opc blog

Tiffany Kromer (Tiffany’s sermons and other reflections are on her blog)

Isaiah 9:2-7

I love Christmas Eve! One of my most vivid memories from last Christmas was sitting up here facing you and seeing every single one of you with smiles beaming brightly. Now I’m not saying I don’t see you all smiling every Sunday, because I do—but there was something almost magical about your smiles last Christmas Eve. And tonight, I find myself greeted by those same magical smiles—overflowing with an unspeakable joy and anticipation. Christmas Eve is truly magical night where it seems easier to open ourselves to let our imaginations run wildly free…a night where it is okay to live like we did as children, to dream, and play, and explore, and be full of excitement. It’s a night where everyone tries really hard to be nice, to be loving….so that come Christmas day, you cannot help but overflow with the excitement, love and joy you’ve gathered the night before. And then comes the ecstasy of food and gifts and family…seemingly refueling us for another year full of ups and downs and in-betweens. And amidst this ecstasy we hear phrases like “Peace on Earth” or “ Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings” or “Joy the world” or “Bah-humbug” or “You’ll shoot your eye out” and our hearts feel strangely warmed.

And even if your Christmas doesn’t match what I’ve just described–there is certainly the societal pressure or expectation that your Christmas be full of heart-warming gifts, food, and family. And that pressure can make us go to enormous lengths to please one another by creating a façade of “Christmas joy” consequently putting a dent in our bank accounts or it can leave us feeling like something must be wrong with us because we don’t feel particularly joyful this particular Christmas.

And then comes the day after Christmas. Reality slowly creeps in and you realize that there is work and school to go back to, gifts to be returned, chores to be done, and bills to be paid. Visiting relatives depart and normal schedules resume. Christmas decorations are taken down in the stores only to be replaced by the pink and red hearts of Valentine ’s Day. By January 3rd, the holidays are over and you are left with the pressures of New Year’s resolutions and getting back to the daily grind.

Now before you call me a Christmas cynic, let’s turn to what we read tonight in Isaiah chapter nine. Isaiah is speaking in the midst of a dark time in his nation’s history. War and political turmoil was at their boiling point, tempting rulers to sacrifice integrity. In the midst of his nation’s darkness, Isaiah points to God moving and working in surprising, powerful ways to destroy war and usher in endless peace. All this would be done not through a powerful carefully groomed king, but through a child! As Christians, we see Isaiah’s prophecy as being fulfilled in a little baby named Jesus—born to a poor family more than 2ooo years ago. And so, as Christians, we are challenged to peel back the many layers of Christmas in order to get to the core reality of our celebration tonight–that we have been given endless peace by the Christ child who grew up to save us and give us new life, not by being born into royalty—but by being born in inauspicious circumstance, living life in poverty only to be sentenced to death by being nailed on a cross. You can’t get more unexpected than that! In the Christ child, we see a God that is out to surprise us with love and grace in ways we never imagined

During Christmastime, we are given an amazing gift—space carved out to play, imagine, give generously and bask in holiday goodness. And in doing that, I believe that we are the closest to the reality of peace in our world. The peace that the Christ child brings is even felt on the battle field. During World War I, a British soldier wrote home about a powerful Christmas experience. It was Christmas day and german soldiers entered the British camp. But instead of fighting, the German and the British soldiers celebrated Christmas together singing Christmas carols and even holding a Christmas parade. I believe that if the peace of Christ can interrupt wars on Christmas day, then this is a peace that needs to stick around all year round!

And as Christians, we are called to be Christmas people–embodying the peace brought by the Christ child 2000 years ago. Peace is at our fingertips! The prophets scream out across history to us to say “Open your eyes! God is giving you peace right now—take it, take it and spread it! “ Yet, we barely touch fingertips with peace before we turn away, become distracted, and box it up and store it with the decorations for next year. In order to experience the endless peace God gives us, we must commit to being in relationship with God all year round which culminates on Christmas day when we celebrate the birth of our savior—our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. So as you bask in your holiday bliss this Christmas, I invite and challenge you to grab hold of the endless peace of Christ and grapple and grow in it all year round.