December 25, 2007 Sermon
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December 25, 2007
Christmas Day - Year A
Gary Sanford San Angelo
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Amen
Christmas has to be my favorite season of the year. Not only because we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but because there is a feeling of love in the air despite short tempers in long checkout lines and traffic snarls along Sherwood Way. It is a season that seems to touch the hearts of almost everyone as we pray for peace on earth and good will toward all.
But what would Christmas be without Christmas Carols? I have always liked music of almost every kind, though must admit I am not terribly fond of Rap, Country and Western or Heavy Metal...even though I can appreciate the artistry in even these. But Christmas Carols, ah Christmas Carols, both religious and secular, are filled with such joy and love and good will that they make you want to shout for joy.
In our Psalm for this morning we hear a lot about singing. Everyone, all people everywhere, are told to sing to the Lord: all lands and all who dwell in them, the sea and all that is in it, the rivers, the hills...the whole world. We are to play the harp and sing as we sound the trumpets and shout for joy. This Psalm was written in praise to the glory of God. It is not just for Christmas Day, but for every day.
The carols we sing this time of year are full of praise to God. They harold the birth of Jesus, a gift given by the one true God and the greatest gift ever given, and I love them as I love Him. And I like the old, traditional music, however the other day I was listening to a more contemporary station that was playing Christmas Carols as performed by rock artists. Some of these I like, some I don't, but I noticed that while the music was changed the words were not. And I got to thinking that it is not the music that is important but rather the words. The words are what give us hope. It’s the words that speak to our hearts. It's the words that offer praise to God.
The Gospel of John tells us that, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And John goes on to tell us, "And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." In these passages we can see not only the love that God has for us, but we also see interdependence with God. How can this be possible? How can God, who is supposed to be all powerful, be dependent on human beings--or anything else? Isn't God supposed to be totally self sufficient, all-powerful and in need of nobody else? If, however, God is not dependent on us, how do we explain the gift of this child to the world...and yet, how else can we explain it? Jesus did not come into the world working miracles. He came into the world as a baby totally dependent on others for survival. He did not speak words of hope or peace or redemption. He was just a baby like so many others. And He was dependent. His very life depended on the care that others would provide for him.
John says, "We have beheld his glory..." and the glory in the baby Jesus is that he is the Word. He is the Word of God sent into the world and a sign of God's love for the world He created and all that is in it. Jesus is the glory that God experiencing life in the world. This gift is an invitation by God that we are to share in His hope for us as we share in His creation. Jesus was given to us as an invitation that His love will become our reality, and that God's kingdom may come into our lives.
Jesus is the Word made flesh sent for the redemption of our. He is the Word of love and peace and good will toward all people and yet, we sometimes for get that. The story of Christmas is told and retold every day as God invites us to share in that kingdom that He has prepared for us through His son. And we tell this story, not with words, but by how we see and treat others. How we love each other as He loves us. How we share in the needs of all people.
Christmas is the time of year when we are most acutely aware of the poor and the outcast. It is a time when we most easily see what they don't have. And we see them because the poor and the outcast openly reveal their needs as they cry out for help. We see them because they do not have the means of hiding their needs. They are not alone in their neediness, however. All of us have needs, things that we want desperately and are afraid to show. Unlike the poor and the outcast we hide our deepest desires under masks of independence and self-confidence, afraid that others may sense a weakness in us. That weakness, however, is what makes us human. We do need each other. We do need to depend on our families, friends and neighbors. And we need to be willing to help others when they are suffering.
The story of Christmas is not about a baby given to Joseph and Mary, or the awesome responsibility given to them. It is not about the Wise Men or shepherds in their fields. It is the story about how much God loved--and loves--us, and He has asked us to share in that love. Mary and Joseph made a loving home for Jesus. We are called to make a loving home for the world. Will we learn to love each other as God has loved us? Will we open our hearts to receive the Word of God?
There have been many changes over the past 2000 years--changes in culture, changes in the way we interact with each, changes in the way we worship God. We fight, sometimes violently, about who is right and who is wrong, and we are often un-accepting of others because they are different. Worst of all we try to ignore, even hide, those who are suffering. Sometimes I wonder if we are truly listening to what God is telling us. And I often think that God must be wondering, too. Why else would He have sent His son to live among us, to show us and to tell us, up close and personal, that the Word of God is about love, compassion, and peace? After 2000 years are we ready to listen?
Yes, the world is constantly changing. And all these differences we have are but petty things...important only in the minds of people. It does not matter whether we believe in the old traditional ways or are open to more contemporary views, or whether we are conservative or liberal, or Protestant or Orthodox. What is important is the Word of God. It has been with us for all of these past 2000 years. It has been with us since the beginning of time...even before time began.
Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Sing praises to God and thank Him for the gift He has given us. Jesus is the living Word of God made flesh to dwell among us. He was there before time began and will be there after time ends.
Just as it is with the Christmas Carols I so dearly love, the music may change, but the words will forever be the same.
A very Merry and Blessed Christmas to all of you.
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Revised: 12/24/07