Merry Christmas!
Delivered by Rev. Jonathan Oh on Christmas Day, December 25, 2024.
英語のテキストの後に日本語訳があります。こちらはChatGPTによる機械翻訳であり、文法的な誤りが含まれている可能性があります。基本的な正確さを確認しております。
Passage:
Luke 2:1-20 (NRSV)
The Birth of Jesus (Mt 1:18–25)
1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 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. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 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.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 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: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
15 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.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Sermon Text:
Merry Christmas! May the joy of this special season be upon you and all those you love as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
When we walk through the aisles of the stores around Mitaka or Musashisakai stations this time of year, we might get the impression that Christmas is a holiday for the rich and the well-off. Christmas seems to be all about the gifts and the lights that we see hung around the city based on what we see today. Maybe pre-ordering that special meal package from KFC is something on your list. It’s the time of year to splurge, to spend on others and maybe yourself. The message of today’s Christmas seems to be one of “YOU make your heart merry and bright.”
Yet today’s passage shows us that the Christmas story has absolutely nothing to do with what we can buy or what we can do. Christmas exists because we have a need that we cannot fill ourselves, and the solution is given not to those who can afford it but presented to all people.
I want us to consider a couple of people in the story.
Mary is a lowly servant, and we would have never known about her except that she had been chosen by God to bear the Son of God, Jesus. She herself knows that she carries no significance, and being with child when she was not yet married had such scandalous implications that would have otherwise required her death.
Consider also the shepherds. They were not particularly liked by people in their society. Even though they had a significant role in the local economy and were holding an occupation that existed since their nomadic times thousands of years ago, they were expected to steer clear of others in town. Their rugged outdoor job that required them to be with the sheep all the time was not all that welcomed within the walls of their community.
Yet consider how the story unfolds.
Mary willingly and faithfully obeys the Lord in carrying Jesus and giving birth to Him. Because of the Roman census, she had to take a hard journey up mountains to get to Bethlehem. And she ended up getting to the little town where there was no place for her to stay, ultimately having to give birth next to the animals in a stable and having to place Jesus in a feeding trough. Yet, through all of this, Mary is truly blessed, treasuring all of what takes place in her heart. For Mary, being seen by God doesn’t mean that it was going to be all easy, but it did mean that God was with her through it all.
Meanwhile, the shepherds were out taking care of their sheep away from town because they would not have been welcome in town during that time of year. We celebrate Christmas during the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, but based on the fact that the shepherds were out at night, Jesus’ birth took place during the warmer months. They would have been the last people to hear about anything that takes place in town, and of course, this was before instant notifications on phones and social media. Yet they were the first people to be notified by God when Jesus was born. Not the local town mayor. Not the local religious leaders. Not the prominent business tycoon. The shepherds were told first - with a big, flashy, host of angels lighting up the sky. Talk about a way to present breaking news. And they, after hearing the news, went to see what had taken place in Bethlehem, and it was through them that the town found out that Jesus had been born. (I mean, if the shepherds are running through town in the middle of the night, with or without their sheep, people would have noticed.)
This is what the story of Christmas means.
God’s gift of Jesus is given for us all to receive. It isn’t reserved for those who can afford it, nor is it reserved for those who are well-regarded in society. The reason why God is giving this gift of salvation (Jesus’ name literally means the Lord saves) is because we all need it. Our fallen broken world with our fallen broken selves are given this free gift so that we may turn from the ways which ail us and receive what is freely given to us.
God’s gift shows that His love seeks out those who need it the most and is provided for all to experience and receive. God did not withhold this Good News from the ones who were least likely to hear it. In fact, He went to the very people - the Shepherds - who were least likely to hear anything about what was going on. The love of God truly spreads far and wide, and it means that even though you may not feel like you “deserve” His love, God reaches out and seeks you and embraces you.
God’s gift shows that you matter. It’s not every day that the Son of God is born. This was an incredible one-time cosmic event that transformed human history, involving a humble servant girl whom we would have never known about except that she was chosen for this special purpose. We still celebrate this incredible event today, with hope and anticipation that Jesus will return for us again. This incredible plan of salvation took place because God cares for us - because God sees us. I hope that as you worship within this community or with another part of the body of Christ, you will come to understand more about this incredible love God has for you.
So on this Christmas, may your heart be given great hope and joy, for God’s love was unwrapped for you on this day. Merry Christmas. Amen.
日本語の翻訳：
メリークリスマス！この特別な季節の喜びが、主であり救い主であるイエス・キリストの誕生を祝いながら、あなたとあなたの大切な人々にありますように。
この時期、三鷹駅や武蔵境駅の近くの店の通路を歩くと、クリスマスはお金持ちや裕福な人たちのための祝日であるかのように感じるかもしれません。今日目にするものからすると、クリスマスは街中に飾られたプレゼントやイルミネーションがすべてのように思えます。特別なケンタッキーのクリスマスセットを予約することが皆さんのリストに入っているかもしれません。この季節は、他の人や自分のためにお金を使う時期です。最近のクリスマスのメッセージは「自分で心を明るく、楽しくしなさい」というもののように感じられます。
しかし、今日の聖書の話から分かるのは、クリスマスの物語は買えるものや自分で成し遂げられるものと全く関係がないということです。クリスマスは、私たちが自分では満たせない必要があるから存在しており、その解決策は、裕福な人々のためではなく、すべての人々に与えられているのです。
この物語に登場する人物について少し考えてみましょう。
まず、マリアについてです。マリアは身分の低い召使いで、もし神様が彼女を選んで神の子イエスを宿す役目を与えなければ、私たちは彼女のことを知ることはなかったでしょう。彼女自身、自分には何の重要性もないと知っていました。そして、まだ結婚していないのに子どもを身ごもったことで、当時の社会では死刑に値するほどのスキャンダルと見なされる状況でした。
次に羊飼いたちにも考えましょう。彼らは社会で特に好かれているわけではありませんでした。地域経済において重要な役割を果たしていましたが、羊飼いは町の他の人々から離れているべきだと考えられていました。羊と常に一緒にいることを求められる彼らの過酷な野外での仕事は、彼らのコミュニティの中ではあまり歓迎されていませんでした。
しかし、物語はこうして進んでいくことを考えましょう。
マリアはイエスを宿し、出産するという神の計画に忠実に従いました。ローマの人口調査のため、マリアは山道を登り、ベツレヘムまで大変な旅をしなければなりませんでした。そして、到着した町では泊まる場所がなく、結局動物がいる厩（うまや）で出産し、イエスを飼い葉桶に寝かせることになりました。それでも、マリアはこのすべてを心に留め、本当に祝福されていました。神に見られることは簡単な道を意味するわけではありませんが、神が常に彼女と共におられることを意味していたのです。
一方、羊飼いたちは町から離れて羊の世話をしていました。北半球ではクリスマスを冬に祝いますが、羊飼いが夜外にいたことから、イェスのお誕生は暖かい季節の出来事であったと考えられます。当時はもちろんスマホやSNSがないため、羊飼いたちは町で起きた出来事を知る最後の人々でした。しかし、イエスの誕生を最初に知らされたのは彼らでした。町長でも、宗教指導者でも、大富豪でもありません。羊飼いたちが最初に、天使の大群が空を明るく照らしながら知らせたのです。これ以上ない特別なニュースの伝え方です。羊飼いたちはその知らせを聞いた後、ベツレヘムに行き、そこで起こったことを見ました。そして、彼らを通して町の人々がイエスの誕生を知ったのです。（もし羊飼いたちが夜中に町を駆け回ったら、羊を連れていようがいまいが、誰もが気づいたことでしょう。）
これがクリスマスの物語の意味です。
神が与えてくださったイエスという贈り物は、すべての人に受け取ってほしいものです。それは裕福な人々だけに限られているのではなく、社会で尊敬されている人々だけに限られているのでもありません。神様がこの救いの贈り物を与えてくださる理由は（イエスの名前は文字通り「主は救う」という意味です）、私たち全員がそれを必要としているからです。堕落し壊れたこの世界と私たち自身に、この無料の贈り物が与えられたのは、私たちを苦しめる道から離れ、自由に与えられるものを受け取るためです。
神の贈り物は、最も必要としている人々を探し求め、すべての人が体験し、受け取ることができるように用意されています。神は、この良い知らせを最も聞きそうにない人々、つまり羊飼いたちにまず伝えました。それは、神の愛がどこまでも広がり、あなたが「神の愛にふさわしくない」と感じるかもしれなくても、神があなたに手を差し伸べ、抱きしめてくださるということを示しています。
神の贈り物は、あなたが大切な存在であることを示しています。神の子が生まれるのは毎日のことではありません。この出来事は人類の歴史を変えた一度きりの壮大な出来事であり、私たちがそのことを祝うのは、神が私たちを愛し、見ておられるからです。このコミュニティやキリストの体の他の一部と一緒に礼拝する中で、神様があなたをどれほど深く愛しておられるかをもっと理解できるようになることを願っています。
このクリスマスに、神の愛があなたの心に希望と喜びを与えますように。神の愛は、この日にあなたのために届けられました。メリークリスマス。アーメン。