“When You Do Not Like What You Got for Christmas”

Luke 2:1 - 16

Rev. Dr. R. Tim Meadows

It has happened to all of us. From the ugly sweater to the umpteenth tie that matches nothing we own, some of us have even gotten fruitcake (actually I like fruitcake, but I digress). We have all received gifts at Christmas that we just did not like and we’ve all had to decide what we will do with these treasures.

There are several options from the classic practice of regifting , allowing someone else to have your treasure, to exchanging the gift for something you would prefer, under the guise of size issues, etc.(this will not work for the fruitcake!), discarding the gift altogether, or keeping the gift hoping something will become of it that you cannot yet imagine. (this will not work for the fruitcake, either!)

I have to believe that these were some of the reactions to the first gift given that first Christmas. Think with me for a moment:

Mary and Joseph you are going to receive a baby on this first Christmas who is the son of God. A baby! What will we do! We’re not even married yet, we haven’t even, well that is too much information, but we had such big plans, hopes, and dreams, for ourselves and our family and now a baby. What will we do?

Herod, Quirinius, and others, be advised. A baby has been born who is King of the Jews. King of the Jews, HA! In this land, Rome decides who is king, and after all how much can a baby do? A baby born, projected to be king of the Jews, HA! We know what we will do!

Nation of Israel, your wait is over --- A baby has been born who is your long awaited Messiah! He is the one of whom the prophets spoke that will deliver you – his people! A baby that is not what we had in mind, what we asked for, or what we hoped for. We want a mighty king. A baby is a messy lot of trouble; we do not need a baby!

I’m sure there were other reactions but I think these capture the major feelings about that first gift. I think these reactions capture the major feelings about that first gift in our day as well. Every Advent season we are told that Jesus, Messiah, is coming, and every Advent season many of us join Mary and Joseph with the questions; what will we do? what does this mean for us? how will this change things in our world? All good questions that demand an answer.

Every Advent season we hear the message and many of us join those Roman officials determined to deny this baby his place in our world, no matter what it takes.

Every Advent season we hear the message and many of us join the Hebrew people in reminding God that this was not the gift we had in mind.

The scandal of Advent is that Advent is about a baby coming into a needy world filled with the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love. Gifts that can be ours if we ask and answer the demanding questions of the season. AMEN!