Sat. Dec. 24, 2016: St. Peter’s
1: the people have seen a great light
Isaiah 9:2-7
Titus 2:11-14: the grace of God has appeared
Luke 2:1-14(15-20)
Psalm 96
History of Christmas:
How is it that we find ourselves in the night-time of the year, celebrating the nativity of Jesus?
How it got to be Dec. 25th
At the founding of our country – very little attention paid by the Puritans. (One of the scandals of the “Anglicans” was their observance of Christmas
Much of what we observe today a product of the commercial and business interests of the 19th / 20th century
Each of us here tonight carries memories of our local and family traditions. (I asked a clerk at Publix the other day whether she was going to be spending time with little family or big family – she immediately knew what I was talking about. Her big family is in Georgia and they hoped to get there next month, but this weekend it is a quiet time together with the local family.)
by the 4th c. a cluster of references to one of 2 dates: Dec. 25 & Jan 6. (the latter is the time in which Orthodox Christmas is observed) A major Anglican liturgical scholar was one of the first to advocate for an argument that the dates chosen for Jesus’ birth are actually related to the date at which it was calculated he was conceived which was assumed to be related to the time he died.
Christmas is old – but Easter goes back to the origins of Christianity
Challenge of preaching on such a day:
Often I sense that the emotions of the day/night are more powerful than anything I can bring
I don’t carry memories of great sermons that I might have heard, trying to copy elements of them to make this a memorable sermon.
There aren’t readily at hand by “googling” a lot of Christmas sermons that have stood the test of time. I found a couple, from Martin Luther, Lancelot Andrewes, Aelred of Rievaulx.
Classic Christmas movies, on the other hand, come readily to mind.
They have characteristics like: happy ending, generosity prevails, while catastrophe seems to be pending rescue wins in the end – some of the themes I have tried to draw out of Isaiah these past 4 weeks.
- It’s a wonderful life
- A Christmas story
- Miracle on 34th st
- A Charlie Brown Christmas
- Home Alone
- White Christmas
And of course there’s the whole raft of “classic” music – some of which we try to sing tonight.
(I am reminded of something a wise person said to me many years ago that the thing people are most attached to in the traditions of the church is the music.)
This year the meaning of Christmas has come to me in song and film
Insight from Oh, God
- Told my mother that it’s the movie where God looks like George Burns – thinking that she might recognize the image from her younger days
- he makes appearance in a form and language we can understand
- he chooses messengers who are quite ordinary
- what do we do when he shows up – expecting change in our behavior
- He’s not happy with the way things are going: violence, killing, environment, …
cf. song: What if God
Lyrics:
What if God was one of us? / Just a slob like one of us / Just a stranger on the bus / Tryin’ to make his way home?… Joan Osborne
If God had a name what would it be?
And would you call it to his face?
If you were faced with Him in all His glory
What would you ask if you had just one question?
And yeah, yeah, God is great
Yeah, yeah, God is good
And yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah
- The song deals with various aspects of belief in God by asking questions inviting the listener to consider how they might relate to God, such as “Would you call [God’s name] to his face?” or “Would you want to see [God’s face] if seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints and all the prophets?” Wikipedia
The song we have sung during Advent by Mary Haugen has given me a new insight about Christmas. It is that in particular that I want to share tonight.
He had us singing that we would “choose to believe a little child will lead us” … that “Immanuel is within us and God dwells within us always” if we let our hearts see what is true.
- I made the connection for the first time between the focus on a babe (in the manger) and Jesus’ admonition that we must be like little children to enter (participate in) the kingdom
A child to lead us
What is this child-likeness? What might it look like?
- Like a child:
- Like children in the wonder that we bring
- Like children in the anticipation of good things
- Like children in the confidence that “All manner of things shall be well.”
- Like children in the flexibility to be at home anywhere
- Like children in being able to see the spiritual world in this world – the spiritual made manifest, the divine incarnate – basic Christmas stuff.
- I have seen it on the faces of many children who end up being caught up in stories – believing every word, living the world brought forth
- I have seen it in the eyes of children receiving communion – they don’t “believe” that God is there – they know it!
- It is:
- trust
- acceptance of life and death, and all in between
- it is where each of us begins and ends our life – all the grown up stuff is … ?
- I saw it in the faces of children in homeless shelters as a librarian from Jamaica read them stories – the lights, glitter, and fascination were not imaginary
- Clearly it is in the faces of children all over the place at Christmas time – at it’s best
Most of all I thought, “Yes, that’s what Jesus was telling us.” The Gospel is really about that 3rd verse from Haugen’s song. If we’re going to see Immanuel, we’re going to have to look with the eyes of a child. To be like little children.
The gospels tell us that. Paul writes about it.
- Mark 10:15
- 13-16 The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.
- Ephesians 5:1-2
- 5 1-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
- Luke 18:16
- 15-17 People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.”
- When I try to imagine the kingdom God is calling us to – I don’t imagine it populated with grown adults. It’s not about responsibility, taking care of others, working hard, saving up for a rainy day. Those are good things and most of us, after all, spend most of our lives being grown-ups.
But when I imagine the Kingdom of God,
- it’s about other sorts of things, things more easily associated with children:
- wonder
- creativity
- enthusiasm
- a sparkle in the eye – as if to reflect God peeking through
- So tonight, carry with you a Christmas blessing, marked with a child-like awareness of the nearness of God (Immanuel), let your heart learn to see and believe and rejoice, that we are led by a child. His names will be: Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. His name is Jesus.
Christmas Season Blessing
May Almighty God, who sent his Son to take our nature upon him, bless you in this holy season, scatter the darkness of sin, and brighten your heart with the light of his holiness. Amen.
May God, who sent his angels to proclaim the glad news of the Savior’s birth, fill you with joy, and make you heralds of the Gospel. Amen.
May God, who in the Word made flesh joined heaven to earth and earth to heaven, give you his peace and favor. Amen.
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen.
or this
May Christ, who by his Incarnation gathered into one things earthly and heavenly, fill you with his joy and peace; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.
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