November 28, 2010 Fourth Sunday of Advant
Sermon delivered at St. John the Evangelist, 10 AM.
First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14; Ps. 23; Epistle: Romans 1:1-7; Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24
In the name of God, the one, the Undivided Trinity. AMEN.
I hesitate to say this, but among my interests is public transport and railways. In America such people are called railfans, and here they are sometimes referred to as trainspotters. I state here and now that I do not own an anorak and I do not sit on cold railway platforms writing down locomotive numbers. I do have an interest in the many and varied ways that people all over the world use to travel around their cities and their countries.
One of the email transport lists I look at had a story about a crime on the Underground system in Boston, which is called the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, or the T, for short.
A woman leaving a train took her iPhone out of her bag. While she was using it, a robber snatched it from her hands and ran down the platform, intending to leave the station with it.
I dont know about you, but in those circumstances I would do what this lady did: Id have screamed THIEF!, and started to chase him. Often such chases end in the thief being faster than the victim, and we see in the last picture of the situation the victim standing on the street, watching the thief escape.
This story, on the other hand, had a happier ending for the victim. Two intrepid employees of the T gave chase and cornered the robber. He tried to leave the station through a ceiling-high gate and was caught there.
The two men were braver than might first appear. When the police arrived and arrested the robber, they discovered that he was armed with a rather large knife. Thankfully, he didnt use it and was thus spared the horror of injuring someone physically and being punished for that crime rather than simply for the crime of robbery.
His name is Christopher, which, as most of you will realise, means Bearer of Christ. He is only 18 years old. He is a heroin user and a drug dealer, judging from the drug paraphernalia found on him when he was arrested. Now I am not an apologist for youth crime and young criminals; blaming distressed circumstances for ones criminal behaviour is just not on. But heres where the story intrigued me, and I hope itll intrigue you as well.
One of the men who captured Christopher asked him, Why did you do it? Christopher said that he was just down on his luck and that he needed the money. The worker replied, You could have at least asked people for money. and Christopher looked at him and said, Would anybody give me money?
Weve all encountered people panhandlingits almost the norm in the subways under the Elephant and Castle. Some look relatively neat, some have a pet (Tan always insists on giving them money when they have a dog with them.), and some look very much the worse for wear. The question we might ask is, Would anyone give _them_ money?
Whether of money, or of toys for the kids, or warm socks and mittens, or of a great Christmas meal, ended only by switching on the telly to watch the Queens Christmas message, gifts are on all our minds during this season. We try to think of the best gifts to give each of our family and friends. We brave the Arctic conditions outside to purchase them or order them online and wait by the mailbox to ensure that they dont fall into the hands of the recipient before the 25th. When were children, we speculate on what Father Christmas has in store for us, and when were adults, we shake gaily-wrapped boxes to see if we can figure out what Aunt Barbara has given us just from the sound it makes.
We believe that we deserve presents, and we Oooo! and Ahhhh! as each box is unwrapped and its contents are displayed. Even the box from Aunt Jane, revealed to contain an ancient fruitcake, drilled full of holes which are in turn filled with brandy, is welcomed with the same enthusiasm as we greet some object weve longed for and which is now ours, through the grace of the giver.
We then discard the wrappings, and for the rest of its useful life appreciate the item weve received. Christmas recedes into far memory; soon Easter looms. And dont think that Easter is that far away; Tescos puts out a shelf of Easter eggs the week after New Years, every year. Count on it.
The point of gifts at Christmas is that they are always deserved. Your family and friends love and treasure you, and the gifts you receive are recompense, in some small way, for your presence in their lives and in their histories. A child may have been a longed-for addition to a family where the parents had long since given up hope for children. The childs gift to her parents is in some small way a thank offering for the supreme gift of birth and continuing life and nurturing in their family. Even the dog who gets a bone wrapped in silver paper and tied with a red ribbon deserves the gift after offering his devoted unconditional love to the family of which he is a part.
As Christians, there is one gift that we receive around this time each year, every year. Preachers preach about it, carollers sing about it, the Scriptures tell us about it, The first time we received this gift, it wasnt under a decorated tree, and it probably wasnt around the Winter Solstice when it was given. Joseph and Mary were the first to know about the gift, and Joseph considered rejecting it at first.
Joseph seems to be relatively embarrassed about it all. He considers discreetly getting rid of Mary and her unborn child, even though they were engaged to be married. Something wasnt right, and he wanted no part of it. The angel persuaded him otherwise, and he accepted the gift.
Jesus was that gift, God-with us.
The robber, Christopher, looked at his captor and asked, Would anybody give me money? We are in the same boat when it comes to Christmas and God-with-us. Would anybody give us the gift of God-with-us? Do we deserve it?
AMEN.