The way to participate in Christmas

2008 Christmas Message

Isaiah 62:6-12

Overcoming a romantic Christmas

Today we have the Christmas of 2008. We are all merrily attending today’s worship service. Other Christians in other parts of the world may also experience great joy through Christmas worship service. People other than Christians also seem to be sharing this joy of Christmas season. We don’t feel the Christmas atmosphere in New Delhi, but in other places like Europe or USA Christmas mood is getting into high spirits. There are many things to enjoy about Christmas, streets bustling with many people in the street, glittering Christmas trees, joyful carols and overflowing Christmas gifts. Many may visit their hometown and celebrate Christmas with family like shepherd Liavikho, Almodi and other brothers. All of these are the moment of confirming the joy of this world. I hope all of you may have such joyous life as much as you can.

However, there is a fact we should not forget. This joy will also soon pass. How many gifts do we have that of the past years? How much lovely memory do we keep that of the past Christmas? Whatever sweet memories we have, it withers like a faded photo as time passes by. Many people, mainly women have such tendency, try to trace back a vague memory and keep a romantic memory. However, it is nothing but a trial to hold sand that is passing through fingers. I don’t emphasize on the pessimistic life but correctly look into the reality of life. That is, not to stay in high spirits of Christmas mood but to enter into the real meaning of Christmas.

The entire stories related to Christmas are beautiful and peaceful. Your memory also might be filled with such stories. Mary holding newborn baby Jesus in her arms, worshiping Magi, praising angels are the scenes we have seen in famous pictures. The figures of shepherds who heard the news of Jesus’ birth from the angels in the midnight also is a pastoral scenery. Indeed ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men’. The hero of all these sceneries is Jesus. However, the very Jesus would be executed in the most miserable way. He was merely thirty three years old at that time. Is it the time to enjoy Jesus’ birth? If Mary predicted about such Jesus’ miserable destiny how much would have she been distressed!

I am not intending to spoil your joys of the holiday season with this fact. I’m telling you the fact that Christian faith lies not in a mood but participating in a certain ultimate fact. Very early Christians didn’t observe Christmas. Some of you may know Christmas had gradually positioned as an important day in the Church calendar after Christianity became a state religion of Rome. The date December 25 was also related to a god of sun that Romans worshiped. December 25 was originally the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, from which the length of day began to be longer than night. It was a day that Romans celebrated with great splendor. Once Christianity became the state religion, Christmas replaced that day. Early Christianity didn’t have any room to think about Jesus’ birth. Think of it. Jesus was killed in the most cursed way. The death on the cross was shameful for both Greek and Jews in those days. If Jesus died in such way the followers of him couldn’t express their identity as Christian freely. If we think of this in the modern context, they are similar to children of terrorist who are imprisoned in Tihar prison. For the disciples to be in such situation, did they have any room to sing merrily, exchanging gifts and making a Christmas tree? No. They were absolved in the identity of Jesus who was executed on the cross and arose from his death after three days. That was the very Jesus. We now know him well or think we know him very well, but at the time of early Christianity they didn’t know Jesus properly. More precisely speaking, we also don’t know Jesus completely. Why?

We have learned and believed that Jesus is the Messiah. Messiah means a savior. Then think again. If Jesus was the savior then this world at least has to be changed even a little bit last 2008 years. Jesus had lived in Judea 2008 years ago. Did this world change before and after Jesus’ coming? Not many changes have happened to this world. Even after Jesus’ coming, people still get sick, handicapped people remain unchanged, some evil doers prosper and some innocent suffers. Either before and after his coming we all live like this, get old and die. Nothing has changed. Here is the reason I told you we don’t know Jesus completely. The salvation through Jesus hasn’t been completed yet. We are waiting for coming of completion of salvation. We are waiting for the Lord more than a watchman waits for the morning that how can Jesus who came to this world 2008 years ago save this world. When the complete salvation happens we shall come to know the real identity of Jesus and God’s salvation reign that had happened in Jesus’ life. We are waiting for the hour that God will complete salvation through Jesus. That is advent and also is Christmas. Are you waiting for Christmas with such ‘burning thirst?’ Or captured by a romantic mood like other people in the world?

The savior

500 years before Jesus’ coming, Isaiah was already eagerly waiting for the savior. This really is a mystery. Isaiah and other Judean prophets of those days and even today were waiting for such complete salvation of God. Yes. The faith of the Subscribes is to wait. Look at the contents of today to get to know what Isaiah was waiting for.

Isaiah prophesied under quite difficult situation. Of course, comfortable situation might not require a prophet. Though Judea reestablished and offered Jerusalem temple after returning from Babylonian captivity, there was no sign of fulfilling the prophet of Haggai and Zechariah at all. I read Haggai’s prophesy, “From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD'S temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. "'From this day on I will bless you. "”(Haggai 2:18, 19) The temple offering ceremony took place in B.C. 515, and even after that the situation of home and foreign political affairs and the condition of people’s life were bad. So many people got greatly distressed. Imagine the greatness of their disappointment. All their expectation to regain all the splendor of Jerusalem that of King David and Solomon through the incident of releasing from Babylon captivity life, the temple reconstruction, discovery of the Scribes in which God’s word was written had come to nothing. It is natural if you expect more then you are thrown into despair more.

For them Isaiah again proclaimed the salvation of Jerusalem. He explains it in detail. Look at verse 6, 7. “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” Isaiah delivers the vow of the Lord God in verse 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;” It may sound a little heartlessly that ‘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.” It may be right to share what is mine with others as much as possible. Such word can be understood firstly how much Israel people had undergone the persecution of neighboring countries mercilessly from neighboring country. Those who once have been afflicted by others bear a grudge against them. According to Isaiah, God will satisfy their grudge. For Israel people at least eating and drinking and worshipping the Lord God without tension was the very salvation. To Israel people who got despaired even in this matter, Isaiah prophesied God would protect them.

Isaiah’s prophesy reaches the climax in verse 11. “See, your Savior comes!” A Savior will come to Zion (Jerusalem) with his people. They will be holy people and called as the people the Lord saved. Jerusalem becomes the city of longing for the peoples and not to be forsaken any more. The people in Jerusalem were like remnants of defeated troop become the holy people and Jerusalem the forsaken city becomes the object of longing. It will be accomplished with not by the people of Jerusalem but by the savior. He is God. God will come to them.

Did such things happen to them practically? Sorry to say it didn’t come true. Jerusalem people who once had despaired because of unfulfilled prophesy of Haggai and Zechariah. And again they heard prophesy of Isaiah but it also wasn’t fulfilled. Then did the prophets tell a lie? No. Isaiah declared the word of God what he had received from God. We call it oracle. It was not Isaiah’s responsibility. Then whose responsibility was that? Was it God who had given prophesy to Isaiah? How can we call God to account? What problem does it have in the situation that prophesy wasn’t fulfilled.

Historical responsibility

We are now standing before a puzzle that is hard to solve. Isaiah’s prophesy was clearly given by God. It is the truth. Then it wasn’t fulfilled in history. Israel suffered again even after Isaiah and completely lost their country in the first century. We have to know what prophesy was, that it was the word of God in order to solve this problem. God’s word is God’s command in which his will would be declared toward us. Our receiving of God’s will depend on our attitude. In those days if Israel people concentrated on the word of God, prophesy might be fulfilled as it was. Probably Israel people responded to Isaiah’s prophesies derisively. How could God’s will be fulfilled to such people? The responsibility of failed fulfillment was Israel people’s unbelief.

Today we have received Christmas with joy. The incident of Jesus coming was the complete prophesy that summarizes the entire Old Testament. We have heard prophesy that the savior Jesus had come on Christmas. Was this prophesy fulfilled in this history? Of course, the fact that Jesus had come itself is fulfillment of prophesy. However, as I told you beginning of this message, though Messiah had come but salvation has not been revealed to us yet. We don’t know and haven’t experienced the reality of salvation face to face. At this point Christmas is still a prophesy. The prophesy will be completely fulfilled at the end of days, the day of Jesus’ second coming. We haven’t got to the end of the world. What shall we do who heard the prophesy of Christmas in the middle of history? The best way for us is able to fulfill Christmas’ historical responsibility.

What is the responsibility in detail? I don’t have much word to say for this. How can I teach you for I don’t know your experiences in the world, life and history? The only teacher will be the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth. If you open your heart to the spirit of the truth the Holy Spirit may teach you according to your situation. The Spirit may teach what life you have to take in order to fulfill your historical responsibility. You may think this word is too obscure. If you really think that it is too vague idea, then this reveals that you haven’t thought deeply about the kingdom of God, Jesus Christ and his salvation. It is similar to those matured children know how to help their children by themselves but the immature don’t know despite repeated lecturing. Of course I also belong to the immature group.

I would like to give you a direction. Listen with your spiritual ears to the historical fact that Jesus has come. True meaning of Christmas is quite differs from the status to be happy by singing Christmas carol and exchanging cards. Do believe that salvation was already accomplished on earth and our history through Jesus Christ. Believe the fact of Jesus’ second coming that fulfills the complete salvation. Before believing do understand its meaning. If you are the person who really understand and believe it the Holy Spirit may help you to realize how to carry out your responsibility in history. It is not the only one. Some may have work for the minority of society or to keep maintaining ecosystem useful or for church renovation or for the needy people. Do not merely pray for the coming of kingdom of God but also struggling on serving for establishing the kingdom of God in the world whenever chance is given. Such life is the way to celebrate Christmas. On this 2008 Christmas, may the true meaning of Christmas be abundant in your life.