Call to Worship:
Let us join our hearts together now for our call to worship, which is the words of Alfred Cole:
“Into the bright circle of life and light which is the Christmas season, we have come. Out of the routine ways of living, and the drab little ruts of habit, we have come to warm our hearts and minds at the cradle of the child. May something of the beauty, mystery and promise of the lovely old story fall like silver rain upon the broken dreams, the [losses], the fears of us all. Once again may we pause, look up, and in the far-off distances hear that old, old music: the music of hope, brotherhood, sisterhood, and blessed peace! Welcome this silent, holy night. Let us worship together.”
Christmas Eve Homily:
This is the one sacred night of the year when all of us here come together needing to believe in someone bigger than life-- someone more gracious and noble than any of us-- someone who had a vision for how God’s beloved community could become actual-- someone who told us and showed us how we could act to create peace on earth, and goodwill to all people. We come together on this sacred evening to hear the wisdom in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures and to try to find in them, some guidance for our lives, in our new day. That’s a hard leap to make. We are all moved when we hear the beloved traditional Christmas scripture readings. We even tune in to “The Charlie Brown Christmas Special” to hear Linus recite them, in his unique childlike way, uncomplicated by the statements of contemporary archaeologist, theologians, or media commentators. This holiday season, there’s been a lot of buzz in the media about the traditional Christmas story we all love to hear. I haven’t been able to turn on the television or log on to the internet without stumbling onto speculation about all the details we’d love to simply believe in (the way Linus seems to so purely believe in them): Did a brilliant star really herald Jesus’ birth? Did three kings actually bring baby Jesus precious gifts? Did the birth of Jesus take place in a manger? Or perhaps a cave? If Jesus was born in December, then why were there shepherds tending their flocks in the fields, which they would normally only do in the summer? Was Jesus born in Bethlehem, or in Galilee? And, perhaps the most controversial area of speculation, what did Jesus really look like? Most of the images we have seen of Jesus portray him as a tall, handsome man with long blond hair and a beard, blue eyes, and fair skin. But the truth is, every person views Jesus in their own way. We, here, need a view of Jesus that can guide us in our efforts to make real the vision of a more peaceful and loving world that he lived and died in the hope of-- The truth is, Jesus was probably not tall, did not have long hair nor a beard. He probably had brown eyes, and he probably had dark skin. Parts of the Christian scriptures also say that Jesus was an unattractive man, whose back was hunched. Do these surface-y aspects of a person really matter? The truth is that they both matter profoundly, and they do not matter at all. If we are actually to create a more peaceful and loving world, we must listen to why people who appear different than us view the world the way they do; then we must deepen our understanding of who they are below their surface traits. What Jesus wanted was for us to honor one another-- Jesus honored people who were poor, people who were sick, and people whose backs were hunched or limbs were lame. Jesus honored children, women, and men; he honored prostitutes and even tax collectors. Jesus wanted everyone to treat each other with a spirit of hospitality and compassion that is non-judgmental and unconditional. Two parables in the Gospel of Luke tell us exactly how Jesus would have wanted us to do that: The first parable is Luke 14: 16-23: “A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many people-- When it was time for the banquet to begin, the man sent his servant to tell the people he had invited that the banquet was ready. But all of them began to make excuses-- The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it, so please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I need to go examine them, so please excuse me.’ And another said, ‘I just got married, so I cannot come.’ So the servant came and reported this to the man. Then the man said forcefully to his servant, ‘ Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and the maimed and the blind and the lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, we have done what you asked, and still there is room.’ And the man said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and the hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.”
The second parable is Luke 10: 30-37: “Jesus was asked, ‘Who is my neighbor?’ and he replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and left, leaving him half-dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, he passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where the injured man was. And when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, then he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, “Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.” Which of these three proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? The one who showed mercy on him. Go and do likewise.’”
What will it take for all people of the world to make that leap to becoming the beloved community the scriptures foretold of? When will wars and hardships end, that all peoples may live in peace and prosperity? I’ll close with this story from the Talmud:
“Two students were arguing over how to tell when the night is over and the day begun. The first student said, ‘If you can see a tree far away, and you can tell whether it is a fig tree or an olive tree, then the night is over and the day begun.’ But the second student said, ‘No, no, no-- If you see an animal over there, and you can tell whether it is a goat or a lamb, then you know the night is over and the day begun.’ Unable to resolve their dispute, they went to the Rabbi and said, ‘Rabbi, what say you?’ And the Rabbi said, ‘No, neither of those answers are the best way. When you see a woman from the distance, and you cannot tell if she is black or white, but you call her, “My sister--” and when you see a man over there, and you cannot tell if he is a Syrian or an Israeli, and you call him, “My brother--” then you know that the night is over, and the day begun.’”
Benediction [adapted from II Peter 1: 19]:
“And now we have the prophetic word made more sure. We will do well to pay attention-- as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the morning star rises in our hearts.”