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S. Christmas Day.25 John 1:1-14

‘The true light, which gives light to every human coming into the world, was in the world and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own and his own did not receive him…’

And why not? How could the Light shine in the darkness and the darkness not grasp it? Why did the world that God made not know him; and why did his own people not receive him? A Christmas mystery, but, fortunately, one the scriptures can solve for you!

Here’s the thing about Christmas, about the Christian Church, that seems to me widely misunderstood. It’s not that the world was too bad, or God’s people too bad for him. NO! Simply put: the problem is the world was too good, his people too good for him—or so they thought—and since they found their maker beneath them and his light darkness, he left them to their own devices and desires, though with great sadness, taking great pains to make them as minimally miserable as they can be without him.

I saw an excellent Christmas movie last weekend, my new favorite, better even than “It’s A Wonderful Life”, better than “Violent Night”, better than “Die Hard” which everyone knows is the greatest Christmas movie of all time… until now!

The film that knocks all those wonderful movies down a notch is “Wake Up Dead Man” the 3rd “Knives Out” movie and it’s awesome—my new #1 Christmas Movie! I have such low expectations of Hollywood these days; but then along comes a mainstream Hollywood blockbuster than actually has some profound insights about Christianity! It almost restores your faith in Hollywood. Almost!

Without spoiling it for you, the movie follows the travails of a young priest, Jud Duplenticy, marvelously played by Josh O’Connor—who should win Best Actor this year if there’s any justice in the world! As a teenage boxer, Jud killed a man in the ring, and goes into the Roman Catholic priesthood looking for absolution and to make sense of his life.

When we meet him, Jud’s just been assigned to be assistant priest with the notoriously difficult Monsignor Wicks in what appears to be a charming upstate New York town. He’s being punished because he decked a deacon—though his patron and Bishop (played by the always awesome Jeffrey Wright) consoles him, saying: “Everyone knows the guy is a bit of a di…uffus and no one was too upset that you clocked him.” But Jud needs to do some hard time, something that will get him to do a little more of this (Jeffrey Wright extends his arms like Jesus on the cross) and a little less of this (he puts up his fists in a fighting posture). Theme of movie right there—and a great theme it is!

So Jud goes off “young, dumb, and full of Christ” as he says, but finds that Monsignor Wicks doesn’t preach much about Christ, but rants from the pulpit about how terrible the world is and how we must fight, fight! because it’s not GOOD enough! for Christ and his Church! He attacks—from the pulpit!—any newcomers to the fold as not being good enough for his church.

Fr. Jud is appalled. He insists that Christ came for everyone—the least and the lostest, the mostest. For this, the Monsignor and the whole town and the congregation hate Fr. Jud, and try to run him off. But Monsignor Wicks gets dead during Good Friday service and Benoit Blanc comes to town to solve an impossible “locked door” murder mystery and Jud has to try to hold the parish together while he himself is unravelling.

But the more Jud unravels, the more he’s able to connect with the other unraveling souls around him, forgiving, absolving even his fiercest enemies and coming out a little older, a lot wiser, and even more “full of Christ”. Graham Greene never did it better!

A little book club I’m in recently read “Julian”, a 1964 Gore Vidal novel about the actual 4th century Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate (a great read actually). Some of the other members and I have gotten into a vigorous debate because I see Julian as definitely redeemable (as I saw Heathcliff when we read “Wuthering Heights”—which really got the vicar’s goat, and my friends in the book club seem suspicious of my orthodoxy if I imagine an Emperor famous for apostasy(!) might actually be in Heaven…(!)

Look! I don’t know who is saved or not! Luther sees clearly: only God sees the heart! Only God knows. Like St. Paul, I don’t even judge myself. I think I’m a Christian, I’d like to be, but if Jesus sends me to hell, I’d confess to him: “well, that’s a good call! I certainly deserve it! I probably have a lot of friends who are going, too. But could I start a fan club for you there, Jesus? Because I still think you’re awesome—no matter where you put me.” Such resignation to damnation upset the last vicar, also… 😉

But back to John’s Gospel for this morning. Here’s the thing: it’s what we said at the start: the world does not know Jesus, his own people Israel will not receive him, not because they’re too bad, but because they believe themselves too good to need such a radical rescue as Jesus performs on the cross!

They don’t need so much of this [arms extended as Jesus’ on the cross] as they just need to dish out more of this [hands balled up in fighting position].

As we said last night: “there are cracks in everything, but that’s how the Light gets in.” Jesus didn’t come to make us better. He came to make us holey (with an “e” as in full of holes—as Jesus’ own resurrected body is!)

If the Light gets in the through the cracks, it gets in much better through the gaping holes in Jesus’ hands and feet and side! He came to have those holes punched in him so that sharing his sufferings, buried with him by baptism into his death on the cross, we might become as full of holes (and Light 😉 as Jesus…(!)

You become holy, too by the word of Jesus going in your ear, the water of baptism washing over your head, by his very body and blood going in your mouth. It’s through those holes, THAT’S how the Light really gets in, my friends! So bear them well!

But still, you wonder… why? Right? Why would the King of Heaven suffer such humiliation? Why be hated, hounded and wounded for the likes of us? Christina Rossetti thinks that’s an unanswerably magnificent mystery; but also sees this, surveying the scene over Bethlehem that first Christmas morning:

“Angels and archangels may have gathered there; cherubim and seraphim thronged the air. But only his mother, in her maiden bliss, worshiped the Beloved… with a kiss.”

And you can too, as you lay your lips on him at his Table. And in that humble kiss you’ll find…the Peace that surpasses all understanding, and guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Merry Christmas! Amen.