The birth of Jesus signifies, according to most Christians, that God so loved the world that he became incarnated in human flesh in the person of Jesus. As a Unitarian Universalist, I believe that God has become incarnated in human flesh in all human beings. As Unitarian Universalists we covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Now that the insane belief that the world was coming to an end on 12/21/12 did not come to pass and that we as humans will have to go on living on this planet, a planet we are slowly destroying, it is time for us to covenant and promote a respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. As Jesus tells us this includes the least among us: the sick, the poor, the incarcerated, those who mourn, and the meek. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, and he clearly tells us that the way to the Kingdom is "to love as I have loved."
Christmas is the one time of year that we remind ourselves that Jesus was born to encourage us to do difficult things and to manage ourselves in loving ways and to take care of each other and the earth as God would have us do. He also told us that just saying "Lord, Lord" is not enough. We must act right, live right, and if we do so we can justifiably have great hope that we will all arrive in the Kingdom together.
As we ponder the meaning of Sandy Hook and Webster, we will miss the lesson if we focus on gun control and mental health, the violent acting out are symptoms of a spiritual disease which is destroying us. It has metastasized throughout our society. It is the disease of pride, greed, selfishness, and violence. We have seriously ignored the lessons which Jesus came here to teach us and we have totally misconstrued the meaning of his life which ended violently at the hands of the Romans in a horrendous torture and crucifixion which had little to do with Jesus' life and what he taught. (If you want to understand Jesus, read the Sermon On The Mount)
As Americans we have a long history believing in torture and violence as a means to creating safety. This belief cannot save us from ourselves. The belief in redemptive violence is insane and has done tremendous harm to the world. Jesus never taught such a thing and we are reminded at this time of year that Jesus was not born to die a terrible death to save us from our sins, but rather he was born to live a life of love to teach us how to love. We have been terrible students. Perhaps with the celebration of his birth this year, and reflection on the meaning of his life, we can develop a new and more beneficial understanding of what Jesus of Nazareth, who we proclaimed the Christ, life's lessons really are.
Jesus has blessed us with the lessons. Are we ready to learn them or will more have to die? This Christmas let us reflect on what Jesus taught - a world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all based on a loving kindness which surpasses the understanding of our reptilian brains. Jesus' life calls us to become our better selves and as he said repeatedly, "Oh ye little faith, if you only knew how much your father loves you.
We are loved. Jesus told us. This is our gift. Jesus was born to tell us, and show us. If we only had the faith that we are loved unconditionally, we could move mountains.However, we arm ourselves, are the major exporter of weapons around the world, and believe, just based on our military budget, that we live in an insecure world where we are hated and will be taken advantage of unless we can get our enemies before they get us. What kind of a world is this that we have created for ourselves? Jesus taught just the opposite that this is a loving world and the way to the kingdom is through loving kindness not through weapons. There are those that promote a view of his torture and crucifixion as his legacy. There are those that teach that their God demands this kind of sacrifice. This is not Jesus' god and he didn't come here to teach this. The idea of redemptive violence is a radical perversion of Jesus' message of God's love for us.
At this Christmas season we hear the rhetoric which proclaims that the way to safety is to turn our schools into armed fortresses and that the way to light and peace is to arm ourselves with automatic weapons. The world has gone insane because of its fear. May the teachings of the Prince of Peace find their way into your hearts.
May the loving peace of Jesus true message be your gift this season and throughout the year.
Amen
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