Good Tidings of Great Joy Which Shall Be to All People

In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the Empire should be enrolled in the tax list. This first enrollment occurred when quintarius govern Syria everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. Since Joseph belong to David's house and family line. He went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David City called Bethlehem in Judea. He went to be enrolled together with Mary who was promised to him in marriage and he was pregnant.

While they were there the time came for Mary to have her baby. She gave birth to her firstborn child a son wrapped him snuggly and laid him in a Manger because there was no place for them in the guest room.

Nearby Shepherds were living in the field guarding their sheep at night. The Lord's Angel stood before them in the Lord's Glory Shone around them and they were terrified. The angel said don't be afraid look I bring good news to you. Wonderful. Joyous news for all people.

Your savior is born today in David City. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you. You will find a newborn baby wrap snugly and lying in a Manger. Suddenly a great assembly of the Heavenly forces with with the angel praising God. They said glory to God in heaven and on Earth peace among them who those papers. When the Angels Return To Heaven, the Shepherds said to each other let's go right now to Bethlehem and see what happened. Let's confirm What the Lord Has revealed to us. They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the manger when they saw this they reported what they had been told about this child. Everyone who heard it with a maze and what the Shepherds told them. Mary committed these things to memory and consider them carefully. The Shepherds returned home glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.

When eight days have passed Jesus's parents circumcised him and gave him the name Jesus. This was the name given to him by the angel before he was conceived. When the time came for the ritual cleansing in accordance with the law from Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. It's written in the law of the Lord. Every first born male will be dedicated to the Lord.

They offer the sacrifice in keeping with what stated in the law of the Lord a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons. A man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. He was righteous and devout. He eagerly anticipated the restoration of Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him. The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he wouldn't die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Led by the spirit. He went into the temple area. Meanwhile, Jesus's parents brought the child to the temple so that they could do what was customary under the law. Simeon took Jesus and his arm and praise God. He said now Master let your servant go in peace according to your word because my eyes have seen your salvation you prepared the Salvation in the presence of All Peoples. It's a light for Revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for your People Israel. If father and mother were Amazed by what was said about him. Simeon blessed them and said to marry his mother this boy is assigned to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that generates opposition. Cuz at the inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your innermost being too.

There was also a prophet Anna the daughter of phanuel who belong to the tribe of Asher. She was very old after she married. She lived with her husband for 7 years. She was now an 84 year old widow. She never left the temple area but worshipped god with fasting and prayer night and day. She approached at that very moment and began to praise God and to speak about Jesus to everyone who was looking forward to the Redemption of Jerusalem.

When Mary and Joseph had completed everything required by the law of the Lord. They return to their Hometown Nazareth in Galilee. The child grew up and became strong. He was filled with wisdom and God's favor was on him.

Those of you who have been attending Services here for a while may already know this but I came to the church relatively late. I need my bring up. My family was Catholic have non-practicing Catholic and I went to Catholic Services every now and then and I went to services at Methodist and Lutheran and Baptist churches with my friends and I went to Services of the Jewish synagogue with my friends as well. But it wasn't until really I was already an adult with a family of my own that I came to the church in Earnest and began studying in earnest. And it was because really because I found this interpretation of Christianity that was so different from what I had experienced previously both of the general culture kind of in and in those visits and I have gone on to the churches of my friends families. I was growing up. Cuz every time I went to the churches of my friends family is growing up. I always heard that. God's salvation in Jesus was only for some people it was only for the people whom God had chosen to be saved.

And this idea was just so difficult for me. To to make peace with very well to understand to comprehend to accept given my own experiences in my understanding of the nature of God and everything. That wasn't until I was in The UU the attarian Universalist Ministry program studying at the Unitarian Universalist Seminary when I discovered the the original Universalist Church in America. And began reading the Universalist Christian Publications that I could find both from before the merger of The UU churches. And since that time that there has been a continuing publication at going on yoga. How you you Christian Association? and it was until I started reading those things that I really began to think maybe maybe Christianity is for me after all and it wasn't until I found a church in the area that really embraced the idea that that God loves and then salvation through Jesus Christ comes to all people not just a thumb but to all and that everyone is invited just the way they are that God loves you. Just the way you are God meets you where you are.

Wasn't I found a church that really embraced those things and lived them in their in their life. Not just said them out loud that I really came to the church. And I think that's probably true for a good number of people. I think there are a lot of people who leave the the Christian Church of their childhood because of these messages they hear about damnation and about hate and About Us Versus Them. The saved and the unsaved and whatnot.

And many of those folks who leave they just leave they never come back. Some find other religious Traditions that work better for them. I'm sure this is part of why Western Buddhism has has grown in the US in the last 50 years outside of of those who brought it from their native countries, of course, but the kind of uniquely Western uniquely American understanding of Buddhism that is that is growing there. I'm sure that's why people come all time to UU churches, for example, or I or II Unity churches It's pretty thin kind of reason. I've certainly when I was serving uu churches. I saw that a lot. I saw a lot of people who came. I don't think of hurt who did want to hear anyting about Christianity, but wanted to have a religious community to be a part of

when I was in seminary after I had really embraced Christianity and I had started my studies to become a Christian minister. And I was back in Austin in seminary. I decided to start taking part in the Austin Pride Parade every year. It's so I would go and I would dress up in my my clear goals and my collar in my stole. And I would walk in the pride parade. And it wasn't just me there there was a group of us that would all go in to see the reaction from people with was so amazing and we would walk along you know, and and we were just we just had signs that said, you know, God loves you and things like that and very simple stuff and and people would you know, what would cheer for us and we would like at member one time we can run a corner and and there was this guy on the side of the parade and he liked called me over and he just gave me a big hug, you know, and it was obviously and he had this hurt if its own probably growing up in a in a home where he was not welcome because of who he was. in a church, that didn't welcome him because of who he was so to see somebody and somebody specifically who looks like the the kind of people who would normally be pushing him away to see somebody like that welcoming in and telling him that the God loved him was great. Joy for him, I think and for a lot of people and that's why I did the walk if I did the March because the parade because it was It was important to remind people that this idea that that God's love and God's salvation through Jesus is for all people not just for some. I think it's the the great truth of Christianity that has been so lost and neglected and pushed away in the history of the church, you know largely in.

Along with the largely in the in the goal of have control of some kind right one of the reasons why you say US versus them and that you want to separate yourself from the world. You want to separate yourself from the other people you want to create a group of people which don't matter as much as you do. Do you say when we are the Saved and they're not. And oh If Only They would change their ways. They might be safe to you. But the truth is that we are all children of God and God loves us all.

so The ring today and it was It was kind of long. Are we doing today? It's from the second chapter of Luke do in the first chapter, which was our our meeting last week. Luke talks about the Angels coming to Mary and telling me that she's going to have a baby and explaining the baby Jesus and that you'll be very special and also the before the angels of God come to Mary's relatives to tell them about that the birth of John John the Baptist who will lead the way for Jesus.

and so here we can continue that story with Joseph and Mary being having to go from their home in Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem for the census so they can be counted by the government. And when they get there, they you know, they don't they don't have a home there until they look for somewhere to stay and it's very crowded because everyone is Coming For The Senses Into the the ends of the places that people would stay are all full and I can't find any room and so they they end up in a Manger or in a in a stable life and how it's put likely this was actually kind of like the first floor where the animals are brought in out of the cold, but but it wasn't like a separate building like out a separately. It was just where they would have had a room to put someone up in an in an extra bad kind of thing. So they are there in this display send from our text today. We can see the Mary and Joseph are very poor when they go later in the year in the reading when they go to give an offering at the temple instead of taking a lamb which would be able to put the the law of Moses requires. They take two doves which is the with a lot of the says know if you're not able to bring a lamb then you can bring these instead. This is like the the less expensive option for the for the sacrifice so that we can help you all these things. If you're through the way that they are but they stay in the manger through the the bringing of the of the Meeker gifts for the offering we can we can tell that their teeth are not well-to-do people. These are either very Very average people living average lives that God has has tapped to be something more than average.

So anyway, so Mary have the baby and then the Angels appear to the Shepherds and silver you get this I would get this these various storms Angels We Have We Have Heard On High is an example of one of the songs of the Angel appearing to the shepherd's at the Shepherds were watching their flocks and telling them, you know, look we bring you Tidings of great joy that will be to all people for on this day is born to you in the city of David a savior is Christ the lord. And it'll be a sign on to you. You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a Manger. The famous speech that Linus gives in the Peanuts Christmas special.

And this is also a big deal because Shepherds were also. Not well-to-do people the Angels didn't come to the Kings and to the the religious Elite and announced the coming of Jesus. They came to the Shepherds to the to the everyday people the people of the land to the the regular Joe. So they appear to And they told them to come in and and worship and Beak be joyful. And again in this in this verse we see they say that they will be a joy to all people not much at the Somme not just Israel. but to all people

and then the second reading that we read it comes later for after Jesus born on the 8th day. It was the law that all Jewish males should be circumcised. And so Mary and Joseph who were very very good kind of practicing Jews of their other time. They go to the temple in Jerusalem to have their boys circumcised. and while they're there they give an offering this is a little off because the the the offering is not for Jesus, but it's it's really it's it's the

the purification offering for Mary because when in the Jewish tradition when a woman give birth she was ritually unclean for a. Of time afterwards and I you would after that time with over you would go and give this purification offering and really it should have been more than 30 days. I think it's like 33 days or something. So there is a little bit of discrepancy here. I think it's important. You know, we we have this idea in in Western culture specially in kind of American and British culture this idea of in the in the common culture of Christmas Eve and it and if we see the the receive Mary and Joseph riding on a donkey into Bethlehem going from place to place looking for somewhere to stay not being able to stay anywhere getting put in a barn with the animals having to put their their baby in in the food trough the manger because there was nowhere else to put the baby. They didn't have any furniture there. And then there they're sitting there and then the the the wise men come from afar following the star and they they come to visit the baby in the brain gif. I'm just getting everyone is coming around the baby Heritage looking for the child. I am to the wise men Escape by another way and then because they're dealing with a child that got comes in at got nothing here comes in the night and in tell Joseph to flee to Egypt and Joseph and gets married and they flee in the night to Egypt and that's kind of the story we have in our heads all one narrative and then there is the Shepherds and the shepherd's coming in and everything. But the truth is that of the four gospels two of them. Don't say anything at all about the birth of Jesus and the other two have conflicting stories and it's not that there that they're wrong is that they're telling That one of them is is this correct in one of those not or that something like that in there. That's the three can be can be worked together. The point is that in our culture and our mind we had this idea that that has come about over many years and people who haven't actually read the text may not realize that it's not exactly the way it that we see it on TV and and shows and things

so

the point I'm trying to make is is that the text where reading is from Luke and Luke is writing to Christians who are living in Rome when he writes the text and so he has a very specific audience and he's telling a story. He's telling a biography biography of Jesus in the style of Greek writing at the time and so The the ancient historians were not as interested in exact facts as we are today as historian. So they were not interested in in is this exactly the order of events? You know, what exactly happened where you where you got to go there much more interested and efficiently Skates of telling a story and Lux telling a theological story talking about why Jesus is is the Son of God why Jesus is the Messiah and so he hit all of the storytelling is in that vein it so he's he's Maybe leaving out details. You need to be getting Order of Things incorrect, but that doesn't matter cuz then he's telling A story and overall story that is all of the feed into the greater narrative. So we shouldn't get caught up on that on the detail. For example, the senses that he talks about. I don't think I've read said that that stuff is actually took place something like five years after Jesus's birth. But at the time that Luke writing that the gospels everyone knows about this since it was such a big deal is a big pain it was seeing as you know, what has Rome having too much control over the populace and all these kinds of things that so people would know what it was. And so what he was talking about him telling the story it would it would be in a well-known event. If he could talk about as kind of a way to to remind people of win the story takes place is generally speaking, even if it's not exactly at the right time, so we shouldn't take The story too too too. Literally, we should take it from a spiritual theological perspective more than one.

so After Jesus is circumcised in the temple. He runs into two different prophets. And I think it's really cool here to see that one of the prophets is a man and one of the prophets is a woman because I think people tend to forget that there were lots of female prophets and Israel, but they both tell the family that that uses the special and they both tell the family that that you know, Jesus as the Messiah and other things. It was just a continuation before Jesus is born. We have people talking about how Jesus will be will be wondering special and wonderful, and then after Jesus was born that we could continue that that Line of authority right to the point is that other people besides Jesus's family recognized that Jesus was special.

So now it's kind of a poor transition because I want to go over the text and I want to I want to teach and improve your understanding of the of the text especially especially the Christmas text because I don't think they're well-known by kind of the average Christian. I had I think that they kind of get brushed over instead of rent in depth But back to the to the point of my sermon at whole which is good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. so one of the things that that this text says is that the The Good Tidings will be to all people not just some people not just is real but to all people and it comes up a couple of time you it comes up in that when the angels are attacking sonar translation. It says I bring good news to you. Wonderful. Joyous news for all peeper people your savior is born today in David City. He is Christ the lord.

And then later when when Simeon is is holding Jesus and talking about him. he says You've prepared this salvation in the presence of All Peoples, you're the light for Revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for your People Israel. So he's again and he is holding up this idea. That is for all people all people.

so

The Parlor make yours is about a thing for all people. When did this this is been the Christmas season and we've all been really busy we're dead wrench in our Christmas plans. I'm sure and everyone's Christmas plans ours included being in Japan being thousands of miles away from most of our family, you know, no one could come this year last year. We had someone coming and their family come and visit me and we got to see people this year. We had to do everything over resume or or phone calls. And for a lot of folks whose families are much closer. It was the same. I think a lot of folks had to had to have family gatherings over resume or they tried their best to have a safe and in-person Gathering as I could.

but in this time of Christmas we often have this this experience of returning home. We have people who come together to to be with their family, you know, when you're older and you you're you're out of your parents home and you have your own family. You don't go and see your parents that often. A lot of people only see their parents once or twice a year, especially if they live far away. It is the same with lots of family aunts and uncles and everybody and The the the problem of family coming back together is that when we live apart for so long? We we tend to change we tend to alter our beliefs and understandings of things that are our position changed. And so when we come back together, we we fall back into Old Habits we fall back into old ways of being together and we we tend to argue when we tend to to get into fights with people. This is really common. This is so common during Christmas and Thanksgiving that there are jokes about it all over the media. You know, I don't know how many of you might watch Saturday Night Live but they they sometimes have jokes about this. You know that going back to the home and the family arguing over various political issues and things but I think that when I see far too often is the people forget. That the thing that caught ask for first is love. It's a love one another.

We see a lot of people arguing to see like a fighting. We see people cutting out their family members because of the way they behave and I just think it's a shame. I read a story this week about a mother whose whose daughter came out as transgender. And when when the mother told her father pay in preparation for going to her father's house for Christmas dinner when the mother told her father that her daughter was Now using she her pronouns and and had a new name. And it wasn't it wasn't like what do you think of this? It was like this is how it is. We want you to know and she told her father, you know, we know people make mistakes just try your best and it you know, it's okay to make mistakes. Don't worry about it. We're just going to try and her father's response was

Not pleasant shall we say and he Uninvited her and her family from the Christmas dinner? over this and her her mother ended up bringing them Christmas dinner anyway, and leaving her father alone in the house on Christmas 2 to be upset, I guess. and then later on this ended up in the dissolution of their marriage, you know, it's been several years and that the family haven't talked to each other all of this over something that is Relatively so simple so so basic such a small ask just to call someone what they want to be called.

We can let our fear we can let our are political beliefs we can let our hate become a barrier between us and those we love and I hope that in this Christmas season. You are able to to work pasta things and to see that God's love is for all people that we are all beloved children of God.

And to come together with those whom you love and be with them and whatever you can over resume whatever you can is so important. Not to let these.

small things that come up in the name of religion. Keep you from being with those that you love.

Anyway, I think that was a bit of a Meandering sermon. So I apologize but it's been on my mind and I thought that the reading today really hit home for me about Good Tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people the good news of Jesus is it Jesus came into the world for all of us? And God coming into the world and living the human life and understanding what it means to be a human being.

all of that is wrapped up in this idea of the birth to a human mother in a very human way and you know in a small town in the middle of nowhere, I mean What more ordinary way to live than that?

So may God's blessing Be Good Tidings of great. Joy for all people this Christmas for you as well. I'm in.