pondering birth
December 24, 2018
Luke 2:8-20
Back in February of this year I shared with most of you that my cousin Chad Mitchell’s son Brady had received a rough cancer diagnosis. This particular type of cancer, the exact name of which it too hard for me to pronounce, is known to be very aggressive. There was a moment during Brady’s treatment where everything looked so promising. One series of scans over the summer showed no visible signs of cancer. From that initial diagnosis to that series of scans was nothing short of miraculous. As the school year began, Brady’s senior year at McMichael High School, the future looked so promising. He was cleared to play soccer again, the sport he loved, so he rejoined his teammates and friends on the soccer pitch. Then, after some irritating hip pain would not stop, the Mitchell family received the devastating news that Brady’s cancer had returned.
I reached out to Chad a couple of days ago to let him know how much I was thinking about all of them and to let him know I love them. I also wanted him to know that I was there for him should he ever want to talk. Chad told me that he was doing OK, but that it was tough. He said he had suffered through cancer diagnoses with family before, but when it is your own child Chad said the hurt is on a whole different level. I can’t begin to imagine that hurt.
Shortly before I woke up this morning, 5:15 AM to be exact, Brady took his last breath. The heartache and sadness I felt for everyone involved became too much for me this morning, and for a period of time I wept. Then my mind turned to this service and I began to wonder what I might say as I stood before you now. You see, this service, the start of the celebration of the Christmas Season is about birth. This service is about new life. That is what Christmas is about and that is central to this celebration. Birth and new life are the very reason we have joined here together.
As Amy and I talked about all of this and I shared with her that I wasn’t sure how to talk about birth and new life with Brady’s death so fresh on my mind, she reminded me of something. She reminded me about faith. And yes, there are times when we Pastors need such reminders.
You see, our faith teaches us that death, as we’ve come to think of it, is actually not the end. It is the beginning of new life. In the midst of my sadness, Amy helped remind me that today Brady has a new life. And that reminder is exactly what I needed. Not because the sadness I was feeling wasn’t justified, I needed that reminder because that reminder is exactly what Christmas is about.
Christmas literally begins a new season for us where we start celebrating new life - new beginnings. The thing is, in order for one season to start another season must end. So, with the season of Advent, the season of waiting, coming to an end, the season of Christmas, the season of new beginnings, the season of new life begins. Out of the darkness of waiting, the new radiance of Christmas starts to take shape.
This Gospel account has a lot to teach us about the promises of new life – the promises of new beginnings. Just like it was for ALL THE PEOPLE back then, Luke’s account is telling ALL THE PEOPLE today about the arrival of a new world. A world shaped by love, justice and mercy and grace, instead of a world shaped by fear. That world shaped by fear… that world shaped by the lack of hope… well that world is going away because with the birth of Christ, a new world is being born. In the quiet birth of Jesus, everything changes. This is why we continue to hold out hope. This is why Christmas has always been and continues to be so very important. Christmas always brings with it the promise of new life – new beginnings. No matter how dark things seem, in celebrating Christ’s birth, in celebrating Christmas, we are celebrating new radiance. We are celebrating new life.
As Alexander Shaia says, “[W]e know in our spiritual practice that the place of new radiance is found in the deepest dark. This is the great story [being] proclaimed. [Just at the time when the] dark has reached its greatest depth … the reversal happens, the new radiance begins.”
This is precisely why ALL THE PEOPLE can have hope. Jesus’ birth represented so much, not the least of which was God’s promise of being with us. That hope though it to only act as a bridge to knowing. Jesus’ birth set in motion the movement from hoping to knowing that God is with us. In those moments where life can feel so difficult – so hard – so dark, the birth of Christ reminds us that God is with us and that new beginnings are on the way for ALL THE PEOPLE. No one is to be excluded from these new beginnings.
I can’t begin to grasp how difficult the last eleven months have been from Brady Mitchell, his parents, his brother and his grandparents. Yet, even in their pain, earlier today his mother Natalie said, “We are heartbroken but so thankful that he is no longer in pain or suffering.” Her words were similar to those Amy said to me this morning. They serve as a great reminder as we move out of the darkness of one season, we are moving into the radiant new life of another. This is the gift of Christmas and it is a gift for ALL THE PEOPLE!
Amen!
[1] https://jamiewasson.wordpress.com/tag/holding-space-thin-place-christmas-winter-light-darkness-alexander-shaia-hope-joy/
Luke 2:8-20
Back in February of this year I shared with most of you that my cousin Chad Mitchell’s son Brady had received a rough cancer diagnosis. This particular type of cancer, the exact name of which it too hard for me to pronounce, is known to be very aggressive. There was a moment during Brady’s treatment where everything looked so promising. One series of scans over the summer showed no visible signs of cancer. From that initial diagnosis to that series of scans was nothing short of miraculous. As the school year began, Brady’s senior year at McMichael High School, the future looked so promising. He was cleared to play soccer again, the sport he loved, so he rejoined his teammates and friends on the soccer pitch. Then, after some irritating hip pain would not stop, the Mitchell family received the devastating news that Brady’s cancer had returned.
I reached out to Chad a couple of days ago to let him know how much I was thinking about all of them and to let him know I love them. I also wanted him to know that I was there for him should he ever want to talk. Chad told me that he was doing OK, but that it was tough. He said he had suffered through cancer diagnoses with family before, but when it is your own child Chad said the hurt is on a whole different level. I can’t begin to imagine that hurt.
Shortly before I woke up this morning, 5:15 AM to be exact, Brady took his last breath. The heartache and sadness I felt for everyone involved became too much for me this morning, and for a period of time I wept. Then my mind turned to this service and I began to wonder what I might say as I stood before you now. You see, this service, the start of the celebration of the Christmas Season is about birth. This service is about new life. That is what Christmas is about and that is central to this celebration. Birth and new life are the very reason we have joined here together.
As Amy and I talked about all of this and I shared with her that I wasn’t sure how to talk about birth and new life with Brady’s death so fresh on my mind, she reminded me of something. She reminded me about faith. And yes, there are times when we Pastors need such reminders.
You see, our faith teaches us that death, as we’ve come to think of it, is actually not the end. It is the beginning of new life. In the midst of my sadness, Amy helped remind me that today Brady has a new life. And that reminder is exactly what I needed. Not because the sadness I was feeling wasn’t justified, I needed that reminder because that reminder is exactly what Christmas is about.
Christmas literally begins a new season for us where we start celebrating new life - new beginnings. The thing is, in order for one season to start another season must end. So, with the season of Advent, the season of waiting, coming to an end, the season of Christmas, the season of new beginnings, the season of new life begins. Out of the darkness of waiting, the new radiance of Christmas starts to take shape.
This Gospel account has a lot to teach us about the promises of new life – the promises of new beginnings. Just like it was for ALL THE PEOPLE back then, Luke’s account is telling ALL THE PEOPLE today about the arrival of a new world. A world shaped by love, justice and mercy and grace, instead of a world shaped by fear. That world shaped by fear… that world shaped by the lack of hope… well that world is going away because with the birth of Christ, a new world is being born. In the quiet birth of Jesus, everything changes. This is why we continue to hold out hope. This is why Christmas has always been and continues to be so very important. Christmas always brings with it the promise of new life – new beginnings. No matter how dark things seem, in celebrating Christ’s birth, in celebrating Christmas, we are celebrating new radiance. We are celebrating new life.
As Alexander Shaia says, “[W]e know in our spiritual practice that the place of new radiance is found in the deepest dark. This is the great story [being] proclaimed. [Just at the time when the] dark has reached its greatest depth … the reversal happens, the new radiance begins.”
This is precisely why ALL THE PEOPLE can have hope. Jesus’ birth represented so much, not the least of which was God’s promise of being with us. That hope though it to only act as a bridge to knowing. Jesus’ birth set in motion the movement from hoping to knowing that God is with us. In those moments where life can feel so difficult – so hard – so dark, the birth of Christ reminds us that God is with us and that new beginnings are on the way for ALL THE PEOPLE. No one is to be excluded from these new beginnings.
I can’t begin to grasp how difficult the last eleven months have been from Brady Mitchell, his parents, his brother and his grandparents. Yet, even in their pain, earlier today his mother Natalie said, “We are heartbroken but so thankful that he is no longer in pain or suffering.” Her words were similar to those Amy said to me this morning. They serve as a great reminder as we move out of the darkness of one season, we are moving into the radiant new life of another. This is the gift of Christmas and it is a gift for ALL THE PEOPLE!
Amen!
[1] https://jamiewasson.wordpress.com/tag/holding-space-thin-place-christmas-winter-light-darkness-alexander-shaia-hope-joy/
