First United Methodist Church - Fort Collins, CO

This sermon was inspired by something I had known about the name of the town Bethlehem. One of the translations of the town Bethlehem is “House of Chaos/Fighting”. It is important for us to remember that there were conflicts going on at the time of Jesus birth. There were wars and people were fighting and dying. It was a terrifying time to live. Into that setting comes one we call “The Prince of Peace”. The fighting and chaos are part of the story. The fighting carried through years of struggle and misunderstanding, and it is clear that there was little recognition of the birth of one who would have the words and the Word that could end all fighting and could restore order to a world in chaos.

The implications for us are massive. If we concentrate on the mainstream of things we will become pretty discouraged. However, once we begin to look off into the margins of life we find people trying to confront the chaos and to bring peace and calm to the perpetual conflicts. The sermon will look at the ways in which God comes to us, not in the middle of things, but off to the side. The sermon will raise questions about how we might participate in the “peace-making”.

Christmas Eve Schudule

3:00 Children’s Service       Sermon  “The Give Away”  Joel Kershaw
5:00 & 7:00 Traditional Worship Service with Sanctuary Choir and Special Music          Sermon: “What Color Were the Swaddling Clothes”   
                                                                              Charles Schuster
8:30 - 10:30                 Communion available in the Chapel

11:00  Midnight Worship  Sermon: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”    
                                                                               David Dalke          

                                     Christmas Eve Sermon

The title of the sermon is “What Colors Were the Swaddling Clothes?”
In the research on the subject I have discovered some facts that are new and interesting to me. It was tradition to “swaddle” babies (to wrap them up with strips of cloth and to salt their bodies). It made them feel safe and secure.

In thinking about the “swaddling clothes” and in speculating on the color it seems to me the color of the swaddling clothes is the color of love. The question is “what is the color of love?”

Two Questions:
1. How does Jesus’ birth confront the chaos of our world?
2. What is the color of love?

If you have some ideas on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. Click on the blank space and the email address will appear.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles Schuster

The word Bethlehem has a number of translation. The sermon will explore each of these interpretations and I will try to find a way to apply each.

1. Bethlehem means “house of food”/ “house of bread”. I can think of Bethlehem as a house of hospitality. It was a homecoming spot for the people who left Babylon and the exile. The people who greeted them were warm and friendly and it built the reputation of the town.

2. Bethlehem means “house of fighting”/ “house of hostility”. There have been times in the history of the town when that really fit. There was a war between the Samaritans and the Jews. There are well documented struggles with the Romans. The enrollment that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem was surrounded with resentment and anger.

3. Bethlehem means “house of God”/ “house of holiness”. There are several reasons this might fit Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the place where David grew up. Also his mother Ruth was from Bethlehem and, we are told by Matthew and Luke, Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

What do we do with this? Do we think of Jesus as having been born in an environment of hospitality, or fighting, or holiness? Which is these names best fits the town we remember in Phillips Brooks poem which became the Christmas Carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. His inspiration came as he sat on a hill above the city and began the think about Jesus’ birth.

Which of the names most fits the town where Jesus is thought to have been born?

I think it was the third option although all three seem to be appropriate. What do you think of when you think of Bethlehem? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If the address doesn’t appear just click on the space and the email address will come up.

I look forward to hearing from you.

I want to explore the history of the town of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth. I want to learn what was happening then and how that compares to what is happening in our world today.

What were the factions in Bethlehem? How were the various battles being played out? What were the dangers? What were the Romans doing about the potential for an uprising? Were they concerned about it some 70 years before there actually was an uprising? What were the hard core zealots doing about the Roman occupation? What kind of census was there? Historians doubt that there was a nation wide enrollment, but they do acknowledge there was regional requirements for the people to declare themselves for the purpose of being taxed.

Was the world then as violent as our world has become? Were there wars and battles or minor skirmishes?

In the backdrop of what was Jesus born?

Do you have thoughts about this? What is your guess? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net (click on the blank to bring up the email address.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Jay Rochelle in his book, The Revolutionary Year has captured the aspects of Christmas that will never disappoint us. He writes: “It is a Christian truth that every person is worthy of dignity and honor, that each individual is sacred and must not be exploited, because we are radically accepted by God. It is the Christian proclamation that now, in this present moment, wherever we are sitting or standing, we can strip to the core of our being and find there not silence but a gigantic yes…Radical Christ-mass says that God is love personified/im-person-ated in this small child of Bethlehem…a love which does not jump back into ‘heaven’ but expands throughout all human nature. It is still here, waiting each year, each day, each minute, to be discovered. Christ-mass is the Eternal Now focusing in the temporality of life.”

Christmas reminds us of the “humanity of God”, and it allows us to contemplate the “divinity of humanity”. The conclusion is clear and important. For us to be come more like God, we need not become less human.

This is the kind of year that we need to be reminded of the goodness of the human spirit. This is one of those years when we are encouraged to look into the soul of humanity to see what is there.

What I hope we see is:
1. Goodness and mercy
2. Courage and boldness and a striving to do the right thing
3. Hope for better days than the days in which we are living.
4. Joy in the moment

Christmas will not disappoint us if we think about its purpose and intent.

Rochelle writes:
“When the time was ripe God appeared in the mainstream of humankind. God came, not with the lightening bolt nor with the clamor of kingship nor midst the applause of all people. God came, still and small, into the poverty of the world, perceived only by the human heart. We are those who celebrate God’s coming in time at the manger of Bethlehem….”

Christmas will not disappoint us. It cannot. It says so much about the God we worship and the people we are called to be.

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. Click on the blank and my email address will appear.

I look forward to hearing from you.

It was a disappointment to the people who heard the Prophet Isaiah speak of “A child has been born for us. We have been given a son who will be our ruler. His name will be wonderful counselor and Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace. His power will never end: peace will last forever.” They were disappointed when the Messiah never came. Only the Persian king Cyrus approximated the prophesy.

It was a disappointment to the people who followed John the Baptist. They were certain he was the Messiah. Christmas did not come with John. He was not the one and his people had to look for another.

Cyrus was the about heroic power. He saved the people from the Babylonians. John was about holy power. He saved people’s souls by influencing them to repent. Neither was the Messiah.

Jesus was the Messiah for very different reasons. Christmas came in his birth and we will be disappointed with Christmas until we figure out the reason why Jesus was a fulfillment of God with us.

That is the central part of the story. That is what we have to determine if Christmas is not going to disappoint us this year. Why was the Christ Child “God with us”?

What do you think about this?

Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. Click on the space to get my email address.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Maybe the sermon title for Sunday, December 16th is overstated. It could be that we all won’t be disappointed, but there is so much anticipated in this season that it tends to lead to disappointment.

Clyde Reid wrote a book entitled You Can Choose Christmas. That book contains a very important attitude. Basically, Reid tells us we have a choice to make. We can allow the season to simply come to us and let it happen with all the expectations we will bring to it. Some expectations will be realized and some will not. Some will come to Christmas having the sense of joy and satisfaction and some will become depressed and discouraged because it failed to live up to the hope they had for it.

Clyde Reid is saying we have a decision to make. He says it this way, “Do you want to bring joy to someone? To whom? Do you want to feel the deeper meaning of the birth of Jesus? Do you want a bigger, better office party? Do you want to be reborn? do you want lots of presents? Do you want some time alone, time for you? You may aim high or low, but your dream will help decide what kind of Christmas it will be. You may choose to do nothing. You may wait and hope that someone else will make it a good Christmas for you. And they may. but what you do now can make a difference. You can choose to make it a good Christmas for someone else–and your own Christmas will be influenced.”

Reid is telling us the secret to a happy Christmas depends upon our intent to help make Christmas happy for someone else. The act and attitiude defines the meaning of the season and we do have a choice.

Do you have plans to choose Christmas?
What are your plans and what suggestions do you have for others? Write me your thoughts on this at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. Click on the space and the email address will appear.

I look forward to hearing from you.

There are grandiose statements made during Advent. I am especially aware of the Prophet Isaiah and the 11th Chapter and the words: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid. And the calf and the lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” 

The passage goes further in a whirl of thoughts that seem too incredible to hold. What do we do with this kind of vision? Do we ignore it? Overlook it? Read it but pay no attention to it?

Do we explore it for the meaning it might have for our day and time? I think that is what we are called to do. Incredible passages with fanciful visions that are too incredible are important and constitute the most important part of Advent.

Advent calls for us to become visionaries. It is a time for us to look at our world, our nation, ourselves, and to see what could be and to visualize how we can make it happen.

That’s what we might miss in Advent.

The struggle with this sermon is to find a way to lift up a vision for the world and for our lives that we can work toward. What might that be for you? What can you and I imagine for our lives? the best that can be?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If the email address does not appear click on the blank space and the address will appear.

I look forward to hearing from you.