Sunday, December 30, 2018

1st Sunday after Christmas

Readings for Today.

Listen to the Sermon.



I have to confess that my heart sank when I walked into Fred Meyer on December 26.  The Christmas carols that had been background music since at least Thanksgiving were already replaced with easy listening - and they were clearing the Christmas merchandise to make way for Valentines.  



It makes me a little mad, too, that the 12 days of Christmas have been co-opted by marketers to be a last minute shopping push.  The 12 days START with December 25, and they give us a lovely season of reveling in the miracle and grace of God’s arrival in the form of a tiny, human baby.


Now that most of the rush and expectations of Christmas itself are over, it feels like there is more time, more room, more space for worship and reflection about this season.  In the run up to Christmas, carols were part of the background noise. Now that things have slowed down a little, it seems like there is more time to really listen to the carols, to remember that they are more than catchy tunes, they call us to recall the reason for this season of celebration.


Lauren Daigle sings a beautiful Christmas carol called Noel.  It moves me to tears every time I hear it. The refrain goes like this:


Noel, Noel
Come and see what God has done
Noel, Noel
The story of amazing love!
The light of the world, given for us
Noel  [1]


The angels and shepherds not only announce, they invite everyone they can find, to come and see God’s amazing love, born in the form of a human baby.  Incarnation: God become human, just like us. Human: not perfect, yet perfectly lovable; frail and finite, not immortal, yet full of grace and truth; beloved child of God.  


Here on this 6th day of Christmas, our celebration of the birth of Christ isn’t over.  In fact, it has just begun. This celebration of God coming to us, to know us and love us, to shower us with grace upon grace, is more than a one- or two-day party every year.  It changes our lives!


Come and see what God has done
Noel, Noel
The story of amazing love!
The light of the world, given for us


Because Jesus was born, we need no longer feel alone, in the dark, afraid, unneeded or unworthy.  God comes to us to bring us light and life, and the power to become children of God. This is a gift worth celebrating!  


This is no ugly sweater or piece of strange eco-art to put away and try to remember to bring out when the giver comes to visit.  This gift changes our lives. It becomes part of us and changes how we see ourselves and our relationships with one another and the whole world.


The parties may be subsiding.  The decorations will be taken down.  The living part of Christmas has just begun.  In a poem entitled “The Work of Christmas,” Howard Thurman, a 20th century prophet, theologian, and church leader said,


When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart. [2]

Thurman reminds us that the message of God’s love for all people as beloved children, the  light that illuminates the way of peace and reconciliation, of justice and dignity for all people - that is the truth of Christmas.  The truth that comes to change our hearts and equip us to change the world. Christmas begins on December 25, with the birth of a helpless and wailing baby.  The work of Christmas continues through the 12 days that follow - and every day of the year!


Angels and shepherds proclaim the miracle and grace of God’s amazing gift of love.  We continue to sing those carols, with hope and delight and joy, proclaiming God’s arrival among us, to change us and the world.  Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Even as we raise our voices together, we pray for courage, strength, and guidance to find the lost and heal the broken, to feed the hungry and release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations and bring peace among the people, and to make music in the heart.


We join with the angels and shepherds singing, Noel, Noel, come and see what God has done, the story of amazing love!  Noel!
____________
[1]  “Noel” on Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship CD (Deluxe Edition) by Chris Tomlin, Publisher: Capitol Christian Music Group, Music Services, Inc. Songwriters: Edmond Martin Cash, Matthew James Redman, Chrisopher D Tomlin, www.pandora.com, accessed 29 December 2018.

[2]  “The Work of Christmas” by Howard Thurman, The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations (Friends United Press, 1985).

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