Isaiah 9:1-6
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-14
Bishop Untener's Homily
A Rescue, or Part of God's Plan from the Beginning?
It can make quite a difference if you see the coming of Christ into our world as a rescue mission . . . or as part of God's plan in the first place. To put it another way, if human beings had not sinned, would we still have Christmas? Was God going to become part of the human race anyway?
The truth is we're not sure. Down through the centuries there have been good theologians on both sides, and the Church has never closed the question.
I find myself more and more drawn to the second position . . . that the entry of Christ into creation, into the human race, was part of God's plan right from the start.
Let's say that the coming of Christ was part of God's plan in the first place. Let's try that scenario and see how it looks.
We start with the beginnings of creation.
- First there was nothing, and then the first matter was created. We go from nothing to something. But the plan of creation is not yet completed.
- The universe takes shape and, within the universe, the earth takes shape. But the plan of creation is not yet completed.
- Then life appears on earth - one-celled life, then multi-celled life, then animal life. But the plan of creation is not yet completed.
- Then . . . in a great leap forward, human life appears. But the plan of creation is not finished.
- Then, as part of the plan of creation from the very beginning, God becomes permanently part of this creation. God is born into the human race. And because of that, all creation is raised to a new level. God is permanently part of creation, and part of the human race. Now, the plan of creation is completed.
The End of the Beginning
That's quite a different scenario - the coming of Christ as part of our beginnings. The early Christians thought that the birth of Christ meant that the end of history was near. Paul, for example, thought that it was imminent.
In the perspective I have just given you, the birth of Christ is at the beginning. It is the last part of the process of creation. In other words, it was the end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end. It was part of the long story of creation. It is what God wanted in the first place.
The Beginning of the Gospel of John
In case you wonder if that is possible, listen to the beginning of John's Gospel - the part we call the prologue. It is one of the Gospel readings for the Mass on Christmas morning. Listen to it:
In the beginning was the word . . . and the word was with God . . . and the word was God. The word was in the beginning with God."
This is before anything was created. Now, comes creation:
All things came to be through the word, and without the word nothing came to be."
But that's not the end of the story of the beginnings. Listen to what follows:
And the word became flesh . . . and made his dwelling among us."
That is what we celebrate at Christmas. It doesn't sound like a rescue story to me. It sounds like God's plan for creation.
Now, all is in place. We have seen his glory. We have heard him speak, watched him live. He has shown us how we are meant to live, not just as creatures, but as graced daughters and sons of God.
The Promise of the Future
In all likelihood we have a long, long way to go to help transform creation and the human race into what we are meant to be now that God is part of us. But the birth of Christ is a moment of great celebration. It is part of our beginnings, not our ending.
- It is like a sliver of light on the horizon at dawn, when we know that the full warmth of the sun is near.
- It is like the overture of a great symphony, which contains hints of the themes and melodies that will run throughout.
- It is like a spring planting with the promise of a full and rich harvest.
- It is like the birth of a child . . . the beginnings of a life that will be full and strong.
- It is a feast of light, a time to give gifts, a time to sing beautiful and beloved
songs, a time to feast.
The angels had it right when they said to the shepherds: "I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord."
Originally given on December 25, 2003, Bishop Ken's last Christmas