Christmas Eve Service

Dec. 24, 2008

Rev. Marlene W. Pomeroy

Homily on the Christmas Story

Tonight we celebrate the birth of a child born centuries ago. It was not a time of stability. It was a time of uncertainty when Jesus was born. Romans occupied the region, the ruler was desperate to retain his power at all costs, the population was uprooted due to a mandated census, a pregnant mother was seeking shelter to bear a child. The reality of Christ's birth was not amidst either opulence or ease, but a time of unease.  The UCC President John Thomas reflects, "Christmas is not the festival of prosperity so many would make of it; Christmas is the celebration of God with us in whatever circumstances we find ourselves? even Matthew's grand birth narrative ends with the Holy Family fleeing as refugees to Egypt." (2008 Christmas Reflection ucc.org/Christmas/john-h-thomas-2008-christmas)

That is a hard reality to ponder amidst the Christmas observances of our time: we who live in a time of television, internet, malls and movies. And yet it is church which invites us back to the stable and the image of the baby nestled in a bed of straw with candlelight to light the way. One way to help us reflect on this Holy Night and to connect it to the story in the Bible is through the themes of darkness and light. Darkness is not a skin color or the opposite of day. Darkness, as seen through the texts of Isaiah, is a metaphor that is "suggestive of evil, sin, suffering, distress, and death." (from Feasting on the Word by eds. Taylor and Bartlett) This kind of darkness is a significant part of the world that we live in; with the benefit of television, internet and movies, we can see a world much broader than ourselves. We can see: war, violence, terrorism, misuse of power, family pain, diseases, death and loneliness. This darkness is important to name because it is universal? and because it is "what the light of Christ makes its way into and seeks to eradicate." (Ibid)  Much like the alcoholic who must name his affliction on the road to recovery, so must we name the dark parts of life that we seek for the light of the world to address.

At another dark time in history the prophet Isaiah wrote these words, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." Light is a metaphor suggestive of the presence of God. (Ibid, p100)  Clearly the light of Christ doesn't magically eliminate darkness in our world. Yet, the light of Christ has proved over the centuries to be tough and tenacious. It asks us to have faith that the presence of God in the world will continue to overcome the darkness.

We come here on this evening to celebrate the birth of the Messiah - someone who will grow up to inspire people, give us a vision of how the world could be, to help bring us to God who is creating and willing the world into a loving and just place.  We come on this Holy Night to hear again that beneath the cadence of wars and fear that have been drummed into us, there is a melody of hope within the Christmas Story (Ibid.)

Honoring the light of Christ this year may mean scaling back on our giving and lavish spending ?but it says be extravagant in your hope, ostentatious with your sharing, overflowing with your gratitude and giddy with your joy this year.

I suppose it is the contrasts that make life so clear and meaningful - when we have been sick, we really appreciate our health; when we have been cold and hungry, we really appreciate a warm plate of food; when we have lived amidst war, we really appreciate peace; when we have rushed around for weeks we really appreciate the chance to sit and be still. In the stillness of this hour, we are invited to open our hearts to perceive what the birth of Christ might mean to us this year. What beginnings is God bringing forth in our lives? What callings does our God intend to place before our feet this season? How can we follow Jesus to build the world that God has envisioned?

We are not only on the eve of Christmas, but we are on the verge of a new chapter in our country. Darkness surrounds us with our economy, our unemployment, our housing crisis, our investments, our budgets, our businesses. Christmas will not magically wave this all away, but it will invite us to address it with different values - values that involve not only our own concerns, but the needs and concerns of the least of us. God sent us Jesus to give us hope and courage so that amidst any uncertainty we would not despair. We are called to lift up our hearts and sing to God on this night, with the assurance that all things are possible with God; all things are born anew. On this Holy Night we are asked to believe that.

Where does God find you on this Holy Night? Wherever that is, open your heart to the power and presence of God, who through the child of Jesus, brought a new light of hope into a needy world. If we turn to our God and follow in the steps of this child, we will not be alone. We will all be born anew. Thanks be to God.