Childermas | Wondering As We Wander w/ Holy Family

The Magnificat for Every Tribe, Tongue, and Nation (Luke 1:45-55) During Childermas (Matthew 2:12-23)

Wondering as We Wander with the Global Holy Family During Childermas

The story below was pulled together after meditating on preparation for Childermas and Matthew 2:12-23 in consideration of what poets, artists, theologians, and historians help us bring to life when we consider what the holy family endured and would have had to endure today.

Jesús was born to a teenage girl, María, before she was married to anyone, though she was engaged to a blue-collar stonemason, carpenter, and construction worker, José, at the time.  

María’s pregnancy out-of-wedlock likely made her, José, Jesús, and future children | siblings social outcasts in their families and in their town.   

Before María and José were married and while she was still pregnant, they were forced to travel to a town south of the capital city due to an unjust tax implemented by the rulers of the state.   

When they arrived in the town José's family was originally from, they were not visited by family members when Jesús was born. To make their reputation even worse, they were visited by local animal caretakers and bottom feeders (seen as untrustworthy and dirty) and then foreign mystics and psychics (seen as untrustworthy and evil).   

Jesús then spent the first few years of his life on the run with María and José as political refugees who were unwanted by the people in power in the capital city. In fact, this holy family embodied civil disobedience by not allowing Jesús to be a part of the capital’s mandated infanticide.   

Somehow, it was in the midst of a time that included a proud, bombastic ruler, a fearful people, and a violent war-justifying state that propagated their way of peace for the world, that God sent an ethnic minority baby born to a poor, teenage mother in the middle of nowhere to bring His Good News of great joy from heaven to earth for people from every ethnicity, class, and culture.   

And because of Jesús – or as he was also called Emanuel, God with us – new life continues to be born in individuals and families today in a global Kingdom that surpasses country lines and walls, and stretches across time, bringing together rich and poor, native and foreigner, minority and majority, oppressed and oppressor.   

Jesús was born right in the middle of the mess of human bigotry, power, injustice, fear, violence, and hate, and that's exactly where He longs to meet us and bring new life today as He saves and brings people together from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

What would "bringing back Christmas" really mean for us if this is what Jesus' coming would look and sound like to our eyes and ears?

"Jose y Maria" by Everett Patterson

"Away from the Manger: The Refugee King" Reprise

Liz Vice, Wen Reagan, Bruce Benedict, Greg Scheer, Lester Ruth, 2018 A.D.

Away from the manger they ran for their lives,
The tiny boy, Jesus, a son they must hide.
A dream came to Joseph, they fled in the night
And they ran and they ran and they ran. (Ooh x 2)

No stars in the sky but the Spirit of God
Led down into Egypt from Herod to hide.
No place for His parents, no country or tribe,
And they ran and they ran and they ran. (Ooh x 2)

Stay near me Lord Jesus when danger is nigh
And keep us from Herods and all of their lies.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, the Refugee King,
And we sing and we sing and we sing ...  (x2)

Alleluja! x 5

To listen to a sermon and see liturgy notes focused on this part of the holy family's story, here is a link:

Matthew 2:12-23 | Remembering the Holy Innocents | Martyrs and Refugees 

Also, here is a link to some additional reading:

Emmaus City: Prep for Childermas Coming Monday, December 28, 2020 + Bishop N.T. Wright, Pope Francis, and Dr. Christena Cleveland

And here are some songs and creeds that relate to this part of Jesus' story:

Songs of the Refugees with Proskuneo and the Immigrants Apostles' Creed

To close this post, here is a prayer that Christ would overcome the most the destructive darkness, not outside of us, but in us.

Childermas Prayer | Overcome the Darkness in Us

Immanuel, reveal You are with us now. Don't hold back. Magnify Your presence and Your great salvation for us! Disrupt our way of life without You. If in the darkness of Mary's womb, the holy child grew, You can grow in us. If in the darkness of the world's pain, Your blessed light came and overcame, You can overcome the darkness in us and ignite Your light and love in us.

In our own doubting of You, and of ourselves, cause us to be born again to a living hope that begins to grow like a lump in the throat: the holy hope that You came and still come to us truly, that You will be born again in our midst. We need You, Jesus, our Messiah, the Prince of Peace in a world at war. You are our hope. We need You to ransom us and our beloved neighbors, friends, and enemies in the city of Worcester from the darkness of everything that we are selling ourselves short for.

Lord Jesus, our Savior, open our mouths and our hearts to sing like Your mother, Mary, did, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on me, His humble servant! ... " When people in the 1980s in Guatemala began to sing Mary's song, the government outlawed this first Advent hymn about God's preferential love for the humble, poor, and needy. It was deemed too dangerous and revolutionary because men, women, and children began to believe that freedom and change were indeed possible, and that following the way of Jesus would interrupt the flow of civilization as they knew it.

Holy Spirit of God, make us dangerous to believe the way of Jesus transforms our lives like that today. Make us believe the Magnificat's words (i.e. Luke 1:46-55) are true, that You look on us and intend to bring dynamic change in us and through us, Your poor and humble servants in Worcester, to bring Your resurrection power and life to people in our city. We pray all these things in confidence because we are praying in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

+ Adapted from "Come and See" by Frederich Buechner & "A Divine Disruption" by Christiana Rice

Christ is all,

Rev. Mike “Sully” Sullivan

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