Seeing a Great Light

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A warm welcome to all of you.  This evening is a time of contrasts, a time for seeing a great light out of the darkness that envelops our world.  It is a time for the glory of the Lord to shine in all our hearts and actions.

As we heard from the Prophet Isaiah, “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.”  Then, in the Gospel of Luke, “An angel of the Lord stood before the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them…. The angel said to them, …’I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.’”

How different was the time of Jesus’ birth from the time in which we are living.  An idyllic scene for us at this time of year is a family sitting in a living room before a beautiful fire in the fireplace with tree lights shining and carols being played or sung.   Wouldn’t it be nice to imagine Jesus being born into such a family with all the comforts of home, with brothers and sisters enjoying new gifts, and fragrant aromas wafting from the kitchen?

Now imagine a stable filled with straw on a little farm somewhere near Bethlehem.  The smells of animals and hay abound; goats and chickens are running about; the night is dark and cold.  Mary and Joseph are forced to find shelter in the stable because of their circumstances.  They were not wealthy; they had been traveling for several days from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the required registration.  Mary was pregnant and about to give birth.  Joseph must have been worried and anxious because they could not find a room in an inn.  All they had was bands of cloth to wrap around their newborn child and a manger in which to lay him.

Who comes to visit?  Family and friends are in Nazareth and there are no expected visitors to come and offer support or a hot meal.  Luke tells us about some surprising visitors: shepherds who were told by an angel that they would “find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  Of even greater surprise there was “with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace.’”  Was it a chorus singing “Angels we have heard on high?”  How ironic or surprising can this be?  And, for Luke, it was God’s decision that he should enter human form in this way.  God’s story in the newly born life of Jesus is beginning, and what a story it is to be.

Nancy Rockwell, a Brown graduate and an ordained minister, writes about “the grace that sustains all living things.”  “This grace, this mystery, is not won by war or by anyone’s might, cannot bought by the rich nor withheld from the homeless, is not dependent on whether you are naughty or nice.  It is not just for Christians, but is equally there for Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and people of no faith at all.  Corporations can’t by it, market it, or exploit it.  It does not set limits on who can be loved, and by whom, and [for] how much [it can be bought].  It’s the hinge on which the world relies. “

As the Gospel of Luke unfolds, the story of Jesus’ life develops with events that are consistent with his birth.  Jesus is kind and compassionate, especially toward those on the margins of society.  Luke’s stories surprise us with unexpected behavior like that of the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son, or the feeding of five thousand.  God acts through Jesus in ways that go beyond the boundaries of race, gender and class. 

The point is that God is in relationship with everyone, and the Bible tells us about many mysterious ways this is accomplished:  In the Old Testament Sarah conceives and gives birth when she is old; Moses, convinced he was not up to the task, is called to lead a people out of slavery and bondage to a land of freedom.  Then there is Mary, just an ordinary woman with no particular status, called to be the mother of the Savior, the holy mother of God.

“This story’s true value comes in its gritty reality, its affirmation of human experience, its narrative of God’s great love for us, known in Jesus of Nazareth.  God intends for love to grow us, change us, heal us, remake us – not merely to delight and comfort us. This story takes its true power, not from birth, but from resurrection, the continual rebirth of all that is good and true and beautiful, the conquering of the powers of darkness and death that are seen most visibly in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.” The Rev. Kay Sylvester, Episcopal Priest

The question for us in this year of 2012 is whether we shall sit in darkness or whether we can see the great light of Jesus’ birth and what it means for our world.  In seeing the light we are brought to our feet in amazement and can only “sing to the Lord and bless his Name; [and] proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.”  May you enjoy a blessed, hopeful and peaceful Christmas.  Amen.