Loading...Just the other day, I said to someone, “It just doesn’t feel like it should be almost Christmas already!” I don’t know if I was thinking that because there was no snow on the ground, or if it’s because I don’t have the craziness of kids in the house (but, I never do, so that can’t be it), or what.
All of the trappings are in place: greens, tree, presents, cookies, concerts, shopping, carols, songs, and parties. Indeed, there are so many of these things that we can become distracted from what we are all about.
Besides, point of order, until tonight it has not been Christmas; it has been Advent. (Although it’s really just us church nerds who are stickers for that point!)
~~~~~~~~~~~
Here we are: Christmas Eve.
Children joyfully singing
the lights, the candles, the poinsettias, the greens
the carols, the story
the wriggly children – and adults.
Here we all are. For what?
I found a thought provoking poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti which I’d like to share part of with you:
“Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
there were not rootless Christmas tree
hung with candy canes and breakable stars.
Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
there were no gilded Christmas trees
no tinsel Christmas trees
no tinfoil Christmas tress...
hung with electric candles
and encircled by tin electric trains
and clever cornball relatives.
...
Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
no fat handshaking stranger
in a red flannel suit
and a fake white bears
went around passing himself off
as some sort of North Pole saint
crossing the desert to Bethlehem
Pennsylvania
in a Volkswagen sled
drawn by rollicking Adirondack reindeer
with German names
and bearing sacks of Humble Gift
from Saks Fifth Avenue
for everybody’s imagined Christ child
...
Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and softly stole away into
some anonymous Mary’s womb again
where in the darkest night
of everybody’s anonymous soul
He awaits again
an unimaginable
and impossibly
Immaculate reconception
the very craziest
of Second Comings
~~~~~~~~~~~
Why are we here – on this rainy/snowy, chilly, dark evening
lit up by candlelight and warmed by all of us gathered together?
We are here because
God is here.
Not just in this church!
But HERE! With you.
We are here because God came down to be with us.
We are here because Christ climbed down from his bare tree to come be with you
especially when you are not feeling so shiny, joyous, comfortable, or welcome.
We are here because Jesus is God incarnate in our world.
Jesus is God with us right where we are – good, as well as not-so-much good.
We are here because, sadly, we still trust in the worldly power and in things,
and in empty promises, and worst of all, ourselves.
We are here today because we need to hear again
the Good News of Great Joy
that God is with us in Christ now and always,
the Good News of Great joy
that we are loved in spite of all the trip-ups and mistakes,
and self-centeredness, and pride.
We are here today because of the Good News of Great Joy
that God come down to hang out with us to fill us with hope, peace, joy, and love.
Amen
