December 27, 2020 NC Synod: Lessons and Carols with Sermon
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Sermon (Sara Ilderton)
December 24, 2020 -- Christmas Eve (Pr. Phil Tonnesen)
Prayer of the Day: Almighty God, you made this holy night shine with the brightness of the true light. Grant that here on earth we may walk in the light of Jesus’ presence and in the last day wake to the brightness of his glory; through your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Luke 2: 1-20
The Birth of Jesus
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.
The Shepherds and the Angels
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 Saviour, 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 favours!’
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.
Some thoughts from Pastor Phil:
Well, friends, what a strange year! How odd to not be gathering together to worship on this holiest of nights. May we be reminded of God’s presence as we gather in our own ways, to celebrate the greatest gift ever given.
Please hear this dialogue between Mary, the mother of our Lord, and the Angel Gabriel. Listen:
Mary: Stay where you are or I will scream!
Gabriel: My name is Gabriel.
Mary: Are you an angel?
Gabriel: I have a message for you.
Mary: You shouldn’t go around surprising people.
Gabriel: Angels are for surprises.
Mary: I didn’t know that.
Gabriel: You are one of God’s favorites. God wants you to know that.
Mary: Thank you for telling me.
Gabriel: God wants to ask you a favor; he wants you to be the mother of his child. The child the scriptures speak of. The child that will save all the people of the world. Will you do God this favor?
Mary: Does God have to ask?
Gabriel: God always asks.
So William Griffen in a book entitled, “Jesus for Children” describes the event the church has come to call the Annunciation. Griffen calls this particular event “Mary’s surprise.” Apparently, Mary was surprised. The children’s story suggests no advanced warning. If the script being played out was ancient, Mary seems not to have known that she was being cast for a leading role. The visit of the tall stranger was “out of the blue.” “Stay where you are, “said the young girl, “or I will scream!” Mary was surprised.
Luke’s version of this story forces the same conclusion upon us. Scripture says Mary was, “greatly troubled” by this request. Well, friends, guess what? Mary was not the only one surprised by God. If Chapter 1 of Luke’s gospel is called “Mary’s surprise,” we might label Chapter 2 as “The Shepherd’s Surprise.”
Read on in Luke and you find shepherds tending their flocks in mountain pastures. The typical things we associate with Christmas are missing: no tree with candles twinkling; no village peaking out beneath fragrant spruce; no piles of gifts; no snow; no reindeer; no men in red suits climbing up and down chimneys.
It is dark and lonely. The sheep graze quietly under the night sky. The men who are charged with the care of animals talk in hushed voices among themselves. Only the stars shine. Suddenly the sky lights up like its 12 o’clock noon. A tall stranger speaks: “Do not be afraid; I have good news for you and for all. God wants you to know that a child has been born, in Bethlehem, David’s own city. A Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Like Mary, the shepherds, too, were surprised. There appears to have been no advanced warning. If the script being played out was ancient, the shepherds did not seem to know their lines. Now, to be honest, there is no way to know for sure that this was a surprise to Mary and to the shepherds. But there is one thing of which we can be sure: the announcement of the birth of the child was no surprise to God.
In the children’s book I referenced earlier the words are clear. “I have a message for you,” said Gabriel. In the gospel of Luke the words are equally clear. “I bring you good news,” said the angel. What we overhear in both of these stories is a message, a proclamation, the Gospel. “God wants you to be the mother of his child. The child of whom the Scriptures speak. The child that will save all the people of the world.”
Luke puts it a bit differently in Chapter 2. “To you is born today, in David’s city a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” Both of these announcements are about the divine promise that God loves us so much that God sent his only Son to be just like one of us. You see, in Luke’s gospel, Mary is the first human being to hear the Gospel, and the Good News to the shepherds is a clear echo.
Conrad Hyers in his book, “And God Created Laughter,” tells a wonderful true story about Abraham Lincoln. It seems that an eight-year-old girl once wrote to Lincoln suggesting that he grow a beard. In her opinion, Lincoln would stand a better chance of election if he would grow a beard to hide his homey face.
Rather than being offended, Lincoln answered her letter personally and thanked her for her suggestion. He further added that should his campaign be coming in her vicinity, he would like to meet her to express his appreciation. Well, it turns out that this girl’s father was a big wig within their local Republican party. The officials of that party were ecstatic at the prospect of a visit from Lincoln. They saw visions of political prestige, special favors, positions in Washington, perhaps even a cabinet position.
Introductions were prepared, speeches written and the local band got to rehearsing.
Well, it turns out that Lincoln’s campaign planned a trip to this town, and when word got out practically the whole town assembly at the train station.
Almost everyone was there, that is, everyone but the little girl to whom Lincoln had corresponded. She had been left home. After all, her father reasoned, Lincoln would be interested only in the politicians and their speeches, and the voters and their votes, not the attentions of some little girl.
It so happened, however, that as the campaign train approached the town, it was forced to stop for repairs. Lincoln, not wanting to sit in a hot train, set off across the fields on foot. Walking through the streets of the empty town, he was able to find out which was the little girl’s house. He knocked on the door and when the little girl and her playmate answered, they invited him in as if they were expecting him. They were having a tea party, so they poured Mr. Lincoln a cup and together in that parlor the three of them engaged in small talk and sipped their pretend tea.
After a while, Lincoln explained that he must be going, so he thanked them and asked how they liked his new beard and walked back to the train, which had now been repaired.
But that is not the end of the story. It turns out that Lincoln directed the conductor to go right through the town without stopping. So here comes the train with the band playing, people waving flags, local dignitaries ready to shake hands, and the train keeps on trucking right through the station. You see, Lincoln had come just to visit and say thank-you to an eight-year-old girl.
Dear friends in Christ; sometimes I think something like that happens with our celebration of Christmas. We prepare, we cook, we buy presents, we put clean sheets on the bed, and then Christmas comes and it almost feels like the train never stops.
“God wants to ask you a favor,” Gabriel says to Mary. “Does God always ask?” Mary responds. Now we know from our study of scripture that God doesn’t always ask. Sometimes God speaks in the imperative mode. We receive commands, orders and directives. But have you ever wondered what would have happened if Mary said, “No thanks.” What if the shepherds went back to tending their sheep instead of dropping everything and hurrying off to Bethlehem to worship. That’s always an option, isn’t it?
You and I exercise that option all the time. How do we know that others didn’t say “no” to God? There may have been more than one young woman in Galilee who was approached by this tall stranger. Surely there were other women who might have been the mother of the child who would redeem the world. But Mary was the one who said, “yes.”
I wonder if other humble folk heard the heavenly Gloria only to roll over and go back to sleep. What we do know is that the shepherds were the ones who dropped everything and went to view the manger child.
You see folks, in Luke’s account of the Christmas story, both Mary and the shepherds hear the gospel and respond in faith and obedience. Whatever else may be said about them, this is the bottom line. Both Mary and the shepherds are model disciples. Later in Luke, Jesus is recorded as saying, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
And so, it is my hope and my prayer that when you and I meet the tall stranger, we too will both hear the message and respond by becoming disciples. Merry Christmas. Amen.