Christmas1C06G
CHRISTMAS 1 C
Some years ago, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article by Dr. Paul Ruskin on the “Stages of Aging.” In the article, Dr. Ruskin described a case study he had presented to his students when teaching a class in medical school. He described the case study patient under his care like this:
“The patient neither speaks nor comprehends the spoken word. Sometimes she babbles incoherently for hours on end. She is disoriented about person, place, and time. She does, however, respond to her name… I have worked with her for the past six months, but she still shows complete disregard for her physical appearance and makes no effort to assist her own care. She must be fed, bathed, and clothed by others.
“Because she has no teeth, her food must be pureed. Her shirt is usually soiled from almost incessant drooling. She does not walk. Her sleep pattern is erratic. Often she wakes in the middle of the night and her screaming awakens others. Most of the time she is friendly and happy, but several times a day she gets quite agitated without apparent cause. Then she wails until someone comes to comfort her.”
After presenting the class with this challenging case, Dr. Ruskin then asked his students if any of them would like to volunteer to take care of this person. No one volunteered. Then Dr. Ruskin said, “I’m surprised that none of you offered to help, because actually she is my favorite patient. I get immense pleasure from taking care of her… and I am learning so much from her. She has taught me a depth of gratitude I never knew before. She has taught me the spirit of unwavering trust. And she has taught me the power of unconditional love.” Then Dr. Ruskin said, “Let me show you her picture.” He pulled out the picture and passed it around. It was the photo of his six-month-old baby daughter.
Now, I like that story for several reasons. For one thing, it shows us the importance of perspective. And it shows us how essential it is to have all the facts before we make a decision. It reminds us too, that our children have so much to teach us… if we will tune in and pay attention. But also, it reminds me of this dramatic scene in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus lingers behind as a 12-year-old boy and gets separated from His family for three days. Eventually they find Him in the Temple discussing theology with the rabbis.
Now, can you imagine the state of panic His parents must have been in by then? But, He says to them, “Didn’t you know that I would be here doing my Father’s work?” This is our first clue that Jesus is growing up and becoming a man… a man with a sacred and special mission.
Joseph and Mary and Jesus, and a caravan of family and friends, had come to Jerusalem for the mandatory festival call Passover. In those days, a Jewish boy became a man when he was 12 years old. Up to that point the boy could ride spiritually on his parents’ coattails. But, at 12 years of age, a Jewish boy was considered a son of the law and had to take the obligations of the law upon himself. So at 12, Jesus for the first time came to Passover and participated as a man. When His parents started the trek back home, 12-year-old Jesus stayed behind caught up in the theological discussions for the first time.
Why didn’t Mary and Joseph miss Him? It was not through carelessness. What probably happened was this: Usually the women in the caravan would start out earlier because they traveled more slowly… and also so they could begin the evening meal. Remember it was a patriarchal society back then. The men would come later to the campsite. It was Jesus’ first Passover, so obviously Joseph thought He was with Mary… and Mary thought He was with Joseph. Not until the evening camp (a full day’s journey away from Jerusalem) did they miss Him. They rushed back (worried sick, I’m sure) and found Him three days later in the Temple.
He thought they would know that He would be doing exactly what they had taught Him… to be a person of deep faith. Of course, the story is also a foreshadowing. It is here to remind us that Jesus has come into this world to be the Savior of the world.
Now, we can imagine that as Jesus was growing up, His parents taught Him many good lessons about life and faith… but imagine, too, the powerful lessons they must have learned from Him. Our children have so much to teach us. With that in mind, let’s think together for a few moments about the great lessons our children are teaching us. There are many of course. Let me mention three of them.
FIRST OF ALL, THERE IS GRATITUDE. Some years ago in a Midwestern town a little boy was born blind. His mother and father were heartsick, but they struggled with his blindness the best they could. Like all such parents, they prayed and hoped for some miracle. They wanted so much for their son to be able to see. Then one day when the little boy was 5 years old, the community doctor told them that he had heard about a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital who was specializing in a new surgical procedure that might just work for their son… that might just give their little boy his eyesight.
The parents became excited at the prospect, but when they investigated further and discovered the cost of the surgery and the travel and the hospital expense involved, they became deflated because they were not people of means at all. In fact, some would call them poor. But word got out in the community and their church rallied to help them. In a short period of time, the money was raised to send them to Boston for the surgery.
On the morning they were to leave for Boston, the little boy gathered his things together including his tattered little teddy bear. It had an ear chewed off, was missing an eye, and was bursting at the seams. His mother said, “Son, why don’t you leave that old teddy bear at home? He’s about worn out. Maybe we can buy you a new one in Boston or when we get back.” But he said, “No, I need it.”
So off to Boston they went. He held tightly to that teddy bear all the way. The surgeon sensed how important the teddy bear was to the little boy, so he allowed the boy to keep the bear with him throughout all the many examinations prior to surgery. On the morning of the surgery, the hospital staff brought in two surgical gowns – one for the little boy and a smaller version for the teddy bear – and off to the operating room they went… a little blind boy on a stretcher holding on dearly to his beloved teddy bear.
The surgery went well. The doctor felt good about what they were able to accomplish. “I think he will be able to see,” said the surgeon, “but we won’t know for sure until we remove the bandages in a few days.”
Finally the day came for the doctor to remove the bandages. The nurses and interns stood with the parents as the surgeon slowly unwound the gauze from the boy’s eyes. Miracle of miracles! The little boy could see! For the first time in his life… he saw his mother’s face, he saw his dad and his doctor, he saw flowers and candy and balloons and the people who had cared for him. For the first time in his life, he saw his teddy bear. It was a joyous celebration!
When it came time for the boy to leave the hospital, his surgeon came into the room. The doctor had grown so attached to the little boy that he had to busy himself with those insignificant gestures that we use when we are trying to surmount a great wall of emotion. They said their good-byes with tears of joy all around and then the doctor turned to leave. The little boy called him back.
“Doctor,” the little boy said. “I want you to have this.” He was holding out the teddy bear! The doctor tried to refuse, but the little boy insisted. “Doctor, I don’t have any money. So I want to give you my teddy bear to pay you for helping me so see. I want you to have it. It’s my way of saying, ‘Thanks.’” The doctor took the teddy bear and shook the little boy’s hand and wished him well.
For a long time after that… on the 10th floor of the White Building of Massachusetts General Hospital, there was on display… a teddy bear, bursting at the seams with a chewed-off ear and one eye. And there was a sign under it written in the hand of that surgeon. It read: “This is the highest fee I have ever received for professional services rendered.”
That little boy was so thrilled that he now could see. So, in response, he gave away his most prized possession. There’s a name for that… it’s called thanks-giving. Now of course, that kind of appreciation has to be learned, but when our children learn it and express it so beautifully, it touches us and teaches us… the beauty, the power, the importance, and the necessity of gratitude.
SECOND, THERE IS LOVE. It was a cold Christmas Eve a few years ago. Will Willimon, Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, was rushing his family to get in the car. They were running late for the communion service. “Where are the sermon notes? Where is the pulpit robe? Don’t forget to turn off the lights. Everybody get in the car and be quiet!”
On the way to the church… rushing through the traffic, their 5-year-old- daughter, Harriet, got sick at her stomach and she up-chucked all over the car. “Great!” Will Willimon thought, “If people only knew what preachers go through.” He wheeled into the church parking lot and jumped out of the car, leaving his wife, Patsy, to clean up the car and get the kids into the church… and he thought, “If people only knew what preachers’ spouses go through.”
His wife, Patsy, led a still unsteady and pale Harriet into the church. They sat on the back pew in the darkness… just in case Harriet got sick again. Their son, William, age seven, ran down to the front of the church to sit with his grandparents. Will Willimon threw on his robe, took a deep breath, and joined the choir for the processional. He made it through the first part of the service… and the sermon. Then came Holy Communion. Will Willimon’s wife, Patsy, came down to the altar to receive the sacrament, but she left 5 year old Harriet on the back pew. Harriet was still so pale and so weak and so sick. But then something beautiful happened. Seven-year-old William got up and came back to the communion rail. “What on earth is he doing?” wondered his parents. “He’s already received communion once. What is he up to?” They watched him race to the back of the church and scoot down the pew toward his sister. He opened his hands… revealing a small piece of bread. “Harriet,” he said, “This is the body of Christ given for you.” Without hesitation, little Harriet picked the bread out of her brother’s hands and plopped it into her mouth and said, “Amen.” And in that moment Holy Communion had never been more holy. Then 7-year-old William patted his 5-year-old sister Harriet on the head. He smiled. She smiled. And then he turned and ran back down to the front of the church to re-join his grandparents.
Think of that. Her 7-year-old brother William thought to include her. Either because she wasn’t being included or he thought it might help her feel better he reached out to his sister with what really mattered—the body of Christ in the form of communion. There’s a name for that… it’s called LOVE! What a beautiful thing it is when our children rise to the occasion and teach us once again the power of love, the wonder of love, the miracle of love.
THIRD AND FINALLY, THERE IS FAITH. What is faith? It’s trusting God, come what may.” It’s committing your life to Him and trusting Him in every circumstance.
A little girl had somehow received a bad cut in the soft flesh of her eyelid. The doctor knew that some stitches were needed, but he also knew that because of the location of the cut, he should not use an anesthetic. He talked with the little girl and he told her what he must do… and asked her if she thought she could stand the touch of the needle without jumping. She thought for a moment, and then said simply, “I think I can… if Daddy will hold me while you do it.” So the father took his little girl in his lap, steadied her head against his shoulder, and held her tightly in his arms. The surgeon then quickly did his work… and sewed up the cut in her eye-lid… and the little girl did not flinch. She just held on tight to her Father.
That’s a parable for us in our spiritual lives and a graphic reminder that whatever we have to face, we can hold on tight to our Father… and He will see us through. There’s a word for that… it’s called TRUST or FAITH. It’s surely what Jesus had in mind when he said, “Unless you become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
It’s surely what Paul had in mind when he said; “I’m ready for anything for Christ is my strength.” The quality of faith, the commitment to trust in God, come what may!
The spirit of childlikeness is so important… and our children have so much to teach us. How great it is when they teach us the powerful lessons of GRATITUDE and LOVE and FAITH!
Good morning, boys and girls. Do you like pickles? Do you eat them all by themselves, or do you put them on sandwiches and stuff? There are two major kinds of pickles, sweet and dill. (Might want to taste these yourself, or give samples to the kids, or have another adult demonstrate the facial expressions associated with eating the pickles) Sweet ones are good and tasty and I could eat those kind all day. Then there are the dill pickles. Dill pickles taste really sour and they'll make your belly button pucker! Ooooeee! What makes the difference? Sweet pickles and dill pickles look the same. They're both made with cucumbers, and water. But the difference is in the spices in the pickle jar. If you want sweet pickles, you put sugar and sweet spices into the jar. If you want dill pickles, you put sour spices in the jar. So everything depends on the spices you put in the jar. You can decide if you want sweet or dill pickles.
Have you ever thought of yourself as a pickle? You can be a sweet person or you can be a sour person. You can be good and loving, or you can be mean and selfish. It all depends on what you put in your life. If you put God and love and good things into your life, then you can be a sweet person.
But if you keep God and all His good things out of your life, then you will be a sour person. How do we put God and all His good things in our life? By coming to church and praising God. By reading the Bible and learning about God. By praying and talking to God. Those are the "spices" we can put into our lives to make us sweet people. This new year, let's choose to put God and good things into our lives, so we can be the sweet people God wants us to be.
THE PRAYERS
Rejoicing that we have seen the salvation of our Gd in the birth of Jesus the Messiah, let us pray for the church, the world, and all people in need.
Strengthen your holy and beloved church, O God, that all may teach and admonish one antoher in wisdom and bear witness to salvation in the name of Jesus.
Protect your creation, O God, that sun and moon, mountains and trees, and all living creatures may praise the majesty of your name.
Shower the nations with your peace, O God, so that all families may live in safety, may prosper in their work, and may look with hope to the future.
Pour out your compassion on all in need, O God, especially children- those living in abundance and those in poverty; those living in fear and those living without a care; those who have known only love from others and those who have known only neglect and abuse. Empower us to work for change so that all children may grow in wisdom and to their full potential.
Clothe the disciples of our congregation with kindness, humility and love, O God, so that we may serve you and your people with joy. We remember all those who have are sick, hospitalized or recovering, especially… Strengthen those who face difficult situations in life, especially… We pray for …. and all those who mourn that they might experience your comfort.
Thanks and praise we offer you, O God, for the lives of the saints who have gone before us, who by faith grew in divine favor in their earthly lives and now rest close to your heart.
Hear these prayers, O God, offered in the name of your Son, who has made your glory and graciousness known to us. Amen.