Christmas Eve B December 24, 2017
Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14 Luke 21-14(15-20)
The Christmas story has been told in various ways and it has attained many meanings. For a moment we might look at some meanings of Christmas.
Meaning happens when communication can result in understanding. For understanding to take place two parties have to understand a common vocabulary of words and common cultural references. When a young child is read advanced physics, no communication takes place and meanings do not happen. An audience has to be familiar with common vocabulary and cultural reference for what might be called "telling" meanings to occur.
The writers of the Gospels wrote to audiences who came from the traditions derived from Hebrew Scriptures. But also the early readers of the Christmas story were Gentiles without benefit of a background in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Christmas story, in order to attain effective meaning, had to be written in the vocabulary and culture references available to a diverse audience.
Members of the early churches with a background in the stories of the Hebrew Scriptures, knew about David, Bethlehem and the city of David. They knew what Messiah meant. They knew about angels. They knew the Isaian writings about a prince of peace and a maiden bearing a special child. They knew about the Isaian writing about Emmanuel. They knew what the name Jesus meant: It was the same as the Hebrew Joshua, meaning God is our Savior.
The Gentile members of the church from their cultural experience in the Roman Empire knew that Caesar Augustus had been given credit for bringing peace to the world. In Roman propaganda, he was called the savior of the world. There was also a miraculous conception story told about the Caesar. There were stories about a comet in the sky at the time of his birth. He had been elevated by the Roman Senate to be a god and that made his son a son of a god.
The writers of the Christmas stories borrowed from the language of their audience to present the meanings of the life of Jesus in an accessible way. And their message was this: Even though we have borrowed the language and cultural references of the Hebrew Scriptures and even though we have borrowed from the propaganda motifs of the Roman Caesar, Jesus of Nazareth takes the meanings to another level of uniqueness.
If you believe that King David was a messiah, Jesus of Nazareth by virtue of his resurrection from the dead is a totally different and unique messiah. If you believe that the Caesar is a great ruler in the world, Jesus of Nazareth has become a Cosmic ruler of the inner world above all principalities and powers.
The Christmas story had cultural meanings for the members of the early church who were both Jews and Gentiles. But the Christmas story also had theological and mystical meanings for the members of the early churches.
Today,we assume the general availability of most literature. It is hard for us to conceive of the Gospel writings not being available for a general readership. In the time when the Gospels were written they were private literature for a limited readership, namely those who gathered in the home churches for the liturgies.
As private literature, the Gospels were a cryptic literature hiding the meanings of the spiritual practices of the church within a story. There was a hidden and an inner meaning of the Christmas Story to be known only to the spiritual initiates of the churches.
In the mysticism and spiritual practice of the early church, the evidence of the Risen Christ was known in an experience called a New Birth. St. Paul called the mystery of the ages to be the experience of Christ being born within the inner life of people. Such a birth did not come from reading the Hebrew Scriptures; such birth did not come because of Emperor Cult of the deified Caesar. The birth came when a person's life was overshadowed by the power of Holy Spirit. The result of this spiritual encounter was the transformation of one's life. Such people who experienced such spiritual births, gathered together and as they gathered, they taught others about the reality of the birth of Christ into their lives.
The mystics of the early church were people who knew that they were on a path of the transformation of their lives because of a spiritual event. They taught and promulgated this event in the Christmas Story.
In the mysticism of the early church, Mary was the paradigm of every Christian. The physical birth of Jesus in Mary was understood as a providential act of God. She was over-shadowed by the Holy Spirit and knew her child to be special. Within this story of Mary, is the spiritual and mystical story of each Christian.
Jesus was born to Mary in a miraculous birth; the Risen Christ is born into each of us in a marvelous spiritual birth initiating the transformation of our lives because of this encounter with the Higher Power of God.
Each year we re-enact the Christmas Story and it is easy for us to stay with the cuteness of the story and make sure that we make Christmas a delight for children. And it does us good to tend to children. The Christmas story is about an amazing event happening for some very poor people, peasant shepherds and obscure persons like Mary and Joseph. Christmas is good time to help our charities as they help the persons who are vulnerable. This year, the disastrous events in nature has disrupted the quality of life through hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and fires. And we pray and give towards people having just the basic necessities of life as a good Christmas.
Tonight we pray for more Christmas meanings in our world. And I pray that each of us will know the mystical events in our lives which give us the assurance of being helped on the path of further excellence for ourselves and in our mission within this world.
The literal meaning of Christmas is the Mass of Christ. And in this event, we are renewed in the event of once again realizing the Real Presence of Christ in our lives.
Merry Christmas and God bless you with mystical evidence of the birth of Christ within your life. Amen.
Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14 Luke 21-14(15-20)
Merry Christmas! And thank you for being here to observe the most literal meaning of Christmas. Christmas means the "Mass of the Christ?" And what is this liturgy tonight? The Mass of Christ.
The Christmas story has been told in various ways and it has attained many meanings. For a moment we might look at some meanings of Christmas.
Meaning happens when communication can result in understanding. For understanding to take place two parties have to understand a common vocabulary of words and common cultural references. When a young child is read advanced physics, no communication takes place and meanings do not happen. An audience has to be familiar with common vocabulary and cultural reference for what might be called "telling" meanings to occur.
The writers of the Gospels wrote to audiences who came from the traditions derived from Hebrew Scriptures. But also the early readers of the Christmas story were Gentiles without benefit of a background in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Christmas story, in order to attain effective meaning, had to be written in the vocabulary and culture references available to a diverse audience.
Members of the early churches with a background in the stories of the Hebrew Scriptures, knew about David, Bethlehem and the city of David. They knew what Messiah meant. They knew about angels. They knew the Isaian writings about a prince of peace and a maiden bearing a special child. They knew about the Isaian writing about Emmanuel. They knew what the name Jesus meant: It was the same as the Hebrew Joshua, meaning God is our Savior.
The Gentile members of the church from their cultural experience in the Roman Empire knew that Caesar Augustus had been given credit for bringing peace to the world. In Roman propaganda, he was called the savior of the world. There was also a miraculous conception story told about the Caesar. There were stories about a comet in the sky at the time of his birth. He had been elevated by the Roman Senate to be a god and that made his son a son of a god.
The writers of the Christmas stories borrowed from the language of their audience to present the meanings of the life of Jesus in an accessible way. And their message was this: Even though we have borrowed the language and cultural references of the Hebrew Scriptures and even though we have borrowed from the propaganda motifs of the Roman Caesar, Jesus of Nazareth takes the meanings to another level of uniqueness.
If you believe that King David was a messiah, Jesus of Nazareth by virtue of his resurrection from the dead is a totally different and unique messiah. If you believe that the Caesar is a great ruler in the world, Jesus of Nazareth has become a Cosmic ruler of the inner world above all principalities and powers.
The Christmas story had cultural meanings for the members of the early church who were both Jews and Gentiles. But the Christmas story also had theological and mystical meanings for the members of the early churches.
Today,we assume the general availability of most literature. It is hard for us to conceive of the Gospel writings not being available for a general readership. In the time when the Gospels were written they were private literature for a limited readership, namely those who gathered in the home churches for the liturgies.
As private literature, the Gospels were a cryptic literature hiding the meanings of the spiritual practices of the church within a story. There was a hidden and an inner meaning of the Christmas Story to be known only to the spiritual initiates of the churches.
In the mysticism and spiritual practice of the early church, the evidence of the Risen Christ was known in an experience called a New Birth. St. Paul called the mystery of the ages to be the experience of Christ being born within the inner life of people. Such a birth did not come from reading the Hebrew Scriptures; such birth did not come because of Emperor Cult of the deified Caesar. The birth came when a person's life was overshadowed by the power of Holy Spirit. The result of this spiritual encounter was the transformation of one's life. Such people who experienced such spiritual births, gathered together and as they gathered, they taught others about the reality of the birth of Christ into their lives.
The mystics of the early church were people who knew that they were on a path of the transformation of their lives because of a spiritual event. They taught and promulgated this event in the Christmas Story.
In the mysticism of the early church, Mary was the paradigm of every Christian. The physical birth of Jesus in Mary was understood as a providential act of God. She was over-shadowed by the Holy Spirit and knew her child to be special. Within this story of Mary, is the spiritual and mystical story of each Christian.
Jesus was born to Mary in a miraculous birth; the Risen Christ is born into each of us in a marvelous spiritual birth initiating the transformation of our lives because of this encounter with the Higher Power of God.
Each year we re-enact the Christmas Story and it is easy for us to stay with the cuteness of the story and make sure that we make Christmas a delight for children. And it does us good to tend to children. The Christmas story is about an amazing event happening for some very poor people, peasant shepherds and obscure persons like Mary and Joseph. Christmas is good time to help our charities as they help the persons who are vulnerable. This year, the disastrous events in nature has disrupted the quality of life through hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and fires. And we pray and give towards people having just the basic necessities of life as a good Christmas.
Tonight we pray for more Christmas meanings in our world. And I pray that each of us will know the mystical events in our lives which give us the assurance of being helped on the path of further excellence for ourselves and in our mission within this world.
The literal meaning of Christmas is the Mass of Christ. And in this event, we are renewed in the event of once again realizing the Real Presence of Christ in our lives.
Merry Christmas and God bless you with mystical evidence of the birth of Christ within your life. Amen.
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