Saying Yes To Christmas
Luke 2: 1-20

By the time he was a young man, he seemingly had it all: a thriving business, a rising income, a devoted fiancé – even close friends. But little by little, year by year, he closed his heart to the spirit of giving, the spirit of Christmas.

By the time we meet him, an embittered old man indifferent to the needs and joys that surround him, his response to the season of peace on earth, good will to all is the infamous, “Bah humbug!”

No, Ebenezer Scrooge “celebrating” Christmas Eve is not a pretty sight. But he does us a favor. Scrooge, has the ability to make us look at our own lives.

Whether we read the book, see one of many film versions, or catch the musical on stage in various cities in the Bay Area, we can count on Scrooge to remind us of what can happen when we say no to Christmas.

Of course, there are others, more important than the fictional Ebenezer Scrooge, who said YES to Christmas, and by so doing altered the course of human history.

Take the young peasant girl who had no formal education. Whatever her plans were, they quickly went by the wayside when the angel, Gabriel, showed up to tell her that she had found favor with God and had been chosen to bear God’s Son.

Now, Mary could have closed her heart and closed her mind to the whole thing. She could have shaken her head no and offered a thousand excuses, all of which might have been valid.

She was too young. Her fiancé wouldn’t understand. Her family and friends wouldn’t understand.

For that matter she herself didn’t really understand. Why would God pick her and not someone from a more prominent family with connections at the temple?

The profound responsibility must have weighed heavy on her heart as she pondered bringing up this holy child. Nevertheless, she did not say, “Bah humbug.” She did not say, “Tell you what Gabe – how about giving me some time to think it over?” Instead, she said YES to God and thereby said YES to Christmas. (pause)

He was between a rock and a hard place when she came to him with the news. He thought he knew Mary, but now she came to him pregnant, telling tales of some conversation with an angel named Gabriel.

How angry and heartbroken Joseph must have felt when the woman he thought he knew, his betrothed, his beloved Mary apparently betrayed him with the unthinkable.

In accordance with the Jewish law of the day he could have had her stoned to death, but the Gospel of Matthew tells us that instead, he had decided to break off their relationship quietly. And those were his plans until late one night he, like Ebenezer Scrooge, had a dream.

But Joseph didn’t encounter ghosts. Instead, he encountered an angel. The angel’s message was short and sweet: everything Mary had said was true and he should finalize his wedding plans because she had not been unfaithful to him.

When Joseph awoke, he could have blamed the dream on something he ate or drank the night before. He could have remained skeptical and said no to the whole crazy scheme, but he didn’t.

The humble carpenter said YES to God and in so doing he said YES to Christmas. (pause)

The stressed-out businessman could have said no as well. The streets of Bethlehem were crowded as people poured in to register, as commanded by the Roman authorities. He could have said no to the desperate couple knocking at his door in the middle of the night, searching for a place to stay.

“The inn is full,” he told them. Paying customers were occupying every square inch and while he wished there was something he could do, it would have been much simpler to just say no, and leave it at that.

But he didn’t. He told the couple YES. Maybe he apologized that he didn’t have a room with a bed, as he offered them the best he could, a place with his animals in the stable. It certainly wasn’t four stars, but it was a place to stay.

And so the weary couple took him up on his offer, grateful that the innkeeper famous for saying “no room,” had ended up saying YES. (pause)

The shepherds certainly didn’t have to say yes. After all, they were working at the time. Abandoning their posts could have resulted in serious consequences. What if the sheep were lost or stolen? What then? They’d be to blame.

And yet when the angel lit up the sky with the great Good News, they ran with wild abandon to see what in the world was going on.

They set aside their job worries, and overcame their fear of the otherworldliness of it all. This group of humble shepherds became the first to greet the Christ child because they said YES to Christmas. (pause)

Other men had studied the night skies for years and knew many stars by name. How startled they must have been when a new star appeared in the sky, a star more radiant and bright than any they had ever seen, a star that certainly seemed like a message from on high.

Still, they could have stayed home, figuring that they would eventually hear the news. They could have decided that they had more important things to do than go on some wild goose chase.

There were a thousand logical reasons for playing it safe, but not one of these reasons would solve the midnight mystery. So, they loaded up their camels with supplies and treasure, and headed west for a journey of unknown length.

And when they found the newborn king, they showered him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They, too, said YES to Christmas. (pause)

Now, we shouldn’t get the mistaken idea that everybody in the Bible said yes to God. Not even everybody in the Christmas story did.

We need only remember what evil King Herod plotted to do to the newborn king to remember that not everyone bid the Christ child a hospitable welcome.

God doesn’t force anyone to say yes. People living in Biblical times had a choice just like we do today.

This night, this Christmas Eve 2006, we too make choices about what role we will play in the unfolding drama between God and humanity. We can hear the age-old story of that first Christmas and say no, closing our hearts to God’s offer of love in the form of a newborn king.

Or … we can say YES and open our hearts to the Christ child, following him with wild abandon, often not knowing where it might lead.

Saying YES to Christmas means saying YES to loving other people, even those who seem so unlovable.

Saying YES to Christmas means saying YES to forgiveness and reconciliation with those who may have wronged us.

Saying YES to Christmas means dedicating ourselves to the healing of God’s wounded world, as well as the healing we need within ourselves. (pause)

At the end of “A Christmas Carol,” Scrooge realizes what joy he has missed by saying no. And so he vows, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year long.”

Now, there’s a yes if I’ve ever heard one.

It’s not too late.  We too can say YES to Christmas. And when we say YES, we commit ourselves to a lifetime of loving and caring and acting in ways that honor the Christ Child that was born to us a Savior and Friend.

LET US PRAY…

Loving God, on this holiest of nights, we pause to give thanks for the amazing gift of Jesus—his miraculous birth, his inspiring teachings, his compassionate life, and his victory over the grave.

May the Christmas story remind us once more of your ability to do the unexpected in our world and in our lives. Open our ears to the heavenly music ringing all around us. Bring us to the humble manger that we might bow down and worship the newborn king.

We pray for all people who find the holidays sad and difficult to bear. For those who have lost loved ones, we ask  that your loving arms surround them and give them peace.

As we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, we pray for our leaders that a just peace might be created in our world.

And now, O God, we offer you the gratitude of our hearts for your arrival on that starry night so long ago. May the hope that was born in Bethlehem be born in us tonight, through JesusChrist the newborn king we pray.

AMEN.