The Simple Shepherds -- And The Lamb Of God
Worship
They Came Together In Bethlehem
Messages for the Advent/Christmas Season
Object:
Christmas Eve
Isaiah 53:1-7; Luke 2:15-20
They Came Together In Bethlehem:
The Simple Shepherds -- And The Lamb Of God
Perhaps some of you remember a story written by Bret Harte called "The Luck of Roaring Camp." It was the story of a mining town. It was a rough place, with the roughest kind of people living there. There was only one woman who lived there among those miners. And she died giving birth to a baby.
The miners did not know what to do with him, so they put him in a box layered with old rags. They knew the box was not good enough for him, so one of them traveled to a distant town and bought a cradle for him. Then another decided the rags were not clean enough for him, and he traveled far away to buy something better. Then they all realized the house he was living in was dirty, so they cleaned it. They also had to clean up themselves because they held this baby. They also had to quit fighting and make less noise out in the street so he could sleep.
Over a period of time Roaring Camp was completely changed by the birth of this child, and so were those dirty, profane men who lived there. They were changed by a child.1
That is the kind of thing we see taking place in the dirty little town of Bethlehem.
Who are they that receive the news of the Savior's birth from the angels, and then come into town to see this great thing that has happened? It is the shepherds, of all people. Why the shepherds? What are they doing there?
We have been thinking together throughout this Advent season about the theme, "They Came Together In Bethlehem." Tonight we turn our thoughts to "The Simple Shepherds -- And The Lamb Of God."
Centuries before the birth of Christ the prophet Isaiah had written about the coming of the Messiah. We had read for us earlier those words about this Messiah who would be despised and rejected, "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." Isaiah writes that he has borne our infirmities, our griefs, carried our sorrows, was wounded for our transgressions, and was bruised for our iniquities. Then he tells us, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." This Messiah, according to Isaiah, was like a lamb. He would be the Lamb of God.
The Jews had for centuries valued the place of a lamb. For one thing, they would offer lambs for a sacrifice to God. Also they would place upon a lamb all their sins. Then they would take the lamb out into the wilderness and leave it, where it would die, along with their sins.
It is striking then that when John the Baptist saw Jesus at the Jordan River he said of him, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."
Tonight we think about the birth of Christ. And we see coming together in Bethlehem those simple shepherds and the Lamb of God.
Why shepherds, though? Why, of all people, did it have to be shepherds? Shepherds were not thought well of in those days, even though David, Israel's greatest king and national hero, had been one of those shepherds from Bethlehem. Shepherds were outcasts. They were despised and thought to be dishonest. Often they would let their flocks feed on other people's lands.2
Yet the angel of the Lord appeared to these shepherds with "the good news of great joy which will come to all the people." It was given to them. Saint Luke tells us, "When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.' "
Do you want to know why the Good News came to such people? I can tell you why. Because God wanted to show that while Caesar Augustus, the emperor of Rome, had the power to force peace upon the empire, and Quirinius, the governor of Syria, was there to enforce peace, God would give the news of the Prince of Peace to the lowest kind of people because the Messiah was being born in the lowest kind of place.
So there we see coming together in Bethlehem the simple shepherds and the Lamb of God.
Put yourself in this great event tonight and make it real for you. Do what these shepherds did.
I
First, the shepherds came to the manger to find him. It was the shepherds who came looking for the Lamb of God.
Saint Luke writes, "And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger."
The shepherds knew this was important, and they had a sense of urgency about it.
Sometimes we are in danger of missing this. It is easy for us to get swept along by all that is going on around us, and forget what it is we are really looking for at Christmas.
A man took his little girl to see that great parade following the inauguration of the President of the United States. As they stood there waiting, the girl kept wanting her father to buy her a hot dog from a vendor back over on the sidewalk. Finally, they pushed back through the crowd to buy the hot dog, just as the President came down the street. They missed him in this only time they would have the opportunity to be that close to him.
A seventh grade boy went with his class on a trip to Washington, D. C. When he returned home his parents were anxious to hear all about the trip. They asked him what he liked best out of all the things he had done. He thought a minute and said, "The pillow fights on the train."
A few days after Christmas Saint Peter was letting a line of men through the pearly gates. He was questioning each one. Among other questions, he asked each to state his I.Q. One said, "Mine was 191." Saint Peter asked, "What kind of work did you do?" The man answered, "I was a rocket scientist." Saint Peter waved him on in, and said to the next, "What was your I.Q.?" The man replied, "It was 172." When Saint Peter asked his line of work, he said, "I was a biochemist." Saint Peter waved him on through, and asked the next his I.Q. The man replied, "It was 47." Saint Peter looked at him and said, "Was that Tickle Me Elmo doll really worth it?"
Sometimes we miss the point of Christmas. When that happens it becomes empty and meaningless.
One Christmas morning a little boy sat by the tree in the middle of wrappings, presents, and gifts. He had a bewildered look on his face as he said, "Is that all there is to it?"
When we miss the point of Christmas, to the extent that it becomes empty and meaningless, then life becomes empty and meaningless.
The shepherds knew they came to the manger for one thing -- to find this child which had been born.
II
Second, the shepherds shared what they had heard about him. It was the shepherds who heard about the Lamb of God and shared what they had heard.
Saint Luke writes, "And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them."
The shepherds knew this was important, and they had a sense of urgency about telling it.
Sometimes we are in danger of missing this. It is easy for us to forget this is the wonderful Good News we have received. And we have received it for one reason, to share it.
One night there were several babies born in a hospital. The maternity waiting room was crowded with fathers and families. At one point the nurse came to tell one man he had a set of twins. He said, "Isn't that something? My favorite ball team is the Minnesota Twins!" After a while the nurse came back and told another man he had a set of triplets. He said, "What a coincidence. I work for the 3M Company!" Those in the room noticed another expectant dad slump down in his chair. He had a sick look on his face. Someone asked him what was wrong. He said, "I teach at a high school, and I am the faculty advisor for the 4-H Club!"
Here is a danger for us -- that we settle down in our living with no compelling joy and no sense of urgency about sharing and living the meaning of our faith and the Good News that the Christ child has been born.
A preacher I know wrote in his church's newsletter about being at a high school basketball game. He was sitting with another preacher who suddenly laughed out loud. He said to him, "What's so funny?" The other preacher replied, "You see that lady over there jumping up and down and screaming at the referee? She is one of my members. She has a weak heart and is not able to come to church. Isn't it funny that she is able to be here and participate with vigor?"3
Do not lose the sense of urgency about the coming of Christ and the sense of urgency about sharing your faith.
The shepherds knew they had something to share. It was the Good News they had been given about his birth.
III
Third, the shepherds returned praising God for him. It was the shepherds who returned to their flocks giving thanks for the Lamb of God.
Saint Luke also tells us, "And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."
They also knew this was important, and they had a sense of urgency about praising God for him.
Sometimes we are in danger of missing this. Now that you have come to Christmas, to Bethlehem, where all things come together, do not forget as you go away from it to praise God for all you have heard and seen.
We thank, worship, praise, and serve God because everything comes together in Bethlehem. Life and the meaning of it, faith and the basis of it, joy and the reason for it -- all come together in Bethlehem.
There in Bethlehem we come together with a young couple and simple shepherds and the Lamb of God.
Back in the early '80s one of our churches in Atlanta decided to have a live manger scene. They made all their preparations and arranged to borrow some animals from the petting zoo at Stone Mountain. But it was one of those years when we had bitter cold weather and zero temperatures. So the church called off the live manger scene. But it was Christmas Eve, and they did not know what to do with the animals. They decided to divide them up among their members. One man took home, much to the dismay of his family, three sheep and one donkey. His wife thought he was one. He put them out in the garage.
Late that night he tried to sleep, but could not because he was worried about his animals. He went out to see if they were okay. Because of the cold he tried to put blankets on the sheep and a sleeping bag on the donkey. He went back out there later to check on them, and discovered the donkey had eaten half of the blanket. Maybe his wife was right.
Finally came the dawn, and he went to check on them again. And this time when he opened the door he saw not three sheep, but four. A lamb had been born early Christmas morning. He stood there looking at it in disbelief, and then he said out loud, "They called Jesus the Lamb of God. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."4
One year when we had our own "Walk Through Bethlehem" we re-created the town and the stable area. I played the part not of a shepherd, but a goatherd. I had these two goats standing with me near the gates of town. One night I looked up and saw coming along the street one of our youth with a lamb over his shoulders. For a moment there I thought I saw young David, the shepherd, coming through Old Bethlehem with the Lamb of God. My heart was filled with joy as I remembered those words, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
In Bethlehem we come together with the Lamb of God.
Thanks be to God!
____________
1. James W. Moore, Christmas Gifts That Always Fit (Nashville, Tennessee: Dimensions For Living, 1996), p. 75.
2. R. Alan Culpepper, "The Gospel Of Luke," The New Interpreter's Bible, Volume IX (Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1995), p. 65.
3. Phil Demore, "The Bridge," First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia, December 11, 1996.
4. I am indebted to Greg Porterfield, Pastor of First United Methodist Church, LaGrange, Georgia, for this story.
Christmas Eve
Candlelighting And Prayer
Lighting Of The Christ Candle
Leader: Scripture Reading -- Isaiah 53:1-7
Leader: This candle we light today is the Christ candle. It reminds us that Jesus Christ, God's son, has come to bring God's joy, salvation, and peace to the world.
People: Joy to the world, the Lord is Come!
Prayer
O God, our Father, as we gather here tonight there is a sense of wonder which still comes over the world on the eve of the birth of thy Son and our King.
And it is our prayer that none of us have grown too old, too mature, too wise, too cynical, or too tired to sense it.
So, we bow our heads as children, thy children. And we open our hearts and lives so that the one who comes to us will find a place to live in us.
We know he is our great need. We still need him. And we need Christmas. We need what it means and what it does, the hope it offers even to folks like us.
O God, the whole world needs Christmas and the hope it offers, because the whole world needs Christ, the hope of the world.
And we pray tonight that the Good News of the Savior's birth will be heard all across pastures where shepherds watch, on dusty roads by travelers, in small towns by shopkeepers and homemakers, in cities by tycoons and executives and slum-dwellers, garbagemen and policemen and policewomen, heads of state and prisoners and people like us: "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, goodwill to men."
For we pray in his holy name and for his sake. Amen.
Christmas Eve
Children's Message
Looking At Our Chrismons: A Star
Good evening, girls and boys. This is it. It's Christmas Eve. This is what we have been waiting for. This is the night.
All during Advent we have been looking at our Chrismons. A Chrismon is a Christ-monogram. They remind us of something about Jesus Christ.
The one we look at tonight is a star. Look at our tree and you will see several of them. They remind us of the night Jesus was born.
When the shepherds were out in the fields, they heard the singing of the angels. They went up to Bethlehem and found the baby.
Then later, we are told, wise men came from the east. They were kingly teachers. They had followed the light of the star a long way. They followed that light all the way to Bethlehem. We do not know how long the journey took. It was several days at least. They followed the star until it came to rest over the place where Jesus was lying in the manger. The light of the star pointed to the place where he was.
In Bethlehem there is a church built over the place where Jesus is said to have been born. In the basement where the stable was there is a large gold star on the floor at the place of Jesus' birth. It is a reminder that the one born there is the Light of the world.
Let us pray. O God, we thank you for your Son Jesus, the Light of the world. May he shine in us. Amen.
Christmas Eve
The Beholders
The Innkeeper
Nothing about my life has been what I planned. I married a man a lot older than me, but we actually fell in love. He ran a busy inn right in the middle of one of the Roman tax centers. You might know of it -- Bethlehem? Anyway, we were happy for a couple of years. Then my husband died. It about killed me. I decided that love was not for me, and I've managed fairly well without it. Wished we'd had a child, though. At least I still had the inn.
That one year at tax time there were extra crowds because of the comet everybody was coming to gawk at. I was full up, every room. One night, about the time I was going to bed, I hear a banging on the door. There stands this grimy, worn-out looking young man, says he wants a room.
"There ain't a room in this whole town, mister, lots of luck." I look past him and I see this young girl sitting on a donkey, and she is about nine months pregnant. "Look," I says, "I'm really sorry, but my place is full. Unless you want to sleep in the stable, you're out of luck." It was a joke.
But this man says, "All right, it's better than sleeping on a donkey's back."
He was serious, God help him. So I fixed them up in the stable. It's just a shed, really, but they seemed glad to have it. He said his name was Joseph and his little wife's name was Mary. I asked her when she was due and she sighed and said, "Tonight, any minute. The pains began an hour ago."
I went to look in on Mary a little while later, and Joseph was right at her side, patting straw up around her, stroking her hair. I had never seen a man so determined to help his wife give birth. And there she was about to deliver, and she was singing to calm him down. I swear, I'd forgotten how it was with young love like that. I left them some bread and a little wine and went inside. But I couldn't stop thinking about it, being in love and having your life ahead of you. I felt like that once.
Later on, in the middle of the night, there's Joseph at the door again, and he says Mary needs help. I think, "Do I need this?" but I went anyway. The baby was coming, and Mary being a first-timer didn't know what to do. So I talked her through it. Talked her poor husband through it, too. And then the baby was there. A boy, pretty little thing. I held him while his mother rested. When I handed him to her, she said, "Your name is Emmanuel ..." and it sounded like she said, "You are the son of God." I didn't know what she meant, exactly.
But there was a gift from God that night. I saw it in their little family. That young couple was starting out on a hard road, but they were full of hope. And love. That baby was their beginning. After my husband was gone, and I decided I'd never love again, I died some every day. But this baby boy, with his sweet mother and solemn father, made me believe there was still a chance, maybe even a tough old goat like me could hope, and love.
A crowd gathered around that stable. I knew what they'd find in that sweet little face, in that baby Jesus. Something had been born that night for me, too. It was a new heart, filled again with hope and love and life.
Isaiah 53:1-7; Luke 2:15-20
They Came Together In Bethlehem:
The Simple Shepherds -- And The Lamb Of God
Perhaps some of you remember a story written by Bret Harte called "The Luck of Roaring Camp." It was the story of a mining town. It was a rough place, with the roughest kind of people living there. There was only one woman who lived there among those miners. And she died giving birth to a baby.
The miners did not know what to do with him, so they put him in a box layered with old rags. They knew the box was not good enough for him, so one of them traveled to a distant town and bought a cradle for him. Then another decided the rags were not clean enough for him, and he traveled far away to buy something better. Then they all realized the house he was living in was dirty, so they cleaned it. They also had to clean up themselves because they held this baby. They also had to quit fighting and make less noise out in the street so he could sleep.
Over a period of time Roaring Camp was completely changed by the birth of this child, and so were those dirty, profane men who lived there. They were changed by a child.1
That is the kind of thing we see taking place in the dirty little town of Bethlehem.
Who are they that receive the news of the Savior's birth from the angels, and then come into town to see this great thing that has happened? It is the shepherds, of all people. Why the shepherds? What are they doing there?
We have been thinking together throughout this Advent season about the theme, "They Came Together In Bethlehem." Tonight we turn our thoughts to "The Simple Shepherds -- And The Lamb Of God."
Centuries before the birth of Christ the prophet Isaiah had written about the coming of the Messiah. We had read for us earlier those words about this Messiah who would be despised and rejected, "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." Isaiah writes that he has borne our infirmities, our griefs, carried our sorrows, was wounded for our transgressions, and was bruised for our iniquities. Then he tells us, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." This Messiah, according to Isaiah, was like a lamb. He would be the Lamb of God.
The Jews had for centuries valued the place of a lamb. For one thing, they would offer lambs for a sacrifice to God. Also they would place upon a lamb all their sins. Then they would take the lamb out into the wilderness and leave it, where it would die, along with their sins.
It is striking then that when John the Baptist saw Jesus at the Jordan River he said of him, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."
Tonight we think about the birth of Christ. And we see coming together in Bethlehem those simple shepherds and the Lamb of God.
Why shepherds, though? Why, of all people, did it have to be shepherds? Shepherds were not thought well of in those days, even though David, Israel's greatest king and national hero, had been one of those shepherds from Bethlehem. Shepherds were outcasts. They were despised and thought to be dishonest. Often they would let their flocks feed on other people's lands.2
Yet the angel of the Lord appeared to these shepherds with "the good news of great joy which will come to all the people." It was given to them. Saint Luke tells us, "When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.' "
Do you want to know why the Good News came to such people? I can tell you why. Because God wanted to show that while Caesar Augustus, the emperor of Rome, had the power to force peace upon the empire, and Quirinius, the governor of Syria, was there to enforce peace, God would give the news of the Prince of Peace to the lowest kind of people because the Messiah was being born in the lowest kind of place.
So there we see coming together in Bethlehem the simple shepherds and the Lamb of God.
Put yourself in this great event tonight and make it real for you. Do what these shepherds did.
I
First, the shepherds came to the manger to find him. It was the shepherds who came looking for the Lamb of God.
Saint Luke writes, "And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger."
The shepherds knew this was important, and they had a sense of urgency about it.
Sometimes we are in danger of missing this. It is easy for us to get swept along by all that is going on around us, and forget what it is we are really looking for at Christmas.
A man took his little girl to see that great parade following the inauguration of the President of the United States. As they stood there waiting, the girl kept wanting her father to buy her a hot dog from a vendor back over on the sidewalk. Finally, they pushed back through the crowd to buy the hot dog, just as the President came down the street. They missed him in this only time they would have the opportunity to be that close to him.
A seventh grade boy went with his class on a trip to Washington, D. C. When he returned home his parents were anxious to hear all about the trip. They asked him what he liked best out of all the things he had done. He thought a minute and said, "The pillow fights on the train."
A few days after Christmas Saint Peter was letting a line of men through the pearly gates. He was questioning each one. Among other questions, he asked each to state his I.Q. One said, "Mine was 191." Saint Peter asked, "What kind of work did you do?" The man answered, "I was a rocket scientist." Saint Peter waved him on in, and said to the next, "What was your I.Q.?" The man replied, "It was 172." When Saint Peter asked his line of work, he said, "I was a biochemist." Saint Peter waved him on through, and asked the next his I.Q. The man replied, "It was 47." Saint Peter looked at him and said, "Was that Tickle Me Elmo doll really worth it?"
Sometimes we miss the point of Christmas. When that happens it becomes empty and meaningless.
One Christmas morning a little boy sat by the tree in the middle of wrappings, presents, and gifts. He had a bewildered look on his face as he said, "Is that all there is to it?"
When we miss the point of Christmas, to the extent that it becomes empty and meaningless, then life becomes empty and meaningless.
The shepherds knew they came to the manger for one thing -- to find this child which had been born.
II
Second, the shepherds shared what they had heard about him. It was the shepherds who heard about the Lamb of God and shared what they had heard.
Saint Luke writes, "And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them."
The shepherds knew this was important, and they had a sense of urgency about telling it.
Sometimes we are in danger of missing this. It is easy for us to forget this is the wonderful Good News we have received. And we have received it for one reason, to share it.
One night there were several babies born in a hospital. The maternity waiting room was crowded with fathers and families. At one point the nurse came to tell one man he had a set of twins. He said, "Isn't that something? My favorite ball team is the Minnesota Twins!" After a while the nurse came back and told another man he had a set of triplets. He said, "What a coincidence. I work for the 3M Company!" Those in the room noticed another expectant dad slump down in his chair. He had a sick look on his face. Someone asked him what was wrong. He said, "I teach at a high school, and I am the faculty advisor for the 4-H Club!"
Here is a danger for us -- that we settle down in our living with no compelling joy and no sense of urgency about sharing and living the meaning of our faith and the Good News that the Christ child has been born.
A preacher I know wrote in his church's newsletter about being at a high school basketball game. He was sitting with another preacher who suddenly laughed out loud. He said to him, "What's so funny?" The other preacher replied, "You see that lady over there jumping up and down and screaming at the referee? She is one of my members. She has a weak heart and is not able to come to church. Isn't it funny that she is able to be here and participate with vigor?"3
Do not lose the sense of urgency about the coming of Christ and the sense of urgency about sharing your faith.
The shepherds knew they had something to share. It was the Good News they had been given about his birth.
III
Third, the shepherds returned praising God for him. It was the shepherds who returned to their flocks giving thanks for the Lamb of God.
Saint Luke also tells us, "And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."
They also knew this was important, and they had a sense of urgency about praising God for him.
Sometimes we are in danger of missing this. Now that you have come to Christmas, to Bethlehem, where all things come together, do not forget as you go away from it to praise God for all you have heard and seen.
We thank, worship, praise, and serve God because everything comes together in Bethlehem. Life and the meaning of it, faith and the basis of it, joy and the reason for it -- all come together in Bethlehem.
There in Bethlehem we come together with a young couple and simple shepherds and the Lamb of God.
Back in the early '80s one of our churches in Atlanta decided to have a live manger scene. They made all their preparations and arranged to borrow some animals from the petting zoo at Stone Mountain. But it was one of those years when we had bitter cold weather and zero temperatures. So the church called off the live manger scene. But it was Christmas Eve, and they did not know what to do with the animals. They decided to divide them up among their members. One man took home, much to the dismay of his family, three sheep and one donkey. His wife thought he was one. He put them out in the garage.
Late that night he tried to sleep, but could not because he was worried about his animals. He went out to see if they were okay. Because of the cold he tried to put blankets on the sheep and a sleeping bag on the donkey. He went back out there later to check on them, and discovered the donkey had eaten half of the blanket. Maybe his wife was right.
Finally came the dawn, and he went to check on them again. And this time when he opened the door he saw not three sheep, but four. A lamb had been born early Christmas morning. He stood there looking at it in disbelief, and then he said out loud, "They called Jesus the Lamb of God. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."4
One year when we had our own "Walk Through Bethlehem" we re-created the town and the stable area. I played the part not of a shepherd, but a goatherd. I had these two goats standing with me near the gates of town. One night I looked up and saw coming along the street one of our youth with a lamb over his shoulders. For a moment there I thought I saw young David, the shepherd, coming through Old Bethlehem with the Lamb of God. My heart was filled with joy as I remembered those words, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
In Bethlehem we come together with the Lamb of God.
Thanks be to God!
____________
1. James W. Moore, Christmas Gifts That Always Fit (Nashville, Tennessee: Dimensions For Living, 1996), p. 75.
2. R. Alan Culpepper, "The Gospel Of Luke," The New Interpreter's Bible, Volume IX (Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1995), p. 65.
3. Phil Demore, "The Bridge," First United Methodist Church, Gainesville, Georgia, December 11, 1996.
4. I am indebted to Greg Porterfield, Pastor of First United Methodist Church, LaGrange, Georgia, for this story.
Christmas Eve
Candlelighting And Prayer
Lighting Of The Christ Candle
Leader: Scripture Reading -- Isaiah 53:1-7
Leader: This candle we light today is the Christ candle. It reminds us that Jesus Christ, God's son, has come to bring God's joy, salvation, and peace to the world.
People: Joy to the world, the Lord is Come!
Prayer
O God, our Father, as we gather here tonight there is a sense of wonder which still comes over the world on the eve of the birth of thy Son and our King.
And it is our prayer that none of us have grown too old, too mature, too wise, too cynical, or too tired to sense it.
So, we bow our heads as children, thy children. And we open our hearts and lives so that the one who comes to us will find a place to live in us.
We know he is our great need. We still need him. And we need Christmas. We need what it means and what it does, the hope it offers even to folks like us.
O God, the whole world needs Christmas and the hope it offers, because the whole world needs Christ, the hope of the world.
And we pray tonight that the Good News of the Savior's birth will be heard all across pastures where shepherds watch, on dusty roads by travelers, in small towns by shopkeepers and homemakers, in cities by tycoons and executives and slum-dwellers, garbagemen and policemen and policewomen, heads of state and prisoners and people like us: "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, goodwill to men."
For we pray in his holy name and for his sake. Amen.
Christmas Eve
Children's Message
Looking At Our Chrismons: A Star
Good evening, girls and boys. This is it. It's Christmas Eve. This is what we have been waiting for. This is the night.
All during Advent we have been looking at our Chrismons. A Chrismon is a Christ-monogram. They remind us of something about Jesus Christ.
The one we look at tonight is a star. Look at our tree and you will see several of them. They remind us of the night Jesus was born.
When the shepherds were out in the fields, they heard the singing of the angels. They went up to Bethlehem and found the baby.
Then later, we are told, wise men came from the east. They were kingly teachers. They had followed the light of the star a long way. They followed that light all the way to Bethlehem. We do not know how long the journey took. It was several days at least. They followed the star until it came to rest over the place where Jesus was lying in the manger. The light of the star pointed to the place where he was.
In Bethlehem there is a church built over the place where Jesus is said to have been born. In the basement where the stable was there is a large gold star on the floor at the place of Jesus' birth. It is a reminder that the one born there is the Light of the world.
Let us pray. O God, we thank you for your Son Jesus, the Light of the world. May he shine in us. Amen.
Christmas Eve
The Beholders
The Innkeeper
Nothing about my life has been what I planned. I married a man a lot older than me, but we actually fell in love. He ran a busy inn right in the middle of one of the Roman tax centers. You might know of it -- Bethlehem? Anyway, we were happy for a couple of years. Then my husband died. It about killed me. I decided that love was not for me, and I've managed fairly well without it. Wished we'd had a child, though. At least I still had the inn.
That one year at tax time there were extra crowds because of the comet everybody was coming to gawk at. I was full up, every room. One night, about the time I was going to bed, I hear a banging on the door. There stands this grimy, worn-out looking young man, says he wants a room.
"There ain't a room in this whole town, mister, lots of luck." I look past him and I see this young girl sitting on a donkey, and she is about nine months pregnant. "Look," I says, "I'm really sorry, but my place is full. Unless you want to sleep in the stable, you're out of luck." It was a joke.
But this man says, "All right, it's better than sleeping on a donkey's back."
He was serious, God help him. So I fixed them up in the stable. It's just a shed, really, but they seemed glad to have it. He said his name was Joseph and his little wife's name was Mary. I asked her when she was due and she sighed and said, "Tonight, any minute. The pains began an hour ago."
I went to look in on Mary a little while later, and Joseph was right at her side, patting straw up around her, stroking her hair. I had never seen a man so determined to help his wife give birth. And there she was about to deliver, and she was singing to calm him down. I swear, I'd forgotten how it was with young love like that. I left them some bread and a little wine and went inside. But I couldn't stop thinking about it, being in love and having your life ahead of you. I felt like that once.
Later on, in the middle of the night, there's Joseph at the door again, and he says Mary needs help. I think, "Do I need this?" but I went anyway. The baby was coming, and Mary being a first-timer didn't know what to do. So I talked her through it. Talked her poor husband through it, too. And then the baby was there. A boy, pretty little thing. I held him while his mother rested. When I handed him to her, she said, "Your name is Emmanuel ..." and it sounded like she said, "You are the son of God." I didn't know what she meant, exactly.
But there was a gift from God that night. I saw it in their little family. That young couple was starting out on a hard road, but they were full of hope. And love. That baby was their beginning. After my husband was gone, and I decided I'd never love again, I died some every day. But this baby boy, with his sweet mother and solemn father, made me believe there was still a chance, maybe even a tough old goat like me could hope, and love.
A crowd gathered around that stable. I knew what they'd find in that sweet little face, in that baby Jesus. Something had been born that night for me, too. It was a new heart, filled again with hope and love and life.
