Christmas Eve/Nochebuena, 2025 + ACL + Nothing is Quite What it Seems
Nothing is Quite What it Seems
Christmas Eve/Nochebuena, 2025
St Paul’s Emmanuel
and All Santos Oxnard
The Rev. Alene Campbell-Langdell, traducción por la Revda MCL+
Good afternoon, and buenas tardes, this is a sermon shared by Pastor
Alene and with interpretation by me. It’s Christmas, and nothing is quite what
it seems. Perhaps that’s one reason why
this season seems “magical.” Esta
estación tiene el brillo justo para mantenernos intrigados y un poco
desconcertados. Se siente un poco como un mundo de fantasía donde nada es lo
que parece. Social Scientist scholars tell us that Luke’s Gospel is written in the
style of an “encomium,” a piece written about someone in ancient times that was
intended to bring them honor by ascribing honor to the place where they were
born and their upbringing.[1] And so we hear that a new child has been born
in Bethlehem, “the city of David.” Como el evangelio está escrito en
el estilo de un encomio, la historia atribuye honor al lugar de nacimiento de
la persona principal. Así, escuchamos que ha nacido un niño en Belén, "la
ciudad de David". Sin embargo, los eruditos antiguos daban ese título a
Jerusalén, no a Belén (una aldea que difícilmente merecería el nombre de
ciudad). And rather than receiving the place
of honor in this little burg, Luke tells us that this new child was outranked
for the guest room by an unnamed member of the family.
Después de describir como no merecían el cuarto de huéspedes José y María,
Lucas describe a continuación el honor que recibió este niño al ver su
nacimiento anunciado por un ejército celestial —que es lo que significa
"hueste" después de todo— para que luego estos guerreros celestiales
anunciaran su mensaje de paz a los pastores a través de un cántico. Luke then describes the honor this
child received in having his birth announced by a heavenly army—that is what
host means after all—only to have these sky warriors announce their message as
a message of peace given to shepherds in song.
¡Es como si los
personajes de Marvel se hubieran presentado con relámpagos, hubieran hecho un
baile y cantaran a la vez! It’s as if the latest Marvel character showed up with
lightning bolts all around them and then proceeded to do a song and dance
number with all their friends in the sky!
Y, por si fuera
poco, los guerreros celestiales que traían la paz les dicen a los pastores que
reconocerán a este niño por su apariencia completamente normal. And then they say you will be able to
tell he’s the Savior because he’s a baby! It’s like telling someone today that
they will surely recognize the baby they’re looking for because it will be
wearing a diaper and sleeping in a crib.
The shepherds could hardly be blamed if they had stumbled
back to their sheep in the fields, rubbed their eyes, and said, “Well, that was
a strange dream!”
No se les podría culpar a los pastores si hubieran regresado
tambaleándose junto a sus ovejas en los campos, se hubieran frotado los ojos y
hubieran dicho: "¡Vaya, qué sueño tan extraño!" Y esto es el chiste
de épocas como la Navidad.
And that is what makes holidays like Christmas challenging.
We know there is something more going on, but it’s like catching a glimpse out
of the corner of your eye. Hay
más de lo que se puede ver en la Navidad, y en este bebe, pero cuando intenta
verlo se desaparece. The moment you turn to look that brief glimmer seems to
disappear. Indeed, that is the challenge
of the Christian life and faith in general.
We see the ordinariness of the world, and at times the outright evil,
and at the end of the day, we stumble back to our fields (or our homes),
wondering if those glimmers, that shimmering light we experienced, were real or
just a dream. To paraphrase the age-old
Passover question, what makes this child different than any other child?
Esto también refleja la vida cristiana en general. ¿Vemos lo ordinario
que es el mundo y a veces vemos la maldad y decimos—realmente es verdad lo que
creemos? ¿Qué hay de diferente de este Niño Jesús?
Tito contesta estas preguntas de una manera inesperada. Nos dice que la
Gracia de Dios apareció y trajo la salvación a todos. Entretanto, este don ha
venido, pero de otra manera lo esperamos todavía. Es la Navidad; todo se
cumple, pero todavía esperamos también. El mundo se ve igual que ayer. Pero con
la llegada de Jesús, todo es diferente también. Porque ahora no
hay separación entre nosotros y Cristo.
This question is
answered in Titus in startling ways that seem to continue the “nothing is quite
as it seems” theme. We are told that God’s grace has appeared and brought
salvation to everyone. While verse 14 of
chapter 2 references a people specially chosen, according to verse 11, that
apparently includes everyone. Meanwhile, this gift has both appeared, and we
are still waiting for it. It’s Christmas,
and we’re still waiting. The world looks
the same as it did yesterday, and yet, there is a grandeur that lies just under
the surface. The letter to the Ephesians
(1:22-23) tells us that because of this moment, this incarnation, Christ is now
all in all. There is no longer any separation
between God and us.
Así que Tito nos dice que debemos vivir de una manera que honre a Dios.
Que vea a Dios en lo más humilde, en la gente más sencilla.
Titus says we are to denounce “impiety,” which literally
means that which dishonors God, and live “godly” lives, lives that honor God
(Titus 2:12). We are to live in a way
that sees God at work in the unlikeliest of places: in small, forgotten towns
and an ordinary child born to a couple who didn’t even merit the guest
room.
Estamos invitados a proclamar un mensaje de paz en un mundo que ve
símbolos y motivos de guerra por doquier. Y justo cuando pensábamos que nuestra
espera había terminado, se nos pide que emprendamos un viaje de esperanza,
buscando la próxima señal de la acción de Dios en este mundo. Porque
nada es lo que parece.
We are invited to proclaim a message of peace in a world that
sees symbols and reasons for war everywhere.
And just when we thought our waiting was over, we’re asked to embark on
a journey of hope, looking for the next glimpse of God at work in this
world. Because
nothing is quite as it seems.
En aquellos tiempos, las autoridades exigieron que todos regresaran a
sus pueblos para estar documentados. Así que José y María salieron de todo lo
que conocían en Nazaret para ir a su hogar ancestral. Y mientras que estaban
allí, ella dio a luz a un niño, lo envolvió en los pañales que tuvo, y lo puso
en la mejor cuna que tuvo.
In those days, the authorities demanded that everyone return
to their hometowns and be documented. So,
Joseph and Mary uprooted their lives in Nazareth and went to their ancestral
home. And while they were there, she
gave birth to a child, wrapped him in the cloth she had available, and laid him
to rest in the best place she could find.
Mientras tanto, cerca de allí, había unos vaqueros que pasaban sus vidas
holgazaneando, conviviendo con los animales que cuidaban. Una noche, se
despertaron sobresaltados por una visión aterradora que se presentaba como un
mensajero de Dios. Sin embargo, el mensaje caló hondo de una manera que sigue
conmoviendo nuestros corazones incluso hoy en día.
Meanwhile, nearby, there were some cowboys who spent their
lives hanging out, living with the animals they cared for. They got woken up one night by a terrifying
sight claiming to be a messenger from God.
Yet, the message resonated in a way that continues that shake our hearts
even today.
Esta noticia de gran gozo es para ti. Hoy ha nacido un Salvador, y el
parece como cualquier otro niño. Porque de ahora en adelante, Dios ha honrado
al mundo en venir a morar aquí, entre nosotros, y nada será igual que antes.
This good news, this great joy, is for you. A Savior has been born for you, and the sign
is that he looks like every other child.
Because from now on, God has honored earth by coming to live here, and
nothing will ever be quite what it seems! Amen.
[1]
Malina, B. and Rohrbaugh, R (2003). Social Science Commentary on the
Synoptic Gospels. Augsburg Fortress (Minneapolis, MN), p. 356-357.
Comments
Post a Comment