John 1:9-18

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Back in the day, when your Pastor Mark and his brother were little and rambunctious, I was known to say, “What on earth are you guys doing?!” Have any of you said that to your kids or grandkids?

I think it is appropriate that on this second Sunday after Christmas that we stop and ask God, “WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING?” Something incredulous has taken place.

After all, why would God leave the glory of heaven with its choir of angels…with its peaceful harmony; heaven where there is no suffering, no tears, no death? Why would God leave all of that to come to earth as a dependent and weak baby, to be born in a stable to a teenage girl, born amidst the smells and grunts of animals, and with a surrogate father? Why would God do that? What on earth is God doing?

Well, the reason God is on earth was cast early on, there in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve decided they wanted to be like God and so ate the forbidden fruit;

Then Cain killed his brother;

and then throughout human history when people constantly disobeyed God -- the need for salvation – was evident. The wages of sin is death…

Even the chosen ones—God’s own people disobeyed. Moses killed his enemy; the great King David committed adultery; there were wars and more wars; there was even a golden calf -- unfaithfulness was rampant. Sin—missing the mark—had become the human way, even for the chosen people of God.

But, God, being loving and abounding in grace, didn’t give up on the creation or its people. Instead of just turning everything into a giant, flaming cinder, God made a series of promises through centuries of prophetic voices.

WHAT ON EARTH IS GOD DOING AT CHRISTMAS? God is keeping those promises. Here is how we remember a few them: A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. Isaiah 700 years before the birth of Jesus told of his coming: Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel (God with us.) Here is my servant…my chosen, in whom my soul delights…he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Over and over again God looked upon creation through tearful eyes, and God made promise after promise of a Savior, of a Messiah; of Immanuel.

What on earth was God doing that first Christmas? God was keeping a promise to save creation; to save God’s own people; to save you and me.

But, that wasn’t all: God came to earth to PROVE A LOVE. And not just any sort of love. This was something very special: LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING, JOY OF HEAVEN TO EARTH COME DOWN!

This love come down to earth excels all other love! Jesus said it best when he told Nicodemus: FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON, SO THAT EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM MAY NOT PERISH BUT MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

That takes a divine/stubborn kind of love. A love that is willing to die for its fulfillment. A love that requires sacrifice in order to be fulfilled, and it is a love that Jesus showed his followers then, and it is the same love that he shows you and me today.

Jesus told his disciples that because he loved them, that he would go to Jerusalem and would die for them, but they didn’t get it. They asked, “Who does that?” Who would die for a sinner like me? Who deserves that sort of love?

The Baby Jesus born in Bethlehem was proving God’s love. That he would leave the Father and the glorious company of heaven to be born as one of the humans he came to save was proving a love beyond comprehension.

Perhaps St. Paul said it best: In Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. And through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, by making peace though the blood of Jesus.

The body and blood of Jesus -- given and poured out – that proves a love that has no bounds.

WHAT ON EARTH IS GOD DOING? God is keeping a promise; God is proving a love; and, God is shining a Light.

God is shining a light on this dark and weary world. And it is dark and weary for sure. Especially in these days of a deadly virus;

in these days of hunger and disease and all sort natural disasters;

in these days of gun violence run rampant;

in these days of all of the “isms” that afflict humanity;

in these days of wars and rumors of more wars—it is a dark & weary time.

But, light has come my friends. There was light that first Christmas – it hung as the guiding Star over the manger in Bethlehem, and it continues to shine over us.

Again, hear Isaiah’s words, “I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations.” And, “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.”

And in the majestic words of John, chapter one, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Ah, yes, there it is—the darkness did not and will not overcome this light that shines through the resurrected life of Jesus.

There are many references in scripture to Jesus being the light of the world, and so he is.

He is the light of our Christmas Eve’s silent night candles.

He is the light that gives hope to many through our food pantry gifts; our bags of blessings; our meals to the sex workers in Indy; through all of our mission-focused giving; he is the light that gives hope to our friends in Haiti.

He is the light that gives hope as we fight injustice, illness suffering and death.

And so, as we soon leave the Christmas season we go knowing that God, ON EARTH has kept a promise;

that God has proven a love;

and that God has shined a light on this dark but wonderful world. We go into this new year sharing that love and living in that light. Amen.

Luke 2:41-52

Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

How many of you all still send Christmas cards … in the mail … with a letter, maybe, and pictures of your family, grandkids, vacations, and stuff? Old fashioned Christmas cards seem to be a fading tradition these days, thanks to Facebook and e-mail. You can save a lot of time and money and paper by sending your holiday greetings electronically these days.

We still get plenty of good-old-fashioned cards, though, which I admit I like, especially if they include pictures I haven’t already seen on someone’s Instagram or Facebook feed. Every year, opening card after card, reading letter after letter, looking at picture after picture as they arrive in the mail, I’m amazed by how much changes for people in the days and months between Christmases.

Kids come and go and change. Careers come and go and change. Marriages come and go and change. People take exotic trips, relocate, get sick and get well again. Or sometimes they don’t.

Depending on when you were here for Christmas Eve worship, if you were, it’s been about 36 hours since we gathered around the manger, holding our candles, and singing our hearts out about the baby Jesus – the holy infant, so tender and mild – as it were. And all of a sudden he’s 12. A pre-pubescent know-it-all, worrying his parents by missing his ride home from the big family vacation.

Of course, there’s all kinds of high-minded theological stuff we could muse about: how wise Jesus was or became; how Jesus, the “Boy Wonder,” amazed the crowds with his teachings; or about what it meant that he was found “in his fathers’ house.” But that’s being done in lots of other places this morning, I’m sure.

I always appreciate that this is one of the few inklings we have about Jesus’ life between the Christmas story and his adult ministry; between the baby in the manger and his life of teaching and preaching and performing miracles. The Gospel writers never give us anything about the many years during the childhood of Jesus where he grew and changed before becoming the man we meet, suddenly, at his baptism in the Jordan River.

This morning’s story from Luke is as close as we get to any of that. Like the pictures and cards and holiday updates we receive year after year, this story about Jesus reminds us that for Mary, Joseph and Jesus, life was going on behind the scenes and before and between the highlights that have become the stories of our faith.

Even though we sometimes forget it, Jesus learned and got lost and got into trouble and argued with his parents and had to grow up just like the rest of us. When I look at all of the pictures that come with my Christmas cards so carefully posed before Christmas trees and finely decorated fireplaces, I know there have been haircuts to fight about and clothes that don’t fit anymore and times when not everyone was smiling perfectly, or when the dog wouldn’t look at the camera.

And when I read the letters people write, I know there have been long, hard days at work that are part of every promotion. There have been tough days at school that are part of every academic accolade. I know there have been bills to pay and finances to manage before any extravagant vacation is possible. And, I know there have been disagreements and family fights and embarrassing moments that don’t usually make it into every holiday, year-end review.

Even though the good stuff is what we capture on camera or write down to send in our Christmas letters – or post on our social media where most people are concerned – we know there is an awful lot that goes on between the good stuff.

I thought about this Friday night, after our Christmas Eve worship extravaganza. So much time and energy goes into preparing for and planning those services, and I’m always amazed by all it takes to make it happen.

Friday, after midnight, when it was all said and done, and I was last in the building after Jeannie and Stephen Jordan and the Kuffners had turned out the lights, blown out the candles, and locked the doors, I felt that strange, holy feeling I get often after such an occasion: to have been so busied and filled up by all the people and all of that music; all those candles and lights and then to be so suddenly surrounded by so much stillness and silence is an experience. I don’t hate it, I have to say. It’s kind of a beautiful time to be in the church.

But, the highlight was over – captured in all of those hearts and minds I hope – but turned off and moved out and gone as far as anyone would ever be able to tell.

It took a lot to get there – so much planning and practice and preparation – and it was awesome. But how quickly we get back to the business of living and learning and growing until the next highlight worth remembering comes along.

And again, that’s what we find in this morning’s Gospel story – this moment between Mary, Joseph, and Jesus – this everyday, nothing-special, living, breathing, eating and sleeping busy-ness of life in the world. It’s as plain and powerful as a quiet church after Christmas Eve, because that’s where I feel like we find ourselves now: just back to life again – just back to normal – just back to business as usual.

And it happens in the same ways for you and me, doesn’t it? I talked to the Mike Long and the girls at the 11 o’clock service Christmas Eve about how Stephanie got called into work in the ER that night, after she had worshiped with us earlier. Merry Christmas! I know Elaine Thorsteinson’s Christmas Eve plans got de-railed altogether by a stay in the hospital of her own. I got my COVID-19 test results via text just after Christmas Eve worship, too. The results were negative, thank goodness, but a rude reminder, nonetheless, about the persistence of the pandemic that still plagues us. Bah humbug.

One thing these days after Christmas remind me of more and more every year is that the highlights are great and that we need them for inspiration and for the celebration they offer. But, in these days after Christmas – as things get back to normal, as the carols grow quiet, as the family and friends leave town, as we wait again for the next big thing – these are the days when we need Jesus as much as ever.

It’s in these days between the highlights when life happens. It’s in these days following the festivals when we risk losing one another – like you might lose a child at the mall if you’re not paying attention. And, it’s in the days between the highlights when we can get lost ourselves.

But it’s also in these days between the highlights when we find Jesus where we don’t always remember he’ll be, too – not just in the temple when it’s packed with people and poinsettias – but in our homes and in our hearts, in our classrooms and offices, too. We find Jesus between the highlights, not just in the picture perfect holiday poses, but in the day-to-day living that it takes to get there, too. And we find Jesus between the highlights, not just in the grand healings or the mighty miracles, but in the struggles and the stresses and the small victories of life and death, just the same.

What I hope and pray for on top of all of our well-deserved holiday hoopla, is that what we offer here – and what we know for ourselves – is the presence of Christ that lives not just on Christmas Eve or during the holidays or even just on Sunday mornings in worship – but that the story we share and the Savior we proclaim is the one who finds people every day, between the highlights that are sure to come, when we rest assured in the hope and grace that are ours, always, as children of God.

Amen

What ON EARTH is God Doing?

Between the Highlights