Sermon Illustrations for The Nativity of Our Lord (2015)
Illustration
Object:
Isaiah 9:2-7
Babies are such miracles! We look at them in their tininess, in their weakness, and feel such joy. It is the potential that we celebrate. Yes, we celebrate the continuation of our family heritage. Yes, we celebrate the child for his or her self. Yet it is the potential that we celebrate -- the unknown future life, love, success of this new individual come into the world.
Thankfully, our children are not born into the kind of expectations Isaiah has for the child born to the nation of Israel. This child is to be a wonderful counselor, a mighty God, an everlasting Father, a Prince of Peace, one of authority who will proclaim justice and righteousness among the people. That’s a big job for the child born this night. Whether Isaiah was speaking of a noble child born in his era, or the ultimate gift of Emmanuel God with us, this is a child with a burden to bear, a large legacy to live into.
Remember, Jesus did not, would not, will not lead the people alone. Jesus calls us, us Jesus-followers, to keep living into the peace, the justice, the righteousness, and the love that ends evil and sorrow and weeping. Jesus is God’s gift to us, but we are God’s gift to the world. May we each and all be a gift to the world this day and each day to come.
Bonnie B.
Isaiah 9:2-7
This passage refers to the people of Galilee, who were far from Jerusalem and blended their faith with the locals who worshiped idols. In our country, those of other faiths like Islam surround us. It is good to treat them with love and not try to kill or hurt them; but we dare not absorb their beliefs just to get along with them. Our motive in treating them with love should be to win them to the God of Love, which we worship. We should be showing them the light, which shines in darkness. That is the light that brought us to our Lord. God’s light never leads us to bomb their temples or shoot them if they disagree with us in person or in articles (or cartoons) in the paper.
When I lived in Nepal, I knew the first Christian -- old pastor Tir. He had been sent to prison several times for converting Hindus (the national religion). The government had a six-year sentence for anyone violating that law. But he was released early each time because he was converting his guards with his love and forgiveness when they tortured him -- so they had to let him go. That was the light that shone in their darkness!
One thing we should see among church members is more joy and rejoicing. It is hard to win others if we have a sad scowl on our face.
One of my members in California had one of those rare experiences of dying and coming back to life from a heart attack. He told me that the Lord asked him if he was “ready.” He said that he would like to wait until his wife had died. She was in the terminal ward of a local hospital. He woke up in bed, but when she died he smiled -- because, he said, he knew where she was going and that he would see her again.
We should rejoice every day for what God has done for us by sending his Son to us. Let’s be happy for that, and not just for the gifts under the tree.
Just as we rejoice to have our family with us, we should rejoice even more for the one that made this season possible and is also with us every day and all year long.
Bob O.
Isaiah 9:2-7
One of the guys I work with at the church became a grandfather for the first time last month. The excitement that he and his wife have for the birth of their grandson is evident to anyone who comes across them. They can’t stop talking about their trip to Louisville for his birth, and the pictures fill their social media pages. To see them hold that baby is to see real joy. I suppose that’s normal, though. When someone near to us has a child, there is a sense of joy and celebration. There is also, I think, a time of wondering. As we hold an infant, we can’t help but think: What will he see in his lifetime? What kind of job will she get? Whom will he marry? What will she do? I think we appreciate the gift of life and see hope in the eyes and face of an infant. This is, ordinarily, what we do.
Isaiah writes of a child in this passage, but it is far from an “ordinary” situation. This child, a son, will be great. He is the long-awaited child. Authority and responsibility will rest upon him as they do on no other. The names he is given reflect his divinity. His future and the future of his people are ones of peace, justice, and righteousness. Isaiah is looking ahead prophetically into the pages of time, foretelling the birth of the messiah. This prophecy is one that we’ve heard lots of times at Christmas. I think, though, that Isaiah is looking ahead into more than just time. I think, perhaps like Simeon would later, he is also looking ahead into the face and eyes of an infant. The struggles, battles, and hardships fade away in the glow of this child. Promise and peace radiate from the eyes of the child that will see people not as they are, but as they can be. Holding a baby sure can make a person happy.
Bill T.
Isaiah 9:2-7
This is about as Christmasy a text as you’ll find, but it might help to remember that it’s written for a specific time and place. It’s part of an arc of prophecies and pronouncements that begin with Isaiah’s call to ministry in the sixth chapter. In a time of great political uncertainty, with the passing of a king and the installation of a new one, Isaiah sees into heaven’s court, gazes at the throne of glory, and is commissioned to tell the truth!
Is this a text that celebrates the coronation of a specific ancient king? Probably. But living scripture speaks to each generation. This is about Jesus, God among us, and all those titles that follow. (Cue that chorus from the Messiah!)
And it’s also about us. Our time. We are also the people who walk in darkness -- and we’re seeing a great light... your light as you shine a spotlight on this text and proclaim in times of transition and fear that all will be well because for unto us a child is born.
Frank R.
Titus 2:11-14
I was the newly arrived pastor making pastoral rounds at the hospital. His name was Cash Southwell. The heart attack that put him on my call list had done massive damage. It was doubtful he would fully recover.
After introductions, Cash said he knew that his very satisfying time on earth was coming to an end. He said he wanted to tell me about his journey. Nearly every day for the next two weeks, I spent an hour or so just listening to Cash’s life review. I was to learn he accomplished many things in his 70-some years. He had been an officer leading men in combat during World War II, and had served on the command staff governing one of the major cities in occupied Germany. After that he completed a Ph.D. and taught at a prominent university. He published two books that became standard texts in his academic field. He tired of teaching and entered government service, where he had another distinguished career. Eventually his entrepreneurial spirit led him to start a successful business. While never rich, his family was more than comfortable.
The last day I saw him, he said, “Bob, I think I have finally figured it out. The deepest satisfactions in life do not come from awards or personal accomplishments. The real joy comes in doing things for other people.” Then he began to list some significant good deeds he had performed. They were things for which he had received no public recognition. In fact, most had been done without public knowledge. “Doing for others,” he insisted, “now that is what makes life good.”
That night Cash Southwell died in his sleep. The insight of his final day resonated with the words of Titus about being “zealous for good deeds.” Indeed, Cash had put the emphasis on living into the grace of God that brings salvation.
R. Robert C.
Titus 2:11-14
M. Caldwell Butler wept when he announced that he was going to vote to impeach President Richard Nixon. Nixon’s landslide election victory had swept Butler into Congress, and he had always been a Nixon supporter. But when the truth of Watergate became undeniably apparent, Butler knew Nixon needed to be removed from office. When asked why he was going to vote for impeachment, Butler said: “It’s not because I’m a liberal, a moderate, or a conservative, but because I’m a lawyer.”
Application: We are instructed in Titus to be individuals that are upright and godly. This means always doing that which is right, even if it brings tears to our eyes.
Ron L.
Titus 2:11-14
The lesson teaches that we have become zealous for good works. Christmas is a season when (at least) we say we want to do and be good. Christian life is a little like how happy we are giving presents to others at this time of the year, but our generosity is embedded in the fact that we’ll be getting gifts too. God’s gifts inspire our goodness. Likewise, it is so easy for most people to be good to babies. Our goodness is inspired by the baby Jesus.
Of course, when Christmas ends and we return to the real world there is a noticeable absence of goodness. CNN has reported on the crime rates in urban areas spiking in 2015. Pew Research finds that over 1.5 million Americans cheat on their taxes. It is estimated that one in three married men and nearly one in four married women have engaged in extramarital affairs.
Thankfully, Christian life aids us in our struggle against such evil. Good works are not so hard to do after all. The Christmas spirit of goodness can be with us all year. It is as Martin Luther contended -- Christians are people who do good “spontaneously, not from necessity or contrary to their own will” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 9, p. 179). Doing good is natural and effortless for Christians, just as eating and drinking are some things we have to do.
Mark E.
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Have you ever witnessed or participated in a birth, assisted or given birth? It’s a trying, tiring, painful, joyous time. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to give birth in a stable with only my husband to assist me. Our son who is a paramedic recently helped deliver a baby in the ambulance he works in. Mother and son were fine, but the “rig” (as he calls it) was a disaster. It took hours to clean and scrub and disinfect. I can imagine.
I know that after I gave birth, the first thing I wanted was a bath and some sleep, not visiting shepherds, smelly from the fields, coming to kneel in my room. I’m not sure I would have treasured the visit, no matter the wondrous story of angels they shared. But this is no ordinary night, no ordinary parents, no ordinary birth, no ordinary child. Why should anything else be ordinary? This is the night that God came to live among us, to be one of us and yet more than us. This is the birth that heralded in an intimate family personal relationship with our Creator. This is the night when we all can and do sing “Glory to God in the highest!” Celebrate the gift! Share the gift! Proclaim the gift of Jesus the Christ to all you meet and see and know... and may Jesus be born again in your heart this very day!
Bonnie B.
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Even Jesus couldn’t get away from politics and taxes! And when he came into the world, there were so many people coming to register for a room that his family was stuck with a stall and a manger. At least they did not have to sleep on the ground, as many immigrants do today. God provided a place for his Son. If God provided a place in a stable for his Son, then why do we complain if he doesn’t give us a first-class home -- or motel?
Even though Mary and Joseph were not married, she was pregnant. In those days it was not uncommon for an engaged couple to have a child before they married. There was no shame attached to it.
In this case, there was not even a midwife -- I guess Joseph was stuck with the job.
The shepherds got the message through an angel and were blessed with the glory of that experience. They were scared to death! But the angel tells them not to worry, for he had come to give them great news. God doesn’t give us that kind of experience today. We have to find it in his Word and in our hearts and in the message we hear in our church on this occasion.
The message is not that we have gifts under the tree waiting for us, but that God has sent us a gift greater than anything we could imagine. He sent his own Son to us! It took about 30 more years back then to find out why he came (even his disciples didn’t get the whole picture until the resurrection), so we should be patient today when we hear that message.
I heard that message preached from the time I can first remember, but it never really dawned on me until I was about 30. It came to me in a prayer where I knocked and he opened to me. That was why I became a pastor -- to preach that great message to others, just as the shepherds spread it to everyone they saw. Let’s praise God for his great message to us. And let’s pass it on, because that is the reason for our joy!
Bob O.
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
The small group had been wandering through the dark cavern for what seemed like hours. At every turn they hoped to find a shred of light that might be a sign to them that the way out of the darkness and gloom was just ahead. For hours they had rounded corners hoping for light, only to find cold darkness reminding them of how lost they were. They were desperate for a sign, plodding along, hoping beyond hope that they would see light again. As they turned what seemed like the hundredth corner, they saw it. A ray of light! Deliverance. Freedom.
The world, prior to the birth of Jesus, was shrouded in darkness. It was going through the motions, one day after the other. Perhaps a good symbol of that is the shepherds. They were doing what they always did. They were watching their sheep. It was night. We don’t know for sure, but we can imagine how that night might have been. It was dark, like most Judean nights. There were no city lights to repel the darkness. A star or two perhaps twinkled in the night. It was still, except for the tossing of a few restless sheep. It was quiet, save for the random bleat of a lamb. Bleary-eyed shepherds fought sleep while their companions slumbered through yet another night. Then things changed. The angel of the Lord appeared, and his glory shone around them. The divine pulled back the darkness and let a bit of the light and glory of heaven shine forth. No wonder the shepherds were frightened. As incredible as the scene was that unfolded before them, the message they were given was even more spectacular. The light has shined in the darkness. Hope is renewed. A promise is kept. A savior is born.
Bill T.
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Christmas is about familiar sights, sounds, and smells. We get out the same hokey decorations for the tree. We eat things like fruitcake, which we wouldn’t abide the rest of the year, because that’s what we do this time of year. The smell of cider spiced with cinnamon, and who knows what else, greets us as we come blustering through the door.
I’ve got a lot of friends in the ministry. One of them has to read How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss on Christmas Eve every year, whether he wants to or not, because adults who grew up in the church return home from across the country and expect to hear him read it! And in every church I’ve ever served you sing “Silent Night” while everyone holds up candles in the dark.
You go home to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas or the 24 hours of A Christmas Story on one of the cable stations. If you can say one thing about Christmas, is that it’s one time not to be innovative.
And yet -- why aren’t people singing “Merry Christmas from the Family” by Robert Earl Keen? It’s in horribly poor taste, yet when I hear this story about a dysfunctional trailer park rescuing Christmas by switching on the breakers and restoring power to the holiday lights, I struggle with tears. This is who Jesus came for -- the “poor ornery people like you and like I,” as sung by John Jacob Niles, wondering as we wander out under the sky.
Who do the angels visit, after all? Augustus Caesar? The governor Quirinius? Naw. Them poor ornery shepherds, watching their flocks by night because the ones who own the sheep are asleep, warm in bed.
Okay, you probably can’t get away with the Robert Earl Keen song, but you can point to the shepherds as folks on the margins, barely making it, who receive the best Christmas present ever.
We should all be this lucky.
Frank R.
Babies are such miracles! We look at them in their tininess, in their weakness, and feel such joy. It is the potential that we celebrate. Yes, we celebrate the continuation of our family heritage. Yes, we celebrate the child for his or her self. Yet it is the potential that we celebrate -- the unknown future life, love, success of this new individual come into the world.
Thankfully, our children are not born into the kind of expectations Isaiah has for the child born to the nation of Israel. This child is to be a wonderful counselor, a mighty God, an everlasting Father, a Prince of Peace, one of authority who will proclaim justice and righteousness among the people. That’s a big job for the child born this night. Whether Isaiah was speaking of a noble child born in his era, or the ultimate gift of Emmanuel God with us, this is a child with a burden to bear, a large legacy to live into.
Remember, Jesus did not, would not, will not lead the people alone. Jesus calls us, us Jesus-followers, to keep living into the peace, the justice, the righteousness, and the love that ends evil and sorrow and weeping. Jesus is God’s gift to us, but we are God’s gift to the world. May we each and all be a gift to the world this day and each day to come.
Bonnie B.
Isaiah 9:2-7
This passage refers to the people of Galilee, who were far from Jerusalem and blended their faith with the locals who worshiped idols. In our country, those of other faiths like Islam surround us. It is good to treat them with love and not try to kill or hurt them; but we dare not absorb their beliefs just to get along with them. Our motive in treating them with love should be to win them to the God of Love, which we worship. We should be showing them the light, which shines in darkness. That is the light that brought us to our Lord. God’s light never leads us to bomb their temples or shoot them if they disagree with us in person or in articles (or cartoons) in the paper.
When I lived in Nepal, I knew the first Christian -- old pastor Tir. He had been sent to prison several times for converting Hindus (the national religion). The government had a six-year sentence for anyone violating that law. But he was released early each time because he was converting his guards with his love and forgiveness when they tortured him -- so they had to let him go. That was the light that shone in their darkness!
One thing we should see among church members is more joy and rejoicing. It is hard to win others if we have a sad scowl on our face.
One of my members in California had one of those rare experiences of dying and coming back to life from a heart attack. He told me that the Lord asked him if he was “ready.” He said that he would like to wait until his wife had died. She was in the terminal ward of a local hospital. He woke up in bed, but when she died he smiled -- because, he said, he knew where she was going and that he would see her again.
We should rejoice every day for what God has done for us by sending his Son to us. Let’s be happy for that, and not just for the gifts under the tree.
Just as we rejoice to have our family with us, we should rejoice even more for the one that made this season possible and is also with us every day and all year long.
Bob O.
Isaiah 9:2-7
One of the guys I work with at the church became a grandfather for the first time last month. The excitement that he and his wife have for the birth of their grandson is evident to anyone who comes across them. They can’t stop talking about their trip to Louisville for his birth, and the pictures fill their social media pages. To see them hold that baby is to see real joy. I suppose that’s normal, though. When someone near to us has a child, there is a sense of joy and celebration. There is also, I think, a time of wondering. As we hold an infant, we can’t help but think: What will he see in his lifetime? What kind of job will she get? Whom will he marry? What will she do? I think we appreciate the gift of life and see hope in the eyes and face of an infant. This is, ordinarily, what we do.
Isaiah writes of a child in this passage, but it is far from an “ordinary” situation. This child, a son, will be great. He is the long-awaited child. Authority and responsibility will rest upon him as they do on no other. The names he is given reflect his divinity. His future and the future of his people are ones of peace, justice, and righteousness. Isaiah is looking ahead prophetically into the pages of time, foretelling the birth of the messiah. This prophecy is one that we’ve heard lots of times at Christmas. I think, though, that Isaiah is looking ahead into more than just time. I think, perhaps like Simeon would later, he is also looking ahead into the face and eyes of an infant. The struggles, battles, and hardships fade away in the glow of this child. Promise and peace radiate from the eyes of the child that will see people not as they are, but as they can be. Holding a baby sure can make a person happy.
Bill T.
Isaiah 9:2-7
This is about as Christmasy a text as you’ll find, but it might help to remember that it’s written for a specific time and place. It’s part of an arc of prophecies and pronouncements that begin with Isaiah’s call to ministry in the sixth chapter. In a time of great political uncertainty, with the passing of a king and the installation of a new one, Isaiah sees into heaven’s court, gazes at the throne of glory, and is commissioned to tell the truth!
Is this a text that celebrates the coronation of a specific ancient king? Probably. But living scripture speaks to each generation. This is about Jesus, God among us, and all those titles that follow. (Cue that chorus from the Messiah!)
And it’s also about us. Our time. We are also the people who walk in darkness -- and we’re seeing a great light... your light as you shine a spotlight on this text and proclaim in times of transition and fear that all will be well because for unto us a child is born.
Frank R.
Titus 2:11-14
I was the newly arrived pastor making pastoral rounds at the hospital. His name was Cash Southwell. The heart attack that put him on my call list had done massive damage. It was doubtful he would fully recover.
After introductions, Cash said he knew that his very satisfying time on earth was coming to an end. He said he wanted to tell me about his journey. Nearly every day for the next two weeks, I spent an hour or so just listening to Cash’s life review. I was to learn he accomplished many things in his 70-some years. He had been an officer leading men in combat during World War II, and had served on the command staff governing one of the major cities in occupied Germany. After that he completed a Ph.D. and taught at a prominent university. He published two books that became standard texts in his academic field. He tired of teaching and entered government service, where he had another distinguished career. Eventually his entrepreneurial spirit led him to start a successful business. While never rich, his family was more than comfortable.
The last day I saw him, he said, “Bob, I think I have finally figured it out. The deepest satisfactions in life do not come from awards or personal accomplishments. The real joy comes in doing things for other people.” Then he began to list some significant good deeds he had performed. They were things for which he had received no public recognition. In fact, most had been done without public knowledge. “Doing for others,” he insisted, “now that is what makes life good.”
That night Cash Southwell died in his sleep. The insight of his final day resonated with the words of Titus about being “zealous for good deeds.” Indeed, Cash had put the emphasis on living into the grace of God that brings salvation.
R. Robert C.
Titus 2:11-14
M. Caldwell Butler wept when he announced that he was going to vote to impeach President Richard Nixon. Nixon’s landslide election victory had swept Butler into Congress, and he had always been a Nixon supporter. But when the truth of Watergate became undeniably apparent, Butler knew Nixon needed to be removed from office. When asked why he was going to vote for impeachment, Butler said: “It’s not because I’m a liberal, a moderate, or a conservative, but because I’m a lawyer.”
Application: We are instructed in Titus to be individuals that are upright and godly. This means always doing that which is right, even if it brings tears to our eyes.
Ron L.
Titus 2:11-14
The lesson teaches that we have become zealous for good works. Christmas is a season when (at least) we say we want to do and be good. Christian life is a little like how happy we are giving presents to others at this time of the year, but our generosity is embedded in the fact that we’ll be getting gifts too. God’s gifts inspire our goodness. Likewise, it is so easy for most people to be good to babies. Our goodness is inspired by the baby Jesus.
Of course, when Christmas ends and we return to the real world there is a noticeable absence of goodness. CNN has reported on the crime rates in urban areas spiking in 2015. Pew Research finds that over 1.5 million Americans cheat on their taxes. It is estimated that one in three married men and nearly one in four married women have engaged in extramarital affairs.
Thankfully, Christian life aids us in our struggle against such evil. Good works are not so hard to do after all. The Christmas spirit of goodness can be with us all year. It is as Martin Luther contended -- Christians are people who do good “spontaneously, not from necessity or contrary to their own will” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 9, p. 179). Doing good is natural and effortless for Christians, just as eating and drinking are some things we have to do.
Mark E.
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Have you ever witnessed or participated in a birth, assisted or given birth? It’s a trying, tiring, painful, joyous time. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to give birth in a stable with only my husband to assist me. Our son who is a paramedic recently helped deliver a baby in the ambulance he works in. Mother and son were fine, but the “rig” (as he calls it) was a disaster. It took hours to clean and scrub and disinfect. I can imagine.
I know that after I gave birth, the first thing I wanted was a bath and some sleep, not visiting shepherds, smelly from the fields, coming to kneel in my room. I’m not sure I would have treasured the visit, no matter the wondrous story of angels they shared. But this is no ordinary night, no ordinary parents, no ordinary birth, no ordinary child. Why should anything else be ordinary? This is the night that God came to live among us, to be one of us and yet more than us. This is the birth that heralded in an intimate family personal relationship with our Creator. This is the night when we all can and do sing “Glory to God in the highest!” Celebrate the gift! Share the gift! Proclaim the gift of Jesus the Christ to all you meet and see and know... and may Jesus be born again in your heart this very day!
Bonnie B.
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Even Jesus couldn’t get away from politics and taxes! And when he came into the world, there were so many people coming to register for a room that his family was stuck with a stall and a manger. At least they did not have to sleep on the ground, as many immigrants do today. God provided a place for his Son. If God provided a place in a stable for his Son, then why do we complain if he doesn’t give us a first-class home -- or motel?
Even though Mary and Joseph were not married, she was pregnant. In those days it was not uncommon for an engaged couple to have a child before they married. There was no shame attached to it.
In this case, there was not even a midwife -- I guess Joseph was stuck with the job.
The shepherds got the message through an angel and were blessed with the glory of that experience. They were scared to death! But the angel tells them not to worry, for he had come to give them great news. God doesn’t give us that kind of experience today. We have to find it in his Word and in our hearts and in the message we hear in our church on this occasion.
The message is not that we have gifts under the tree waiting for us, but that God has sent us a gift greater than anything we could imagine. He sent his own Son to us! It took about 30 more years back then to find out why he came (even his disciples didn’t get the whole picture until the resurrection), so we should be patient today when we hear that message.
I heard that message preached from the time I can first remember, but it never really dawned on me until I was about 30. It came to me in a prayer where I knocked and he opened to me. That was why I became a pastor -- to preach that great message to others, just as the shepherds spread it to everyone they saw. Let’s praise God for his great message to us. And let’s pass it on, because that is the reason for our joy!
Bob O.
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
The small group had been wandering through the dark cavern for what seemed like hours. At every turn they hoped to find a shred of light that might be a sign to them that the way out of the darkness and gloom was just ahead. For hours they had rounded corners hoping for light, only to find cold darkness reminding them of how lost they were. They were desperate for a sign, plodding along, hoping beyond hope that they would see light again. As they turned what seemed like the hundredth corner, they saw it. A ray of light! Deliverance. Freedom.
The world, prior to the birth of Jesus, was shrouded in darkness. It was going through the motions, one day after the other. Perhaps a good symbol of that is the shepherds. They were doing what they always did. They were watching their sheep. It was night. We don’t know for sure, but we can imagine how that night might have been. It was dark, like most Judean nights. There were no city lights to repel the darkness. A star or two perhaps twinkled in the night. It was still, except for the tossing of a few restless sheep. It was quiet, save for the random bleat of a lamb. Bleary-eyed shepherds fought sleep while their companions slumbered through yet another night. Then things changed. The angel of the Lord appeared, and his glory shone around them. The divine pulled back the darkness and let a bit of the light and glory of heaven shine forth. No wonder the shepherds were frightened. As incredible as the scene was that unfolded before them, the message they were given was even more spectacular. The light has shined in the darkness. Hope is renewed. A promise is kept. A savior is born.
Bill T.
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Christmas is about familiar sights, sounds, and smells. We get out the same hokey decorations for the tree. We eat things like fruitcake, which we wouldn’t abide the rest of the year, because that’s what we do this time of year. The smell of cider spiced with cinnamon, and who knows what else, greets us as we come blustering through the door.
I’ve got a lot of friends in the ministry. One of them has to read How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss on Christmas Eve every year, whether he wants to or not, because adults who grew up in the church return home from across the country and expect to hear him read it! And in every church I’ve ever served you sing “Silent Night” while everyone holds up candles in the dark.
You go home to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas or the 24 hours of A Christmas Story on one of the cable stations. If you can say one thing about Christmas, is that it’s one time not to be innovative.
And yet -- why aren’t people singing “Merry Christmas from the Family” by Robert Earl Keen? It’s in horribly poor taste, yet when I hear this story about a dysfunctional trailer park rescuing Christmas by switching on the breakers and restoring power to the holiday lights, I struggle with tears. This is who Jesus came for -- the “poor ornery people like you and like I,” as sung by John Jacob Niles, wondering as we wander out under the sky.
Who do the angels visit, after all? Augustus Caesar? The governor Quirinius? Naw. Them poor ornery shepherds, watching their flocks by night because the ones who own the sheep are asleep, warm in bed.
Okay, you probably can’t get away with the Robert Earl Keen song, but you can point to the shepherds as folks on the margins, barely making it, who receive the best Christmas present ever.
We should all be this lucky.
Frank R.
