Nochebuena / Christmas Eve 2018

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(https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/
82466-the-grinch-vector-hand)

M. Campbell-Langdell
All Santos, Oxnard
Christmas Eve (Christmas 1 Readings) 12.21.18
(Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14(15-20); Psalm 96)

Who here got to see “The Grinch” yet this season?
¿Quién ha visto la película “The Grinch” esta temporada?
In it, what does the Grinch do? (Steals Christmas)
En la película, ¿Qué hace el Grinch? (Roba la Navidad)
And how does the Grinch think that people will respond?
Y ¿cómo piensa el Grinch que la gente van a responder?
Indeed! I am going to read an excerpt of the story for those who may not have heard it. Voy a leer un poquito del cuento:
“It was quarter of dawn. All the Whos still a-bed,
All the Whos still a-snooze, when he packed up his sled,

Packed it up with their presents, their ribbons, their wrappings,
Their snoof and their fuzzles, their tringlers and trappings!

Ten thousand feet up, up the side of Mount Crumpet,
He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it!

"Pooh-pooh to the Whos!" he was grinchily humming.
"They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!

They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
Then the Whos down in Whoville will all cry boo-hoo!

That's a noise," grinned the Grinch, "that I simply must hear!"
He paused, and the Grinch put a hand to his ear.

And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low, then it started to grow.

But this sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded glad!

Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,
Was singing without any presents at all!

He hadn't stopped Christmas from coming! It came!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling. "How could it be so?

It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes, or bags!"

He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.

Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!”[1]
¿Qué pasó? La gente empezaba a cantar. Instead of crying, the Whos got together and sang.
Cantaron “Bienvenida a la Navidad” porque la Navidad no viene de una tienda pero es algo que se encuentra en el corazón.
They sang “Welcome Christmas” because Christmas wasn’t gone, just the toys, and they could celebrate having Christmas in their hearts.
How does this tie in to the gospel, you say? Les voy a contar como esto aplica al evangelio.
In today’s gospel from Luke, the emperor has ordered the people to return to their ancestral homes to register. En el evangelio de San Lucas de hoy, el emperador ha mandado que todos regresaran a sus casas ancestrales para registrar.
Now, any occupied people knows that this kind of registration is not like those in more recent years, ostensibly designed to help the people. It is not to get them free healthcare. It is for the purpose of control and money – how many taxpayers are there?
Este tipo de censo no fue para ayudar a la gente tanto como para controlarlos. No fue para darles seguro médico, pero fue para pedirles dinero en forma de impuestos.
But here is where it is about something more. Aquí se trata de algo más grande.
Because while the emperor thought he was moving the pawns of his kingdom, God was doing something bigger. What appeared a chess move to control the people ended up being what facilitated the birth of the Messiah and the heir of the Davidic kingdom.
Aquí el emperador piensa que está controlando a la gente pero de hecho sus movimientos facilitan el nacimiento del Mesías y el heredero del reino de David.[2]
This is just another reminder of the fact that tyrants and leaders may feel that they have ultimate power, but God is always working behind the scenes for our good, even and especially in the humbler areas of creation.
Esto me hace recordar que aunque los en poder piensan que tienen poder completo, Dios siempre está trabajando para nuestro bien, y especialmente trabaja en los lugares más humildes de la creación.
In a little manger, with a humble teenage mother, at her side a faithful man, a king was born, and more than a king. In a moment, we will reflect on that in the form of song. And later, we will get a chance to sing together.
En un pequeño pesebre, a una madre humilde y joven, y a su lado un hombre fiel, un rey nació, y no solo un rey pero algo más grande. En unos momentos, estaremos reflexionando en canciones, y más tarde tendremos la oportunidad de cantar juntos.
Because just like the Whos we know that the best way to welcome Christmas is to sing. Let us sing against the darkness of the world, knowing God is even now working behind the scenes for all of our good.
Justo como los Whos sabemos que la mejor manera de dar la bienvenida a la Navidad es cantar. Cantaremos en contra de la oscuridad de este mundo, sabiendo que aun ahora Dios está trabajando por nuestro bien.
Welcome, Christmas! ¡Bienvenido a la Navidad!
Amen.

[1] Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, found at: https://genius.com/Dr-seuss-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-annotated.
[2] Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis and Matt Skinner, “Working Preacher Sermon Brainwave #639: Christmas Eve – the Nativity of our Lord,” for December 24, 2018, https://www.workingpreacher.org/brainwave.aspx?podcast_id=1083.

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