Collect: O God, you have caused this holy
night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who
have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly
in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one
God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Gospel: And it came to pass in those days, that
there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should
be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of
Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph
also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto
the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house
and lineage of David) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great
with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son,
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because
there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
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. And the angel said unto
them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you;
Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
Homily:
Every year as I am presented with preaching on this text I
find myself drawn to different places in the Christmas story. The plot line is
so simple, so elegant, so familiar that I often have to wait in anticipation
of where my heart is drawn to find that scene that pulls me by name.
This year I am haunted by the experience of the shepherds.
I am drawn because God found them. God found them in the
midst of the ordinariness of their lives. He found them working,
setting up the night watch. God did not wait to find them in the
synagogue praying and reading scriptures. God couldn’t wait any longer!
I am drawn because God came among them in a way they could not miss.
God came as a messenger, as an angelic being, one whom they could see,
and hear. God came as something outside themselves and bore witness
to them all that they might verify for each other the good news that they
had just received.
I am drawn because God understood their fear and awe at what had
just happened to them. This was not to be an ordinary work shift.
Something different happened that night. They were terrified at what
they saw. They knew the night sky. They had undoubtedly seen
falling stars streak across the sky or perhaps the light from an occasional
meteor shower. But this was something different. The Creator
of the universe, the One who made them, was making Love known in a way
that they could catch. And soon the heavens could not hold back and
the sky was filled with a host of heavenly beings praising God, proclaiming
Peace be on this Earth and good will be to all people. God did not
leave them terrified but in the Word of the Angel said, “Do not be afraid.”
I am drawn because the shepherds went, and went with haste,
to see this thing that God had done. They took a risk of being called
fools for believing. They took a risk to lay down their crook and
trade long enough to hike into town to see a newborn that would make real
God’s intention in creation. They took a risk to hunt until they
found a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. They
took a risk telling others as God’s first evangels that Love had come among
us in a particular way. They took a risk being full of the Spirit
to let their joy be known that those whom they encountered might be caught
up in their contagious song of praise!
I am drawn because the shepherds were the first to hear and could
bear witness to Mary and Joseph that the child that was born was indeed
the long awaited Messiah promised by prophets of old. The shepherd’s
visitation would set in motion for Mary and Joseph their divine purpose.
It would affirm within them the mystery to which Mary and Joseph’s lives
had also been called through angelic visitation and prophetic dreams.
And so tonight, some two thousand years later, God finds us.
We hear in this Christmas story an invitation. Tonight
God is seeking to make known that something different can happen in our
lives. God comes among us in a way we can not miss. I believe
at Christmastime heaven draws close in specific and particular ways.
Hallways, car stereos, malls, school plays, front lawns, television specials,
and even our own thoughts turn towards the birth of Jesus in a way that
just isn’t true in July. Give thanks that you have “heard and seen”
for that is what has caused you to respond and has brought you here tonight.
I invite you to come to the manger, to see this thing that
Love has done. And I invite you to come and bring a gift to leave with the
Christ Child. I invite you to release into the grasp of the infant
child some story or issue that needs rebirth, healing, forgiveness, a fresh
vision, or space for grace. In the pew rack in front of you are some
empty envelopes. This Christmastide, sometime between tonight and
Epiphany, January 6th, invite the Holy Spirit to help you make a list of
those things that trouble your heart. It may be concerns around health
of family or friends, it may be about finances, it may be anger towards
a co-worker or family member, or it may be a story that just won’t go away.
Whatever it is, write it down on a piece of paper and seal it in this envelope.
Write “personal” and the date on the outside and stick it in your Bible
at Luke 2:1-14. This isn’t about magic. It’s about sacrament.
Let this journey be an “outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual
grace (Book of Common Prayer, pg. 857).” And then let it go into the
arms of the Holy Infant Child. Don’t go back and open it up and stew
about it, just let it go. Leave it in there until next Christmas.
Let’s see what work the Holy Spirit does in your life and mine as a result
of engaging God deliberately and prayerfully into the ordinariness of our
shepherd lives.
Perhaps the notion of doing something, of mindfully engaging
God in something specific, causes your heart to be “terrified” with possibility.
Perhaps you fear the “yes” that causes other “yeses”! Listen as God
says, “Peace, be still…I have come that you might have life, and have it
more abundantly…let not your hearts be troubled…for to you is born this
day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord…You will find the baby wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
I want to close with the text of a hymn written by Gloria Gaither and
put to music by Michael J. Smith: