A Sermon from the Church of
Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida
Preached by the Rev. Timothy E. Schenck on December 25, 2023 (Christmas Day)
There’s a TV show called Intervention, that you may have encountered over the years. 24 seasons have aired, so it’s not exactly new. Though it’s kind of buried on one of the more obscure cable networks. It’s a documentary series, and each episode follows one or two people who struggle with addiction. All of which leads, as the title would suggest, to an intervention. It’s an emotional show, full of stories of both hope and heartbreak.
I’m not a huge fan, because it all feels rather voyeuristic, along with just a hint of exploitation. And if you’ve ever participated in an actual intervention, you know it’s a gut-wrenching experience for all involved, with no guarantees that things will change. But the stories are compelling, and the show wouldn’t have lasted so long if a lot of people weren’t tuning in.
I thought about this Intervention show as I was reflecting on what I’d talk about on Christmas Day. And I know some of you are thinking, ‘Why’s he talking about interventions? On Christmas?’ But the Christmas miracle, so familiar as told by St. Luke, and so poetically portrayed in the prologue to John’s gospel, is that God intervenes in our lives. The entire Christmas story is the story of a divine intervention.
When the angel of the Lord announces Jesus’ birth to the terrified shepherds watching their flocks by night — that’s an intervention. When we hear that “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” — that’s an intervention.
God sent Jesus Christ, his own flesh and blood, into the world to be born of Mary and laid in a manger, because we had lost our way. Because we had turned away. Humanity needed an intervention, and God intervened. Lovingly, intentionally, tenderly. And so Jesus was sent to be born for us, to walk among us as a companion, to teach us to love God and one another, and to lead us into a place of hope and salvation. That’s the good news of Christmas; that’s why we sing our carols, and decorate our trees, and roast our roasts.
And the truth is, we still so desperately need a divine intervention. Both in our lives, and in our world. From a personal perspective, I invite you to reflect upon the places where you need Jesus to intervene in your life. You may be carrying a particular burden or grief. You may be seeking relief from emotional or physical pain. You may need to be forgiven or you may to forgive another. I bid you to be open to God’s loving intervention this Christmas.
And from a global perspective, all you have to do is cast your gaze upon Bethlehem and Nazareth and the entire Middle East, to know that this world sorely needs an intervention of peace and healing. Sure, we could just ignore this fact and drown it out with more Christmas carols and sugar cookies. But the Holy Land is hurting. It is rife with violence and terror, fear and death.
And so even amid the celebration of our Lord’s birth, we pause to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for that little town of Bethlehem, for those in Gaza; for people of all faiths throughout the region. There is a hole in our collective heart this Christmas, and we can’t help but acknowledge this.
But there is also hope. Because God does intervene in our lives again and again. Because that light does shine in the darkness, and Jesus does live and dwell among us.
You know, at the end of this service, we’ll stand up and belt out Joy to the World. That’s not a great news flash — Christians have been singing that hymn on Christmas for generations. But in the first verse we’ll sing, “Let every heart prepare him room.” I love this line because, in the end, it’s all about leaving space for God to intervene in our lives. Preparing room in our hearts to receive Jesus anew this Christmas. As with any intervention, we need to participate in the process; and we can do that by inviting God to intervene in our lives.
Now, preparing him room isn’t without cost in our lives. Like the innkeeper in the nativity story, it’s much easier to turn Jesus away; to ignore the demands of loving God and loving neighbor, to hang out the No Vacancy sign. Preparing room means making sacrifices. It means looking beyond ourselves and our own self-interest. It means opening our hearts to those in need. It means prioritizing the life of faith even when it’s inconvenient, even when it takes us out of our comfort zones. By preparing room in your heart, you make room for the stranger, you make room for the least and the lonely and the lost among us. And you make room for God.
Preparing room, that’s where life’s treasure resides. It’s what brings joy — not the fleeting happiness of opening the next present, but the deep, abiding joy of living life in harmony with God. It’s what offers hope in the midst of even the darkest situations. It’s what offers peace amid the unsettling busyness of our lives. Preparing room in our hearts, allowing Jesus in — that’s what Christmas is all about.
And so, during this season of great joy, I invite you to leave some space in your heart. Prepare room for the Christ-child. Allow God to intervene in your life. It may not always be easy, but your life will be transformed. You will be transformed. And, I assure you, it will make for a very Merry Christmas.