Sunday 12/24/12 RWJ/Pottersville UMC
Sermon: “For unto us a savior is born”
Scripture Lesson:
Isaiah 9:2-7
Gospel Lesson: Luke 2:1-20
Welcome one
and all, to tonight’s Christmas Eve service. On this night, we wait with hope, with
wonder, and with excitement, at the impending birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
On this night, many of us come to this place with joys, feelings of
thankfulness, and yet some of us come here with pains and sorrows.
Some of us desperately
need Jesus Christ to come and deliver us, as we cry out for a savior to come
amongst us, and to save us all. In this season of Advent, we all too often get
caught up in the wrapping paper, the gifts, the cookies, the parties, and those
really corny Christmas Party sweaters, that we can only get away with wearing
during this time of the year.
So here we all
are on this Christmas Eve, as we have experienced several Christmas Eve’s in
past. Some of us might want to keep the exact number we have experienced to
ourselves, but we have all experienced many Christmas Eve’s. On this night, as
many Christmas Eve’s we have a swirl of emotions. For the young one’s they
wonder just what is under that Christmas tree, the parent’s hope that tomorrow
morning the young one’s will let them sleep in just a little longer, the older
one’s have plans to sugar up the young ones and then summarily hand them back
to their parents smiling and winking, all the while.
So here we all
are on this Christmas Eve, all feeling different ways, all of us waiting, all
of us hoping, and all of us prepared for the birth of Jesus Christ. With all us
of here feeling different ways, and with all of us coming from many different
perspectives, I would ask us to consider, if even for a brief moment, what
Christmas is, and what Christmas isn’t. On this night and tomorrow, will we
take a moment with our families to remember why this holiday was created? Why
we even call it Christ-mas in the first place? We often get caught up in
decorations, Christmas trees, Nativity scenes, gifts, and Christmas Cards.
What I would
pose to you all here tonight though, is if nothing else, when you peel back the
layers of the onion of Christmas to that little inside core, Christmas is about
a baby that would forever change the world. For unto us brothers and sisters, a
savior is born. For unto us, hope is restored, love will overcome fear, joy will
overcome sadness, bliss will overcome sorrow, and light is shining where there
used to be only darkness. For on this night, we celebrate the light of world,
who comes to us, to radically change and reorient all that we know to be true,
and at same time to restore our belief in something better. On this Christmas
Eve brother’s we celebrate that soon, for unto us a savior is born.
We often can
get caught up in the ornamentation of Christmas, making sure that everything is
right, that even in this very church service that we say the right prayers and
sing the right hymns. But I would say to you on this night, when we boil this
holiday down to its core, all we have left is a baby in manger. For unto us as
savior is born.
In tonight’s
Christmas Eve scripture reading from Isaiah, it said, “The people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on
them light has shined.” You see brothers and sisters darkness cannot exist in
the presence of light. For those victims in the recent shooting in Newtown, Connecticut,
amidst there sufferings came a ground swell of love and support. Churches were
filled, vigils were held, and love flowed abundantly. For darkness cannot
overcome in the presence of light. For on this night we prepare for the light
of world, in whom all darkness will never again conquer the light. You see
Jesus is coming not only to save us, but to teach us a new way of being. To
teach us how to love each other more, to live differently, and to bring light into
the darkness. The scripture reading for this evening from Isaiah goes on to
say, “You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice
before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of the burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of
their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.” For unto us a savior
is born. The deliver, the redeemer. On this Christmas Eve and tomorrow on
Christmas Day, let us remember for unto us a savior is born.
The scripture
goes to say, “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority
rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His Authority shall grow continually, and
there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom.” For unto
us brothers and sister, a savior is born.
In our gospel
of Luke reading from this morning, it discussed the order from Emperor Augustus
of all people being registered for a census. Joseph then takes Mary to
Nazareth, the city of David, the place of his own birth, to register in the
census. While there, Mary goes into labor, Joseph cannot find any room at the
inn for Mary to give birth, and in the end, Joseph, Mary, and the soon to be
baby Jesus end up in the manger that we base our Nativity Story around, even
today. The gospel reading went on to say, an angel appeared to the shepherds
and said, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy
for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who
is the Messiah, the Lord. This is will be a sign for you: you will a find a
child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” For brothers and
sisters on this night, we prepare, for soon, unto us a savior is born.
The shepherds
arrived at the manger, the wise men journey forth, and that star from the
heavens shown bright, right where the manger of the Lord is. Gifts of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh were given. Tears were shed, and people rejoiced that hope has come forth
in the form of a baby named Jesus.
On this night,
brothers and sisters while we have a mixture of emotions, while we come from a
mixture of places in our own faith journeys, and while we come from a mixture
of perspectives, we all equally await the birth of the savior. We all await the
savior, we all await Jesus Christ.
I would like to close this Christmas
Eve service with a story. This is a true story that was published in the
December 14, 1982 issue of Woman’s Day
Magazine. In case you were wondering just now, no I do not read Woman’s Day Magazine, as I found this
story on the internet. This story is called a Christmas Story: For the Man Who Hated Christmas, by Nancy W. Gavin. Here is how it
goes: It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our
Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked
through the branches of our tree for the past ten years.
It all began because Nancy’s husband
Mike hated Christmas. Oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial
aspects of it – overspending and the frantic running around at the last minute
to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma – the gifts
given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else. Knowing he
felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties
and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration
came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year,
was on the wrestling team at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas,
there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.
These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be
the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in
their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was alarmed to
see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet
designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team
obviously could not afford.
Well, we ended up walloping them. We
took every weight class. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I
wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of
potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike
loved kids – all kids. He so enjoyed coaching little league football, baseball
and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came.
That afternoon, I went to a local
sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes,
and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed
a small, white envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had
done, and that this was his gift from me.
Mike's smile was the brightest thing
about Christmas that year. And that same bright smile lit up succeeding years.
For each Christmas, I followed the tradition – one year sending a group of
mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a
pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before
Christmas, and on and on.
The white envelope became the
highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas
morning, and our children – ignoring their new toys – would stand with
wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal
its contents. As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical
presents, but the small, white envelope never lost its allure.
The story doesn't end there. You see,
we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I
was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve
found me placing an envelope on the tree. And the next morning, I found it was
magically joined by three more. Unbeknownst to the others, each of our three
children had for the first time placed a white envelope on the tree for their
dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our
grandchildren standing to take down that special envelope. Mike's spirit, like
the Christmas spirit will always be with us.
You see brothers and sisters, this
night, this Chistmas Eve, is about hope. It is about finding Joy amidst the
pains of life and sufferings of this world. This hope is found in a baby named
Jesus. As we enter into Christmas Day tomorrow morning, let us all take time to
remember where Christmas came from, and what Christmas is really all about. For
unto us, brothers and sisters, a savior is born. May we all experience the
love, the peace, and the joy, that Jesus Christ brings us all with his birth.
May you and your families be richly blessed in this Christmas Season. For Jesus
Christ so very much loves us all. Amen and praise God.
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