November 26, 2006
Rev. Terry D. Campbell

Christmas at the Office Party
Luke 2:8-20

“That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened. ¹⁰The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people. ¹¹Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord. ¹²This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box."

¹³Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel, praising God and saying:
¹⁴"Give glory to God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace among the people who please God."

¹⁵When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem. Let's see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about."
¹⁶So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a feeding box. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they told what the angels had said about this child. ¹⁸Everyone was amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured these things and continued to think about them. ²⁰Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything they had seen and heard. It had been just as the angel had told them.”

So, how many Christmas parties will you be invited to this year? Are any scheduled for the same night? Will you be joining the thousands of workers who go party-hopping in order to get in all the obligatory sightings this year? Christmas parties are part of the culture of work. Today I’d like to talk to you about some dos and don’ts of the Christmas party so you’ll be around for next year’s Christmas party.

The office party is often a time when people who work together for forty-plus hours a week, and for fifty weeks a year, get a chance to “let their hair down” and visit in a more formal way. But sometimes office parties can be dangerous moments in life. Some people go and drink more than they intend and do things they would never do when they are sober. Sometimes you get all dressed up to impress your boss or your coworkers, and sometimes people across the line and start an affair in this setting. Some people don’t want to go at all and just show up to be seen and exit as soon as possible. I wonder how many people don’t get promotions, or for that matter, get promotions, because of their behavior at the office party.

You see, what we do at work is a statement about what we believe in our hearts. Our behavior is the outward advertisement of our inward state. Work behavior is just as important as behavior as behaviors at home, at church, or on a mission trip. You can’t separate your behavior from what is in your heart. They are one and the same. It’s just that we can read behaviors better than hearts, so sometimes we decide about people based on their actions.

Brett went to the office party under duress. He didn’t really want to be there but it was better than shopping at the mall, and he knew he was expected to show up. So His wife and he dressed up, got a baby-sitter (again!) and headed out to the dinner and dancing celebration. He was tired of work, tired of being passed over for promotions, and tired of long hours. He was stressed because of the usual Christmas spending and wondered if he’d ever have enough money to meet the family bills. But here they were showing up for the sake of his job. Brett had a few drinks right away to relieve his nervousness, and then he noticed his coworker in a knockout outfit beside her handsome husband. He wondered if their lives were happier than his and he wondered if she would be interested in him. He went over to talk to this woman whom he worked beside every day, but up until now, had not noticed in this way.

Now—changing scenes, it wasn’t a party, but rather the usual 24/7 shift one night when an incredible thing happened! The shepherds were out tending the sheep when angels—and army of them—filled the night sky with the brightest light imaginable, and with a sound of glorious singing, they made an official announcement:

I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Now, if you were a shepherd, you would probably be amazed by this event. After all, you were the lowest of the low in society. Shepherds hung out in the hills and stayed away from the town events. They weren’t welcomed in town because they were uneducated, shifty, and they usually stink! Shepherds were mostly unnoticed.

But on this regular workday (actually it was the night), something changed. The shepherds had just entered that doldrum time when the sheep had finally settled down to sleep and the sun had not yet peeked through. This was often the hardest part of the job, keeping watch through the stillness of the night. But suddenly in the dark sky appeared a brightness they had never seen before. An angel appeared, told them not to be afraid, that the Messiah, the Lord, was born this night in the city of David. The angel said the Messiah would be wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger of all things! Then, even more angels than could be counted appeared and praised God by singing:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, And on earth peace among those whom God favors.”

Then, just as suddenly, the angels disappeared. The Shepherds must have rubbed their eyes and turned to each other in disbelief:

“Mo, did you see that?”

“The whole sky, the whole sky, . . . the whole sky, Curly!”

“Larry, my ears are still ringing. Did it really happen?”

They were just minding their flock like good employees when something crazy happened, and they had experienced this “something” together.

At the office party, we sometimes are all there just minding our business, like the shepherds. But things can change in an instant. We have to be ready to watch for the intervention for the spectacular in the ordinary. We have to watch for the distraction of the ordinary in the middle of the spectacular. Opportunity-moments come and go so quickly.

Here are some things to watch out for:

The shepherds did the most amazing thing after they visited baby Jesus. They told everyone what had happened as they returned to work in the fields. This was not a story to keep to themselves. This was the Big One. It was so incredible, so amazing, that they couldn’t help themselves. They had to tell about it! Some people probably thought they put too much rum in their eggnog that day, but they didn’t care. Their hearts were racing, their blood pressure was up, and their adrenaline was pumping. They had no control over their mouths. The underdogs won!

At the office party, while you may be more subdued than the shepherds, it’s definitely a time to tell the Good News. Tell the world you know why Jesus was born and you know about God’s love. You don’t have to know a lot. You just have to know what happened to you and tell it. On your way tell someone about how God’s love has changed you. Tell someone about the baby, who came from the spectacular to the ordinary, so we could know God’s love.

What will you do now?
Your office party is coming. May it be a great event. May you have loads of fun, sprinkled with a little common sense. And may you experience the spectacular, the ordinary, and the excitement of sharing God’s love with those who walk by your side in the world of work. Amen.