The Gospel of John chapter 1 is the poetic Christmas gospel. We hear a combination of creation story, birth of Jesus, and how we become children of God. Commentator Karoline Lewis notes the parallel between Jesus as the child of God, and how through him, we are adopted as God’s children. John says in Christ we too are born of God. In this sense the story hinges less on whether we have children and relate to that part of the story. Instead the focus is that we become God’s children. Typically we think of Easter as the draw toward themes of baptism – becoming God’s children through Jesus’ resurrection. Before getting to the resurrection there is first the story of Jesus’ birth. Christmas is a day of beginning: creation, birth, and our invitation to becoming God’s children.
For those of us who are adults, this can take a little imagination. Many of us see smaller children and remark at their energy and enthusiasm. We wish we can bound out of bed and be ready for the day in the way small children are able. They are an inspiration to the rest of us. The sparkle of joy and ability to play, to suspend disbelief, to engage in imaginary games. Imagine how the world would appear to us, with that level of imagination. There would be endless possibilities. A sense that new worlds and new dreams are possible. After all for a child there are new worlds and new dreams every day! This is a world John’s Christmas gospel invites us into. The world is created through Christ – the word made flesh. It is a divine poetry through which the whole world emerges. In John’s gospel we are invited to imagine what is possible, and an invitation to become a child of God.
One thing that makes it hard for us to hear the gospel anew is that everyday life continues alongside. We know alongside the beauty of creation, we still need to make dinner, do the laundry, do shopping, manage our life and finances. The work of adulthood remains. That is true. The invitation to become a child of God is made alongside everyday life. Just as the bread and the wine around the table are everyday bread and wine, while also Christ is truly present. We are invited into a “both and” world on Christmas. We are reminded both the world is created through the Word, who becomes Jesus. And we are in the world of the everyday. Christmas reminds us of this new thing God is doing through Jesus – infusing the world with divinity.
The story of Jesus born to Mary and Joseph, also grounds us in a particular context in the world. We are reminded these were human beings who lived in a particular place. For them the “both and” of divine and everyday was a lived experience. They found themselves thrown into this miraculous life, chosen by God. While it can be tempting to paint a bucolic picture of the Holy Family in ancient times, we know their life was not easy. There is nothing easy about travelling great distances on foot or by donkey to give birth at a time without the benefits of modern medicine.
Today we think about children born in the Holy Land, especially Lutheran friends and colleagues at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. They have experienced increasing uncertainty in the place of Jesus’ birth. Pr. Munther Isaac, the pastor there, has asked Christians abroad to remember there are still Christians in Bethlehem. Not to let Bethlehem just become a museum. This is from an article in the National Catholic Reporter titled, “Anxiety and Hope mark Advent for Palestinian Christians.” In it we hear from both Palestinian Christians and Israeli Jewish leaders.
We hear from Sr. Lorena Sesatty, a nun from Mexico, a trained therapist who works in Bethlehem and lives in the community. She lauded the return of Christian pilgrims as particularly welcome because "they not only support local families economically but also spiritually and emotionally, helping them feel truly seen."
We hear from Rabbi Avi Dabush, who heads the Israel-based human rights group Rabbis for Human Rights and is a survivor of the October 2023 Hamas attacks. Dabush’s hope? "That in times like these, only togetherness, mutual aid and a shared struggle for a better future for Israeli society — one that holds a great deal of light — offer encouragement as we look toward 2026."
We hear the voices of religious leaders living in Jesus’ birthplace. The presence of love and justice in this place sends echoes throughout the church and the world. The poetics of John has the power for divinity and the everyday to intersect. Trusting in this power of Christ in the world become increasingly important through prayer, building relationships, and being connected both theologically and historically to the places of the Christmas story.
This Christmas I invite you to imagine ways in which the poetics of the Word made flesh in Jesus sustains your life. And how our lives are connected to Christians sitting next to us and those gathering for Christmas worship in Bethlehem today. These relationships renew our own humanity and repair the beauty of God’s creation in difficult times. Know that God’s love this Christmas if you, it is enough revealed in the birth of Jesus. Amen.
