Hector's Case Against Christmas
Sermon
A More Urgent Season
Sermons And Children's Lessons
I am going to begin the Advent season this year by telling you a part of the Christmas story which is unknown to most people because it was left out of the modern Bible. Of course, ministers have known about this for many years, but we have kept it secret because we didn't want to shake anyone's faith. But in this age of full and complete disclosure, I have finally decided to break with my fellow clergy's conspiracy of silence and tell you this neglected part of the Christmas story.
The truth which has been hidden from you until now is that not everyone was happy with God's decision to send His Son into the world. Certainly, the angel Gabriel was happy he was chosen to give Mary the word, since everyone likes being the bearer of good news, and our text tells us that after a moment of doubt and reluctance, Mary was thrilled to be so favored by God among women. But it is quite wrong to look solely at the characters in scripture and infer that everyone was happy about the first Christmas.
You see, there was another angel who was quite upset that God would do this, who thought it was a terrible idea to let Jesus be born in Bethlehem or anywhere else for that matter. This is the angel our modern Bible doesn't tell you about. His name was Hector. 22 Hector was a distant cousin of Gabriel's on his mother's side, and he had always been known as something of a pessimist and cynic. His natural instinct was to expect the worst in every person and every situation. He lived by the motto, "Never give suckers an even break because they will probably take advantage of you later." Hector was the kind of angel that after you shook hands with him, he would count his fingers to make sure you hadn't taken one.
At any rate, our story begins the day after Jesus' birth. Gabriel was sitting on a cloud high above the earth, basking in the afterglow of Christmas. He was remembering the joy on Mary's face when her labor was done. He was recalling with a warm smile the beautiful star and the simple faith of those who saw the baby that night. The choir of angels which sang to the shepherds in the field had never sounded better. ("Those extra rehearsals really paid off," Gabriel thought to himself.) God was in His heaven, Jesus Christ was born, Gabriel's suitcase was unpacked after his journey to earth, and all seemed right with the world.
Along came Hector. "Can we talk?" he asked. Gabriel wasn't thrilled about it since Hector's reputation for pessimism had made other angels shun him, even at family reunions, but being the angel he was, Gabriel agreed to talk with his distant cousin, Hector.
"I don't like to quarrel with God's decisions," Hector began, "but that was a real bad move, sending His only begotten Son to earth. It was the worst thing God could have done."
"You know," Gabriel said, "I thought that even you would appreciate what has just happened. What is there to quarrel with? How could anyone possibly make an argument against Christmas?"
"It was a wasted gesture on God's part," Hector began. "For one thing, people are too busy to notice Jesus or hear His message. What do you think people really care about anyway? Look at the way they live -- do they really care about spiritual gifts like love or faith, or long-term blessings like salvation and eternal life? They can hardly think past today! 23Look at them running around in a vain frenzy like ants on an ant hill, overscheduled and unfulfilled, clutching and grasping and cramming every waking moment with something terribly important to do."
The two angels sat for a few minutes in pensive silence as Hector's harsh words sank in. Suddenly a picture came into view from the earth below -- it was a family at home as the dinner hour approached. Mother and father had just come home from work and were trying to rush dinner on the table because Junior had to leave in 10 minutes for his triangle lesson. Older sister was home from her beginner's yodeling class but couldn't come to the table because her favorite game show was on television. What a family scene this was -- the sound of screaming contestants blaring from the television, Junior gulping down his food and bolting out the door while mother and father sit there in numbed silence, their heads resting in their hands, too exhausted to talk or enjoy the meal.
"Do you see what I mean?" asked Hector. "If people can't even appreciate the gift of family life which is right before their eyes, how will they appreciate the gift of eternal life, which they will have to see through the eyes of faith?"
Gabriel didn't answer, so Hector continued. "Even if people do re-order their lives and pay more attention to what is really important," he said, "they won't believe the truth about Jesus anyway. Do you think the world will believe that a homeless child born of a teenaged girl in a dusty little town like Bethlehem is really the Son of God? This is a world where appearances are everything, Gabriel, and where all that matters are those things which can be consumed, acquired or exploited in the here and now."
Suddenly, Gabriel perked up. "That's where you are wrong," he said, "I sent out a press release yesterday to all the major news outlets announcing the birth of God's Son, so it will surely be a front page headline. In fact, today's newspapers are due to come out at any minute -- let's see what they say." 24 The clouds parted again, and the two angels scanned the newspapers. There on the front page of the Roman Empire News was the picture of a spectacular chariot accident in downtown Athens. Next to that was a description of a debutante party for the rich and famous in Pompeii. This was followed by an editorial denouncing innkeepers who were raising their prices at a time when people were required to travel to distant villages to pay Caesar's tax.
Inside the paper were all the commodity prices, the latest odds on the Colosseum games, fashion tips and the weather report ... everything except a story on the birth of God's Son! To be fair, there was a small article on the back page of the Bethlehem Banner, right beneath the horoscopes. The headline read, "Local Girl Claims Virgin Birth," but the article went on to say: "Authorities believe that given the public backlash against the current epidemic of teenaged pregnancies, this is a case of a young girl trying to explain herself to her parents and her boyfriend."
Satisfied by Gabriel's silence that his point had been made, Hector went on to his third argument against Christmas. "Besides the fact that people are too busy to notice Jesus and won't believe Him anyway, the plain truth is that the world is far too dangerous for Jesus to be sent in alone. Where are His bodyguards? Where are His weapons? How can we guarantee His safety? Do you know what happens to people who try to do good in this world, or who offend the powers that be? They get assassinated! The authorities put them away! This world is far too dangerous for a man like Jesus," Hector said. "They'll never let Him die a natural death."
Suddenly, another earthly picture came into view, this time a family gathering in Israel. The year is 4 B.C. and an extended family is celebrating the impending birth of a child. People are having a wonderful time, dancing and singing, catching up with aunts, uncles and cousins they haven't seen in years.
"Do you see that?" asked Gabriel. "There is also some love and joy to be found in this world; it isn't all just violence and danger, betrayal and death. The two angels listen as the 25expectant father stops the dancing to make a toast. "I thank God for this child who is to come," he says. "If it is a girl, my wife will name her. If it is a boy, I will name him Judas."
Hector smiled triumphantly at the name of Judas. "That clinches it!" he cried. "I believe I have made my case against Christmas." By now, even Gabriel was wondering if Hector wasn't right. "Maybe God did make a mistake in sending Jesus to an unbelieving world which was too busy and too dangerous to receive Him," he said to himself.
At that very moment, another picture came in through the parted clouds. A father was tucking his little girl into bed. "I'm scared in the dark, Daddy," she said. "Please come and sit beside me until I fall asleep." "But God is there with you, even in the dark," the father said gently. "I know that Daddy, but I want someone beside me with skin on."
"Did you hear that?" asked Gabriel. "I will grant you everything you have said about the world. I will grant you that Jesus will not be accepted in the world He has come to save. But that little girl just told us why God has done this. People are afraid of the dark ... afraid of the dark sin within them and the dark death beyond them. People need to know they aren't alone in the night, Hector. They need a God beside them with skin on."
Hector still wasn't quite clear on the concept. "Don't you see?" said Gabriel. "The heart of what ails people is their sense of separation from God. They can't live as morally and courageously as they want to live because they feel hopelessly cut off from God's goodness and light. But now God has removed all distance between Himself and His people. Now God has put skin on and drawn near to people who could not draw near to Him, and brought light to people who could not see past the darkness. God has made Himself available to people in the form they can most easily understand -- the form of their own flesh and blood."
Suddenly, time flashed forward to the present year, and the two angels saw a group of people gathered in a church. It wasn't just any church; it was our own church right here 26in __________________________ on the first Sunday in Advent, and people were celebrating communion.
They were remembering Jesus as He had told them to remember Him: in the bread and cup. They were giving thanks that Jesus had come to them as God with skin on, bringing eternity down from the heavens and putting it within their grasp. Yes, they were still too busy and too unbelieving, and yes, the world was still too dangerous a place for love to live unharmed, but there was a peace and a joy within these people anyway. As they listened to the familiar words of Jesus and shared His fellowship in that sacred meal, they knew they were receiving an inner assurance and a lasting hope which the world can test but never destroy.
Hector was so impressed by what he saw that he changed his mind about Christmas. In fact, his whole attitude changed, to the point where he wasn't shunned any more at family reunions. So, as you celebrate communion today, remember the faith Hector saw which made him change his mind. Let your spirits receive a special lift on this first Sunday in Advent as you celebrate the light and the love which are coming into the world. Be especially grateful as you receive the bread and cup today. After all, it could well be that a couple of angels are watching. Amen. Pastoral PrayerMost gracious and generous God, who gave up what is most dear to You for our good and the good of the world, we thank You today for this season of Advent, a season of expectation and hope. Help us to remain focused, not on the commercial noise around us, but on the growing joy within us. Help us to be grateful that You loved the world so much as to come to us Yourself, in the form of our own flesh and blood, that a God with skin on could remain next to us when we stand fearful before the night. Inspire us by this gift to give as well to others, that we may touch others with tangible comfort and help in their time of need. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. 27Children's Lesson For First Sunday In AdventWondering How God Does ThingsLuke 1:26-38"Nothing will be impossible with God."
(v. 37) Do you ever wonder how God does things? You may remember that we talked last week about how many people and animals and other things God has to pay attention to, so that's a good place to start. How does God keep track of so many different things? If everyone in the world is praying to God all at the same time, each in their own language and each with their own need, how does God hear everyone? I don't know! I can only wonder how God does things like that.
Then there are other questions we might ask about God. How did God get just two of every kind of animal to go on Noah's ark and why did He include mosquitoes? How does God put the yoke of an egg inside a shell? How did God think of such a wild variety of plants and flowers, with all their different colors, sizes and shapes, and how did God teach the animals what they know about surviving and having young and taking care of themselves? Come to think of it, how could God be big enough to make this universe we live in, and where do you and I come from?
What are some of the things you wonder about? (Let them answer.) You see? There is no end to the questions we could ask and the mysteries we could explore as we wonder about how God does things. 28 We see this same kind of wonder in the Christmas story, when the angel Gabriel comes to visit Mary and tells her she is going to be the mother of God's Son. Mary can't understand it. "How can this be?" she says, "How can I possibly have a baby?" The angel Gabriel didn't explain it to her; all he said was, "The Holy Spirit will come to you," and "Nothing will be impossible with God." Mary, too, was left to wonder about how God does things.
You children are always asking questions because you want to understand what things are and how they work. Sometimes you ask us questions we can answer, like why the sky is blue, or how far it is from home plate to first base on a big league baseball diamond. But when you ask us questions about God, we can't always be sure what to say. If you ask whether God loves us, we can tell you for certain that He does; God loves and cares for all His children. But other questions you might ask have no answer, and we can only say that we don't know. This is how it should be, because after all, if we knew everything there is to know about God, if we had all the answers about God, God wouldn't be God! God wouldn't be the Almighty Wonder that He is, far beyond even our biggest thoughts and anything we can imagine.
Just like Mary when the angel came to visit her, there will be some things we will never understand about God, but also like Mary, we should know that this is all right. Don't be afraid to let God be a mystery. Don't think you need to have God all figured out "from A to Z" in order to believe in Him. In fact, one of the best things to be said about having faith in an awesome God like ours is that sometimes it's okay just to marvel at Him, and to wonder about how He does things. Amen.
The truth which has been hidden from you until now is that not everyone was happy with God's decision to send His Son into the world. Certainly, the angel Gabriel was happy he was chosen to give Mary the word, since everyone likes being the bearer of good news, and our text tells us that after a moment of doubt and reluctance, Mary was thrilled to be so favored by God among women. But it is quite wrong to look solely at the characters in scripture and infer that everyone was happy about the first Christmas.
You see, there was another angel who was quite upset that God would do this, who thought it was a terrible idea to let Jesus be born in Bethlehem or anywhere else for that matter. This is the angel our modern Bible doesn't tell you about. His name was Hector. 22 Hector was a distant cousin of Gabriel's on his mother's side, and he had always been known as something of a pessimist and cynic. His natural instinct was to expect the worst in every person and every situation. He lived by the motto, "Never give suckers an even break because they will probably take advantage of you later." Hector was the kind of angel that after you shook hands with him, he would count his fingers to make sure you hadn't taken one.
At any rate, our story begins the day after Jesus' birth. Gabriel was sitting on a cloud high above the earth, basking in the afterglow of Christmas. He was remembering the joy on Mary's face when her labor was done. He was recalling with a warm smile the beautiful star and the simple faith of those who saw the baby that night. The choir of angels which sang to the shepherds in the field had never sounded better. ("Those extra rehearsals really paid off," Gabriel thought to himself.) God was in His heaven, Jesus Christ was born, Gabriel's suitcase was unpacked after his journey to earth, and all seemed right with the world.
Along came Hector. "Can we talk?" he asked. Gabriel wasn't thrilled about it since Hector's reputation for pessimism had made other angels shun him, even at family reunions, but being the angel he was, Gabriel agreed to talk with his distant cousin, Hector.
"I don't like to quarrel with God's decisions," Hector began, "but that was a real bad move, sending His only begotten Son to earth. It was the worst thing God could have done."
"You know," Gabriel said, "I thought that even you would appreciate what has just happened. What is there to quarrel with? How could anyone possibly make an argument against Christmas?"
"It was a wasted gesture on God's part," Hector began. "For one thing, people are too busy to notice Jesus or hear His message. What do you think people really care about anyway? Look at the way they live -- do they really care about spiritual gifts like love or faith, or long-term blessings like salvation and eternal life? They can hardly think past today! 23Look at them running around in a vain frenzy like ants on an ant hill, overscheduled and unfulfilled, clutching and grasping and cramming every waking moment with something terribly important to do."
The two angels sat for a few minutes in pensive silence as Hector's harsh words sank in. Suddenly a picture came into view from the earth below -- it was a family at home as the dinner hour approached. Mother and father had just come home from work and were trying to rush dinner on the table because Junior had to leave in 10 minutes for his triangle lesson. Older sister was home from her beginner's yodeling class but couldn't come to the table because her favorite game show was on television. What a family scene this was -- the sound of screaming contestants blaring from the television, Junior gulping down his food and bolting out the door while mother and father sit there in numbed silence, their heads resting in their hands, too exhausted to talk or enjoy the meal.
"Do you see what I mean?" asked Hector. "If people can't even appreciate the gift of family life which is right before their eyes, how will they appreciate the gift of eternal life, which they will have to see through the eyes of faith?"
Gabriel didn't answer, so Hector continued. "Even if people do re-order their lives and pay more attention to what is really important," he said, "they won't believe the truth about Jesus anyway. Do you think the world will believe that a homeless child born of a teenaged girl in a dusty little town like Bethlehem is really the Son of God? This is a world where appearances are everything, Gabriel, and where all that matters are those things which can be consumed, acquired or exploited in the here and now."
Suddenly, Gabriel perked up. "That's where you are wrong," he said, "I sent out a press release yesterday to all the major news outlets announcing the birth of God's Son, so it will surely be a front page headline. In fact, today's newspapers are due to come out at any minute -- let's see what they say." 24 The clouds parted again, and the two angels scanned the newspapers. There on the front page of the Roman Empire News was the picture of a spectacular chariot accident in downtown Athens. Next to that was a description of a debutante party for the rich and famous in Pompeii. This was followed by an editorial denouncing innkeepers who were raising their prices at a time when people were required to travel to distant villages to pay Caesar's tax.
Inside the paper were all the commodity prices, the latest odds on the Colosseum games, fashion tips and the weather report ... everything except a story on the birth of God's Son! To be fair, there was a small article on the back page of the Bethlehem Banner, right beneath the horoscopes. The headline read, "Local Girl Claims Virgin Birth," but the article went on to say: "Authorities believe that given the public backlash against the current epidemic of teenaged pregnancies, this is a case of a young girl trying to explain herself to her parents and her boyfriend."
Satisfied by Gabriel's silence that his point had been made, Hector went on to his third argument against Christmas. "Besides the fact that people are too busy to notice Jesus and won't believe Him anyway, the plain truth is that the world is far too dangerous for Jesus to be sent in alone. Where are His bodyguards? Where are His weapons? How can we guarantee His safety? Do you know what happens to people who try to do good in this world, or who offend the powers that be? They get assassinated! The authorities put them away! This world is far too dangerous for a man like Jesus," Hector said. "They'll never let Him die a natural death."
Suddenly, another earthly picture came into view, this time a family gathering in Israel. The year is 4 B.C. and an extended family is celebrating the impending birth of a child. People are having a wonderful time, dancing and singing, catching up with aunts, uncles and cousins they haven't seen in years.
"Do you see that?" asked Gabriel. "There is also some love and joy to be found in this world; it isn't all just violence and danger, betrayal and death. The two angels listen as the 25expectant father stops the dancing to make a toast. "I thank God for this child who is to come," he says. "If it is a girl, my wife will name her. If it is a boy, I will name him Judas."
Hector smiled triumphantly at the name of Judas. "That clinches it!" he cried. "I believe I have made my case against Christmas." By now, even Gabriel was wondering if Hector wasn't right. "Maybe God did make a mistake in sending Jesus to an unbelieving world which was too busy and too dangerous to receive Him," he said to himself.
At that very moment, another picture came in through the parted clouds. A father was tucking his little girl into bed. "I'm scared in the dark, Daddy," she said. "Please come and sit beside me until I fall asleep." "But God is there with you, even in the dark," the father said gently. "I know that Daddy, but I want someone beside me with skin on."
"Did you hear that?" asked Gabriel. "I will grant you everything you have said about the world. I will grant you that Jesus will not be accepted in the world He has come to save. But that little girl just told us why God has done this. People are afraid of the dark ... afraid of the dark sin within them and the dark death beyond them. People need to know they aren't alone in the night, Hector. They need a God beside them with skin on."
Hector still wasn't quite clear on the concept. "Don't you see?" said Gabriel. "The heart of what ails people is their sense of separation from God. They can't live as morally and courageously as they want to live because they feel hopelessly cut off from God's goodness and light. But now God has removed all distance between Himself and His people. Now God has put skin on and drawn near to people who could not draw near to Him, and brought light to people who could not see past the darkness. God has made Himself available to people in the form they can most easily understand -- the form of their own flesh and blood."
Suddenly, time flashed forward to the present year, and the two angels saw a group of people gathered in a church. It wasn't just any church; it was our own church right here 26in __________________________ on the first Sunday in Advent, and people were celebrating communion.
They were remembering Jesus as He had told them to remember Him: in the bread and cup. They were giving thanks that Jesus had come to them as God with skin on, bringing eternity down from the heavens and putting it within their grasp. Yes, they were still too busy and too unbelieving, and yes, the world was still too dangerous a place for love to live unharmed, but there was a peace and a joy within these people anyway. As they listened to the familiar words of Jesus and shared His fellowship in that sacred meal, they knew they were receiving an inner assurance and a lasting hope which the world can test but never destroy.
Hector was so impressed by what he saw that he changed his mind about Christmas. In fact, his whole attitude changed, to the point where he wasn't shunned any more at family reunions. So, as you celebrate communion today, remember the faith Hector saw which made him change his mind. Let your spirits receive a special lift on this first Sunday in Advent as you celebrate the light and the love which are coming into the world. Be especially grateful as you receive the bread and cup today. After all, it could well be that a couple of angels are watching. Amen. Pastoral PrayerMost gracious and generous God, who gave up what is most dear to You for our good and the good of the world, we thank You today for this season of Advent, a season of expectation and hope. Help us to remain focused, not on the commercial noise around us, but on the growing joy within us. Help us to be grateful that You loved the world so much as to come to us Yourself, in the form of our own flesh and blood, that a God with skin on could remain next to us when we stand fearful before the night. Inspire us by this gift to give as well to others, that we may touch others with tangible comfort and help in their time of need. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. 27Children's Lesson For First Sunday In AdventWondering How God Does ThingsLuke 1:26-38"Nothing will be impossible with God."
(v. 37) Do you ever wonder how God does things? You may remember that we talked last week about how many people and animals and other things God has to pay attention to, so that's a good place to start. How does God keep track of so many different things? If everyone in the world is praying to God all at the same time, each in their own language and each with their own need, how does God hear everyone? I don't know! I can only wonder how God does things like that.
Then there are other questions we might ask about God. How did God get just two of every kind of animal to go on Noah's ark and why did He include mosquitoes? How does God put the yoke of an egg inside a shell? How did God think of such a wild variety of plants and flowers, with all their different colors, sizes and shapes, and how did God teach the animals what they know about surviving and having young and taking care of themselves? Come to think of it, how could God be big enough to make this universe we live in, and where do you and I come from?
What are some of the things you wonder about? (Let them answer.) You see? There is no end to the questions we could ask and the mysteries we could explore as we wonder about how God does things. 28 We see this same kind of wonder in the Christmas story, when the angel Gabriel comes to visit Mary and tells her she is going to be the mother of God's Son. Mary can't understand it. "How can this be?" she says, "How can I possibly have a baby?" The angel Gabriel didn't explain it to her; all he said was, "The Holy Spirit will come to you," and "Nothing will be impossible with God." Mary, too, was left to wonder about how God does things.
You children are always asking questions because you want to understand what things are and how they work. Sometimes you ask us questions we can answer, like why the sky is blue, or how far it is from home plate to first base on a big league baseball diamond. But when you ask us questions about God, we can't always be sure what to say. If you ask whether God loves us, we can tell you for certain that He does; God loves and cares for all His children. But other questions you might ask have no answer, and we can only say that we don't know. This is how it should be, because after all, if we knew everything there is to know about God, if we had all the answers about God, God wouldn't be God! God wouldn't be the Almighty Wonder that He is, far beyond even our biggest thoughts and anything we can imagine.
Just like Mary when the angel came to visit her, there will be some things we will never understand about God, but also like Mary, we should know that this is all right. Don't be afraid to let God be a mystery. Don't think you need to have God all figured out "from A to Z" in order to believe in Him. In fact, one of the best things to be said about having faith in an awesome God like ours is that sometimes it's okay just to marvel at Him, and to wonder about how He does things. Amen.
