ThisWeeksSermon. December 21st, Advent 4

“A close encounter of the 3d kind”
4th Sunday in Advent, December 21, 2008

[Oops! No audio this week. Technical difficulties.] 

"The point I want to make is that the true miracle is not a supernatural birth.
Supernatural birth stories about kings and queens and gods proliferated in the mythology of the ancient world in those days.
The true miracle, actually, was the experience of Jesus, himself a sort of “close encounter of the third kind.”
Jesus, so much like God that we find it hard to tell Jesus and God apart from one another."

May I speak only the truth, and may only the truth be heard by you, in the name of God our Creator, our redeemer, and our sanctifier.

Amen.

A close encounter of the 3d kind.
The other day I was thinking about that Steven Spielberg film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
It was science fiction, about UFOs.
Came out in 1977.
It tells the story of an Indiana electrical lineman and his encounter and obsession with UFOs, unidentified flying objects.

Three kinds of “encounters”
A close encounter of the first kind is any UFO reported to have been within about 500 feet of the witness.
A close encounter of the second kind is a UFO that leaves markings on the ground, causes burns or paralysis, frightens animals, or interferes with engines or radio reception.
A close encounter of the third kind includes a sighting of the occupants…aliens.
In this morning’s gospel reading, it was Mary who had a close encounter.
It wasn’t with a UFO.
It was maybe a UFA, unidentified flying angel.
But it was definitely the “third” kind, a sighting of the alien itself.
The gospel story
God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David.
His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name was Mary.
Gabriel greeted her:
“Good morning!
“You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, beautiful inside and out!
“God be with you.”
Mary was thoroughly shaken by this encounter, not by the UFA, the “unidentified flying angel,” but wondering what was behind a greeting like that.
But the angel assured her.
"Mary, you have nothing to fear.
“God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call him Jesus.
“He will be great, be called 'Son of the Highest.’ ”
“The Lord God will give him the throne of David.
“He will rule Jacob’s house forever, no end, ever, to his kingdom.”
Mary said to the angel, “But how?
“I’ve never slept with a man.”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you.”
“Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God.
“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is?
“Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant!
“Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”
And Mary said, “Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
“Let it be with me just as you say.”
   Then the angel left her.

It’s exactly right.
This gospel story on this particular Sunday morning, is exactly right.
On this last Sunday before Christmas, we’re telling the story of how Mary was told that she was to give birth to the son of God.
It’s a fantastic story, and I think it’s best to describe it exactly that way, as a fantastic “story,” not history.
What it’s really about is the mystery of the incarnation of God, the mystery of an external, supernatural, out-there, above-the-clouds God taking on the human flesh of a baby boy named Jesus.
We tell it as a story because it cannot be described in other ways.
The point I want to make is that the true miracle is not a supernatural birth.
Supernatural birth stories about kings and queens and gods proliferated in the mythology of the ancient world in those days.
The true miracle, actually, was the experience of Jesus, himself a sort of “close encounter of the third kind.”
Jesus, so much like God that we find it hard to tell Jesus and God apart from one another.
This was a close encounter with God who walked with us, ate and drank with us, cried with us, died with us.
That’s the true miracle.
God with us.
That’s the miracle that calls us to a deeper faith, the miracle that tells us there’s more to life than meets the eye, more to life than buying things, more to life than getting ahead of everyone else.

Just three days left
In three days, on Christmas Eve, we’ll be reexperiencing a “close encounter of the third kind,” once again telling a story of God who took on the human flesh of a baby boy.
In the meantime, in the next three days, there are opportunities for some other close encounters.
Try this.
In the next three days, stop, and listen.
Listen to the world around us.
Listen, really listen, to what others are saying.
In the next three days, listen to Mother Nature.
Listen to the birds, and the wind.
Listen to the Spirit, listen to your own heartbeat.
Remember that Jesus said, “Love your enemies.”
In the next three days, make an effort to show loving-kindness to everyone, including yourself.
Ask for help from the God that you know.
Every moment in life is “pregnant” with possibility.
You don’t always know how it is “conceived.”
But the miracle the wonder of each moment’s “immaculate conception” awaits us, each moment a new possibility, a possibility for a new insight, a possibility for a new Knowing.

It’ll be the best Christmas
Say “yes” to now
Say “I don’t know” to mystery.
Say “thank you” to life.
If you can do these things, I expect a smile will then appear on your face, that you’ll see the world differently, and that this Christmas will turn out to be the best ever.

Prayer
Let us pray.
Eternal God, the Great Mystery that is outside everything and yet at the same time inside, keep alive in each one of us the search for a faith that is real, a faith that helps us to live happier lives, a faith that gives us a fuller meaning to life and the events of life.
Bring us to know the goodness that flows from the heart of the universe and may we be expanded in heart and soul by that goodness. This is our prayer. Amen.