And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
What memories does that reading evoke in you? I know it brings me back to the Christmas of my youth.
Several years ago, I began a process called “Deconstruction”. It involved analyzing my beliefs and critically examining the bible and the doctrines and rituals that were part of Christianity, which is the religion I profess. Deconstructing my religion has given me a clearer, more nuanced understanding of Christianity. It has also given me some personal insights and I have gained some academic knowledge in the process. And it has transformed my relationship with the religion itself eventually leading me to practice what is known as “Progressive Christianity”.
Progressive Christians take the bible seriously but not literally. We believe that following “The Way” and the teachings of Jesus can lead to experiencing sacredness, wholeness, and unity of all life. But it has caused some people to question my claim to Christianity. A few weeks ago, Paster Dick shared a definition of a Christian as a person who “imitates the spirit of Jesus for their personal transformation and the transformation of the world”. I like that definition because I believe that following “The Way” and the teachings of Jesus is a way of imitating the spirit of Jesus. Of course, this meant that to follow these ways and teachings of Jesus I had to actually learn these ways and teachings of Jesus. What I have found since then was that to do that I had to strip away a lot of religion from Christianity to learn what I wanted to learn.
I began studying the “Historical Jesus”. I started by watching the PBS Frontline series titled “From Jesus to Christ” a few times and I began reading biblical scholars such as Spong, Borg, and Crossin. As part of my deconstruction journey, one of the most transformative realizations came when I started exploring the historical context of Christmas. As a result, Christmas became the first “casualty” of the process.
You see, I learned that according to these well-respected authors and theologians:
• None of Paul’s writings, which predate the Gospels by a few decades, mention Jesus’ birth or his parents.
• There were two birth narratives in the Gospels rather than four which means that two of the authors of the Gospels had never heard the nativity story or they chose not to include it because they didn’t think it was important or germane.
• The idea of a virgin birth was not an essential part of the Christian story.
• There is no record of a tax that would require everyone to return to the city of their birth when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. So, there was no reason for Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem, and Jesus was most likely born in Nazareth, and it was a natural birth.
• The story of the Wise Men was a literary invention that resulted from the midrashic practice in first-century synagogues.
• Luke’s and Matthew’s birth narratives would make more sense to a modern Jew who understood midrash and was very knowledgeable of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) and the stories of historical Jewish figures than it does to someone like most of us who doesn’t have a good understanding of Jewish history.
This all goes back to the modern understanding of how the Gospels came to be. This is taught in seminaries today, but you don’t hear much about it in churches or church services. As I explained earlier this year when I spoke to you about the Beatitudes, the Gospels are written records of the midrashic stories told by the followers of Jesus in the synagogues in the first century. In those days during the sabbath worship, part of the Torah would be read and then the assembled worshipers would share stories of what the readings meant to them and how they experienced it in their lives. The way the midrashic principle worked was that stories about heroes of the Jewish past were heightened and retold again and again, often relating them to contemporary people. It was common practice to “borrow” the experiences of famous Jewish figures and to apply them to people in the present moment, not because those same events actually occurred, but because the reality of God revealed in those moments was like the reality of God known in the past.
Let me illustrate. How did the Wise Men travel to Bethlehem? What gifts did they bring?
You may be surprised to learn that there is no mention of camels in either version of the nativity story. So how did we come to associate camels with the arrival of the Wise Men? For that matter, why do the Wise Men appear in the story at all? Listen to this reading from 1 Kings 10.
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not.
Does that sound familiar? You see; by adding the story of three men visiting the infant Jesus bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the nativity story the author evoked the story of the queen of Sheeba and in doing so implied the royalty of Jesus. The members of the first-century congregation immediately understood that this was his way of declaring that he considered Jesus to be a king just as Solomon was. And obviously, if the Queen of Sheeba traveled by camel train, so did the Three Wise Men.
The Bible, both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament are full of examples of this where historical Jewish characters are associated with different players to highlight an attribute of the former and associate it with the latter. Moses parted the waters to cross over and so did Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha, but Jesus did them one better because Jesus parted the heavens when he was baptized by John the Baptist! First-century Jews immediately recognized this as a way of putting Jesus in the same category as Moses, Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha some of the historical Jewish heroes.
I learned many years ago in my teaching days that I could convey some very abstract concepts by telling stories from my own experience. It was a shorthand method of conveying complex concepts.
But let’s get back to my experience with Advent and Christmas. As a result of my new understanding of the nativity story, I was left with a deep sense of loss and for a few years Christmas lost all its meaning for me. I struggled with that for a few years until I had an epiphany. I realized that I was approaching Christmas the wrong way. Rather than fretting over the loss of virgin births and camels and guiding stars, I realized that the Advent season and Christmas were an opportunity for me to recommit myself to studying “The Way” and to open myself to the lessons that it would teach me.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with “The Way”, let me explain it briefly. Before Christianity was a thing, Jesus’ followers were members of the Jewish community who were known as “followers of the Way.” This meant that they committed to living in a way that mirrored Jesus’ examples and teachings. “The Way” is truly a way of life that is marked by continuous growth in faith, compassion, and spiritual maturity. There are six elements to “The Way” as I understand it. They are:
- Love and Compassion – Jesus said “Love your neighbor”
- Humility – Jesus washed his disciples’ feet
- Forgiveness and Reconciliation – Jesus said “Give us each day our daily bread and Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us”
- Sacrifice – Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
- Pursuit of Justice – Many of the parables of Jesus have to do with justice
- Dependence on God – “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,”
Now, every year during Advent, I recommit myself as we work through the liturgical cycle for the coming year to see what I can glean from the liturgy to expand my understanding of the ways and teachings of Jesus. In a way, I’m reinviting Jesus to enter my consciousness. This new approach has helped me reclaim Advent and Christmas and they have become important parts of my religious life.
So, as we celebrate this season of Advent, I invite you to do the same and take the time to prepare yourself to welcome the spirit of Jesus into your heart again.
