The Birth of Christianity
Christianity came into being as a bridge between ethical monotheism and pagan spirituality.

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I think by now we all realize
   that we live in interesting times.

Even more interesting were the times
  in Judea, Samaria and Galilee,
   now Israel and Palestine,
     around the First Century
        of the Common Era.
    (formerly known as A.D.)

Politics and religion were in a state
   of extreme transition in those places.

The Roman Empire governed
    most of the known world,
       providing civil order
          and ease of commerce.

Their governance
 was not always appreciated
 even by those who benefitted from it.

The Jewish religious leaders,
   both in the Jewish capital
                     of Jerusalem
      (a source of controversy even now)
         and scattered all over the Empire,
              were sometimes accepting
                   and sometimes chafing
                       under Roman rule. 

Into this mess came the story of
   a wandering Jewish rabbi
       from Galilee,
            Jesus of Nazareth.

His story clearly arrived.

The existence of any single rabbi
     of that name
          is subject to debate
             in our own interesting times.

The religion born of His life and times
  and bearing the name of Christ,
                    Christianity,
    is today the largest on the planet,
                         by far.

My impression is that religions
   are generally a mixed bag of value
       in our world.

They bring deep comfort to many,
   and their good works of service
      are important to vulnerable people
         in different times and places.

At the same time,
they preserve tribal values and norms
where they do more harm than good.

In light of this,
   I have often wondered
     how and why Christianity
         as we now see it
            came into being.

What good did it bring into the world?

My own deeply personal answer
   is that Christianity provided a bridge
      between
          ethical monotheism
                     and
            pagan spirituality.

By ethical monotheism, I mean
   the theology of ancient Israel:

There is one God.

The Hebrew creed says, "Shema..."
"Hear, O Israel,  the Lord, Yahweh,
             your God,
                  is one Lord."

Yahweh came to be understood 
    as Lord and God
        not only of Israel
           but of all the world.

As such, He has the right
       to demand obedience
             to His will.

The 613 commandments of the Law
    are said to be the basis for ethics,
       what the One True God
                expects of us.

Yes, there are 613 commandments,
     and  those are a lot to remember!

So summaries have been developed
    to make it easier
        to remember
            what God expects of us.

The Ten Commandments may be
    the first such summary.

Another of my favorites is Micah 6:8:
"He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

The rabbis of the First Century C.E.,
   especially of the same
       school of thought
           ascribed to
              Jesus of Nazareth,

came to the conclusion
   that two of the 613 Commandments
       provided the best summary
            of the Law of God:

                           (1)

"You shall Love the Lord your God
     with all your heart
           and with all your mind
               and with all your strength," 

                              and
                               (2)

"You shall love your neighbor
             as yourself."

These two are my favorites,
   and they could be posted on walls
      anywhere and everywhere,

if only we could agree who or what
            the One True God is!

For the simplest possible summary,
  George Burns,
     playing the part of God
         in the movie, Oh God,
            said, "You were meant
                 to cherish and care for
                      one another."

So much for ethical monotheism.

The other side of the chasm
   that I think Christianity was meant
          to bridge is pagan spirituality. 

The First Century C.E.
        provided a wide variety
            of practices
               to enable people to grow
                    spiritually and mentally
                         and to find meaning
                             in their daily lives
                    and in their care of others.

Among those practices
     were the confessing of sin
           with cleansing rituals
                such as washing and bathing.

There were prescribed prayers
  for meditation to enable
    personal relationships with the gods.

AND

There were rituals
     of eating and drinking,
          especially bread and wine,
               to enable the worshippers
                   to have intimate,
                       personal contact
                           with their god.

Yes, all these were common
    and widespread
         among the religious practices
              in the Roman Empire
                  during the 1st Century C.E.

Combining belief in one true God
  who demanded ethical behavior
     and the spiritually uplifting practices
        of many religions

turned out to be
   a winning strategy
         for the religion
            that became known
                as Christianity.

In the early years, Christianity
   was a very mixed bag.

Its first divisions are clearly recorded
   in the New Testament
      for those who are willing
         to regard those documents
             as having some historical value
                as well as their religious
                           veneration.

On the one hand were those
  who saw the new faith
    as a reform movement
      within Judaism.

On the other hand were those
    who saw Christianity
         as a new religion
             separate from the old.

History tells us
     which of those prevailed.

The separate religion was founded
    and championed
        by Saul of Tarsus
            who was renamed Paul
                after his conversion.

His faith centered
    on the worship of Jesus
        as the eternal Son
            of the One True God.

Monotheism was hybridized
     into the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

As Unitarian Universalists,
   our own heritage has involved,
       among other things,
           an attempt to restore
              more monotheism
                  to our approach.

In our own time,
    our openness to many forms
          of human spirituality
             has led us to embrace
                many different approaches.

We celebrate with sisters and brothers
    of any faith
        and of faith in no god whatsoever.

In our time, too,
   there are people
      who claim the name
          of Christian or Jew

- or on whom the name of a faith
                  is imposed -

who likewise do not claim
      to worship  any god.

Atheists and agnostics
   and any and all people
       who struggle with questions
           of faith and trust

are welcome in our UU churches
    so long as we are all committed
       to a free and responsible search
          for truth and meaning.

Perhaps
   the most important application
       of our UU principles of faith
          would be our willingness
              to accept and defend
                 others who are also
                     on a path of searching,

whether we come
          to similar conclusions or not.

In this way,
   I see us UU's as faithful inheritors
       of the traditions
             of ancient Judaism
                  and ancient Christianity.

As the one faith was born
     out of the other,
         a wide variety of practices
             and interpretations
                 were available.

We study them, not only as history,
    but as resources for our own
        understanding and practice
            of cherishing and caring for
                   one another.

As we enter the celebrations
   of the Christmas season,
      we UU's can uniquely enjoy
         the true reason for the season.

No single doctrine or practice
  can adequately express
    the wondrous variety of
       human experience and expression.

We get to celebrate
      that sacred reality of variety.

Every way of celebrating our humanity
    is precious to us.

The Solstice in the North celebrates
    the return of the Light.

The celebration of the birth of Christ
   highlights the holiness  of every birth.

As the Hindus say,
  "The birth of every child is a message
   that God has not given up on us yet!"

Hanukkah celebrates
   light and freedom
      expressed in history,
        surely a message we all need now.

By affirming all these celebrations,
   we UU's also get to enrich
      our own hearts and minds
          with ancient methods
              of  rememberig life and love.

Ours is a message of hope
     for all the world.

Truly, as we shine our little light here,
    our chalice light can enlighten
         far more human beings
            and their lives 
               than we could ever fit
                   into this space.

Amen.
Ameen.
Omeyn.
So mote it be.
Blessed be!