Sermon for Christmas Eve --- 24 December 2013

St. John's hold two services on Christmas Eve; The early service is primarily for families with young children and it looks it. The later service is the Traditional Liturgy. My sermon for the family service is one shared with the children as we sit in the sanctuary and is like skiing blind in a blizzard - I know where I started and I know where I want to end, but in between is a blur since you never can tell with the children will do!

This sermon is from the second service.

Luke 2:1-14 [15-20]
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and 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 heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

[15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.]
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and 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 heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
[15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.]
[15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.]

1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

"Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."

• Every Christmas, people come to worship at their church or some church or they stay home and read the account of Jesus' birth in either Luke or Matthew's Gospels. Every year, some people do this without fail. What is it that compels them to do this?
• The story itself is not all that unusual. Babies are born every day. Babies are born in unusual circumstances each and every day. Babies are born to poor people and people away from home and people without a home every day. This is not news; it is a fact and has been a fact since the human race began to have babies.
• The gathering of people here is not so unusual either. People gather for sports, for politics, for birthdays and anniversaries, for parties of all kinds. This happens every day, too.
• Is it a sort of nostalgia that draws us in? A memory of by-gone days and simpler times... when wiser people made decisions for us and we felt taken care of?
• Are we here because of old friends and long-known relatives? Do we want to enjoy the warmth of closeness?
• Do we hope to see something new, something we haven't seen or known before? Do we come here this night for some novelty?
• Have we been forced to be here by some power beyond ourselves? Has guilt driven us here, with the feeling that we're “supposed to be here?”
• Really it could be any of those things, but all of them fall short. The gathering can become artificial. The nostalgia grows stale and forced. The warmth of old friends and family sometimes becomes a burden. The hope of something new may fall flat. Guilt and main force can put us in the seat but our mind could be far, far away.
• Still, there is something beyond all this, something that cuts through all the other layers that may motivate us for a time.
• Plain and simple, we have come here to encounter Jesus Christ, whether we encounter him in the people, in the proclaimed word, in the sacrament, or in the spirit of the evening. Christmas is an encounter – each and every time.
• Every time we come to this season we hear the same carols, the same greetings, the same Bible passages. They may seem old and trite, but as familiar as they might be, they are an encounter. Surely when we meet an old friend, we don't worry about why they (or we) aren't someone new. They are as we have known them and if something new comes into the conversation, isn't that all the better?
• It could even be that the familiarity of the readings, the songs, and all that goes on around us can help us hear the message of Christmas, unless we get distracted by the trivia and the peripherals of the season.
• We come to hear the message of hope and of love unconditional and eternal. We come to share our common desire for a new and better future. We come to partake of the Good News that hope is here and what is to come -even if it seem delayed- is a blessing.
• What we won't hear from this pulpit is the message that we're fine the way we are and that we either deserve a saviour or somehow don't need a saviour. No, not tonight.
• Tonight is an encounter with what Christmas is. It is the birth of a hope beyond expecting in the person of Jesus, son of Mary and son of God. It is the story of the arrival in time and space -and in our lives- of the one who brings Good News to the poor and those in need... and, sisters and brothers, aren't we hungry for that Good News? I know I am.
• Just as our Gospel story tells us that the shepherds, in their poverty and need, and despite their terror and confusion, decided "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." , so we too have come to this Bethlehem to see and hear and encounter what has taken place, for the Lord has made it known to us as well.
• Tonight is no magic charm to ward off trouble and tragedy. This evening is no immunity to sadness and grief. In itself, it is not a remedy for all illness of the body, mind, or heart.
• But tonight is a meeting place, where we hear and celebrate once again the birth of a child who grew to be a man who had made such a difference in each of our lives and still give us hope. This night is an encounter with one we all want to know better.
• The angels sing a lot, and one speaks. The speaking angel said something to the shepherds to calm their fears. He said: "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”
• Tonight, those words are for us. A saviour has been born, the Messiah, the Lord, “God with us”. Let us look for him everywhere, for his presence is announced and he will be there.
• "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing YOU good news of great joy for ALL the people: to YOU is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
• Merry Christmas, my friends.