St. George's Episcopal Church
Roseburg, Oregon
Christmas Day
25 December 2005
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Isaiah 62:6-12
Psalm 97:1-12
Titus 3:4-7
Luke 2:1-78-20
The Collect of the Day
From the Revised Common Lectionary as Adapted for Use by the Episcopal Church
and Authorized by the 74 th General Convention of the ECUSA
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2:1-78-20)
Bah Humbug on ‘ Holiday’
The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop, Rector
Every December since he took office, President Bush sends out cards with a generic end-of-the-year message, wishing 1.4 million of his close friends and supporters a happy “holiday season.”[1] The cards, paid for by the Republican National Committee, show the presidential pets, two dogs and cat, playing in the snow on the White House lawn.
Many people are thrilled to get a card from the white house (I still have a card I once received from Richard Nixon when he was the president). But conservative Christians were upset with the President this year. “This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture,” said William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. Bush “claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn’t act like one,” said Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com. “I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it.” 1
The tradition of sending out personal cards from the White House at Christmastime began with Franklin Roosevelt. According to Mary Evans Seeley of Tampa, Fla., author of “Season’s Greetings From the White House,” the first annual card sent in 1933 read “Merry Christmas from the President and Mrs. Roosevelt.”
The originator of the “generic” presidential holiday card was John Kennedy. In 1962, John and Jacqueline had Hallmark print 2,000 cards, of which 1,800 said “The President and Mrs. Kennedy Wish You a Blessed Christmas” and 200 said “With Best Wishes for a Happy New Year.” Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson continued that tradition for a couple of years, but it required keeping track of Christian and non-Christian recipients. Beginning in 1966, they wished everyone a “Joyous Christmas,” and no president has attempted the two-card trick since.
Over the years the wording on these cards has oscillated between mentioning Christmas and ignoring it. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter put “Merry Christmas” in their 1977 card and then switched to “Holiday Season” for the next three years. Ronald and Nancy Reagan, similarly, began with a “Joyous Christmas” in 1981 and 1982 but doled out generic holiday wishes from 1983 to 1988. The elder Bush stayed in the “Merry Christmas” spirit all four years, and the Clintons opted for inclusive greetings for all of their eight years. The George W. has attempted to find a compromize, offering generic greetings along with an Old Testament verse.
You might think this is a trifling matter, but with over a million cards now mailed, the matter has – pardon the pun – become a heavy matter to some.
In defense of the card, Laura Bush said while the first couple celebrates Christmas themselves, they wanted an inclusive greeting to be respectful of other traditions.[2] I think Laura is right on target, and her comment is quite well grounded in the New Testament.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul spoke about the consumption of meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Apparently some members of that church had asked the question as to whether it was permissible or not to eat meat that had been offered as a sacrifice at one of the numerous pagan temples in that very cosmopolitan city. Paul’s advice was this, “Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, for ‘the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.’ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.” In the end he told the Corinthians “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God.”
Corinth was a very cosmopolitan city in the middle of the first century. Many religions and cults had temples of worship there. Indeed Christianity was probably a small minority at the time Paul wrote to that church.
Many look at the United States as a Christian country. But that is not entirely the case. In 1996 84% of Americans claimed to be Christian. In order, the top ten organized religions in the U.S. are Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Unitarian Universalist, Wiccan/Pagan/Druid, Spiritualist, Native American Religion, and Baha’i.[3]
We are here today to celebrate the birth of Jesus who by his life and ministry showed us a way of living that involved honoring and respecting all people. Jesus broke social and religious conventions when he saw that they were getting in the way of loving and honoring God. In a world that eschewed children, he cherished them. In a society that valued ethnic and religious purity, he welcomed outcasts. In a patriarchal culture, he valued women.
Laura Bush would have been right at home in the Corinthian church. She would have nodded vigorously at Paul’s advice. And she would have said that the Corinthian church had made way to much out of a considerate – and very Christian – gesture to honor and respect one’s neighbors.
I say “Bah Humbug” on the wording of the President’s ‘Holiday Card.’ There are more important issues Christians should concern themselves with. On 21 December, by a vote of 51-50, with Vice President Dick Cheney breaking a tie, the U.S. Senate passed a budget reconciliation conference report that contains drastic cuts and program changes to programs such as Medicaid, child support enforcement, child welfare, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. These drastic cuts come at a time when increasing numbers of working families, seniors, and disabled adults are seeking assistance from local charities.
A recent survey found that the nation’s most vulnerable populations - the working poor, homeless and seniors - increasingly need financial assistance to pay for basic commodities such as food, housing and utilities. Eighty one percent of agencies report an increase in the need from the working poor; 64 percent cite an increase in the number of families seeking help; 52 percent are seeing more seniors in need; and 49 percent are seeing more homeless seeking help.[4] These are issues that matter to you and to our neighbors – especially in Douglas County which has the highest unemployment rate of any western county.
“Congress has turned its back on our nation’s poor and vulnerable by slashing programs vital to the health and well-being of our children, fragile families, the elderly, and disabled adults,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, in reaction to the passage of the Senate’s bill. “This measure, with its harsh budget and program changes, is certain to have long-term, harmful effects on countless families across our nation.”
But perhaps the best statement regarding the furor over the presidential holiday card came from The Rev. Bob Edgar, a former Democratic congressman, and current general secretary of the National Council of Churches. “I think it’s more important to put Christ back into our war planning than into our Christmas cards.” Amen.
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COMMENTS? E-Mail Me
Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they shall never be silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout the earth. The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink the wine for which you have labored; but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather it shall drink it in my holy courts. Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up an ensign over the peoples. The LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion, “See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” They shall be called, “The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD”; and you shall be called, “Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.”
1 The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless idols;
all gods bow down before him.
8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the towns of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O God.
9 For you, O LORD, are most high over
all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 The LORD loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
[1] Alan Cooperman. “Holiday Cards Ring Hollow for Some of Bush’s List.” A-8. The Washington Post, 7 December 2005. Downloaded 23 December 2005 from The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/06/AR2005120601900.html
[2] Joseph Farah. “Bush ‘ Holiday’ Cards Cause Stir.” Accessed 23 December 2005 from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/07/politics/main1103160.shtml
[3] Data from http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html#religions
[4] From U.S. Newswire. Downloaded 23 December 2005 from http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=58546.
The Mission of St. George’s Episcopal Church is to lead people to love Jesus, and, through worship and scripture, to become empowered as a servant body – to each other, to our community, and to the world. For information about St. George’s Episcopal Church and its life and mission, please contact us at 1024 Southeast Cass Avenue , Roseburg, OR 97470 or by phone at (541) 673-4048 or (541) 680-3465. Contact Bill by email at wgstroop@earthlink.net and visit our church at http://www.roseburgchurch.net |
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Copyright Notice
Copyright © 2005, William G. Stroop - All Rights Reserved.
23 December 2005
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