The Stray Cat. “There was once a wise teacher who would go to the temple every evening to pray with his disciples. By the temple there was a stray cat that would wander in every evening and disturb the peace. So, each evening before prayers the teacher would tie the cat to a tree outside before entering. The teacher was old and passed away a few years later. His disciples continued to tie the cat to the tree each evening before prayers.
“Eventually the cat died and so some of the disciples purchased a new cat so that they could continue the ritual. After a hundred years the tree died and a new one was quickly planted so that the cat (by now the eighth-generation cat) could be tied to it. Over the centuries learned scholars began to write books on the symbolic meaning of the act.” (Rollins, How Not To Speak of God, 41)
Holidays like Christmas are prone to becoming mere rituals that we reenact annually without much reflection on the reason, meaning and relevance of our traditions. We must remember, however, that this story of God’s breaking into our world in the form of Christ went well beyond the sleepy traditions people had begun to concretize. The birth narrative of Christ is the ultimate surprise party thrown by God for all people. The motive for God’s party boils down to one word: love.
Love Song. One day, people were taking a break from their shopping in their local mall’s food court when, much to their surprise, a man with a very familiar face walked right into the middle of the tables and chairs, and began to sing a love song through the loudspeakers that were prepared for his surprise visit. The man was Paul Potts, Britain’s Got Talent’s recent winner. He sang La Prima Volta, an Italian Aria-styled version of the 1960’s pop hit, The First Time Ever I Saw your Face (you can check it out for yourself on You Tube by clicking the link here). He came to sing a love song for the people. It was beautiful. When people heard the love song, they left what they were doing to come be immersed in the experience. People wiped tears from their eyes as he sang words they couldn’t quite make out. As my sister described it, “beauty wins.”
That’s what happened at Christmas. God unexpectedly showed up with a love song.
The Pearl. One day Jesus was teaching, and a young man asked him what the Kingdom of God was like. Jesus told him a story. A merchant was searching the world over for a perfect pearl. Finally he found it. He sold everything he had in order to get it. Jesus then noticed a young woman sitting in the audience, perplexed. He asked her what she thought of the story. She said, “All I know is that to sell everything to possess such a pearl would make little sense, for the owner would possess nothing but the pearl. And so, while it may be priceless, it would make the owner destitute. So, what use is the pearl?”
Jesus replied, “None, if you desire it for your own selfish pursuits, for then you will find nothing but poverty. Only when it is the pearl that you desire are you rich. For then the pearl will possess you, not you the pearl.” (Rollins, 113)
Mary and Joseph were both given the opportunity to buy the pearl. They cashed in everything when they realized what was before them. They heard the love song. And they responded with love.
Soul Mate’s Visit. A lover journeyed to his beloved’s home, knocked on the door and asked to go inside. The woman on the other side of the door refused, stating that there was not room enough for two. Later, he went back again, announcing that he was her lover, and wanted to come inside. Again, she refused with the same retort. Later, he tried again, this time bringing a gift, but was still rejected with the words, “There is not enough room for two.” Finally, after a day of contemplation, he returned, and knocked yet again.
“Who is it?” the woman inside inquired.
This time he responded, “It is not I, for we are one. There is no I but thou.”
After a brief pause the door swung open and his beloved responded, saying, “And likewise, there is no I but thou.”
To this day they live together in that little house built for one. (Rollins, 138)
When the shepherds were in the field that night, they heard the love song from God, too. The song communicated God’s love for all humanity – welcome news to these men who were working the graveyard shift in one of the least respected roles in society.
Loved You First. Love comes from somewhere. Those who knew Christ firsthand when he walked the earth with him wrote down their reflections for us. One of those disciples was named John, and he said that love comes from God, that we were loved by God before we loved God. He loved us first. The Christmas story is one of the greatest gestures of love God has ever given us, because in Christ God has given us himself – flesh and blood – eyes and ears – God was interactive long before Steve Jobs created Apple. Out of love, God chose to reside with us.
Mansions. A story is told of Jesus sharing with his listeners that one day, when this life is over, they will find themselves spending eternity in heavenly mansions on beautifully manicured estates – the dream of many who lived in Roman times and still today, when those who claimed to be God and God’s favorites used their wealth as the “blessed” proof of God’s favor. But on the fringe of the audience that day was an ordinary, everyday person listening in. After the talk was over and the people dispersed, the shepherd approached Jesus. He told Jesus he wondered if there was any place in heaven for one such as him. He had never known anything but poverty, wasn’t nearly as educated as others whom Jesus was attracting – he wouldn’t know to miss a mansion since he had never been in one before. Jesus stepped closer to him and said, “Away from all the mansions and gold streets there is a little stable. It is cramped and old, but on a clear night you can see the stars amidst the cracks and feel the warm air on your flesh. It is there that I will dwell, and while it may be no mansion, there is a space in that place for you” (Rollins, 131).
Pie Jesu, All Is Well. At the heart of the love song we find the pearl of great price that is worth cashing in everything we are in order that it might have us. We discover that God wants relationship with us – the greatest gesture of love – and has made the first move to invite us into life in Him. The love song is the hope and promise that as we journey through the ups and downs of life we will still be able to see the stars and be comforted by the presence of the One who loves us. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever would believe in him would not waste away, but would live the life they were meant to live – a life of love and meaning.
Tonight isn’t about tying a cat to a tree because that’s the way it’s always been done. Tonight is a night when we come to our lover’s door and knock, proclaiming that it is not I, for we are one. There is no I but Thou. Tonight is a night to rest in the love of God that broke into our world in Christ. It is a night to embrace and hold high the light that has come into the world, into the darkness which it overcomes.
Think…
1. What traditions surrounding Christmas have become so rote that you don’t even think about them anymore?
2. If you were Mary or Joseph, would you experience the terrifying opportunity offered them by God as a love song? What sort of process do you suppose they went through in order to eventually embrace the gift of Christ as a love song?
3. What do you suppose the love song meant to the shepherds?
4. What does the love song mean to you? What are you going to do in response?
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