Christmas Day
Scripture Reading for Today:
Isaiah 62:6-12
6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, 7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. 8 The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled; 9 but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.” 10 Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. 11 The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.’” 12 They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.
Psalm 97
1 The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. 2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. 4 His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory. 7 All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols— worship him, all you gods! 8 Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, Lord. 9 For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 10 Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.
Titus 3:4-7
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Luke 2:1-20
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The Embodiment of Christmas
by Elle Pyke
Elle Pyke is the Director of Programs & Innovation for the New Leaf Network. Elle has served on the board of a number of organizations such as Women Powering Technology Global, TEDxWaterlooWomen and The Christian Entrepreneurial Leaders Organization. She is currently pursuing her MA in Theology and Culture from the Institute for Religion, Peace and Justice at St Stephen's University. She loves spending time with friends and family, the great outdoors and all things New Leaf.
As you read this, there's a good chance I'm currently trudging through boot-high snow with my arms weighed down by wrapped packages and Christmas treats. I'll also likely be shivering and complaining about the cold wind lifting the hairs on my neck. I'll be putting on a brave face, mustering up some deep courage, and tilting my head back every so slightly so my salty tears go back from where they came. It will be the first Christmas in my mother’s new home, the Dementia Ward at a long-term care facility.
We will have done our very best to bring her the sights and sounds of Christmas, even though she's long forgotten exactly who we are or exactly where home is. Though her mind and memories have travelled to another time and place, her body still remains. Her lips still curl in the same way when she smiles. She still laughs at my sarcasm when she catches it. Her frail body still offers hard and long hugs.
Gentle reader, I wish there was some saccharine way to dress up my Christmas morning reflection. But this Advent season lives in a different kind of year, one filled with immense loss. I've found myself, unexpectedly, doing what I can only describe as grief walking. Walking myself out of my beloved local faith community. Walking my beloved dog over the rainbow bridge. Walking my beloved mother into the last stages of dementia.
I have walked past the wild edges of sorrow this year, but I've never been alone. The trail this year has been full. So many travelling companions are handling their own losses, disappointments, and disillusionments. None of these walks are ones I have chosen to take. The same is true for those taking their own grief walk. These journeys have been thrust upon us; they are not part of our longings or wishes and were not part of the strategic plans for our lives. The steps we've taken together are slow, grief-stricken, confusing, and sometimes circuitous. It's a wonder what our bodies can accomplish when our hearts are broken.
To my great surprise, grief is an immaculate teacher. Though I'd never go seeking her wisdom on my own, it's been a tender year full of grief's guidance. Walking in deep grief has made space for deep pondering about my body, our bodies, and what it means to be embodied people. What a gift to be given one of the most embodied moments in our sacred scriptures to reflect on. The Christmas incarnation.
Luke's telling of the birth of Jesus is so earthly and fleshly that I am somewhat embarrassed I had previously missed it. Rooted in a historical, social, and spiritual location, God locates himself very particularly in time and space. He makes His fleshly home among us. Sneaking around all of the religious expectations of His day, the manger shouts to us that God can dwell in any old place and in any old body He'd like.
Our bodies, if we have ears to hear, are always whispering prophets. They tell us when things are out of whack. When we're hungry, when we need rest, or when we're no longer safe. For most of my Christian discipleship, I've been trained to be uncomfortable in my skin. To be ashamed of this flesh. To ignore it. To doubt it. To tame it.
Grief has taught me, rather painstakingly, to give reverence to this old fleshly body that carries around my precious suffering soul. To unplug my ears every now and again, attuning myself to its Spirit-filled whispers. Cultivating greater reverence for my body led to greater reverence for the bodies around me. People who look different than me, love differently, believe differently and grieve differently than I do. More than mere ideas of and about God, my body is longing for more of God, housed in the fleshly bodies of my fellow Jesus followers and my neighbors.
The incarnation of this blessed Christmas morning reminds us that "God does not come to us beyond the flesh, but in the flesh, at the hands of a teacher who will not be spiritualized but who goes on trusting the embodied sacraments of bread, wine, water and feet" (Barbara Brown Taylor). Embodiment was enough for the Divine; maybe it should be enough for me. The flesh discounted by the world is exactly the kind of body that Jesus took up residence in. He speaks the language of our flesh. Luke's words to us about the incarnation of a baby remind us that we follow the Word made flesh.
Jesus came to bodies who were well acquainted with grief walks. They knew suffering, silence, and loss. He didn't drop by during the party; he came during their despair. The mystery of Advent, the mystery of this incarnation, is that somehow, hope is still being birthed in the flesh. Jesus is still about the business of restoring and renewing. Jesus is still bottling up these tears.
Why was this year of all years so hard for so many? Beats me. All I know is that God has been here the whole time. In the flesh. Present with myself, with my fellow grief walkers, and present with my mother.
God with me.
God with you.
God with us.
The mystery of the unknown, yet somehow still known in part.
O come, O come, Emmanuel.
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