Read Luke 2:1-7
“The Christmas Weight”
Today is the second sermon in a sermon series on anxiety. Before we get started, I want to do a little recap on what we have covered thus far.
The sermon series on anxiety explores three different facets of anxiety: the past, present, and future. Last week we explored the “Haunting Past” and how decisions we make in the past affect us in the present and future.
You see, I believe one cannot escape anxiety. It’s part of the world we live in. And, the world continues to throw fuel on it when the flame ignites. However, there are ways to deal with it. There are ways to live with it. And, dare I say, there are ways to make the best out of it. I will quote one of my favorite writers when she said, “Anxiety is an old friend.” You are thinking, “What? An old friend? How could this terrible thing that plagues my life be a friend at all?” Valid question... But, it’s true. There are ways to make use of it. There are ways to gain strength and spiritual growth from it. There are ways to use it to your advantage. It can, actually, make life easier. If controlled, it can be healthy. But, if it is not controlled, it can get out of hand. As I have mentioned, it is much like fire. Yes, fire is a useful tool. We use fire in a controlled environment all of the time. We use to cook, to heat our houses, to manipulate malleable materials, and it has been used for a life source since the beginning of time. But, when it’s out of control, what happens? It destroys everything in its path. It doesn’t care who you are, how good you’ve got it, how healthy you are, or how much love, family, or friends you have surrounding you; it will make everything seem worthless when it takes control. That’s anxiety. It’s like fire. And, that’s just how it affects us emotionally. I didn’t mention that it affects us physically. We sometimes get rashes and breakouts on our skin, acid reflux, we get tired, we get moody, and/or much worse. And, that starts to affect the people around us. It’s taxing, not only to us, but everybody else. Yes, our anxiety hurts other people.
A few years ago, a musician, that I often listen to, was waiting in line with his wife to go see a movie. All of a sudden, he recalls having a feeling of fear unlike he had experienced before. He felt off-balance as if his body was fading for brief moment. Then he felt like he was dying. He had a moment that he thought he was leaving the world. He woke up in a hospital. The doctors ran blood tests in search of the problem. As it turned out, it all happened due to anxiety. His life going great. His albums were selling a lot and his name was growing rapidly. He had a lot of shows scheduled and he had just got married. He was working on his next album when this happened. It was due to everything happening so quickly and not taking time to debrief that his body forced him to stop. That’s what will happen if a person does not allow the body and mind to stop; it will stop for you.
Let’s talk about this title, "The Christmas Weight". I took some time thinking about what you were thinking about when you read the title of this sermon. Did you think, “On yes, I put on some weight during Christmas. And, I am trying to get rid of it.” Or did you think, “This must be in reference to the weight my bank account lost during Christmas.” I thought that I could have titled it “Christmas W-A-I-T” which, would refer to what kids are thinking about somewhere toward the end of October. Or, I thought about the title, “Christmas? Wait…I’m still recovering from last year.” Which would be what parents are thinking somewhere toward the end of October. Any of those would have worked because they all involve some degree of anxiety, right? But, none of those refer to the background of this title. The Christmas Weight is in reference to the Mary, Joseph, and Jesus story. The Christmas story as the writer, Luke, tells it.
It was decided that Mary and Joseph would become married even after he discovered she was pregnant. We know the story well. Luke doesn’t tell that part as well as some of the other gospel writers (my opinion). But, even if we did not know of the conversation Mary had with Joseph about being pregnant, we could assume that it was awkward. And, it had to be convincing. And, even if it was very convincing, it would have caused some anxiety on Joseph’s part.
They were not yet married and Mary was very pregnant. She would have had to hide it from friends and family. Because, it was against the Mosaic Law for her to be pregnant outside of marriage. Joseph was an upstanding Jewish man. He lived by the Law and he was in the lineage of King David. This meant he was of some importance. But, he was having to hide the fact that his fiancé was pregnant and not yet married to him.
Outside of all of this going on, Israel is under the rule of Rome. They are experiencing a lot of problems and the governing body (Rome) is making life tough. At the time, Caesar Augustus was the ruler of Rome and he was the first Emperor to rule over Rome. He obtained the position from being the great nephew of Julius Caesar. He had a legacy that he felt obligated to maintain. When he stepped into those shoes, he cleaned some things up. First, he removed Herod the Great’s son, Archelaus, from his governing position in Judea and replaced him with Quirinius, a Roman gentile. This move was political on the part of Augustus. He had more control over Quirinius than the son of Herod the Great. This would allow Augustus to control Judea even more than he already did.
One of the first actions of Quirinius for his Emperor was to create a census. The idea behind this was to generate more taxes for the Roman Empire and to keep a count on the people under their rule. Here’s the thing, the Jews already hated the Romans. But, it only fueled the fire to create a census. Creating a census was forbidden in Jewish Law. It was against the Law and it was against their faith practices. But, they were forced to do it. This was one of the reasons why zealot groups were formed to rebel against Rome.
Let’s put this into perspective. Another country invades our country, a country of a different faith. They conquer our country and form a government over our government. We not only have to pay our government taxes, but we have to pay them too. And, this new ruling government forces us to do things against our faith. That’s where the people of Israel are. There are some anxieties happening. Right?
So, not only were Mary and Joseph experiencing some personal anxieties, there were some things outside of their personal problems shaking things up a little too. With all of this happening, they were forced to travel, against their will, to Bethlehem so that Joseph can sign this census. So, they travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. That’s about a 60-mile journey through some rough areas and over some coarse terrain. All the while, Mary is very pregnant and they are still trying to hide it. When they arrive at Bethlehem and start to look for a place to stay Mary says, “It’s time.” Oh, and did I mention that they knew this baby was not going to be the typical child. There was a dream and an angel that told Mary this baby would be conceived by the Holy Spirit. You've heard it before. Yeah, so they really did not know what was going to go down. But, Mary knew it was going to happen right now! But, what happened? All of these mad people were in town for the census and there was no room in the inn. So, they ended up in what was most likely something of a cave where animals slept. And it was there in that hole in a rock wall that Jesus happened. Yes.... Jesus happened.
Whoa.
We don’t often see that side of the story. Yeah, that’s the reality. It was when the shit was hitting the fan, handful after handful. It was when everybody was angry at the government and at life, adversity was in the air, and people were scared. Then this couple is just trying to be normal and be part of a declining society and do their part. But, noting is going the way they saw it going when they planned it. And here they were in a cave, used to water the donkeys, pushing a baby out because nothing goes right anymore. Then...
Jesus happened.
That’s what I call the Christmas weight. It’s when nothing is going right, you can’t see a clear path ahead, you feel like the world is against you, and you feel like you are carrying the weight this young couple had to carry from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Then, when everything seems to be falling apart, something happens. You get this weird sense of hope. You suddenly feel the presence of Love and Peace. The Spirit happens.
When things are not going the way you want them to, or rather, the way you planned, what happens? Anxiety? When things are not panning out at home with family (kids/wife/dog) or at work with your boss, what happens? Anxiety? When you have a list of things to do that you just can’t get done and you have a list of things you're concerned about that you just continually stress about, what happens? Anxiety? When you are worried about your health what happens? Anxiety? It really starts to feel like you are carrying a Christmas weight.
When you have that kind of anxiety and it is just not getting any better and you feel like the weight is getting heavier, it is time to let Jesus happen. When you let Jesus happen, you will find hope. Now, I am not going to sit here and tell you to let go and let God. Because, it doesn’t always work out like that. If I am hanging from a tree limb and I decide to let go and let God, God’s going to let gravity hit me with the ground. There is a lot more to it than that. Letting Jesus happen requires proactivity.
It requires action and this is where anxiety becomes an old friend rather than a life-long nemesis. So, when we think about the opposite of anxiety what comes to mind? I think of calmness. I think of peace. I think of stillness, quietness, relaxation, or tranquility. It reminds me of the creation story when God came to the earth it was chaotic, which could be metaphorical for anxiety. God, brought peace and stillness. Anxiety is like a classroom full of children who have all been given a Jolt Cola, a Nesli’s Crunch, and a kitten. The opposite of that is an empty room with a hammock and the sun shining with a little breeze. It’s peace and tranquility.
Now, we know that anxiety is with us everywhere we go. It there even when we try to avoid it. It can manifest because we are trying too hard to avoid it. Because it is always there, in order to control it you have to sacrifice parts of your life to step away from it. Do you feel me? Anxiety allows us to appreciate time when it is not present. It’s like day and night. I like having a lot of daylight. But, if there were no darkness, I could not appreciate it. Nighttime allows us to appreciate daytime and vice versa. Anxiety allows to appreciate its opposite: peace, stillness, calmness, and tranquility. That’s how you control anxiety. It’s like controlling a fire; you have to keep tabs on it.
Now, here comes the proactive part. How do we do that? How do we control this old friend that has the habit of getting out of hand? It’s quite simple. I have three steps and it requires all three. You can’t just practice one. All three. 1) You have to take a break from your surroundings. You have to take sabbath time. You might hear me say that a lot. If it’s not working, you’re not doing it right. You have to detach, unplug, rest, escape from all distractions, and give time to you. It is a gift for you from God. God is telling you to take this time of quietness and peace and God is giving it to you for a reason. Somebody might say, “Well, I took a family vacation. That was my sabbath time.” Nah, don’t give me that. That’s not you time. Make time for you. While you are taking that sabbath time, think about God and think about the blessings you have been given from God. Stop working, stop looking at the phone, and look up and look out and appreciate it.
That reminds me of something I heard not long ago. I wish I could take credit for this because it’s awesome but I cannot. One of favorite writers said this. There is a Jewish midrash about the Exodus story. God parts the Red Sea and all of the people are walking across the bottom of the sea. Some people were complaining because they were having to walk through the mud and they were getting mud in their sandals and in between their toes. They were so focused on the mud, they missed this amazing miracle that was happening all around them. The 21stcentury version of that is, everybody is so busy looking at their phones and complaining about what they see on social media and finding entertainment in what they see on the internet that they forget to look up and all around at creation and the miracles that happen every day.
2) If you control it and allow it, anxiety will help you discover your gifts. What is causing your anxiety? Now, what can you gain from it and learn from it and how is it part of your personality. That’s right, we are all wired differently and we approach learning differently. So, the question to ask is how can I make use of this struggle. It’s a good prayer. Ask, “God, what would you have me gain, what would you have me learn from this struggle? What are you teaching me? Allow me to learn from this so that I can better serve you.” Seek gifts in your anxiety.
3) When you are experiencing anxiety, it is quite likely there are some things out of order. Right? Some things are chaotic due to lack of order or stability. In the creation story, God arrived and there was chaos. So, God created order and there was peace. It is order that created the book of Leviticus. The Israelites did not have laws or rules and if there are no laws or rules, what happens? Chaos. So, the Law of Moses was created for order and stability.
I cleaned out the closet in my garage last week. If you were to open the door prior to last week you would have seen chaos and disarray. But, now it has order. (For a little while at least.) And, I have to tell you, it makes me feel good to look in that closet and see order.
So, you are carrying the Christmas weight. There is turmoil, worry, anxiety, darkness, and God knows what else. It feels like things are busting at the seam. First, find rest and peace away from everything. Second, search for gifts. Ask, “God, what will you have me learn from this?” And third, create order. Take time to create order or reorder things in your life. Allow God to use your anxieties to make a better you.
That’s God’s plan for you!
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