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CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
SERMONS Christmas
Eve By David Christian We Southerners are great lovers of stories. We love to hear stories and we love to tell stories. Almost every family has one or two story tellers; those important members of the family who are called upon, whenever the family gathers to retell the family's tales. One of the great pleasures of my childhood was listening to family stories. My sisters and I were constantly asking our parents to tell us just one more time a special story about some member of the family. We particularly enjoyed stories about things that we had done when we were younger. But the best stories of all-the stories that we were always most eager to hear-were the stories of our own births. We wanted to know what the day had been like; we wanted to know about the trip to the hospital; about who had been there; about what we had looked like; how we had acted; what people had said about us. Stories are important to us in the families and communities of which we are members. Through stories we learn what our communities are like. Through stories learn what our place is in those communities. Through stories we learn who we are. Nowhere is this more true than in the Church. We gather here week after week as the community of faith, as the body of Christ in this time and this place. And one of the principal things we do when we gather is to tell stories. It has been this way since our earliest days. Justin of Rome, one of the martyrs of the early Church, wrote this about the church: "On the first day which is called Sunday, all who live in the cities or in the countryside gather together in one place. And the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as there is time.'' That is, they gathered and told stories, stories that told them who they were. At no time of the year are stories more important to us than at this time. As we gather together to celebrate the birth of our Lord-to celebrate the mystery of the word made flesh-we gather to tell a story. We sit in the dark night in a church lit with candles and hear once again the words: "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.'' Once again we hear once again of Joseph, from the house and family of David, and we hear of Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. We hear of their trip from Nazareth to the city of David. We hear of the birth in the manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. We hear of how she wrapped him in bands of cloth. We hear of the shepherds in the fields and of the wondrous things they saw and heard; of the choir of angels praising God. We hear of the shepherds' trip to the manger and all that they saw there. We hear of their journey back to the fields, as they praised God in their turn. We hear of Mary sitting quietly, pondering, reflecting on all that has happened. As we listen we are reminded again of who we are. We recall once again the great mystery that has been passed on to us. The incredible truth that for us God took on human flesh. The incredible truth that God, the creator and preserver of all that is, became for us a tiny child. But that, of course, is not the end of the story. Even on this night, when our thoughts are focused on the baby in the manger, we cannot stop here. We cannot leave him a babe in a stable. For this baby is the same Jesus who laid down his life-who died on a cross-to redeem us and all of creation. So as we gather tonight to tell once again the story of the birth of the Christ child, we also celebrate the Eucharist. We recall that this same Jesus proclaimed the good news of salvation to the poor. We recall that this same Jesus gave himself up to death for our sakes. We recall how this same Jesus, on that last night took bread and said, "This is my body.'' And how he took a cup of wine and said, "This is my blood.'' And we recall how this same Jesus rose from the grave, destroying death and making the whole creation new. The baby Jesus whose birth we celebrate tonight-who shepherds worshipped in a manger-this Jesus is the same Lord who will return in power and glory at the close of the age. And he is the same Lord who gives himself to us in the bread and in the wine, so that we may tell the story of his love to the world. Come, let us adore him.
Isaiah
9.2-4, 6-7 |
Chapel
of the Cross · 674 Mannsdale Road · Madison, Mississippi
39110 · (601) 856-2593
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