Homily preached by the Rev. James La Macchia
Trinity Parish of Newton Centre
December 24, 2015
The Holy Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ – Christmas 1C
Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
My Friends:
Like many of us at this time of year, I have probably spent too much time shopping in stores and, now, online. And, at one point during the maddening rush of this week, I began to wonder if there were a vast conspiracy afoot to undermine completely my already strained ability to take the foolishness of our times in stride. I even began to understand just why the reclusive American poet Emily Dickinson never left the house and grounds of her father’s home, and here’s why.
There I was, innocently browsing in the religion section of a Barnes & Noble bookstore when my eye glanced upon a book with the provocative title of Jesus in Blue Jeans: A Practical Guide to Spirituality. Well, who among us could resist? I waited until I was quite sure that no one was watching before I furtively snatched the book from the shelf. And I didn’t need to read any further than the first few sentences of the dust-jacket’s description to confirm my dark suspicions and to get a pretty good idea of the author’s slant on Jesus of Nazareth. The sampling included such “gems” of wisdom as—and now, I’m afraid, I am quoting—“Jesus the leader, who tells us that moving isn’t fun”; and “Jesus the worker, who never whines, but only hums.” And, to make matters even worse, this book, we are told, is the last in a trilogy of such books by the same author. With that, my amusement changed to horror because this meant that two other books just like it had already been unleashed upon our confused and hapless world! Having had quite enough of this trendy, “wonder-bread” Jesus portrayed not as a fount, but as a mere puddle of so-called spiritual wisdom, I decided to read no further and I quickly returned the book to the store’s shelf where I hope it has found a permanent home. Thanks, but no thanks, I thought. Continue reading →