I'm taking a much needed break/vacation for the next two weeks. I'll post a service here next Sunday, Jan. 3, but for today you can visit my friend and colleague, Rev. Judi Slater, at her church - First Presbyterian Church of Duquesne by going to:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMreAEVbvl0wVkZQeab1tcA
Worship
for Christmas Eve
December
24, 2020
After each hymn tonight
in the central part of worship, there is a scripture reading. You can read them on your own or I’ve also
included all three readings together in a YouTube video, separate from the
Sermon, if you wish to listen to me read them.
Let’s begin our worship
service together:
Hymn: Of the
Father’s Love Begotten
Call to Worship
(if
you are worshipping with others in your house, feel free to have one person
read the regular text and all others read the highlighted text)
Many the gifts, many
the people, many the hearts that yearn to belong. Let us be servants to one another, making
Your kingdom come.
Christ, be our
light!
Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our
light!
Shine in Your Church
gathered and scattered today.
Our
Savior’s birth is celebrated with bold faith.
May our hearts be willing.
Like Mary, who showed
humble surrender:
May our hearts be
willing.
Like Joseph, who
exhibited unconditional trust:
May our hearts be willing.
Like the shepherds, who
displayed awestruck wonder:
May our hearts be
willing.
For all who are willing
receive the gift of the Savior born in Bethlehem:
Grant that we might
have the peace of Christ as we wait, the love of Christ as we act, and the
grace of Christ as we speak.
Tonight we light all the candles. The first candle is the hope shining for
those worn thin by times of waiting. The
second candle is the light of hope shining for those worn down with wearied souls. The third candle captures the hopeful
expectation of those eagerly watching for God’s glory in our day. The fourth candle is the hope of a new
tomorrow for those seeking freedom from the wounds of this world. Tonight, we light the Christ Candle. This candle radiates the hope of Jesus Christ
to all who are willing to receive it.
Light of the Advent
Wreath and the Christ Candle
Hymn: Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light
Prayer of Confession
Words of Assurance
God’s love knows no bounds. Love comes down at Christmas—
a love so deep and so profound that nothing will ever
be the same again.
Know that this love is come for you— to touch you, to
heal you, to forgive you, to make you whole.
AMEN
Pastoral Prayer:
Beloved in Christ, it
is our duty and delight to prepare ourselves to hear again the message of the
angels, and to go in heart and mind to Bethlehem to see this thing which has
come to pass; the babe lying in a manger.
But first, because this of all things would rejoice Christ’s heart, let
us pray:
Holy God, we pray this
night for the needs of the whole world and all Your children…
For peace upon the earth
for which Your Son was born to save…
For love and unity
within the one Church He built…
For goodwill among all
peoples…
And particularly at
this time, let us remember the poor, the cold, the hungry, the oppressed…
the sick and those that
mourn…
the lonely and the
unloved…
the aged and the little
children…
we also pray for all
who do not know the Lord Jesus, or who by sin have separated themselves from
the heart of Your love…
Lastly, O Precious
Master, we remember all those who rejoice with us this night but stand upon
another shore and in Your greater light, that multitude which no one can
number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom, in Your Son and
Our Lord, Jesus, we forevermore are one…
We humbly offer up to
the throne of heaven, these words that Christ himself taught us:
Our Father, who art in
heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our
debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. AMEN.
Hymn: O Come,
All Ye Faithful
Scripture Reading – Isaiah
9:2-7
Hymn: Angels
From the Realms of Glory
Scripture Reading –
Matthew 1:18-25
Hymn: Away
in a Manger
Scripture Reading –
Luke 2:1-20
Scripture Readings (all three of the
readings together in a YouTube video)
Sermon
–
A preaching professor at
Harvard University tells the story of the year his 5-year-old son was working
on an art project in his kindergarten class. It was made of plaster, resembled nothing in
particular, but with some paint, sparkle and time in a kiln, it was ready to be
wrapped as a gift. He wrapped it
himself, and was beside himself with excitement. It would be a gift for his father, one three
months in the making.
Early in December, when the
child could hardly contain the secret, the last day of school finally came. All the parents arrived for the big Christmas
play, and when the students left for home, they were finally allowed to take
their ceramic presents home. The
professor’s son secured his gift, ran toward his parents, tripped, and fell to
the floor. The gift went airborne, and
when it landed on the cafeteria floor, the shattering sound stopped all
conversations. It was perfectly quiet
for a moment, as all involved considered the magnitude of the loss. For a 5-year-old, there had never been a more
expensive gift. He crumpled down on the
floor next to his broken gift and just started crying.
Both parents rushed to their
son, but the father was uncomfortable with the moment. People were watching. His son was crying. He patted the boy on the head and said, “Son,
it’s OK – it doesn’t matter.” His wife
glared at the great professor. “Oh yes,
it matters,” she said to both of her men, “Oh yes, it does matter.” She cradled her son in her arms, rocked him
back and forth, and cried with him.
In a few minutes, the crying
ceased. “Now,” said the mother, “let’s
go home and see what can be made with what’s left.” And so with mother’s magic and a glue gun,
they put together from the broken pieces a multi-colored butterfly. Amazingly, the artwork after the tragedy was
actually much more beautiful than what it had been in a pre-broken state.
At Christmas, the gift was finally
given, and as long as he taught at Harvard, the professor kept the butterfly on
his desk. It was a constant reminder
that grief is real, and that loss hurts.
One of the great enduring hymns
that is often sung at Christmas is O Holy Night – The first stanza reads;
O Holy Night, the stars are
brightly shining; it is the night of our dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and darkness
pining, till He appeared the and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees! O hear the
angel voices! O night divine, O night
when Christ was born! O night, O holy
night, O night divine!
As my friend and colleague
Kerra English says, “We live in a weary world.”
And this year has been particularly weary. But the words of this hymn ring out for me
this year. In the midst of that
weariness, there is a thrill of hope, and this weary world rejoices. Because something is breaking forth – a new
and glorious morn!
Amidst all the brokenness of this world, among all the shattered
pieces of our prized possessions like the piece of pottery that the professor’s
son had made, or perhaps the very pieces of our own lives, that we have to put
back together – there is a thrill of hope.
And that it was tonight – Christmas Eve – is all about. It is about the thrill of hope that God takes
all of our pieces, all of our brokenness and in the miracle of new life, in the
form of a baby Jesus, puts us back together again into something new and glorious!
Tonight, my friends, that light of hope breaks forth in us as we
celebrate together! AMEN.
(We normally hold a
candlelight service at this time during our worship together. Before you click on the following hymn,
Silent Night, turn out the lights, darken the room and let the light of the
candles or Christmas tree or just the light from your monitor brighten the
room.)
Hymn: Silent Night
Benediction
Go now in wonder. Go
to bring light to those in darkness. Go
with the songs of angels in your ears.
Go with the joy of the shepherds in your step. Go with the love of God in your hearts. Go and spread the word— the babe of Bethlehem
is born for all. Merry Christmas! AMEN.
Wednesday, December 23
You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we
worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we
proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You
are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was
toward you believers. As we know, we
dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and
encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you
into his own kingdom and glory. 1
Thessalonians 2:9-12
Paul tells the Thessalonian Christians that they, along
with God, are witnesses to Paul’s “holy and righteous and blameless” conduct
toward them. How we treat others
reflects our relationship to God. Our
means and ends must match, our behavior commensurate with the gospel we share. Who have you witnessed being holy, righteous
and blameless? What about the
opposite? Write down your reflections.
Prayer:
As we draw near to Christ’s birth, we wish to reflect the
One we profess to follow. We pray, God
of grace and glory, to be holy and righteous and blameless in our conduct
toward others. When we fail to meet this
standard, forgive us and send your Spirit to help us to do better and be a
closer likeness of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN
Activity:
Find a new cookie or dessert recipe. This is the perfect season for indulging our
sweet tooths. Share your new recipe with
others.
Here’s mine:
Cinnamon Coins
Ingredients:
1 sticks ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted
butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Minced zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cinnamon chips, coarsely chopped
Turbinado sugar, for rolling
Instructions:
Beat the butter until creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light
and fluffy, about 3 minutes, if using a stand mixer. Beat in the egg, cinnamon, salt, vanilla and
zest. Add flour and mix until just
combined. Fold in cinnamon chips. Divide the dough in half.
Generously sprinkle a work surface with
turbinado sugar. Shape each half of
dough into an 18-to 20-inch long rope and roll in the sugar, adding more sugar
as needed to prevent sticking. Wrap each
piece in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to
350°. Line baking sheet with parchment
paper. Unwrap 1 piece of dough and slice
into 1/4-inch-thick slices, spacing 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining piece of cookie
dough. Bake the cookies for about 12
minutes, or until crisp and golden. Let
cool on the baking sheets before transferring to cooling rack to cool
completely.
Tuesday, December 22
You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor. Exodus 20:16
How often do we think about God’s commandment to not bear
false witness against a neighbor? What
does it even mean to do so? Perhaps it
would be helpful to put this in the affirmative: Tell the truth. Live with integrity even if it costs you
something. We will inevitably violate
this part of God’s law as we do most others, nonetheless we are to aspire to
tell the truth. Write down your
reflections.
Prayer:
God of Truth, we often make excuses for our behavior,
thinking that our violations of your law are small and even justified. As we prepare to welcome the Word incarnate,
the true light coming into the world, help us to live with integrity, love our
neighbors and bear honest witness to your goodness in all we say and do. Amen
Activity:
Photo Challenge for this week is to send pictures of Nativity Sets/Scenes. You can add them to the pictures on my Facebook page with this activity.
Monday, December 21
But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord,
for he is a holy God. He is a jealous
God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign
gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you
good.” And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!” Then Joshua said to the people, “You are
witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that
are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God
we will serve, and him we will obey.”
Joshua 24:19-24
Joshua asks the people to make a public declaration of
faith, a commitment to serve God and God only.
After they do so, Joshua reminds them that they are witnesses “against
themselves.” They cannot claim ignorance or deny their affirmation of loyalty
to God. When have you made a public
commitment to serve God? How will you
make that choice evident today? Write
down your reflections.
Prayer:
Gracious God, you abound in steadfast love and yet you hold
us accountable to the public witness we make to serve you. When we forget or neglect our affirmation of
faith, call us back to you and correct our ways. May our witness against ourselves be a
constant reminder that our ultimate loyalty is to you and that commitment is
made visible in how we live. Amen.
Activity:
Think about the characters at the nativity. What might they have experienced seeing baby
Jesus?
Worship
for the Lord’s Day
Fourth
Sunday of Advent
December
20, 2020
Announcements:
·
We
will be doing a virtual Zoom Fellowship Hour at 11:00am today. An invitation to that Zoom meeting was
included in last week’s packet.
·
We
will be hosting, regardless of weather, a drive-in parking lot Christmas Eve
Service at Floreffe Fire Hall on Thursday, December 24, at 6pm. You will receive a battery-operated candle
for the candle lighting upon entering the lot, tune into the posted FM radio
station to hear the service, and will remain in your cars throughout the
service.
·
There
will be an online service for Christmas Eve posted here, as well.
Let’s begin our worship
service together:
Prelude – Wexford Carol by our own
Robert Morris
Call to Worship
(if
you are worshipping with others in your house, feel free to have one person
read the regular text and all others read the highlighted text)
Longing for shelter, many
are homeless. Longing for warmth, many are
cold. Make us Your building, sheltering
others, walls made of living stone.
Christ be our
light!
Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our
light!
Shine in Your Church
gathered and scattered today.
Advent is a time to bind
up the broken hearted.
Come,
Lord, and make all things new.
For past wrongs that
prevent us from moving forward:
Come, Lord, and make
all things new.
For any bitterness that
scratches our soul:
Come, Lord, and make
all things new.
For relationships left
in decay and neglect:
Come, Lord, and make
all things new.
For any action that has
wounded us or by which we have wounded others:
Grant that we might
have the peace of Christ as we wait, the love of Christ as we act, and the
grace of Christ as we speak.
Today we light four candles. The first candle is the light of hope for
those in times of waiting. The second
candle is the light of hope for those who are wearied by the circumstances of
life. The third candle is the light of
hope for those eagerly watching for God’s promised glory. The fourth candle is the light of hope for
those who carry the wounds of life.
Today we acknowledge our pain and the pain we have caused others. As the light shines, we turn to the Savior
who came to rescue the lost, to help the hurting, and to bind up the broken.
Light of the
Advent Wreath
Hymn: What Child Is This?
Prayer of Confession
Words of Assurance
The Holy One forgives and bestows favor on each of us, even
and especially when we are lowly in spirit.
We are blessed from generation to generation by the Mighty One, whose
strength and mercy are forever. Thanks
be to God. AMEN
Affirmation of Faith –
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the
Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son
our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Virgin Mary;
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended
into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall
come to judge the quick and the dead. I
believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life
everlasting. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer:
Lord, in a season when
every heart should be happy and light, this year many are struggling with the
heaviness of life—burdens that steal the joy right out of our Christmas stockings.
Tragedy arrives in various forms as
innocent victims suffer, and an inner voice whispers to us, “Be afraid!” We
need Your peace, most precious Lord. We
confess that our hearts are too often filled with wonder of a different kind:
wondering when the bills will be paid, when the pandemic will come to an end,
when life will return to normal, when a more peaceful rest will come. Will it ever come? Is Your message still true? In a world where worry, not peace, prevails, we
ask that stir in us that good news again.
This day, O God, make
it real in our hearts. Never have we
needed Your joy and peace more than now. Thank You for the gift of Your Son Jesus, our
Immanuel, the Word made flesh. We not
only need Your peace and joy; Lord, we crave it. You’ve promised rest for the weary, victory
for the battle-scarred, peace for the anxious, and acceptance for the broken
hearted—not just at Advent, but every day of every year. Your name is still called “Wonderful,”
“Counselor,” “The Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” and “The Prince of
Peace.” We know that peace on earth can
only come when hearts find peace with You. You are still our Joy. You are still our Peace. You are no longer a babe in the manger. You are Lord of lords and King of kings. And we still celebrate You as Lord—this
Christmas and always.
In our words of thanks
and petition, we offer up to You are deepest prayers in a moment of silent
reverence and hope.
Across the sound waves
of prayer, we offer up to you our most sacred prayer, the one that Your own Son
taught us:
Our Father, who art in
heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our
debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. AMEN.
Hymn: Hark!
the Herald Angels Sing
Scripture Readings –
Old Testament: 2 Samuel
7:1-11, 16
Now when the king was settled
in his house, and the Lord had
given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2the
king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but
the ark of God stays in a tent.” 3Nathan
said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with
you.”
4But
that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5Go and
tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me
a house to live in? 6I have not lived in a house
since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I
have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7Wherever
I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with
any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people
Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” 8Now
therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of
hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over
my people Israel; 9and I have been with you
wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I
will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the
earth. 10And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant
them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and
evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11from
the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you
rest from all your enemies. Moreover
the Lord declares
to you that the Lord will
make you a house. 16Your house and your kingdom
shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
New Testament: Luke
1:26-38
26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a
town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The
Lord is with you.” 29But she was
much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might
be. 30The angel said to her, “Do
not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and
you will name him Jesus. 32He will be
great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give
to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his
kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to
the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be
born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also
conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be
barren. 37For nothing
will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary
said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your
word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Sermon
–
For Nothing is
Impossible with God
Frank S. Mead, was a prolific writer
for a number of Christian publications, as well as being noted for writing some
of the most comprehensive reference works many ministers use to this day. He once wrote a story titled, "The
V.I.P." In his story the small town
of Mayfair is excited over the anticipated arrival of a rich and important
stranger, Henry Bascom. Mr. Bascom was
coming to spend Christmas in their town.
All of the townspeople turn out to meet him at the airport, but he's
nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, a quiet
man slips by the people at the airport and heads into town.
The townspeople set up vigil at the
airport in case Mr. Bascom comes on a different flight than what was expected,
but most of them head back to town. They
encounter a new stranger in their town who is a quiet man and does not appear
to be a man of means or importance. He
is ignored and mistreated by the insensitive people of Mayfair. They are all caught up in a Christmas frenzy
of materialism and shallow pageantry.
They don't have time to help this stranger in their midst. Finally, a poor, old gentleman invites the
stranger home for a meager dinner with his family.
After dinner, the stranger returns
to the airport, where those who had stayed at the airport on vigil for their
important guest are taking down the sign welcoming Henry Bascom. One man remarks to another, "I can't
believe we missed him, perhaps he didn’t come after all, or perhaps he is
already in town somewhere. I can’t
believe we missed him. All I know is
that we didn’t see anyone come off any of the airplanes that could possibly be
him." And the stranger, unnoticed by these two men, climbs onto a plane
and leaves behind the town of Mayfair.
The town of Mayfair isn’t so
unique. It could happen anywhere, even
among ourselves. It could easily happen
during our own celebration of Christmas.
We could get so wrapped up in the frenzy of materialism and shallow
pageantry, that we could miss the Christ child altogether. Perhaps this year, though, we might be jarred
into seeing things anew, celebrating in a different way, recognizing the real
glory and splendor of the message God gives us at Christmas.
That is why on this last Sunday
during Advent, we need to go right back to the heart of the Christmas
story. When we do we are struck by the
utter simplicity of the Christmas message.
Let's begin with:
AN ANGEL SPOKE.
Long ago, in a remote corner of this
earth God broke into our world through the voice of an angel. The heart of the Christmas story begins with
a young woman named Mary. As was the
custom of the day her parents made all the arrangements for her marriage. At the proper age she would marry Joseph the
local carpenter. The negotiations were
made between Mary's parents and Joseph's parents with the couple really having
no say in the matter, to truly understand this – think Fiddler on the Roof
without the rebellious nature of Teyve’s children who refuse to marry the men
he and Golda have picked for their daughters, and of course without all the
song and dance. Tradition often makes
Joseph a much older man, but the scriptures don’t give us any indication that
this was true. Since Nazareth was a
small village Mary probably knew Joseph pretty well. Certainly, if nothing else, she had seen him
working in his carpenter's shop since he was an apprentice himself.
Mary and Joseph were betrothed to
each other. Betrothal is a word we don’t
use too much anymore. Instead , we use
the word “engagement”. But in the days
of Mary and Joseph a betrothal was a bit more formal than an engagement. It was for a period of one year and was as
binding as marriage. It was so official
that, during this year, if the groom died the woman would be considered a
widow. One day as Mary was day-dreaming,
perhaps about her upcoming marriage, she looked up and saw an angel standing
before her. She was startled and
frightened. Mary, never in a million
years dreamt of being visited by an angel.
It had never happened to her before.
In fact, this kind of thing hadn’t happened in a long time. God had become pretty silent in those
days. Maybe, a little like today; I mean
seriously, how many of you think, “Oh, today perhaps an angel will come to me
and give me some news?”
"Greetings, favored one!"
the angel said to a frightened Mary.
Mmm…."Favored one."
Mary was just an ordinary girl.
There was really nothing special about her. She didn't come from a wealthy family. She wasn't listed in the society pages of the
Nazareth Times. No one outside of
Nazareth had ever even heard of her and more than likely a lot of people right
there in Nazareth hadn’t heard of her either.
She was just your average young girl.
Mary was perplexed and confused.
Gabriel, the angel, sensed Mary's fear and he tried to comfort her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God."
Mary didn't realize it at the time,
but God had chosen her for a very special purpose. "And now you will conceive in your womb
and bear a son," said Gabriel, "and you will name him
Jesus." Mary was mystified and
bewildered. What could all this possibly
mean?
And yet, somehow, down deep in her
spirit and soul, Mary understood and believed.
Mary listened to the angel's words.
"He will be great," Gabriel told her, "and will be called
the Son of the Most High...He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of
his kingdom there will be no end."
Although we know very little about
Mary and her family, we can assume that she was a devout Jew who had listened
and believed the scripture lessons read at the local synagogue. Although she was certainly startled by the
appearance of an angel, his words didn't seem to frighten her. Like all Jews of
her time, deep in her heart she believed that one day the Messiah would
come. But, was she to bring this Messiah
into the world? Would he really come
into the world through her?
Wendy Wright, a seminary professor,
tells of attending a retreat at a Benedictine monastery on the coast of rural
Massachusetts. It had been a brisk New
England winter with plenty of cold weather and snow. One night as she was leaving the warm retreat
house an old monk burst in. "Does
anyone want to see a newborn lamb down at the barn," he asked. Some begged off, saying they had a long drive
to make. Only Wendy and one or two
others accepted his invitation.
He led them out through the snowy
woods to a low wooden lean-to that served as a barn for the community's
livestock. Once inside, it was as if
they were in another world. There was
one bare light bulb hanging from the rafters, sending uneven rays of
illumination over a variety of small farm animals. The warmth of the makeshift barn came from
the bodies and breaths of the animals themselves. A strange feeling came over her. Back in the corner was the newborn lamb and
its mother.
Oddly enough, as she stood there,
she imagined what it must have been like for Mary when Jesus was born. Mothers today have access to the privacy and
hygienic conditions of a birthing room in a modern hospital, along with a staff
of trained personnel. Mary, on the other
hand, was a young woman far from home and family. Her birthing room hung heavy with the
"strong stench of animal debris."
Mary would have no health care professional to assist her through
labor. In that setting on a cold New
England night Wendy thought about Jesus' birth many years before, "It was
a vision that took my breath away," she said.
The angel's words probably took
Mary's breath away, too. She would bear
a son. He would rule over the house of
Israel. And Mary's response was one of
bewilderment. "How can this
be?" she asked the divine messenger.
Gabriel reminded her that her cousin, Elizabeth, who was far past the
child-bearing age, but was six months pregnant.
This was all God's doing, the angel told her, for nothing is impossible with God. And that was all it took for Mary to be
convinced. She believed the angel's
message. An angel spoke, a young woman
believed.
AND THE WORLD WAS CHANGED FOREVER.
If you and I had been giving God
advice on how to bring about change in the world two thousand years ago (or
even for that matter today), we would surely have said that the last thing the
world needs is another baby. Oh, sure
babies are cute and adorable and a baby certainly has a way of changing the
lives of people in that baby’s family.
But to change the world?
Really? No, give us a spectacular
display in the heavens to prove God’s existence and continued wonder and
miracles in the world. Give us a few
trillion dollars, fix the economic woes of the world and be able to feed the
hungry. Perhaps wipe away today’s
pandemic in a split second. These things
might change the world, but give us another baby? That just doesn’t sound like the brightest
idea to me.
There’s an old story by Ruth Harnden
titled, "Let Nothing You Dismay."
In it an absent-minded, woman realizes with horror that she has switched
two Christmas gifts and sent them to the wrong people. The thick, woolen socks she had made for her
poor friend, Hilda, have been sent to her granddaughter instead. The lovely lace and satin nightgown that she
had bought for her granddaughter has been sent to Hilda! The older woman is mortified because her
granddaughter is a bright accountant just recently married and woolen socks
would seem so unnecessary and boring to the young woman. And her friend Hilda is plain, poor, simple
and unadorned. Such a lovely nightgown
would almost seem a mockery of Hilda's plainness.
But a few days after Christmas, the
woman received two letters. The first is
from her granddaughter, thanking her for the fashionable ski socks. The second is from an ecstatically grateful
Hilda. No one had ever thought to give
her something so beautiful. Hilda writes
that she puts on the nightgown and dances across her worn-out wooden floor, and
for the first time in her life, she feels pretty. It is the perfect gift.
Well, God knew the perfect gift for
humanity. God knew if you feed the
hungry, it only solves the problem for a generation. God knew that a spectacular display in the
heavens would have to be repeated until it lost its appeal. God probably knows that if the pandemic were
to simply disappear in a split second, the world would become complacent
again. Only the Word made flesh, two
thousand years ago, and even today as we celebrate it could really point the
way to God. Only One who has walked
where we walk could claim our loyalty.
God broke into human history and gave us what the world needed most -
love incarnate.
“Nothing is impossible with God”.
At our last Presbytery Meeting Sheldon Sorge, our Executive Presbyter
said that perhaps what we are learning through this pandemic and our churches
having to be closed for gatherings and worship is that our buildings are not
the church. Perhaps we are learning that
the church is not a place you go to, but rather a place from which you are sent
out.
We look out at our world and we see
the illnesses and the poverty and the loneliness and the heartache. We see the things that seem insurmountable to
overcome and one voice, one person takes a stand and believes what the angel,
Gabriel has said, “For nothing is impossible with God.” As Mary was sent out to bear the Son of God,
how are you being sent out today to bear the good news? What are your hopes and dreams for this
Christmas? What are your hopes and
dreams for the new year? Not just for you
personally, but how it will change the world!
Hymn: Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
Benediction
Be strengthened according to the proclamation of Jesus Christ. Go, do all that you have in mind, for the
Holy One is with you. Nothing is
impossible with God. AMEN.
