Community Church Sermons
Year B
December 25, 2011
Christmas Day
A Story So Beautiful It Has to be True
John
1:1-14
Rev.
Rhonda A. Blevins
Associate
Pastor
A
Service of Lessons & Carols for Christmas Day
Reflection:
A Story So Beautiful It Has to be True
It’s
Christmas Day. Perhaps more than any other day of the year, this day is filled
with nostalgia and wonder. Children wake up early, running before their
feet hit the ground to see what Santa left for them under the tree. Moms and
Dads and Grandparents smile joyfully, happy to have given good gifts to the
children. Lovers kiss under the mistletoe. Long drives to
look at Christmas lights. Eggnog, candy canes, and stockings hung by the
chimney with care. There’s “A Wonderful Life” and “Charlie Brown Christmas” and
other family traditions that make this the most wonderful time of the year.
Except when it’s not.
Sometimes these events, intended for merriment, only conjure up feelings of
grief and loss. . .someone is missing at the table.
Something isn’t the same as it used to be.
But
there’s one thing that never changes about Christmas. One thing that
remains the heart of Christmas day since the word “Christmas” was first
uttered. At the heart of Christmas, is the story of that very first
Christmas. A story so beautiful it has to be true.
Phyllis
Tickle, religious expert, writer, and lecturer, tells a story about a talk she
was giving at a church several years ago. The teenagers of the church had
served dinner for the event, and as Phyllis talked to the adults about the
historicity of the Virgin birth, you know, whether the Virgin birth was fact or
metaphor, as she was leading this discussion, the teenagers were cleaning up
after dinner. She says she noticed one particular kid, he couldn’t have been
more than 17, he began paying attention to the discussion the adults were
having. Slowly, he abandoned his clean-up duties and began to be quite absorbed
in the discussion. When the talking was done, he hung around after all of
the adults were gone and said, “May I ask you something?”
Phyllis
said, “Certainly! What about?”
“It’s
that whole Virgin birth thing,” he said. “I don’t understand.”
Curious,
Phyllis pressed him for more.
“I
don’t understand what their problem is,” talking about the adults that had just
been there.
“What
do you mean?” Phyllis asked him.
“Well,”
he said, “it’s just so beautiful that it has to be true whether it happened or
not.” [1]
This
morning, I invite you to FEEL the story of Christmas. Because,
indeed, it is a story so beautiful it has to be true.
MARY
Reading:
Luke 1:26-37
Reflection:
“With God nothing shall be impossible.” Have you ever been amazed by God? Mary
was just a kid, maybe 14, a humble Nazarene, when an angel came to her telling her
of her favor with God. Telling her of giving birth to a son who would become a
great man. . .a leader of their people. The angel told
her that the Holy Spirit would be the child’s father. Does it make sense to
you? If not, that’s OK. It certainly didn’t make sense to Mary. But the story
of this virgin mother. . .this is a story so beautiful
it has to be true.
Solo:
Young Mary Lived in Nazareth, Verse 1 (WORDS: Rae E. Whitney, 1982; MUSIC: David W. Music, 1994)
JOSEPH
Reading:
Matthew 1:18-21, 24-25
Reflection:
“He
shall save his people from their sins.” Joseph would not father Mary’s child,
but he would raise him. Joseph was probably just a kid too. He was a
carpenter, which in those days was more like what we might call a “handy-man”
today. Once again, we read of an angel visiting one of lowly estate. Telling him unfathomable things about virgin births and this child
becoming the redeemer of Israel. Does it make sense to you? If
not, that’s OK. It certainly didn’t make sense to Joseph. But the story of this
dutiful, righteous man. . .this is a story so
beautiful it has to be true.
Carol:
The Hands That First Held Mary’s Child, Verse 1 (WORDS: Thomas H. Troeger, 1985)
THE
MANGER
Reading:
Luke 2:1-7
Reflection
“She
brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid
him in a manger.” Can you imagine a more humble beginning for the one who
would carry the most revered name in all of human history? Christianity remains
the largest religion in the world, named after one born in a stable, laid in a
manger. Never in its wildest dream did that manger imagine holding the
redeemer of humankind. Does it make sense to you? If not, that’s OK. It
certainly didn’t make sense to that lowly manger. But the story of this feeding
trough for animals. . .this is a story so beautiful it
has to be true.
Carol:
Away in a Manger, Verse 1 (MUSIC:
James R. Murray, 1887)
ANGELS
Reading:
Luke 2:8-14
Reflection:
“Fear
not.” Every time we read of angels in the birth, the first thing they say
is “Fear not.” When humans encounter these celestial beings, it can be
terrifying. But their message is always one first of comfort. “Fear not,
Mary.” “Fear not, Joseph.” “Fear not, shepherds. Today, a savior has been born
to you!” I wonder if these angels knew that this would be the most important
pronouncement in human history? A recent AP poll
suggests that 77% of Americans believe in angels. But I don’t think it
matters whether or not you BELIEVE in angels with your head. I do think
it’s important that you can FEEL the angels with your heart. Because this
story of the heavenly host. . .this is a story so
beautiful it has to be true.
Carol:
Angels We Have Heard on High, Verse 1 (Traditional)
SHEPHERDS
Reading:
Luke 2:15-20
Reflection:
“Let
us now go,” the shepherds said to one another. The scriptures say that
they hurried. . .they made haste. There was a
sense of urgency. . .they were compelled to go and
see. Perhaps they left their responsibilities behind that night. . .they went to see this newborn. . .the son of
strangers. Isn’t that what we’re doing today? You have responsibilities,
don’t you? Perhaps you have a casserole to make for the gathering this
afternoon. Maybe the house is a mess from family or friends. Maybe
you take care of an ailing loved one, and he or she doesn’t stop being sick
just because it’s Christmas Day. You have responsibilities.
. .but like the shepherds, you left your responsibilities behind, if only for a
little while, to worship Christ, the newborn King. It doesn’t make sense, does
it? To come to church on Christmas Day when there’s so much to do? But
perhaps it is entirely appropriate to worship Christ on Christmas day, just
like the shepherds did some 2,000 years ago. The story of
these irresponsible, yet faithful, shepherds? This is a story so
beautiful it has to be true.
Carol:
The First Noel, Verse 1 (Traditional)
MAGI
Reading:
Matthew 2:1-11
Reflection:
“They
presented unto him gifts.” These men traveled so far to present gifts to
a humble infant. Some say they came from modern day Iraq, which probably
would have been roughly 6 months by foot. They faced danger, even
death. And when they found the baby Jesus, they worshipped him.
They brought valuable gifts. . .the most valuable
items of the time. Presenting their gifts was the most important act of
worship for them. Like the wise men, we are all on a journey to discover
Christ. When we find the Lord, our response is to offer something as our
primary act of worship. Their gifts were of gold and frankincense and
myrrh. What gifts did you bring the Christ child on this Christmas
day? Wise men from afar. . .a story so beautiful
it has to be true.
Carol:
We Three Kings, Verse 1 (WORDS
& MUSIC: John Henry Hopkins, Jr., 1857)
Offertory:
He is Born! (arr. Derek K. Hakes)
JESUS
Reading:
John 1:1-5, 14
Reflection:
“The
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” I love this poetic description
of what happened on that very first Christmas Day. The Word became flesh.
God took on human form. Incarnation.
What’s amazing about this incarnation is that God came in the form of a
baby. Is there anything more vulnerable, more messy,
more humble than a baby? Completely dependent on
fallible humans for nourishment, warmth, cleanliness, survival. In
the 1st Century Roman Empire, roughly half of all children would die
before the age of 10.[2] God came in the form of a baby. Does
that make sense to you? If not, that’s OK. No one has ever fully
comprehended this great mystery. We proclaim this mystery every time we
sing “What Child is This?” We will never fully
understand what Christ’s coming into the world means, but one thing is certain,
it is a story so beautiful, it has to be true.
Carol: What
Child Is This, Verses 1-3 (WORDS: William C. Dix, 1865)
[1] Phyllis Tickle with Tim Scorer, Embracing Emergence
Christianity: Phyllis Tickle on the Church’s Next Rummage Sale, A 6-Session
Study, Morehouse Education Resources, Denver, CO.: 2011, 28.
[2] http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/family.html
(accessed 12/24/11).