Text: Luke 2:8-20
King James Version (KJV)
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
In the Name of God: The Holy and Undivided Trinity. Amen.
There are times when poetry is the best way to give voice to our feelings. Tonight is such a time. Here’s a beautiful chant named “Creator of the stars of night,” from the 9th century:
Creator of the stars of night,
your people’s everlasting light,
O Christ, Redeemer of us all,
we pray you hear us when we call.
In sorrow that the ancient curse
should doom to death a universe,
you came, O Savior, to set free
your own in glorious liberty.
When this old world drew on toward night,
you came; but not in splendor bright,
not as a monarch, but the child
of Mary, blameless mother mild.
At your great Name, O Jesus, now
all knees must bend, all hearts must bow:
all things on earth with one accord,
like those in heaven, shall call you Lord.
Come in your holy might, we pray,
redeem us for eternal day;
defend us while we dwell below
from all assaults of our dread foe.
To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
praise, honor, might, and glory be
from age to age eternally.
Tonight is the night we have all been waiting for, planning for, hoping for, preparing for. Tonight is the night when the light pierces the darkness, life conquers death, love overcomes hatred. Tonight is the night when we celebrate the coming of the Christ Child into our broken world, bringing God’s own redemption.
If we listen very closely, we might be able to hear the voices of the angels. We might be able to hear the soft cry of a newborn baby. We might be able to hear the murmurs of a tired young mother who is soothing and cuddling that precious little child. We might hear the soft lowing of the cattle and the cooing of the doves in the rafters.
Tonight is the night. Jesus, our Savior, is born!
And isn’t it just like God to appear in the most unbelievable form imaginable? Not as a great warlord, riding on a white horse before a conquering army, but as a baby, the most vulnerable of all creatures. And isn’t it just like God to appear to the people we would least expect him to? Not to kings, not to the powerful, not to the wise, not to anyone who could even remotely be considered the “movers and shakers” of their day. No, he appeared to shepherds, people who were pretty much nobodies. His mother was a teenager. His (earthly) father was a carpenter, a tradesman. Now, there are those who would tell you that being a skilled worker of wood in a land where wood was an imported luxury gave Joseph a higher status than others; be that as it may, Joseph was still by no means part of the upper crust. But God chose him to be his earthly father; God chose to live under his roof, and no one else’s.
In short, God chose to come to everyday people, to people just like us. And on that night, that glorious night, the world changed. There’s a beautiful Irish carol, called “Don Oiche Ud I mBeithil” that tells us about that night:
“I sing of a night in Bethlehem,
A night as bright as dawn;
I sing of that night in Bethlehem,
The night the Word was born.”
Tonight, we stand once again at the manger and greet our Savior, our Baby King. We hear once again that familiar story that we love so well, with its cast of characters, human, animal, and divine.
We love that story because it tells us about how much God loved and loves us. It tells us that we are not left alone, stumbling in the dark: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, KJV). This story tells us that we – you and I, right here, right now, just as we are, warts and all – are God’s own beloved children. The Christmas story – and, in fact, Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection – assures us of that love of God for us that has no limit, assures us of God’s love and presence, so that we might turn and share that good news with others.
How are we to celebrate this incredible Birth? The first step might be by allowing ourselves to take all of that to heart! Put logic aside. Let the Mystery wash over you like a warm, gentle rain. Unlock the portals of your hearts and let that Child in.
And then we can sing, full-throated, the last verse of that Irish carol:
“Glory now to the Father.
In all the heavens high;
And peace to His friends on Earth below,
Is all the angels cry.”
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!
In the Name of the Holy and Undivided Trinity. AMEN