IMMANUEL - God With Us, Us with God, and Us with Us

Christmas - though is supposed to be a season of joy and peace, this year, unfortunately, we are going to celebrate Christmas in a context of pain, fear and distress. Therefore, I feel, it is the need of our times to re-define Christmas and examine how relevant is the message of Christmas in today’s context of terror attacks and violence spreading all over the world. So, my effort, this morning is to look at Christmas from the eyes of the victims of recent terror attacks in Mumbai and violence that happened in Orissa.

Well, one of the names given to Jesus is IMMANUEL which means GOD WITH US. Often this is understood from the perspective of our ‘rights’ as children of God. Infact, this is my first point which I want to emphasis this morning. The moment we hear ‘IMMANUEL as God with us’ we think about a God who is with us in our troubles and crisis. Definitely this is true. Truly this thought of IMMANUEL - ‘God with us’ appears to be very much relevant in the context of recent terror attacks in Bangalore, Ahammedabad, Delhi and latest in Mumbai and in the context of Orissa violence. It reaffirms that our God is not far away from the sighs and grieves of the bereaved family of Hemant Karkare and his fellow men and women who sacrificed their lives for our nation, not far away from the scores of people who lost their lives, who are amputated, whose dreams are shattered both in Mumbai and Orissa. The bomb blasts in Mumbai coupled with riots and bloodshed in Orissa have left deep scars in our hearts, for sure. But, it really comforts us to realize that God is with the wounded and the tortured.

But, I want to affirm another aspect of saying IMMANUEL - God with us. This is my second point. The thought of IMMANUEL: ‘God with us’ is not only to be understood from the perspective of our ‘rights’ as the children of God, but also from the perspective of our ‘responsibilities’ as His children. The real experience of ‘God with us’ implies a two way relationship where God lives with us and where God wants us to live with Him. Two opposite entities cannot go together. If God is a God of love, and if He lives with us, the demand upon us is to live with Him as a loving community and not as a community that fosters hatred. If God is a God of justice, and if He lives with us, the demand upon us is to live with Him as a just community and not as a community that fosters injustice. If God is a God of peace, and if He lives with us, the demand upon us is to live with Him as a peaceful community and not as a community that fosters violence. Had we all realized this aspect, irrespective of our religion and culture, I am sure that Mumbai terror and Orissa violence would not have happened.

Lastly, the thought of IMMANUEL- ‘God with us’ should lead us to the whole aspect of God in all glory and splendor, the one beyond spatial and temporal limits, being incarnated as a human. This, as we all know was for our redemption. Our God is a loving God, who in order to save us, decided to incarnate to our experiences of fears and woes. This aspect of incarnation teaches us the valuable lesson that true redemption can happen only if we can incarnate into the pains of our neighbors. As we celebrate this years Christmas, let me ask you, are we ready to incarnate into the painful experiences of others. Let alone incarnating, are we at least ready to remember those denied of celebrating the joy of Christmas, those living amidst terror, fear and hopelessness?

Dr. P. C. Alexander, Former Governor of Tamil Nadu, in his message during the Madras Ecumenical Christian Fellowship Carols-2008 challenged us to restrain from celebrating a MERRY CHRISTMAS, at least for this year, in solidarity with the ones who have lost everything during the Mumbai Terror attacks. In view of the Mumbai terror attacks, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil has decided not to have traditional christmas celebrations this year at Rashtrapati Bhavan. As a mark of respect for the victims of terror attacks, the President will not hold traditional Christmas celebrations, including the singing of Christmas carol this year. Instead, she will be sending grocery items such as Rice, Sugar, Dal and Ghee to orphanages in Delhi on the occasion. This year as a Church, we too have visited a number of orphanages and asylums during this Christmas season. True! Now, it is time as families and individuals to carry on this spirit of incarnating into the pains of others and extending ourselves unto their needs. Then and only then our celebration of Christmas shall be a meaningful one….a purposeful one.

To conclude, Christmas urges us to recognize the presence of a loving God amidst our painful experiences…yes, GOD WITH US. Christmas also urges us to recognize our responsibility to live with the God of love, justice and peace as a community that fosters love, justice and peace… Yes, US WITH GOD. Further, Christmas demands us to incarnate into the pains and pathos of our neighbours as our loving God had incarnated into our experiences 2000 years ago, which we celebrate as Christmas... Yes, US WITH US. Amen.