We are gathered this evening to celebrate the world-changing event of Jesus’ birth. It is a pleasant holiday to celebrate; many people who never come to church, put up Christmas trees, exchange gifts, and prepare a feast for the family. And for us who do come to church, it is very easy to focus on familiar elements of the story, without seeking the deeper meaning. Tonight, I am going to presume that you are fully aware of the Biblical story. Instead, I am going to make two interpretations about its deeper meaning, not only for you to hear in this moment, but to mull over during the 12 days of Christmas.

Both interpretations arise from my suspicion that we have concentrated too narrowly on Jesus at this time of year, as the agent of God’s redemptive plan. What Jesus said and did for us is indeed, extremely important, but might we have missed part of the message? From the shepherds and the wisemen, to the disciples and the women, the people who met Jesus felt the presence of God, and many experienced the power of God. It was not a difficult step from those experiences to the claim that he is the 'Only-begotten Son of the Father'. Every Sunday we state this claim in the Nicene Creed, but tonight we will use a portion of the Athanasian Creed, which focuses on the incarnation, our theological word for the union of the divine and the human.

I am wondering if we have missed the message of the divine presence in all of us? I don’t mean to say that we are the same as Jesus, for I believe his nature is unique. Yet do we realize that part of the message is God’s nearness: Jesus is Emmanuel, which is translated, God-with-us. What if God were saying to us, in and through the birth of Jesus, "I am within every human heart"? What if God were telling us to forget that image of a distant Almighty Lord who is above and beyond the universe? Is the story of the nativity of Jesus, only about Jesus, or is it also about us? Is God telling us not to look "out there" for the divine presence, but to look in here (gesture pointing to heart)?

In many places, from Genesis to St John, the Biblical authors claim that we humans have something of God in our make-up, whether it be called the image and likeness of God, or our spiritual nature, or the breath of life, or the soul: however we name it, we are referring to that within us which connects to the eternal. What if the exuberance of young children, their capacity for excitement and joy and wonder, is a manifestation of that divine life within? the fact that parents frequently shield young children from seeing or hearing violence, is a recognition that our spiritual nature can be damaged even by witnessing harm. Inevitably as we grow, learning our culture and meeting the world, we do all meet the sorrows and struggles of life. We lose track of the joy and lose sight of the wonder, as our consciousness expands to acknowledge evil. So then it is necessary for teenagers and adults to embark on the spiritual journey, to seek the holy presence, not realizing it is within. The vast majority of us must find another person who has that holy light of God burning brightly, to help us discover or discern the light within ourselves. This was certainly the case for me. Living as a child with parents who had no religious commitment, I went through a strong spiritual phase at the age of 11. I didn’t feel comfortable talking about it, however, and so there was no support for my beginner’s faith. It was only 8 years later, in college, that I was able to find people to guide me in the spiritual awakening.

It is for that very reason, I believe, that the Christ became incarnate in this unique way, in the particular human being, Jesus of Nazareth. Limited as we are, we need someone like us in being human, and someone NOT like us in being clearly divine. We need to see and hear a person who is fully alive, who fully embodies God’s indwelling spirit, a person who is directly connected to the Creator of us all. And in order for this to be effective for all human beings, not only for the educated or the privileged, the incarnation had to be into a poor family, a simple home, with no advantages or special protection.

So God first draws us a picture of who we are: the picture is the same one on most of our Christmas cards, it’s on the front of the bulletin, it is the birth of the Holy Child, who is both human and For we too, in a similar way, are humans who bear the divine image; we too, are holy children. Then God enabled that Holy Child, once he was grown up, to touch and ignite the divine light within the people he met, by recognizing them as the holy children they were. That is why they responded to Jesus with faith. That is why he healed so many. That is why the disciples dropped their work and left their homes to follow him. That is why crowds of people walked miles to hear him. And that is why people are still, today, meeting Jesus, and being awakened by him to God’s indwelling presence. The Gospel of John says that to all who received him "He gave power to become children of God". Let me say the same thing using the metaphor of electricity: we are born with the wiring that gives us a connection to God; but we don’t know it is there until we meet the One who "gives the power", making the connection live.

My second interpretation is closely related to the first. It has to do with the relationship of the spiritual and the physical. What if part of the message of the birth of Jesus, is about the unity of creation? What if God is saying to us, the physical reality, you see, is not distinct from my spiritual reality: it is all one? Perhaps God is saying, Pay attention to this birth, it is a clue to the true nature of reality. Just as light is both a particle and a wave, so the universe is both physical and spiritual. Your idea that the physical is real and the other is--what? a theory, a fantasy, a great idea--is mistaken.

In support of this interpretation, I remind you that scientists now believe that at least 60% of the hydrogen atoms in our bodies, were present at the creation of the universe, about 15 billion years ago. In other words, we are made of the same stuff as the stars, and most of that stuff, is very old. Perhaps the universe is more like an organism than a clock, perhaps it is an organic whole that lives and changes and grows, and is interconnected in all its parts. Perhaps the distinction we make between the laws of nature and the miracles of God, is merely a reflection of our ignorance, for it is all natural, and yet at the same time, all miraculous.

The medieval theologian, Thomas Aquinas, said that all human beings are capax universus: capable of the universe. This old idea matches up well with the new understanding we have from science--we are capable of the universe both because we are physically created out of stardust, but more importantly, because we can take responsibility for our roles in the universe. We can understand that we called to be stewards of the earth, and members of God’s family. We can choose to preserve and enhance the portion of the universe in which we were born.

What would it mean, if these two interpretations of the Nativity of our Lord, were true? First, it would mean that every human being, of every race and religion and culture, has a spiritual connection to God given at birth. And it would follow that we should respect the choice of religion that each person has made. Such respect for members of other faiths would still leave us plenty of room for evangelism, since in California only a small percentage of the population (about 18%) claim any religious faith. Our goal, as ministers of the good news, is to call forth, as Jesus did, the awareness of God’s presence within, and then to be faithful guides in the spiritual journey. Implicit in this assignment, is the responsibility to move past the beginning steps of the spiritual journey our-selves. We can only be guides if we are giving time and attention to our own connection with God, and discovering our own spiritual calling.

The second consequence of these interpretations, would be that everything we do, matters. If we are all connected, not only to other humans, but to the universe, everything we do to the earth, every action we take that affects the air and the water, the plants, and the animals, every decision about the care we give or neglect to give, matters to the whole. I am speaking here of the actions of individuals, as well as the actions of communities, and of our species--everything we do, matters.

And the third consequence would be, that we are never alone. When terrible things happen to us: the death of a spouse, the loss of a job, the diagnosis of cancer, the forced move to a new community or to a nursing home, we feel bereft, lonely and fearful. But if my interpretations are right, God’s indwelling presence strengthens us from within, and our spiritual connections to the universe hold in the web of life.

There are many places in the Bible that make reference to the fear of God. To us, the word "fear" means the expectation of harm. But in the Bible, that phrase "fear of God" usually means the surprise and shock of discovering how near God is, and the even greater shock that I matter to God, indeed that God loves me. On this most holy night, when the Creator of the Universe came to visit us in great humility, giving us a picture of who we really are, in the Incarnation of the Babe in Bethlehem, let us worship God with fear, wonder and awe. And let us open our hearts to understand the deeper meaning of this birth, for here within our hearts, the life of God is born and lives, in us.

AMEN!