and they become God’s messengers. You wouldn’t find them marking "all the above" on a test since they were most likely unable to read.

When the angels appeared to the shepherds they had complete confidence in their words of assurance. Without hesitation they go to Bethlehem. The story says, "And they went with haste. After their visit they go and spread the word. Talk about faith. These poor and illiterate shepherds realized the importance of God’s love and responded with unwavering faith. Without them the whole event of Jesus’ birth may have slipped by without anyone knowing about it.

Since the shepherds had faith there is every reason to believe that we can have faith too. The only thing holding us back is fear, fear of the unknown, fear of the future, fear of failure, fear or being rejected, fear of becoming ill, or fear of not being in control.

One time there was a pastor who went to his church on Christmas morning to make sure everything had been cleaned and put away after the midnight Christmas Eve service. There were a few bulletins stuck in hymnals and he spotted some candle wax under the pews. The church was cold since the heat had been turned off following the service. Before he left the sanctuary he paused beside the life-sized nativity scene and said a prayer. The figures were beautifully crafted and the pastor gazed at the holy family with reverence and awe.

Suddenly he realized, the manger was empty. Baby Jesus was missing. The pastor searched the area but could not find the infant savior anyplace. He looked under the pews, in the choir loft, in the balcony, all throughout the church. He called the church custodian to see if he knew that the baby Jesus was missing. But, he knew nothing. He called the associate pastor and the elders but they didn’t know anything about the missing Christ child either. The pastor began to panic. Someone must have stolen the infant Jesus from the manger.

The pastor was disappointed to think that someone would commit such a terrible crime against the church. How could Christmas be Christmas without the babe lying in a manger? Worshippers began to gather for the Christmas morning service. During his announcements the pastor said, "The figure of the Christ Child must be returned before the end of the day or Christmas will not be as it should. If anyone knows of its whereabouts and sees that it is returned, no questions will be asked." The service ended with the congregation singing, "O come let us adore him," but the manger remained empty the rest of the day. Their faith was being tested.

Later that day, discouraged and heavy-hearted, the pastor took a walk through the streets of the little town. He came upon one of his young members of his church, a six-year-old boy, named Tommy. Tommy was bundled up, protecting himself against the cold weather. He was proudly pulling a red toy express wagon behind him. It was bright and shiny, probably a Christmas present. The pastor knew his parents and Tommy was fortunate to have received a gift. They must have made a tremendous sacrifice to give Tommy a wagon for Christmas since it was all they could do to make ends meet.

As the pastor got closer to Tommy he noticed a bundle in the wagon. Not totally hidden in the blanket was the baby Jesus from the nativity in the church. The pastor crouched down beside Tommy. His face was grim and filled with disappointment. Tommy was just a little boy, but the pastor felt he was old enough to know that stealing was wrong. The pastor made it clear that Tommy had committed a crime and as he spoke Tommy eyes began to fill with tears. Finally Tommy spoke. "But pastor, I didn’t steal baby Jesus. It wasn’t like that at all." Tommy paused to swallow and wipe away a few tears. "I’ve been asking Jesus for a red wagon for the last three years, and I promised him when I received it I would give him the first ride." (from Christmas Stories for the Heart, Alice Gray)

Oh, how are faith is diminished when we make assumptions about others and panic over small things. Just as that pastor failed, we fail to trust that God is watching over us and is with us each and every day. The blessed event of Christmas reminds us of our need to rise above our fears and have faith in God. Little Tommy, just like the shepherds, easily passed their test because of their faithful response. What grade will you receive on yours?

Dr. Keith Wager. St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio