Holy Communion is LIVE on YouTube every Sunday at 10 am EASTERn. Click HERE to watch live. To view and print a copy of the program for holy communion, CLICK HERE.
Homily for the Nativity of the Lord, 12/25/23 – Father Mitch (Evening Service)
Readings: Is 9:1-6, Ps 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13, Ti 2:11-14, Lk 2:1-14
Luke 2:1-14 King James Version
1 2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
In a galaxy far, far away, in a backwater town on a desert planet, an orphan farm boy finds out that he is heir to secret lineage and destined to use his latent powers to free the galaxy from the grip of the Galactic Empire. In a cold and dusty room beneath the stairs in a nondescript house in Surrey, a young orphan boy discovers that only he can prevent the world’s enslavement to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
These are the outlines of the Star Wars and Harry Potter, the most successful entertainment franchises in history. Writer and mythologist Joseph Campbell, in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) dubbed this story type the "hero's journey." Stories in this pattern have entertained, cheered, and inspired millions. But as popular and intense as they are, they are pale shadows and faint echoes of a different, very true heroic story.
In a palace atop Palatine Hill in the center of the capital city of the most formidable empire the world will ever know, the most powerful man on earth, the emperor Caesar Augustus, fulfills his every desire and pursues any conceivable vice with unlimited money, authority, and power at his disposal. Meanwhile, in a backwater town called Bethlehem, a baby boy is born in a stable because there is no room in the inn. By contrast, the newborn baby Jesus is not powerful, but utterly powerless. Wrapped up in swaddling clothes and receiving blankets, unable to do more than squirm, he is bound up to his mother and father by the bonds of love.
The emperor commands his servants to bring him the finest foods and treats from all over the world which he eats with relish. But the newborn baby Jesus, lying in a filthy feeding trough for animals, contentedly eats what he is given. He is not meant to eat whatever he craves, but to be food for those who crave righteousness. His fate is not to feed upon others, but to feed others with wisdom, to be sacrificed, to share his flesh and blood with the faithful in the form of bread and wine.
The good news of this baby hero’s birth is proclaimed where? To shepherds in the wilderness by God’s heavenly host – to the poorest of the poor – as far away from the halls of power as you can get. Not to kings and queens by soldiers and standard-bearers, but to humble men sleeping on the ground beneath a new star – the star of Bethlehem. The guiding star of the Empire, and entire ancient world, was always power, domination, and conquest. The star of good fortune rested over those who had the greatest armies, the most ruthless leaders, and greatest resources. But not in this story. Here a new star rises. And it doesn’t hover over the Roman emperor, but over a defenseless child in a dirty barn.
Star Wars and Harry Potter are unbelievable fictions. But the true story of Jesus Christ boggles the mind. How is it possible that a helpless baby rebelled against and defeated an empire – not with spears and swords, but with Hope, Faith, and Love? How is it possible that he forever turned the world upside down?
Because he is the Son of God.
You can visit the pile of stones that was once the emperor's palace on Palatine Hill. You can go and see the ruins of the Coliseum where the empire fed early Christians to the lions. You can walk along the remnants of emperor Hadrian's wall in the United Kingdom, or see what’s left of the Heliopolis in Lebanon. The empire and its monuments are all rubble and its emperors are dead.
But Jesus Christ lives. His church remains, the story of his birth endures, and the uprising continues.
Tell your children and your grandchildren. Tell your friends. Proclaim the good news to this suffering culture. If you thrill to the tales of the rebel alliance fighting against the Galactic Empire, imagine how your heart will sing if you participate in the rebellion against greed, lust, materialism, and hatred. If you cheered as Harry Potter and his friends triumphed over Voldemort, imagine how your soul will soar when you participate in the real rebellion, started two millennia ago by Jesus Christ, carried on by a rag-tag group of 12 apostles, and continuing to this very day.
We, his rebel forces, carry on the fight against evil, first in our own hearts, and then in the world.