The Eve of the Festival of the Nativity ----- 24 December 2017

(This sermon was preached at both St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church (7:00pm) and Trinity Anglican Church (11:00pm), Aylmer, ON)

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.

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.]

But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

·       For so many of us, the Christmas season has been a special time and very often, and especially busy time. There is so much to do, so many things to take part in, so many chores, traditions, or duties to fulfill.

·       We forget to take the time to “ponder” or maybe there just isn’t time, as we see things. We’ve heard the Christmas story so many times it hardly makes an impression on us. So many things have been attached to the story that we have trouble sorting through all of it to see the original story. I didn’t say the “actual” story, for what happened that night can be debated and argued about. The “original” story as we have it is about a birth, an announcement, a visit, and remembering.

·       A birth in a place without comfort - because there was no place for them in the inn. If we were to modernize the story, the birth would take place in a parking garage, or on a roadside textstop on the 401, or some other inhospitable place. The birth took place in Bethlehem, the city of David, for the child would be of the blood-line and royal line of David… as God had promised.

·       The announcement of this birth wasn’t made by mail or the internet. It came in person to the last people you’d expect – the rejected and the poor. Birth announcements are made to the relatives and people who will celebrate ‘properly’ (whatever that means.) Such an announcement is usually something that is looked forward to. This one, however, is a surprise. It is unexpected… and it is terrifying. Simple shepherds, the poor of the land, are confronted with a multitude of the heavenly host. The announcement to them is accompanied by more than just a brigade of angels; it is prefaced by words of comfort: "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people…

·       The place where the manger could be found was soon crowded. The shepherds came after deciding, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." They didn’t come to congratulate the family or to join in the festivities surrounding the birth, for there weren’t any. They came to see for themselves and to confirm what the angels had said with their own eyes. They didn’t come for the baby; the baby came for them.

·       Through all of these rather confusing events and happenings, Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. Did she know what it all meant? Who knows?

·       She may have thought about this all this her whole life long, a life rarely remarked on by all who wrote down the story we retell tonight. Mary treasured and pondered what was said and what had happened. Maybe it took her all those years to understand what was happening. Even in that, what was said and what she knew never lost its value to her. We see her again in the Gospels, often wondering and sorrowful, until her care as mother was given to the Beloved Disciple. (Is John the ‘beloved disciple’ or are we?) We finally hear of her among the disciples in the earliest days of the Church and quite possibly on the day of Pentecost.

·       As it has been for so many years, Christmas is a time of celebration. At home, meals, gifts, and family traditions take the spotlight. Here, in this place however, in our celebration, we remember, we ponder, we treasure. Some may be moved to tears; some to action. Word, sacrament, song, and symbol aid us in our remembering. What might count more is the hope that this pondering and remembering and treasuring will lead all of us both to the new life we’ve been promised and to a new way of living out the Gospel every day.

·       May the Christ Child be born anew in each of us tonight and may we wake tomorrow in his risen life!

·       Fröhliche Weihnachten, alles!

·       Nollaig shona dhaoibh!

·       Merry Christmas, everyone!