Let’s Get Real This Christmas
Free Community Church
December 20, 2009

I have been studying the origins of the Jesus Movement in preparing this sermon about what really happened at the First Christmas. Hence my sermon title: “Let’s Get Real This Christmas.” Not virtual – sugary, syrupy, sentimental, superficial Christmas. Not what someone has described as a consumer Christmas - buying and giving gifts that we do not need; drinking and gorging glorious food that we should not do. Accumulating things that cluttered our earth, depleted the limited natural resources, caused climate change and polluted the environment. Consumerism has catered to our selfish greed and not our actual need. Christmas is a time for each one of us to remind ourselves to be serious about our lives and values and to be aware of our common precarious future, to make the commitment to change and to seek an alternative future.

Let’s begin and look at the people around the manger on what we regard to be the first Christmas night in Bethlehem.

We have the baby Jesus, Mary sitting and Joseph standing next to her and the donkey, the shepherds and their sheep gathered around and the Three Wise Men bearing gift boxes and the three camels A tableau of the Adoration of the Christ Child - depicting the traditional Christmas stories or legends from the Bible.

The Four Gospels are more theological than historical. Each presented its perspective and interpretation for his audience. They view the same events from different lenses. When I read the earliest Gospel of Mark which most critical scholars claim was written in 70 AD for the Greek speaking non-Jews, the story of Jesus birth is not there.

When I read the Gospel of John which was directed to Jews and Gentiles acquainted with Greek philosophy and written in 90-100 AD, the nativity story is also missing.

When I read the letters of Paul which were written earlier than the Gospels, there is no mention of the birth stories.

When I read the Gospel of Matthew which was written by the converted Jewish-Christian around 70-100 AD, there is no story of the shepherds. On the other hand, the Gospel of Luke written by a Gentile Christian in around 80-90 AD, no Three Wise Men following the Star appeared. We are the ones that put the Three Wise Men and the shepherds arriving together at the manger. Matthew and Luke are the only two that carried the nativity stories. They both had Mark to refer to as well as the Lost Sayings known simple as the letter Q for source,

Another Gospel which was not included in our Bible was discovered as late as 1945 known as the Gospel of Thomas - a Coptic version of a Gospel which has only sayings and no historical narrative of Jesus that resemble the Jesus sayings in the Four Gospels but no nativity story. The date of this Gospel varies from the time of the Four Gospels to the later date of the 2nd century.

The stories about Jesus were circulating at the beginning by word of mouth in what is called the Oral Tradition for almost forty years after the Crucifixion before they were written down in Greek. They were only gossiping the gospel from the very beginning. Jesus was an illiterate and he spoke in Aramaic.

The conclusion is that depending upon which Gospel you want to agree with there is either no manger scene or a different portrayal of it between Luke and Mathew. Matthew was attempting to historicize ancient Jewish prophecy. The Four Gospels are interpretations of Jesus and they come to us as portraits rather than photos of Jesus. The real fact that we can be sure is that Jesus was born of Mary. Information about his infancy and childhood are extremely limited. It is incontestable real human life in this real world.
The study of the historical Jesus in the Gospels must be supplemented by secular sources especially from Josephus (AD 37 – c. 100), a widely recognized Jewish historian. Josephus's two most important scholarly works are The Jewish War (c. 75) and Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94). The Jewish War recorded the Jewish revolt against Rome (66–70). Antiquities of the Jews narrated the history of the world from a Jewish perspective. They described the social and political history in which the birth of Jesus was embedded.
Josephus was a priest and military leader in Galilee who fought the Romans in the First Jewish-Roman War of 66–73 AD. He was captured but later gained favour with the Roman authorities and granted the coveted Roman Citizenship

The important fact is that his secular work mentioned the existence of Jesus who is the brother of James who was crucified. He did not write about the birth of Christ.

There are other important personalities identified in the stories of the Nativity. Briefly The Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus who issued the decree, according to Luke "that all the world should be taxed." (KJV Luke 2:1.) Other translations say "that all the world should be registered" (NRS) or "that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world" (NIV).

Herod Antipas was appointed by the Roman Emperor as Tetrarch or local ruler of Galilee during the whole life of Jesus, He ruled from
4B.C. to 39A.D. He is mentioned a number of times in the gospel. His divorce and subsequent marriage to Herodias (his niece and the former wife of his half-brother) was criticized by John the Baptist whose head was severed and placed on a platter.
According to Luke, a population census was taken for tax purposes in 6/7 AD during the reign of the Emperor Augustus who was appointed Guirinius governor of Syria. But Matthew places the birth about a decade earlier (c. 4 BC), during the rule of Herod Antipas. Many scholars agree that Luke made a mistake.
The Roman Emperor and their local officials, governors, and the appointed High Priests form the political and religious establishment who ruled over the people. In referring to them they help in setting the dates of the birth of Jesus.
The Gospel stories are basically religious documents with interpretations of Jesus, each one with similarities and differences, and not meant to give a biography of Jesus nor a historical account of that period. However they influence the gossips and the shaping of the Christian faith. The message is culturally conditioned and historical determined even though they all claim to be divine revelations from Yahweh to inspired human beings.
As religious documents they do not cover all aspects of life and especially the political, economic and social. So we have the branch of study to complement what is written in the Gospels to fill out the religious story of the birth and the life of Jesus in order that we can get real about the life of Jesus in the social setting in his own Jewish community and in the Roman Empire. We cannot emasculate Jesus by de-politicizing or domesticating Him to remain only in sacred space and leave Him out of the secular arena. In fact Jesus was rarely seen in the sacred precincts of the Temple and left home and family wandering around the rural villages of Galilee most of his life.
In 4 B.C. there occurred yet another in a long series of protests, riots, revolts, rebellion, uprisings, insurrections and wars of the Jews against their Roman rulers. Josephus recorded that in that year, Judas a social bandit (Robin Hood) led villagers in Galilee to attack the fortress in Sepphoris. They took back what the Herodian officials had taken from the villagers - goods related to taxes and foreclosures on loans that the rebels viewed as belonging rightfully to the people.
Life under an oppressive and authoritarian government will always foster conflicts and antagonisms. Living under a colonial or authoritarian form of government will naturally engender opposition and violence. Those were revolutionary times with violent uprisings and social upheavals before and after the first Christmas.
The Roman Conquerors exacted tributes. The local governors collected taxes. The religious hierarchy commanded tithes and offerings. Galilee was an agricultural area. The Galileans had to pay and pay and pay these three levels of taxation out of the meager produce from their land. The rate of taxation was high and many farmers were compelled to sell their land and resorted to renting land. When they could not pay their rent they become landless workers and many were sold or conscripted as slaves. Others took to social banditry and plain robbery.
Joseph was reputed to be a carpenter and therefore classified as an artisan around Nazareth, one social rank above the farmer. In his time Herod Antipas was building a new cosmopolitan city of Sepphoris about four miles north of Nazareth. He must have worked in building this city that grew to a population of 30,000. Jesus later must have worked in the city too. From the taxes of the people the new city was built to honour their Emperor. Can you imagine what thoughts went through Joseph’s mind that night with another mouth to feed and taxes to pay. It is strange that Sepphoris was never mentioned in the Gospels and it can safely be assumed that Jesus was no country pumpkin but one knowledgeable about life in the city. Jesus in his teaching referred to the opulent and extravagant lifestyle of the city folk, fine apparel and lavish feastings, debts and repayment, robbers and social bandits, labourers and wages in his parables.
What was the hope of Mary and Joseph on that first Christmas. Prior to the birth and what is called the Annunciation, Luke wrote that an angel had announced to Mary that she will bear a son and call him Jesus:
He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end.
This cannot be anything else but a political announcement which will fulfill the hopes of the faithful Jews like Joseph and Mary living under Roman domination and harbouring the hope of the restoration of the former rule by King David.
Luke composed this Song of Mary known as the Magnificat which included these verses
He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away,
This is certainly a manifesto for revolution and liberation from Roman captivity like their ancestors from Pharoah and other pagan Kings that conquered Israel in the past.
Then when the angel appeared to the shepherds in the fields they along with the heavenly hosts singing in the midnight air:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will among men.
This is the message of hope that the wretched of the earth, the tired, the lonely and the weary need.
When these shepherds stood before Joseph and Mary they reported what they saw and heard; Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. How is Jesus going to realize the hope of their people like the shepherds and the wise men in the midst of their suffering. How can they offer peace and goodwill to all. In our time we need peace and goodwill just as much if not more. Let’s get real this Christmas in proclaiming the Christmas message which brings hope.
When the Three Wise Men from the East came with the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh before the Christ Child they symbolize the valuable gold for the King, the rare incense for the priest, and the anointing oil for His death. Proclamation is easy but fulfillment of hope is difficult down to the centuries. Let us get real this Christmas in acts of costly sacrificial love.
Jesus was given different options of mission and ministry available in his time among His people in that period. They were in their social and political history people movements resulting in boycotts, demonstrations, riots and wars which were swiftly suppressed by the overwhelming might of the Roman power. He could no longer depend upon his own religious leaders who were already co-opted to overcome the Roman oppression.
The distinctive and significant feature of Jesus ministry and mission was to develop an alternative community. The villagers responded to the call and regarded it as a new teaching given with authority. He invited the people in the villages to follow Him to join this community. It is not catering to the ruling elite and the economic czars. It is through giving special attention or preferential option to the poor and oppressed. He offered the guidelines of living under the rule of God. He called this alternative the Kingdom of God. It is a different kingdom from the Roman kingdom. It is not built through violence and warfare, control and domination. He was realistic and aware of the limitations of power. The change is achieved through acts of mercy and compassion, freedom and equality.
It is to bring to real life the prophetic tradition of Micah where “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid.”
The alternative community to that of the Greek/Roman which Jesus initiated calls for conversion of the individual and the transformation of society. Personal and social change was advocated. In advancing alternative values and forming authentic creative Christian community, we will find we are usually in a minority as was the Jesus movement. Jesus not only preached but exemplified in this own life what he preached. Message and the messenger must be in synergy with one another. He had to make personal sacrifices to validate His ministry. This is the challenge that which Jesus accepted and the first Christmas embodied. This is the Jesus movement that was initiated and continues in our time.
N. T. Wright, Anglican Bishop of Durham and an evangelical New Testament scholar ended his Christmas sermon with these stirring words which I did not expect him to do.
“Jesus’ birth is not an invitation to a private religion into which we can escape and feel cozy, but a summons to us, as it was to his first followers, to sign on under his authority, to celebrate the birth of the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and to work under that authority for the growth of his promised kingdom of endless peace, of justice and righteousness…
Christmas is about God acting in the real world. It’s about people who go out into the world and make a difference in the name of Jesus. It’s about people like you. I am praying that God will call several of you here not only to trust him for yourselves, to come to know him in and through his incarnate Son, but also to put your shoulder to the wheel, to work in prayer and faith, and social and political skill, to carry forward the work of the kingdom that was launched at the first Christmas.”

This is a powerful and enlightened message from an evangelical leader whom we associate usually with private and personal religion and not public faith and social responsibility.

Just as Jesus ministry was related to the hopes and aspirations of the rural people living under Roman rule, we individually and in the FCC community are to relate to the victims of our present systems of domination. We are challenged to witness in the different situations in our homes, workplace and in our society. We are to labour to the end that we can restore peace wherever there is conflict and bring about goodwill wherever there is hatred. We are called to sacrifice in order to realize the hopes and expectations of our people. Let us begin by enhancing our faith, enriching our spirits, esteeming ourselves, electing a responsible lifestyle especially sexual, engaging in HIV/Aids ministry, enabling migrant workers, empowering the poor and embracing Sista Magdalene so that others may see we are Christians by our inclusive love.

Are these enough? No. Most of you will agree with me. We need to intensify these initiatives already taken. We must do more. There are people out there wailing and lamenting, crying for help. Let us work further in developing wider areas of concern, touching with our hands the lives of people, making a difference to them and to ourselves in our private and public faith as responsible Christians and faithful members of FCC. It is not just doctrine but the lifestyle stemming from what we believe and demolishing the stereotype of the gay lifestyle.

We as a church have a mission to help GLBT people in reconciling with their sexual orientation. We must further guide our community to adopt a lifestyle in all aspects following the example that Jesus set before us. Let us be like these stars shining above us and go out into the world to shine “to give light to those who sit in darkness…to guide their feet into the way of peace” and to offer hope to those who dwell in despair. There is no room at the inn at Bethlehem this Christmas as the city's hotels are fully booked, something mayor Victor Batarseh. "We need peace … From this little town of Bethlehem, I ask for all the free world to put pressure on Israel to … stop building settlements and accept peace.”
Therefore, let us take off our lenses and our masks that we are wearing outside and even inside the Church. Let’s get real this Christmas