Have I got a story for you!

A good story

I don’t know about you, but I love a good story.

You know, the Stuart McLean kind of story, where you can picture the events happening. You can picture Dave booking into a hotel to cook the Christmas dinner for Morley.

Or maybe the Garrison Keillor kind of story, where you can picture Lake Wobegon — the quiet waters of the lake.

Or maybe even the J.K. Rowlings kind of story, where you can picture the fantastic beasts that fill the skies, and the magic of the words on the page come alive in ways that you never knew before.

There’s a different kind of quality to those types of stories. We’re willing to set aside the rational beliefs that we have, in order to enter into those stories.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t read enough of those stories — stories that take me to another time and place, and yet ground me right here and now where I am.

The good news

Isn’t the purpose of the “Good News of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ” supposed to ground me right here and now, where I am, and yet express something that has been happening since the dawn of time, and will continue to happen until the end of time?

Yet we don’t read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as we do McLean, Keillor, and Rowlings.

Why not?

Because the Bible is too important to be compared to fiction?

Because if we don’t believe in the literal words of the bible, we don’t have true faith?

Because these are historical accounts that we know existed, and the other stories aren’t?

Suspending belief ...

Tonight, we read the story of the birth of Jesus. In order for this story to have meaning for you — for me — we must suspend part of our belief. We believe in science — we believe we know how people get pregnant — we believe we know how children are safely born — and this story contradicts those beliefs.

We must suspend the scientific and analytical part of our brain in order to fully enter into this story. We have to suspend the belief that science is the answer to everything.

to become like children ...

As I get older, I become less like the kid that I remember being. I get worried about bills, and progress, my career, my health, safety in travelling, the state of my health, the state of the house, eating the right foods, getting enough exercise, supporting others enough … and the list goes on ...

None of those were concerns when I was a kid.

Not that my parents were rich or handled their money particularly well — they didn’t.

Not that I had the perfect bill of health either — seizures as a two year old meant I was followed very carefully medically.

Not that I ate the right food, or got enough exercise to be an athlete — I didn’t.

But none of those things mattered.

Why?

Well, mostly because I trusted that things would work out. Not having what my friends had, not being able to do all the things my friends did, just weren’t big concerns, because I was too busy being a kid — and having fun (for the most part)

We have a story of Jesus saying;

John 3:3 NRSV

Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”

And here we are tonight celebrating again the birth of Jesus.

Often we talk about our need to receive Jesus into our hearts at this time — to prepare room for him as there was no room for him in the inn — to be like the shepherds or angels, or Joseph, or Mary

But tonight, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Christmas — in the midst of the long list of things still to be done — in the midst of the longer list of things that probably won’t be done — maybe tonight, we need to talk about things a little differently.

In another story, Jesus said;

Luke 18:17 NRSV

Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

Maybe tonight, we need to picture ourselves as the Christ child — laying in the manger — cared for by Mary and Joseph, the angels, the shepherds …

Maybe tonight, we need to trust that all will work out ...

Maybe tonight, we need to stop worrying about all the things done and not done ...

For, if we can enter into this world we like in like a new born babe, and suspend our cynical beliefs that the world works in a certain way;

if we can trust in others,

if we can look for the magic

if we can look for the peace

if we can look for something new being created

then this story will take on a whole new life — one that has been around since the dawn of time and will be around until time ends — one that grounds us in there here and now, and yet expresses something eternal — one that asks us to believe again like a child — open to what is yet to come

So ponder these words, treasure them, hear God speaking to you, and know that you are loved

For that is the greatest story ever told … and for that we give thanks.