The Christmas narrative taken out of the Gospel of Luke
is an amazing story. Many of us can
close our eyes and easily hear Linus Van Pelt in the Charley Brown Christmas special speak so
eloquently of the birth of Jesus. He quotes
in beautiful King James English just six verses that tell of the birth of the
Messiah from the viewpoint of the shepherds.
There are many different viewpoints in the Gospel of
Luke. There is the story of Zechariah, a
righteous priest, and his wife Elizabeth, both advanced in years who have a
visit from the angel Gabriel who tells them that they will have a son who is to
be named John. Gabriel said that John was to, “Prepare the people for the
coming of the Lord”.
There is a similar story of the angel Gabriel who then later appears
to the virgin named Mary and tells her that she has been chosen to be the
mother of the Christ child. About nine
months later, the narrative picks up again from the viewpoint of Joseph
and Mary, who travel by donkey from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem to obey
the decree of Caesar Augustus that the entire world should be
"registered."
These stories are famous because they speak of the one
event that changed history forever. As Christians, we celebrate that annual
feast as an yearly reminder of the birth of this Christ child that was to be
the King of kings, the Savior of the world.
It is at Christmas that we all move a little closer to
that feeling and objective of Christian unity. Our denominational and silly parochial differences are
set aside for a time. Even if only for a brief season, this is the tangible
expression of the unity of our faith. We are united in our faith in the birth
of this Child that would ultimately give His life as a ransom for all
mankind.
Jesus prayed in John 17:21,”I pray that they may all be
one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they
be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me.”
We are truly one in faith. Let us remember that we have
much more in common than we have in difference.
Our worship may be dissimilar, our creeds and some of our practices slightly different, however we
are still to be one.....”so that the world will believe”.
