12.24.08 "Christmas Eve Meditation" 11:00 P.M. Service
WESTMINSTER PULPIT
The Rev. Dr. Garry Cox
December 24, 2008 “Christmas Eve Meditation” 11:00 p.m. Service
What a wonderful season this has been, people responding to the needy in our community even though they may be facing economic hardships of their own. I went by Loaves and fishes on Tuesday and there was a long line of cars dropping off food, clothing, toys, blankets, sleeping bags, tents etc. for all the homeless in our area. People from the church gave very generously with food and clothing along with a car full of toys for the Women’s Empowerment program along with gift stockings for the moms.
The other day in worship at 8:45 I was very moved by the tenderness of the prayer requests for all people. One of the young mothers was asking for prayers for the new child to be born into their family this coming year. She had tears of joy for the new child to come and for the support of the congregation. One of the closing requests was from a homeless man who has been coming to services lately. He was asking for prayers for an estranged son and he to be reunited in the coming year. The poinincy of these to requests touched me and I appreciated in a new way how important Westminster is in its openness to all people. Where else would you hear requests from two such different lives being shared under the same roof?
It also reminded me of the incredible story of Christ’s birth in which a vastly different group of people was called to witness to the events of that night so long ago. From Kings to Angels to Shepherds everyone was invited to this mysterious, holy evening. The manger is the opening scene in a new drama that was to unfold for all people. It is God coming into human flesh to be with us in our lives and to guide us toward peace and love everywhere.
Our emotions run high on an evening like this, at first when we were kids when we couldn’t even imagine sleeping when the next morning we would be greeted by those wonderful presents under the tree; and as we got older to be part of a family who celebrated together this wonderful feast of love and care. As we get older the challenges of life come in with a chill that sometimes cools us to this mystical holiday. We remember those who have gone before us, those who are no longer in our lives for whatever reason and sometimes just the repetitive songs, holiday business et. Al. get between us and the true meaning of the season.
If we aren’t careful we can become cynical about this strange event that happened in an ancient village, in a far away desert country 2,000 years age. The mystery of it alone can sometimes put us off and we go along with it just because it is a cultural habit too embedded in our psyches to give up. Then comes the cleaning up of all the decorations, putting away the candles, the tree, the ornaments and even the wrapping up of that little manger scene. We tuck it away till next year and go about our lives as we did before.
Of course that would be the biggest tragedy of human life, if we only treated the story as a mystical, magical happening to some people long, long ago. The amazing thing about this story and the point of the whole thing is that God has entered into our lives, to be in us and among us all through the year. This happens year after year since the first scene with all of those holy figures surrounding the child who was God himself with us. The old hymn with the phrase “he walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own”, seems pretty farfetched if it was just talking about that Holy child in a stable. But “God with Us” means so much more than that and probably the most radical idea of the whole Christian belief system. And yet that is exactly what is meant by God with us. The Spirit of God is in each one of us and has put it in our hearts to walk with one another in good times and bad so that we can know that God IS with us! Each and every day we can see the Christ at work in the world as we work with and care for the people around us.
This person who has come into our midst tonight is what our minds might tell us is what the Christ would be like if he walked with us and talked with us. We also know that his name is Matt and he was just over there playing the keyboard for us. Now Matt is a friend of mine and I have been able to see the Spirit of Love (of God) at work in him in our dealings with one another. He is a humble loving person and cares deeply for me and for all of the people in this church along with other musicians he works with, his family and his neighbors where he lives. For God to be seen among us we must see the Holiness in every person.
The love and care of that first manger scene is manifest in all of us in different ways. Look carefully at everyone around you and you will see an angel here and there, a shepherd here to protect you, a Mary to love you and guide you, a Joseph to be strong for you and provide for you. You may even see a child who leads you in your spiritual journey be showing you the truth and being the one who expresses exuberant joy that you can be enriched by.
That King over there who polishes the floors and cleans up after you around here is expressing his God given gifts for us just as he did to the child on that first night.
So this night, instead of being grateful that it will soon be over, when you can put away the cresh till next year, see yourself in this greatest drama of all time and become part of the scene. Be that loving presence like the angels, or the regal gift giver, or the steady father protecting the children, or a shepherd guiding the congregation. We become Holy just as the Holy becomes real in our lives.
Amen
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