“TRANSCENDING THE MEGA-NEGATIVITY”
JOHN 18:28-38

28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. [5] It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.
29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”
30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.”
31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”
32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”
35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

One of the things that I love about the month of December is that you get to hear and sing all those wonderful Christmas songs. It’s a season of fa la la-ing and chestnuts roasting on an open fire. It’s the most wonderful time of the year full of joy to the world. So, it should be easy to have a holly, jolly Christmas right? Not necessarily!

After the year that we’ve just had some people aren’t really in the mood to celebrate a chipper, cheery Christmas. Some people are in the clutches of what could be called a mega-nega-tivity. How about you? Tell me if this sounds a little familiar. It has to do with a few Red Cross volunteers in the mountains of West Virginia. The volunteers spent several long days helping people following a really bad blizzard. While searching by helicopter for people who might be stranded the volunteers spotted a cabin several miles from the nearest town. So, they landed the helicopter in a field about a mile from the cabin. Then they trudged through waist deep snow to reach the cabin. When they got there they were panting and perspiring profusely. After knocking and shouting to see if anyone was home a thin mountain woman opened the door. “Thank goodness,” one of the volunteer said as he struggled to catch his breath. “We’re from the Red Cross.” The mountain woman looked down at the floor. “Sonny,” she said, “It’s been a really hard winter. I don’t think we can give anything this year.”

That seems to be the mood these days. All the mega-nega-tivity can be seen in an announcement that was made a couple of weeks ago by the people who publish the New Oxford American Dictionary. I didn’t realize it but every year the Oxford University Press chooses a new word that best reflects the mood for the previous year. Do you know what the Word of the Year” is for 2009? The word is unfriend. Apparently, that’s what you do when you remove someone from your Facebook page. You unfriend them! It’s a word that basically says, “You better not rub me the wrong way or I’ll unfriend you.” That seems to be the mood as we trudge through the drudgery of the Great Recession.
Yes, there is a mega-nega-tivity out there this year. It’s coming from people who are angry because they’ve lost their jobs. It’s coming from people who are angry because they’ve lost their pensions and the money they saved for their retirement. It’s coming from people who are angry because they’re going to have to tell their children that Santa isn’t going to bring as many presents this year. It’s coming from people who are convinced that life isn’t fair.

Well, guess what? Life isn’t always fair. Jesus knew that. Life wasn’t fair when Caiaphas and his followers dragged him to Pilate in the middle of the night. Life wasn’t fair Pilate allowed Jesus to be crucified even though he knew that Jesus was innocent. Jesus got the short end of the stick but he didn’t let it get the best of him. He didn’t sit down to weep and whine. He didn’t stamp his feet and throw insults at his tormentors.

So, what did Jesus do? He calmly told Pilate why he was there. Jesus said, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth.” Jesus didn’t end up in the clutches of a mega-nega-tivity because he was able to focus on the bigger picture. Jesus knew that God was in him and working through him to bring us the blessings of grace and salvation!

What that means is you can do one of two things as you prepare for Christmas. You can grumble about having less money to spend at the Mall. Or you can focus on the bigger picture and rejoice in the child of Bethlehem who brings us the gifts of peace and hope, joy and love. You can grouse about the higher electricity bill that you’ll have to pay for all those lights around your house. Or you can focus on the bigger picture and rejoice in the child who was and is the light of the world. You can hold a grudge and gripe about all those Wall Street bonuses. Or you can focus on the bigger picture and rejoice in the child who was born in a dingy stable because his parents were poor and there wasn’t any room for them in the inn.

Now all of this doesn’t mean you have to be passive and silent when life isn’t fair. You can still feel the same way two guys felt when they ended up on a deserted island. There were actually three men on that deserted island, but they had different feelings about that. One day while they were walking on the beach they found a magic lamp. As soon as they rubbed the lamp a genie appeared. “You have released me from my prison,” the genie said. “Therefore I will grant each of you a wish.” The three men were thrilled. The first man stepped forward. “This is great,” he said. “I wish I was back on my ranch in Wyoming.” Poof! In no time at all he was back riding his horse across the range on his ranch in Wyoming. The second man then stepped forward. “This is great,” he said. “I wish I was back on Wall Street.” Poof! In no time at all he was back hobnobbing with all of his wealthy clients. The third man then stepped forward. “I don’t know,” he said. “I kind of like it here on this beautiful island. I just wish my two friends were here.” Poof! Poof!

Jesus will tell you from his own experiences that life isn’t always fair. He’ll also tell you though that the way to transcend that mega-negativity is to focus on the bigger picture. That’s the message in a television show that you can watch every year as you get ready for Christmas. The television show is a favorite for millions of people and I will admit that I also make sure that I watch every year. I think Jesus would also give it his stamp of approval. It’s a story about a town that wakes up on Christmas morning and discovers that life isn’t always fair.

It ends with these words of wisdom:

"Pooh-pooh to the Whos!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming.
"They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!
"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
"Then all the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!"
"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch,
"That I simply must hear!"
So he paused. And the Grinch put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow...
But the sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!
He stared down at Who-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!
IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

When you focus on the bigger picture you realize that there’s still a lot of peace on earth and joy to the world waiting for you in Bethlehem. There may be fewer presents this year because life isn’t fair but you can still transcend the mega-nega-tivity by making room in your heart once again for the greatest gift of all; the gift of God’s only begotten Son. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes
November 29, 2009