I want to begin with two Christmas, so hopefully if you are not already in the holiday you will after you hear this.  One of my buddies who is a minister in Portland, Texas, sent me a article from the Wall Street Journal about the rise of living nativity scenes.  You have probably seen these before.  A scene of Mary and Joseph and little baby Jesus in stable with a manger with live actors plopped down right in front of church so that cars can drive by and see the scene.  This article relayed the growing popularity of such scenes, how they are becoming more and more extravagant, and how this is resulting in predictable and funny occurrences.  There is an old line in Hollywood about not working with animals.  Churches should remember that.  A church back east in an effort to have the best nativity scene in the area rented donkeys and cows and camels all sorts of animals for its living nativity scene.  With a lot of time and effort this did result in the best nativity scene in the area.  That is until Mary was bucked of the donkey on the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  Joseph, as in our passage today, wants to do the right thing so he immediately jumps on the donkey to try to calm it down only to get foot stuck in the stirrup and dragged around the parking lot.  I think next year somebody should do a television show called, “when living nativity scenes attack”.

          A seminary friend told me of a recent trip to Target Christmas shopping.  Between looking for guitar hero and other assorted gifts, he found something surprising.
Wide eyed he starred at 12 inches of heavenly glory, it was Talking Jesus: Messenger of Faith. It was described as: colorful and richly detailed...[this]talking figure brings the New Testament to life...a character that kids can play with and move. The Biblical character comes with a vibrant mini storybook that kids may follow and use to recreate the tales. A delightful "action figure" and fully interactive way for children to learn and participate in religious education. Batteries, in fact were included.  And no Jesus did not have a kung-fu grip. Turning the box over he noticed that this Jesus was made in China and not Israel.  So the Son of God remains dangerous to the world today, as now he may contain lead paint.

          I tell you both funny stories to make this point:  Other than the random holiday occurrences which I spoke about in by two stories, the Christmas we celebrate has become an innocuous holiday, that does not challenge or change us at all.  Which is ironic and sad because the first Christmas changed so much.  This is not a birthday party you all have stepped into.  We are here to celebrate the changing of the world.  It is on this day that celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ into this world.  Our savior, and healer and all the other titles that Mary read earlier.  We celebrate today because this is the day the world changed.  It is no coincidence that time is marked in the western before Christ and after Christ.  This shows the significance this day should have.  But does it?  Are we challenged and changed?  Do we celebrate this day for the profound impact that it had and still has?  Or do we celebrate it for presents and Santa Claus and commercialism?

          Jesus came, God came into the world to change things to change the status qou.  To change everything.  But look around you, do things looked changed.  In our dreary moments we would say no.  There is still death and destruction.  There is still poverty and angst. There is still sin and brokenness and heartache. In our better moments our better angels would point the visible changes all around us. The love and compassion of this season.  The carolers from this church visiting shut-ins yesterday.  The Presbyterian urban Mission Santa Store.  All the other charities and groups that strive particularly this time of year to remind everybody that something has changed. To remind us of the continuing hope we have that all will be visibly changed.

          I like Christmas because it is an in between time.  Something joyous has just happened but the full consequences of it aren’t completely know.  It breeds anticipation and life.  It is a now and a not yet moments.  Now something has happened, but the fullness of something only exists in the not yet.  And that is the challenge for us.  We resign this holiday to something that happened a long time ago, not something that is continuing to change us now.

          The churches in Africa and third world are exploding with growth.  There will be if there is not already more Christians in Africa and the rest of the Third world than there is in Europe and North America.  They are sending missionaries to us now.  A conference of the Anglican Church, the Church of England and all its daughter churches, pointed to the answer.  The Christians in these areas really need Jesus Christ.  They really need to be changed.  Government has failed them.  Money has failed them. Jobs have failed them.  Everything that makes us lackadaisical about our faith has failed them.  So they joyously embrace the one thing that won’t fail them.  Jesus Christ.  Our Lord and Saviour that came into the world this day.

          That is my Christmas wish.  That the Jesus Christ that came into the world this day will come yet again into your life.  You who seek change will be change by the love of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  I pray that he will come into the now of your life and into all of the not yet moments where you will be changed.