The Agony of Christmas
John 1:11
It was time to go Christmas shopping. Having had some unpleasant experiences with late Christmas shopping, I decided to start earlier. As I made my way through the morning traffic in Johnson City, a sidewalk protester came into view. A large placard was in his hands as he stood on the sidewalk in front of a used car dealer. At first I thought he was on strike; but as I came closer the wording of the sign left little doubt as to his protest. The sign read, "If you want a rotten deal, buy a car here."
As I was going my merry way, a fellow pilgrim in life was in misery. He felt that he had been taken by the car dealer. His somber face gave no expression of glad tidings. This experience made me pause and think about Christmas. I came to see that the first Christmas was not without its moments of agony.
Consider with me the agony of Mary and Joseph. Supposed you were a teenage girl and were pregnant and unmarried. Or suppose you were a man engaged to a young lady who suddenly became pregnant. The agony of the circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ was real to those involved. Much soul-searching took place.
Moreover, the young couple are just beginning their home when a tax situation disturbs them. The government wanted more money. Added to that, a trip had to be made to Bethlehem....with a wife nine months pregnant. The trip was not a seventy-five minute drive in a limousine on an interstate highway. A donkey (without Monroe shocks) was to bear the expectant mother. Ladies, imagine riding a donkey to Knoxville, expecting a child anytime!!
More trouble was on the way. "When it rains, it pours." When they arrived at Jerusalem, the inn was full. The innkeeper tried to help. There's no reason to make him a bad man. He could not throw out guests who had arrived earlier. Lodging accommodations were given on first-come basis. This gracious man made available a stable for them. Certainly the stable was not plush; but it was not as far from what people actually lived in as one might think. Nevertheless, it was not ideal.
The joy of the first Christmas came after much agony on the part of Mary and Joseph.
There is also the agony of Herod. His was a different type of agony. His agony came as the result of a possible challenge to his "peaceful" rule. Roman rulers in the Holy Land had their hands full. The situation was explosive. Religious and civil conflict frequently jeopardized a ruler's position. Herod's agony resulted from man's desire to fulfill his selfish will. There is a type of agony that one endures who rebells against God.
The shepherds had their moments of tension. What were they to make of this? Having to deal with reality that is not understood is an agonizing challenge.
And let us not forget the agony of Jesus. On his birthday, we remember more than the cradle scene; we remember his entire life. On Washington's birthday, we do more than think of his actual birth. Instead, we remember the events of his life. On Lincoln's birthday, we remember his childhood, his persistent efforts to win the election, his leadership as our President, etc. So, on Christ's birthday, we recall his life.
As we recall our Lord's life, he was a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." Our text is so descriptive of the agony of our Lord: "He came into his own and his own received him not." God in Christ came and faced rejection! Actually, he was thrown out of his own church (Synagogue) in Nazareth, his home town.
And what Christian could forget the cross? The same, the bitterness of men's hearts and the loneliness of his journey in God's will speak of his agony, his bleeding heart.
So, we come to remember Christmas again. It is good that we think of the joy of Christmas. But a note must not be left out of the Christmas music - the dissonant sound of agony.
This remembrance will challenge those of us who are Christians to go into our worlds to make the Word flesh. Perhaps we will see that it is not enough to sing, "Glory to God in the Highest." We must identify ourselves with the one who came to bring Light to the world. As Jesus came into a hostile world, Christmas challenges us to be humble enough (lose our pride) to be the incarnation of Christ's love and concern. The incarnation is to be forever occurring in the People of God.
Finley Edge in The Greening of the Church tells a story about a lady who became a friend to a wayward young girl. The girl was an alcoholic prostitute. The lady cared for this girl and proved such by encouraging her to go to a mental hospital for help. Having spent a lengthy stay in the hospital, she was released as an outpatient. Where was she to go? No place was left for her but the streets. The lady again offered her help: she could stay with her. All was not to be easy for the lady. Failure interrupted the goal of success. One night, the girl took seriously ill. The lady sat up all night caring for the wayward child. The next morning, the girl looked at her and replied, "Tell me about your God. If you had tried to tell me before, I wouldn't have listened. But since you have not given up on me, maybe I can believe that God hasn't given up on me either."
Making the love of Christmas incarnate is hard. There's agony involved. But we should remember, there is another agony (neither creative or helpful) involved if we don't!
Remembering the agony of Christmas will help us to do a second thing: we will better accept the agony of our discipleship without self-pity.
The irresponsible often pity themselves. As Christians, we were not called of God to seek pity of others upon ourselves! Is our "suffering for Christ" an occasion to call forth the pity of others? Can we accept the challenge to incarnate God's love in a hostile world without sulking and saying, "Look at what they have done to me!?"
Everyone has a tendency to be God. We tend to want everyone to love us, appreciate us, thank us, reward us, and honor us. We are the center of the world. But would not the agony of Christmas challenge this way of thinking? One lives when he dies to self. One is called by God to be obedient, not popular; to be loving, not loved; to appreciate, not to demand appreciation.
The autobiography of J.C. Penny is worthy of your reading. It ought to be required reading for every boy and girl in America. The way this man accepted his responsible role in life glitters with truth worthy of our consideration. Consider one of them.
One evening J.C.'s father took him aside and replied to him, "Jim, I just want you to understand. From now on, you'll be buying your own clothes." He was startled; for you see, J.C. was only 8 years old. Nevertheless, the young lad decided to assume his place of responsibility in the poor family of a Primitive Baptist minister. He started running errands for neighbors. Experiments with raising watermelons and pigs were made. He succeeded in doing the task assigned by his Dad. The absence of self-pity is evident in his willingness to tackle the challenge.
A challenge is before us. We are said by our Lord to be "salt of the earth" and "light of the world." And he said, "And ye shall be witnesses unto me..." As His followers, we have to be open to allow His spirit to be expressed through us to a needy world. If others are to join the chorus of praise unto Him, we will need to be willing to undergo the agony of Christmas.
The word "agony" is related to the Greek word, agonia, a contest. In the contest of life, the giving of self is agonizing. The "thrill of victory" cannot be experienced until the agony of participation in life's struggle is creatively born.
"Christmas," it has been said, "began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man." And it only reaches men's hearts through the "blood, sweat, and tears" of incarnation.
I wish for you the joys of Christmas. But I would not be honest with you unless I added, this joy is illusive unless you are wiling to make the Word flesh in your life.
Christmas' joy and agony are not far apart! It could be that they are one!
Samuel D. Dean
December 3, 1972
First Baptist Church
Jonesboro, TN
It was time to go Christmas shopping. Having had some unpleasant experiences with late Christmas shopping, I decided to start earlier. As I made my way through the morning traffic in Johnson City, a sidewalk protester came into view. A large placard was in his hands as he stood on the sidewalk in front of a used car dealer. At first I thought he was on strike; but as I came closer the wording of the sign left little doubt as to his protest. The sign read, "If you want a rotten deal, buy a car here."
As I was going my merry way, a fellow pilgrim in life was in misery. He felt that he had been taken by the car dealer. His somber face gave no expression of glad tidings. This experience made me pause and think about Christmas. I came to see that the first Christmas was not without its moments of agony.
Consider with me the agony of Mary and Joseph. Supposed you were a teenage girl and were pregnant and unmarried. Or suppose you were a man engaged to a young lady who suddenly became pregnant. The agony of the circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ was real to those involved. Much soul-searching took place.
Moreover, the young couple are just beginning their home when a tax situation disturbs them. The government wanted more money. Added to that, a trip had to be made to Bethlehem....with a wife nine months pregnant. The trip was not a seventy-five minute drive in a limousine on an interstate highway. A donkey (without Monroe shocks) was to bear the expectant mother. Ladies, imagine riding a donkey to Knoxville, expecting a child anytime!!
More trouble was on the way. "When it rains, it pours." When they arrived at Jerusalem, the inn was full. The innkeeper tried to help. There's no reason to make him a bad man. He could not throw out guests who had arrived earlier. Lodging accommodations were given on first-come basis. This gracious man made available a stable for them. Certainly the stable was not plush; but it was not as far from what people actually lived in as one might think. Nevertheless, it was not ideal.
The joy of the first Christmas came after much agony on the part of Mary and Joseph.
There is also the agony of Herod. His was a different type of agony. His agony came as the result of a possible challenge to his "peaceful" rule. Roman rulers in the Holy Land had their hands full. The situation was explosive. Religious and civil conflict frequently jeopardized a ruler's position. Herod's agony resulted from man's desire to fulfill his selfish will. There is a type of agony that one endures who rebells against God.
The shepherds had their moments of tension. What were they to make of this? Having to deal with reality that is not understood is an agonizing challenge.
And let us not forget the agony of Jesus. On his birthday, we remember more than the cradle scene; we remember his entire life. On Washington's birthday, we do more than think of his actual birth. Instead, we remember the events of his life. On Lincoln's birthday, we remember his childhood, his persistent efforts to win the election, his leadership as our President, etc. So, on Christ's birthday, we recall his life.
As we recall our Lord's life, he was a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." Our text is so descriptive of the agony of our Lord: "He came into his own and his own received him not." God in Christ came and faced rejection! Actually, he was thrown out of his own church (Synagogue) in Nazareth, his home town.
And what Christian could forget the cross? The same, the bitterness of men's hearts and the loneliness of his journey in God's will speak of his agony, his bleeding heart.
So, we come to remember Christmas again. It is good that we think of the joy of Christmas. But a note must not be left out of the Christmas music - the dissonant sound of agony.
This remembrance will challenge those of us who are Christians to go into our worlds to make the Word flesh. Perhaps we will see that it is not enough to sing, "Glory to God in the Highest." We must identify ourselves with the one who came to bring Light to the world. As Jesus came into a hostile world, Christmas challenges us to be humble enough (lose our pride) to be the incarnation of Christ's love and concern. The incarnation is to be forever occurring in the People of God.
Finley Edge in The Greening of the Church tells a story about a lady who became a friend to a wayward young girl. The girl was an alcoholic prostitute. The lady cared for this girl and proved such by encouraging her to go to a mental hospital for help. Having spent a lengthy stay in the hospital, she was released as an outpatient. Where was she to go? No place was left for her but the streets. The lady again offered her help: she could stay with her. All was not to be easy for the lady. Failure interrupted the goal of success. One night, the girl took seriously ill. The lady sat up all night caring for the wayward child. The next morning, the girl looked at her and replied, "Tell me about your God. If you had tried to tell me before, I wouldn't have listened. But since you have not given up on me, maybe I can believe that God hasn't given up on me either."
Making the love of Christmas incarnate is hard. There's agony involved. But we should remember, there is another agony (neither creative or helpful) involved if we don't!
Remembering the agony of Christmas will help us to do a second thing: we will better accept the agony of our discipleship without self-pity.
The irresponsible often pity themselves. As Christians, we were not called of God to seek pity of others upon ourselves! Is our "suffering for Christ" an occasion to call forth the pity of others? Can we accept the challenge to incarnate God's love in a hostile world without sulking and saying, "Look at what they have done to me!?"
Everyone has a tendency to be God. We tend to want everyone to love us, appreciate us, thank us, reward us, and honor us. We are the center of the world. But would not the agony of Christmas challenge this way of thinking? One lives when he dies to self. One is called by God to be obedient, not popular; to be loving, not loved; to appreciate, not to demand appreciation.
The autobiography of J.C. Penny is worthy of your reading. It ought to be required reading for every boy and girl in America. The way this man accepted his responsible role in life glitters with truth worthy of our consideration. Consider one of them.
One evening J.C.'s father took him aside and replied to him, "Jim, I just want you to understand. From now on, you'll be buying your own clothes." He was startled; for you see, J.C. was only 8 years old. Nevertheless, the young lad decided to assume his place of responsibility in the poor family of a Primitive Baptist minister. He started running errands for neighbors. Experiments with raising watermelons and pigs were made. He succeeded in doing the task assigned by his Dad. The absence of self-pity is evident in his willingness to tackle the challenge.
A challenge is before us. We are said by our Lord to be "salt of the earth" and "light of the world." And he said, "And ye shall be witnesses unto me..." As His followers, we have to be open to allow His spirit to be expressed through us to a needy world. If others are to join the chorus of praise unto Him, we will need to be willing to undergo the agony of Christmas.
The word "agony" is related to the Greek word, agonia, a contest. In the contest of life, the giving of self is agonizing. The "thrill of victory" cannot be experienced until the agony of participation in life's struggle is creatively born.
"Christmas," it has been said, "began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man." And it only reaches men's hearts through the "blood, sweat, and tears" of incarnation.
I wish for you the joys of Christmas. But I would not be honest with you unless I added, this joy is illusive unless you are wiling to make the Word flesh in your life.
Christmas' joy and agony are not far apart! It could be that they are one!
Samuel D. Dean
December 3, 1972
First Baptist Church
Jonesboro, TN
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