[Propertalk] Christmas Eve

[robertpmorrison at charter.net]

Here's what's up for editing for Christmas Eve - which we observe with 
music at 10:30 pm and the liturgy following.

Peace in the hours leading to the Bethlehem census. One more to be 
counted 8 - )

Bob

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF ST. ALBAN, ALBANY  	            THE FEAST OF THE 
NATIVITY: CHRISTMAS EVE
ISAIAH 9:2-7                          		    	    	 
24th DECEMBER, 2010
TITUS 2:11-14				                                               PSALM 96
LUKE 2:1-20			

	If you want hope, you’ve come to the right place, and you’re right on 
time!

	It’s hardly surprising that people find themselves drawn to worship – 
and I’d hazard a guess that this could be true especially of Christian 
worship  – at this dark time of the solar year. Shadows seem to take 
over so much – they streak out to cover the friendly, familiar scenes – 
gardens, parks, even store parking lots – and even extend themselves to 
cover our own footsteps.

	Emotionally and spiritually the same thing happens. Some people have to 
live with Seasonally Affective Disorders, where sunlight deprivation 
leads to a feeling of dis-ease that can sap one of energy and 
enthusiasm. Add to that some of the social, and economic, and political 
part of current life and even more people come under the sway of gloom.

	It’s little wonder, then, that people gather where they believe they 
can find light, and warmth, and the acceptance offered by companionship. 
Even if the person rubbing shoulders with us in the pew right now is not 
particularly well-known to us, there’s a feeling of safety in the fact 
that in the middle of the night, the light is on, the heat has been 
turned up, and people sing of hope.

	This longing for certainty, or, at the very least for an island of 
safety in the midst of storms, touches us all. Why else is there such 
curiosity in, and support of, the “Narnia” movies, based on C.S. Lewis’ 
books; or the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy from J.R.R. Tolkien; or “Harry 
Potter” whose final film episode supervised by J.K. Rowling is being 
processed for cinematic formatting as we speak? All of them talk about 
the struggle between unknown and known; between shadowy and illuminated; 
between despair and hope; between self-absorbing greed and self-giving 
love.

	People feel that there must be something, somewhere, that can offer 
them a sense of purpose, a sense of meaning in the universe, that 
blesses and nurtures curiosity, and intelligence, and creativity. We all 
want to hear Gandalf’s  words spoken to us. He said, “There are other 
forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides Evil.” 1

	That’s what millions have found for centuries in the rites and rituals 
we celebrate tonight. We bring different symbols into the worship space. 
We sing songs of hope and expectation. We listen to readings which talk 
about promises of love and fulfillment. We gather in the light, then 
after a while we turn down the mechanically induced light and we look at 
the flickering flames of real candles which each of us will hold in our 
own hands – our own piece of light which can show us where to walk; 
light which, together with those of others, can fill a whole room with 
warmth and comfort.

	Ancient Jews – as well as many other cultures – responded to the cold 
and darkness of this time of year in the best way they knew how – by 
celebrating together, and by spreading the light. And Christians come 
together also, to honour the way in which God came down to earth and 
drew the whole world to Jesus, the Divine Son.

	A while back, a friend who grew up in Portland and now divides her time 
between Wyoming and the Oregon Coast, wrote about her memories of the 
celebration of Christmas. “I remember the years of my childhood 
Christmases as dinners at a rich relative's home with more silverware 
(and it was sterling!) than we knew what to do with and terror at using 
the wrong fork. Every Christmas morning I awoke hoping for that pair of 
cowboy boots, but received another doll or doll accessory. Now, as an 
adult, I know that the relatives were just trying to give us a lovely 
party and my parents were trying to figure out what to give the alien 
who had been left on their doorstep.” 2

	Perhaps we’re not all exposed to such experiences, but we do have our 
share of concerns. Are we using a gift correctly? Are we hoping for the 
right thing? Do we know what’s best for us, and how to respond to the 
sometimes confusing world of hope? It’s even possible to feel like an 
alien at a family gathering.

	But the light of Christmas, the joy of Christmas, the essence of 
Christmas is that whether we use the right fork, or are less than 
enthusiastic about another tie, or whether we talk and act differently 
than those around us – the essence of our celebration is that none of 
these are really that important. The world isn’t going to come crashing 
down around us if we don’t meet certain others’ standards.

	Metaphorically we may crowd around the manger, and look at the baby, 
just as we do at a family gathering. But then, perhaps we comment about 
the size of the baby’s ears, or the shape of his nose, or whether he has 
the hands that will throw a football or the legs of a defensive end.

	But none of that matters either – REALLY. All that’s important is that 
the child is alive. It wriggles. It squints. It passes gas. And, yes, it 
smells. Love has become real. And, of course, Mary is ecstatic. Probably 
sore, but ecstatic nevertheless.

	And there we have it. The prophecy spoken through history; the prophecy 
spoken to a young Hebrew girl; the prophecy is fulfilled. God becomes 
incredibly, fully real and lives in our midst, not to show that God can 
do it. But to show that now, because God is here, WE can do it.

	Of course this takes faith. This seldom comes to us easily, although 
there are some people who DO find themselves almost immediately caught 
up and fully engaged in what God has done. Little by little, though, 
over time, we find ourselves drawn into what others have found, and we 
ourselves are brought to understand the miracle that God has 
accomplished.

	When everything looked dark and without promise; when foreign forces 
occupied the land and tried to stamp out religious beliefs that drew 
them into the realm of hope of the possibility of compassion; it was at 
that moment when people were afraid to think of anything better that God 
acted. “While all things were in quiet silence, and that night was in 
the midst of her swift course, (God’s) Almighty word leaped down from 
heaven out of (God’s) royal throne,” 3

	A nineteen-seventies musician and song-writer put it this way.

		A spaceman came travelling on his ship from afar,
		’Twas light years of time since his mission did start,
		And over a village he halted his craft,
		And it hung in the sky like a star, just like a star...

		He followed a light and came down to a shed,
		Where a mother and child were lying there on a bed,
		A bright light of silver shone round his head,
		And he had the face of an angel, and they were afraid...

		Then the stranger spoke, he said “Do not fear,
		I come from a planet a long way from here,
		And I bring a message for mankind to hear,”
		And suddenly the sweetest music filled the air... 4

	What God did for us, and what this song-writer put into contemporary 
concept, is something so profound, so elegant, yet so simple. We’re all 
part of this event now. No one is left out. The sweetest music that 
filled the air that night continues to echo inside this room, and across 
parking lots, and through stores and houses. No matter what happens, 
God’s loving Presence can never be reversed. Patiently, God waits until 
we’re able to discover its power and to take courage from it. No matter 
how many false starts we may make in life, no matter how many times we 
may reach for the wrong fork, or hope for certain footwear; no matter 
what or where we are in life, we’re reminded in so many different ways 
that God is here – and everywhere – JUST for us, tonight and always.

	This night is for every single one of us. As poet Jude Simpson wrote:

Jesus came
for the broken brother and sister,
the ache, the pain and the blister,
the wrong decision,
the open wound
the blurred vision
the won’t-ever-hope-again.
Jesus came
for the insane, the unfulfilled, the searching
the street child, the tramp and the urchin,
the poor little rich girl snorting coke and
cursing, and the man who sold it to her.
Jesus came for those nursing a need,
nursing a drink
out of control,
on the blink,
on the brink,
falling overboard, and about to -
sobbing at the kitchen sink.
Jesus came for those the world drives mad,
for the bad, yes the bad,
Jesus came for the bad,
so if that’s never been you,
then fine, just go, because
Jesus didn’t come for the well, the swell,
“the hell – I’ve got everything I need”
the nothing’s-lacking, the non-cracking up.
He’s not interested in courting the sorted
he came to fill the cup of the thirsty,
the worst, the broken, the burst open,
Jesus came for the sick.
the packed-up, the cracked-up,
the smashed, hopes dashed, and the picked-on,
the meek, the weak, the stuttering,
those who blush when they speak
and the walked-out-on.
Jesus came for the left behind,
for the cheats and the cheated,
the ones who crossed the line
and the ones who still don’t know where to begin.
Jesus came for the people who know how it feels
when you say “sin”
for the broken to open,
to break for those who choke,
for the people who don’t have everything we need,
for the ones who know we need hope. 5

	So as my friend Ann said, just “DO the living – it’s about love and 
presence (not presents). Give thanks for gifts as signs you are loved 
not as judgment on the givers or on your essential being. Don’t worry 
about using the wrong fork.
	“Enjoy the food.
	“Merry Christmas!”

NOTES:

1	Gandalf to Frodo. “The Lord of the Rings: Part 1: ‘The Fellowship of 
the Ring’”  by J.R.R. Tolkien. Quoted at 
forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?251115-Favorite-Tolkien
2	“Merry Christmas” By Ann Fontaine annfontaine at me.com
3	The Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15
4	“A Spaceman Came Travelling” by Chris de Burgh
 
http://www.elyrics.net/read/c/chris-de-burgh-lyrics/a-spaceman-came-travelling-lyrics.html
5	“Broken Open” www.gadgetvicar.org.uk/poetry/ © Jude Simpson 2007


Robert P Morrison
Interim Vicar
The Episcopal Church of St Alban
PO Box 1556
Albany OR  97321   541-921-1076 (cell)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20101221/dc6ff7ce/attachment.htm>