First United Methodist Church
December 22nd, 2024
Rev. Lauren Hall
Advent 4 - Bethlehem: A Place of Humility
When I decorated my Christmas tree this year, I made the decision to get rid of the ornaments that didn’t really work with my decorating scheme. Last year Rowynn and Naroa decorated the tree, and even though I added the “really important ones” after they were finished, we still had several that never made it onto the tree.
As I started to decorate the tree, however, I realized that almost every ornament has a treasured memory that goes with it. I bought some of them – I remember my first three-foot tree was decorated only with white metal ornaments and little red balls. It was organized and sophisticated. The next year I added the tiny wooden ornaments that belonged to my grandmother, and then there were some that were given to me by friends, and then Rowynn was born and we have a homemade ornament from each year with her photo in it or just something she made in daycare or Sunday School. I have a couple of Koala bears that really aren’t Christmas ornaments, but I don’t know what else to do with them and they cling nicely to the branches. These were gifts from some of our Australian staff from my camping days.
I’m sure your tree is full of decorations that contain many of these types of memories as well, but what I noticed, as I placed each ornament on the tree, is that even though my tree doesn’t really follow any particular theme, and it’s definitely not organized and sophisticated anymore, it works. It works because it is a tree that is covered in ornaments that symbolize the love I have experienced in my life. When you look at it you may not see it at first – until you know the whole story. But I couldn’t throw any of them out because each ornament has a special place in my heart.
When the Germans began the tradition of bringing decorated trees into their houses, they probably didn’t imagine that this practice would have such a profound effect on society 500 years later. But God has a way of doing that, especially when a practice is established to celebrate Jesus Christ.
Most of you have probably heard the phrase, “Keep the Christ in Christmas.” A few years ago it was all over the place on billboards and bumper stickers. There may even have been a few editorials about it in the Pilot or other newspapers. I used to be a huge advocate for this – I would get frustrated over the materialism involved in making Christmas special and not want to do any of it. In fact, I have several ornaments on my tree that were given to me by friends that represent that era of my life. When I hung them this year, they made me smile as I thought about the fact that no matter how hard we try, we can’t take the Christ out of Christmas. It’s a celebration of Christ’s birth, and even though there are many people who will celebrate Christmas in some way who don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ, Christ will find a way to be there in the form of love. Not every person will
recognize December 25th as a significant day for them, but they know about it and they know that it is a day when the world slows down and pauses for a moment – all because of the birth of a little boy called Jesus born in the town of Bethlehem.
This week we light the fourth candle on our Advent wreath and this week we celebrate love. Through our scriptures and liturgies, we have traveled from Rome to Jerusalem to Nazareth to Bethlehem. It is in Bethlehem that we will discover the depth of God’s love, because it will be here that Jesus’ birth will take place.
Our Christmas story is the reason why Bethlehem holds a special place in history – not the other way around. Before Jesus’s birth, it was a simple town with very little significance other than the fact that King David was also born there.
Jesus’ parents were ordinary, hardworking people – a carpenter and his wife who hoped to make a modest living in a society that mocked them just because of their ethnicity. They were poor, and their status would never be equal to the Jewish or Roman elite.
When we share the full Christmas story, complete with the nativity, we emphasize the humility of Jesus’ arrival, and this sets the tone for what we understand of his life and teachings. We learn from hearing this story over and over again. We learn about Mary’s joy. We learn about Joseph’s embarrassment and fear. We learn about humility, and we learn to love and be loved.
We learn as we decorate our homes and churches and we learn as we gather for Christmas functions. We learn from Santa Claus and Scrooge and the Grinch and we even learn from the materialism that surrounds this time of year. We learn from our children and from the little boy who had one line to learn for the Christmas pageant and couldn’t remember it, and when it comes time for the inn keeper to say, “There’s no room in the inn,” he changes the story and instead says, “That’s okay, Mary. You can have my room.” We learn that no matter what Christmas tradition we find ourselves practicing, Christ finds a way to be present.
Is this the lesson for this fourth Sunday of Advent? That we remember that Christmas is not just a moment in time but a continual invitation to embrace the love, hope, joy and peace that Jesus brings? In the end we are saying that there is room for the Savior to be born among us. We will make room – as we decorate our trees and our homes, as we purchase toys and clothing for children in our community, as we gather with our family, as we share
gifts, as we worship and sing, everything that we do to celebrate Christmas, we do as a reminder that God is with us.
Bethlehem stands as a reminder that greatness can come from the most modest and unexpected places, and God’s love becomes the core of our Christmas message.
So this year, as you celebrate Christ’s birth, embrace the traditions that have evolved over the years. Don’t worry that we have strayed too far from the reason for the season. Instead embrace each moment and see where Christ is present and active. Give thanks, and look for ways that you can partner with Christ to establish God’s reign on earth.
Let us pray:
"Lord, we thank You for the greatest gift ever given: Your Son, Jesus. This Christmas, we are reminded of Your incredible love, hope and joy You bring, and the peace You offer to all who call on Your name. Empower us to rise again in new life to proclaim your praise and show Christ to the world. Help us to carry this love in our hearts, and to share it with others as we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen."
