Dear Baby Jesus?

November 24, 2009

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Given our assumptions about Christmas, one would think the gospels were written by either Currier or Ives. We delight in tranquil nativity scenes of lowing cattle and nightscapes both silent and holy. The Christ of our imagination is born under twinkling angel light, when all is calm, and all is bright. But such imagery is fabled, if not fabricated. The gospels portray a birth narrative replete with danger and paranoia, filled with the stress of census crowds, the threatened throne of an angry king, and the pulsing contractions of painful labor.

Make no mistake: the first Advent was neither silent nor calm.

Yet, our tendency is to sterilize the story for our comfort. We favor plastic cheer over steady discipline, and sedation over somber reflection. We prefer a God who coos and cuddles, rather than one who demands and challenges. Jesus, after all, came to us as a baby: innocent, cute, and charming. How could a God who gurgles and grins be anything but adorable?

The problem, of course, is that constructing a god who pleases us, who offers on-demand, real-time service for our desires, is nothing short of idolatry. And the only cure for that kind of false veneration is to open ourselves up to the possibility of surprise. To a God who comes in ways we least expect.

A God of Advent.

I’m reminded of the scene from Will Ferrell’s comedy movie Talladega Nights, in which his character Ricky Bobby offers grace before a family dinner. His prayer is as silly as it is self-centered, but it does embody the kind of idolatry we assume when we worship a god we create on our own terms:


RICKY: Dear Lord Baby Jesus, or as our brothers in the South call you, Hay-zoos, we thank you so much for this bountiful harvest of Dominos, KFC, and the always delicious Taco Bell. Dear tiny, infant Jesus - -

CARLY (Ricky’s Wife): Hey, um, you know, sweetie. Jesus did grow up. You don’t always have to call him baby. It’s a bit odd to pray to a baby.

CAL (Ricky’s Friend): Well, look, I like the Christmas Jesus best, and I’m saying grace. When you say grace you can say it to “Grown Up Jesus,” or “Teenage Jesus,” or “Bearded Jesus,” or whatever Jesus you want.

CARLY: You know what I want? I want you to do this grace good so that God will let us win tomorrow.

CAL: Dear tiny Jesus, with golden fleece diapers, with your tiny, little, fat, balled-up fists -

CARLY’S DAD: HE WAS A MAN! HE HAD A BEARD!

RICKY: Look! I like the baby version the best, do you hear me? I win the races and I get the money!

CARLY: Ricky, finish the grace!

RICKY: Okay. Dear 8 pound, 6 ounce, newborn, infant Jesus - don’t even know a word yet. Just so infant and cuddly, but still omnipotent - we just thank you for all the races we’ve won and the 21.2 million dollars I’ve won…..We thank you for all your power and grace, dear baby God. Amen.

FAMILY: Amen.


Thankfully, there is no gospel according to Currier and Ives, or Ricky Bobby for that matter. Instead, we are guided by Advent Scriptures like Jeremiah 33:14-16 that open us up and show us a God who shocks us into a new reality.

‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

Forget about a helpless baby with golden fleece diapers and fat, tiny fists. This is a God who comes to us with power and strength, with command and authority, and we best be ready when that time comes.

It’s an idea powerfully proclaimed by Alfred Delp, the Jesuit priest who stood up to the Nazi regime and was eventually hanged for his treason. In his sermon “The Shaking Reality of Advent,” he summons an awakening to Advent’s true intent:

Advent is a time when we ought to be shaken and brought to a realization of ourselves. The necessary condition for the fulfillment of Advent is the renunciation of the presumptuous attitudes and alluring dreams in which and by means of which we always build ourselves imaginary worlds. In this way we force reality to take us to itself by force - by force, in much pain and suffering. This shocked awakening is definitely part of experiencing Advent. But at the same time there is much more that belongs to it. Advent is blessed with God's promises, which constitute the hidden happiness of this time. These promises kindle the inner light in our hearts. Being shattered, being awakened - only with these is life made capable of Advent.

During this blessed season, we are asking the question of the timeless Christmas carol: What Child is This? We will discover that this God is one who calls, not coos, and shocks us out of our steady holiday diet of tinsel and toys in order to be people of discipline and preparation. His arrival is assured, for this God is faithful and reliable. But our task is not merely to wait and anticipate; it is to prepare and make his path straight.

Join us for the next four Sundays, as we observe a vigilant, attentive Advent. May we allow this God to surprise us, and shake us, once again.

Peace, Hope, and Love,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org


Luke 21:25-36
25 ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27 Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory.
28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’
29 Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees;
30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near.
31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place.
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly,
35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.
36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’

What Child is This?
Advent 2009

“A Child Who Brings Surprise”
Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
November 29

“A Child Who Sets Things Straight”
Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 3:1-6
December 6

Children’s Christmas Musical
December 13

“Rise Up”
Chancel Choir Cantata
December 20

“The King Who Feared the Child”
Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 2:1-20
December 24
Christmas Eve Service at 5:30pm