Perhaps I am even coming across as a bit of a Scrooge to even suggest such a thing. I know it is very hard to push back against the culture’s hijacking of this holy day. When we wake up on Christmas morning, what will be looking for? Will we be running to gather around the tree so we can hear the Word of God proclaimed as if it is the greatest gift we could ever receive? Is our first thought about Jesus, the Word of God who came into the world to shine a warm light into the overwhelming darkness of human sinfulness? Or will our first thoughts on Christmas morning be about which presents underneath that tree are for us, how soon we need to get the turkey in the oven, and whether the children will be satisfied with what Santa brought? Who was this light? The light was the Word made flesh, Emmanuel, God living among us full of grace and truth. He came to testify about someone else: the light that was coming into the world. ![]() He did not come to testify about himself or his own role. He came strolling into this world, bigger than life, to give his testimony to all who would listen. ![]() John’s Gospel begins with an unexpected announcement being made by an unlikely character: There was a man sent from God, and his name was John. He proceeded to walk up on the stage, sit down in his chair in front of the fireplace, and tilt back in a full recline for the remainder of the service. Four weeks without his favorite chair had been a big sacrifice, and he was ready for it to be over. He announced that he was on a mission to retrieve his recliner and take it home as soon as the service ended. The man who had loaned us his recliner, who happened to stand about six and a half feet tall, made a grand entrance as he came strolling down the aisle during the announcements in a pair of size 12, fuzzy brown Pluto slippers. On that Christmas morning, worshipers had been instructed to come to church wearing their slippers. That year, our Advent theme had been “Come Home for the Holidays.” Our worship team had outfitted the stage with a cozy fireplace hung with four stockings, a family Christmas tree, and a recliner borrowed from one of our generous members. I am reminded of a Christmas Day service at Christ United Methodist Church in Algonquin, Illinois, probably a decade ago. If you are not gathering for worship on this day, consider making some fancy copies of John’s narrative and sending them home with folks on Christmas Eve with instructions to read them when they gather around the tree to open their presents in the morning! What a lovely way to start Christmas Day that would be! ![]() Why? Because so many churches do not worship on Christmas Day unless it happens to fall on a Sunday. This passage is so very familiar, and its words and images so breathtaking that I always feel a little bit sad about the fact that lots of congregations never hear John’s birth narrative proclaimed in worship.
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