"Trying on That Age-Old Story"

pdf format: click here

The Rev. Suzelle Lynch
December 14, 2003

The centerpiece of our service today is that old, old story from the gospels of Matthew and Luke in the Christian bible: the Nativity story, the story of the birth of Jesus.

It's a familiar story, one we've seen pictures of many times: the open-fronted barn with a thatched roof, a star topping its timbers. A woman in blue attended by a bearded man bends over a smiling baby lying in a wooden hay rack - all three with shining haloes. And all around them, animals and shepherds gather. Off to the side, we see three tall figures - the Magi or Kings who followed the Star. Sometimes there are angels, too.

What a beautiful story it is -- that the world paused from all warring and business and strife for one miraculous moment more than two thousand years ago as a very special baby was born.

In Christian tradition, this story says that God came into the world of humankind. God, separate from us, came into our world, not to be with us, but to save us. The person of Jesus became a symbol, the Christ, for all that is most good and holy. By believing in the Christ in a certain way one might find higher purpose and be saved.

But most Unitarian Universalists find more meaning in the teachings of the human Jesus than we do in the symbol of Jesus as Christ. We try to understand what Jesus taught as a guide for how we might best live in harmony with one another. And for some of us, Jesus does not matter at all. We know, after all, that Christmas has its roots in the pagan winter solstice celebrations of thousands of years ago, and that many other religious traditions feature miraculous birth stories about their gods and prophets, too.

So why tell this story - the Nativity story? Why act it out here in a Unitarian Universalist church?

Well, we know that people have been acting out the story for many centuries - beginning with St. Francis of Assisi seven hundred and eighty years ago. In the year 1223, he arranged for there to be a manger and an ox and a donkey as a part of the Christmas Eve service at the small hermitage of Greccio in southern Umbria. St. Francis did this because he wanted to make the story real for the people, he wanted them to experience it unfolding before them, so that they might know a sense of union with God. ("Francis of Asissi: The Way of Poverty and Humility," William R. Cook, The Liturgical Press: Collegeville, MN 1989, pp. 85-89) For us, acting out the story of the Nativity accomplishes the same purpose, in a way. It makes the story our own, for Unitarian Universalists do own this story just as much as anybody else does.

How can I say that? One reason is because today's Unitarian Universalism grew up from Christian roots. Our heritage is Christian, and we still believe that the way Jesus lived can show us how to respond to the world's strife and challenges with love, peace and justice. And so we might view the Nativity story as way to honor and deepen our understanding of our heritage.

But the second reason is much more important. Even though we know that the Nativity story isn't a historically accurate birth narrative, that doesn't mean the story isn't true! The Nativity story tells us something true not just about Jesus, but about all of us, about every human being.

The Nativity story reminds us that we're not separate from God - but instead, that God - or whatever name we use for that which is most ultimate, powerful and true in life -- is a part of us. And we are a part of it - we're part of that divine spirit, that ultimate truth, that holiness. The Nativity story reminds us that there isn't just one Holy Child, but that there is in each of us a part, a spark, that is god-like, a spark that is pure goodness. It's a spark that comes into being with us at our birth and that throughout our lives calls us to respond to our world with love and generosity.

Every time we respond to someone with caring and kindness, even when we're tired or grumpy or we just don't feel like it - that's our god-spark speaking. Every time we do something to help make the world a better place - that's our god-spark speaking. For example, when we serve meals at Guest House, when we bring warm socks for the tree in the foyer, when we protest for justice or peace or lobby our legislators to stop pollution - that's our sparks speaking. It's in the small actions we take and the big ones.

Jesus was somebody who listened to the god-spark within himself better than anyone else we know of, and who inspired many other people to do so as well - and that's why we have such respect for his teachings. But the truth is that we can do it, too. Each and every one of us has the potential to help bring peace and goodwill into our world. The Nativity story reminds us that each one of us is beloved, that each one of us is a miracle, that each one of us is called to do our part to make the world a better place.

So today, as we try on this age-old story, may it help us to see more clearly the god-spark in ourselves and each other, and to hear more clearly the voice within us that calls us to ever greater love and compassion and action.

Amen.