|
 F.
Harry Daniel
Second Presbyterian Church
Sermons:
December 24,
2006
"What a Cast!"
For me Christmas recalls a late Christmas Eve snow in Paducah; and the
smells of the sanctuary gloriously decorated. For you there are also many
such memories. All of which, mine and yours, ours are inspired by an old,
old story.
When it comes to the Christmas story, the ancient narrative of the
birth of Jesus, the plot, of course, moves us, inspires us; but, in some
ways, it is the cast of characters that knocks us off our feet. The plot
is shaped by God's mighty and redemptive acts into a fabric of grace.
Heaven touches earth. The proud are scattered; the low exalted. The hungry
are filled; the rich are sent away empty. A divine "coup d'etat." Into the
fabric of this majestic plot, however, are woven the unlikeliest of
threads. What a cast!
|
Scripture Reading
Luke 2:1-20
Luke 2:1-20
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should
be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was
governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph
also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of
David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family
of David.
He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was
expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver
her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in
bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for
them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch
over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But
the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see -- I am bringing you
good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the
city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign
for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a
manger." And suddenly 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 among those
whom he favors!"
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to
one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken
place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and
found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw
this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all
who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary
treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as
it had been told them. (NRSV) |
Pay a visit to the wings at the Christmas drama; rediscover power and
purpose of whole thing.
1. Extras: The genealogy
"While Luke has the dramatic flair to wait until Jesus is 30 years old
before trotting out the family tree, Matthew is clearly from the
"you-can't-tell-the-players-without-a-scorecard" school. He opens his
gospel with Jesus' genealogy, a list spanning forty-two generations and
including nearly fifty names, containing such notables as Abraham and
David along with clearly peripheral types like Eliakim and Matthan." [1]
Examples of good and bad. Held up as examples of how God works and in
and through the lives and destinies of human beings to bring about his
will. Triumphing over human obstacles and bestowing his grace on all.
Working through great and the ordinary.
2. Supporting case: Mary and Joseph
There is something warm, appealing, and authentic about this pair.
These are simple and gentle people. I am struck by ordinariness and by the
extraordinariness of their willingness to follow the guidance and will of
God. Trust here that speaks volumes. Grasp mystery of God's ways. Look for
his presence in those often unnoticed, unheralded, unexpected ways
3. Walk-ons: Shepherds and wise men
When the shepherds appear in art and literature they are often depicted
as emotional counterpoints to the brainy wise men. The wise men plot the
trajectories; the shepherds simply feel their way along toward the
incarnation.
4. The child himself: ordinary and extraordinary
5. Curtain Call
Places cast! But wait! The cast is not complete. Time for you and me,
us to join it.
Which path should I follow on this august night?
That which is right. That which is
right.
What should I wear? The distance is far.
Go as you are. Go as you are.
What shall I say, my rank to attest?
Silence is best. Silence is best.
But who will be there - riffraff or kings?
Those whom love brings. Those whom
love brings.
I don't understand. Are no guards standing by?
For a baby's cry? For a baby's cry?
Then I shall not go; it is no great affair.
God will be there. God will be there. [2]
The cast of that first Christmas pleads knowingly and persuasively to
us. Christmas came to "little Bethlehem that we might know that no place
is unknown to God; at the middle of night to remind us that there is no
moment of the day or night when He is absent from us; to young Mary to
convince us that all life is dear to Him; and in a Child that we may sense
that all of life is in His hands." [3]
Christmas is an invitation to join the cast, to become a part of the
drama. Has not ended, has only just begun.
In the midnight darkness, behold! a star
To guide by its light;
And out on the hills, an angel choir
Shattering the silence of night:
And down in the stable, a mother's pain
Bringing a baby to birth,
And above, an unheeding crowd in the inn.
And so God came to earth.
But still people live in the darkness of life
Hoping to find their way;
And they hear not the song, for the noise of their strife
That sings of a better day:
And the child that was born in the stable bare,
Who lived, and taught, and died,
Must suffer rejection again, and despair,
And again be crucified.
Yet the light still shines from that radiant star,
For those who have eyes to see;
And humble and wise men, near and far,
Still follow it reverently.
And loud in their ears is the glad refrain
Of the peace that yet can be,
When God revisits the earth again
Through people like you and me.[4]
Come, come this day with your hearts, minds, and lives open to this
Christ child. Let his love enfold you and radiate through you into God's
world.
Come! Here is comfort for pain, love for hate, hope for loss, trust for
alienation, and courage for the living of these days. Do not think that
Christmas is just a one day commitment. It isn't, it runs through the
whole year. Do not despair. Christ is here.
_________________
[1] Thomas G. Long, "Bit
Parts in the Christmas Pageant," Journal for Preachers, Advent/Christmas,
1982, 15.
[2]
Lodene Brown Hathaway.
[3]
Ann Weems, When Christmas Came to Bethlehem.
[4]
George G. Connolly. |