Tonight we’re here to talk about the Dear Lord, Baby Jesus. We’re here to ask him to use his baby Jesus powers. We’re here to pray to the dear, tiny, infant Jesus with his golden fleece diapers and tiny balled up fists… the version of Jesus we like the best… to pray to the 8lb 6oz newborn infant Jesus, who don’t even know a word yet, just a little infant, so cuddly (but still omnipotent) and to thank baby God for all his power and grace.
I can see almost all of my regulars are completely baffled right now, but you’ll be okay. THIS sermon is for people who aren’t regulars. This sermon is for those of you, who knew right away that was from the movie Talladega nights, when Ricky Bobby said grace for their family feast of Domino’s, KFC, and Taco Bell. This sermon is mostly for those of you who laughed at that Will Ferrel bit because to you, it looks almost exactly like the Christianity you see in the world today! But here’s something you didn’t see coming… I think it’s hilarious for EXACTLY THE SAME REASON!
There really ARE lots of very loud, very public, Ricky Bobby type people out there who like the dear, tiny, infant, baby Jesus best. They like that version best, I think, because the tiny, infant, baby Jesus with his golden fleece diapers and tiny balled up fists “don’t know a word yet.” And because he “don’t know a word yet” they can believe that the little, baby Jesus loves what they love and even more importantly… hates who they hate. They like the infant baby Jesus because THAT 8lb. 6oz. infant, baby, Jesus can’t talk. Since he can’t talk, he can’t insist that we feed the hungry, give something to drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, or visit the sick and those in prison and all the other things the grown up Jesus insists we do if we’re going to be Christians.
I know that’s what you see. Its almost impossible to miss. It’s loud, huge, and in your face. I see it too. But this Christmas Eve, I figured… when you gave into grandma and agreed to go to church… this might be my only chance to let you know that the very, very, loud, “Christianity” that’s in your face out there in the world… the celebrity jet-owning preachers… the kneeling-in-prayer politicians… all of the people and groups that do hate in the name of Jesus, and all of those folks with fake Christian outrage… ALL of THAT is a little, tiny, baby Jesus SCAM!
But, here’s the seed I want to plant with you tonight: That SCAM has absolutely NOTHING to do with genuine Christianity. I know they use “Christian" sounding words, and they say them very loudly and very often… words like “Jesus” and “prayer” and “Lord” and “Bible” and they claim to have conversations with God as often as people in Massachusetts talk with a person working at Dunkin’. But what I want to tell you tonight, is that everything they’re trying to sell… all of it… is worth LESS than what Joseph found when he went to change the little, tiny, infant baby Jesus’ diaper!
The truth of Christmas… the truth of Christianity… is that the 8lb. 6oz. tiny, infant Jesus grew up! He grew up and he walked around full time, modeling for people a Way to do this thing called life in a way that makes life actually worth living! He demonstrated how to make this life, not a slog, but an abundant joy… a life, full-to-overflowing with love, dignity, purpose and fulfillment. That tiny, infant, baby Jesus learned to walk and learned to talk. Once he started walking and talking, he never stopped telling and showing people how, when we bring unconditional, self-giving love, compassion, and kindness with us into the world, and when we spread that stuff around with outrageous, jaw dropping generosity… this violent, broken, messed up, hate filled; death, power, and money loving world we live in… it changes. The world changes. It… really… changes.
Now, I’d personally like it to change a lot more FULLY and a WHOLE lot more QUICKLY than it does, but that’s just one of the many things that are out of my control. What is in my control is hanging out with other people who are committed to doing love day in and day out… even when it changes the world too damn little and too damn slow. That’s why the regulars (who have no idea about Ricky Bobby, but get the love thing) get together every week… to encourage one another to keep at it! That’s why Sunday morning in a real Christian community basically looks like a bunch of impatient, flawed, regular, frustrated, joyful, human beings, (a surprising number of whom I have to tell you, actually have a VERY twisted, very irreverent, and if I’m honest… pretty raunchy sense of humor by the way)… but it looks like that group of regular people helping, encouraging, nudging, and pushing each other, to get back out there into our broken world, and pour another dose of unconditional, self-giving love, compassion, and kindness into the world in the coming week.
THAT is what the little, tiny, infant, baby Jesus really came to do on Christmas. He came to grow up and model for the world a WAY to genuinely LIVE this life we’ve been given rather than just settle for getting through it. The WAY, he says we can do that, is by giving out self-giving love, compassion, and kindness with reckless abandon. Love given with reckless abandon. THAT is what a Grown Up Christian Christmas is all about! May you all have a very Merry Grown Up Christian Christmas all year long. Amen.
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