Christmas Eve December 24, 2009
On the Sunday before Christmas Eve the church youth group from Lake Woebegone Lutheran was staging a Christmas pageant. The young Tollefsrud boy had been chosen to be Joseph and the young Neilson girl had been chosen to be Mary and both took their roles very seriously. Together they sat on stage looking as pious as possible, at least as pious as your typical 14 years old can.
At the appointed time the shepherds came in dressed in colorful bathrobes, with towels on their heads as the choir sang, "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night".
One by one they fell on their knees before the manger that contained a glowing light bulb, representing the baby Jesus.
It was all very lovely until the wise men arrived. One of the wise men was more of a "wise guy". With his back to the congregation, he said in a very loud whisper for all the cast to hear, "Well, Joe, when you gonna pass out cigars?" The seriousness and holiness of the scene was not simply interrupted, it was blown away. Mary and Joseph burst into laughter. The chief angel, standing on a chair behind them shook so hard that she fell off her chair and simply rolled over on the floor, holding her stomach. The strains of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" were sufficient to cover the uncontrolled snorts of the main characters, but the congregation knew that something had gone on. Although it didn't turn out like he wanted it to the new youth director who had planned the pageant was a good sport about it. Afterward he commented, "The only thing that didn't go to pieces was the light bulb in the manger, it never went out."
What a great Christmas image - the light in the manger never goes out.
The Good News for this Christmas Eve is that Jesus is born to be the light of the world.
He comes to light up our lives and he continues to shine in the midst of holy hilarity, in the face of dark despair, in fact, he brightens every corner of our lives regardless of our circumstances.
The Gospel of John says, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." In other words--the light in the manger will never go out.
Having said that, I suspect we would all admit that sometimes it might seem like it does. Sometimes life dishes up some serious darkness. Sometimes problems and pain can descend on us like a blanket of black clouds leaving us to feel abandoned and in the dark. The heavy pall of grief can plunge us into despair. The devastation of divorce and separation can make a person feel cut off from more than their former spouse; they can feel cut off from God. Illness and searing pain can blind one to the light of hope. The continuing outbursts of terrorism around the world can cause us to question and grow anxious. The lack of civility in public discourse may cause us to want to withdraw and give up hope of a better tomorrow. But despite all of that, the light in the manger will never go out.
Christian writer Madeleine L'Engle tells of a terrible time in her life. It was just before Christmas. Her little girl was suddenly listless and had no energy. She bathed her and she discovered swollen glands in her groin and armpits. They took her to the doctor fearing the worst because a friend's child had just died of leukemia. The little girl gallantly went through some terrible tests and then they waited. They waited and prayed for days as the test results were processed. She tells of going to a church where over the door these words were carved, "Remember, 'No" is an answer." As you can imagine, that certainly wasn't the answer she wanted for her prayers.
Having grown up in a world where her mother was always telling her Bible stories she thought of the marvelous story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Those three young men who refused to bow down to an idol, and King Nebuchadnezzar was so furious he had them thrown into a fiery furnace. The furnace was so hot that the soldiers who cast them in there were killed by the heat. But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood there in the flames, unhurt. They stood there singing praises to God. King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and asked, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire? Why do I see four men loose and walking in the fire unhurt? The appearance of the fourth is like the Son of God."
That story helped Madeleine realize that God did not prevent Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from being tossed into the fiery furnace. Instead, God entered the flames with them. It helped her realize that even when bad things happen to us, God is with us. God is Emmanuel.
The light in the manger never goes out.
There were some worrisome days for Madeleine and family, but even before the test results returned her little girl began to revive. She started to laugh again and sing Christmas carols and they all rejoiced to realize that this was an infection and not leukemia.
This brush with death helped them all to be more appreciative of life. In this case her prayers were answered the way she wanted them to be. Other times in Madeleine's life, as in yours and mine, the answer has been "No". At another point in time Madeleine's husband died. Some time later she was in a terrible accident and nearly killed once.
She says there have been many times in her life when she has been in the fiery furnace, but she remembers that God is right there with her.
The light in the manger never goes out. (Much like the Eternal Candle on our altar)
That is the message Christ comes to bring us at Christmas. This is the Good News of Christmas. Jesus came to be born among us. He is with us--Emmanuel
Christmas tells us of the real presence of God in our lives and in our world, not simply once upon a time long ago and far away, but here and now, inhabiting our hearts and struggling with us against the tangible realities that surround us.
The Christmas story we read from Luke this evening is a beautiful story and yet the world has done a great job of sentimentalizing and romatizcing to the point where we forget that the world of little Bethlehem was real. Caesar Augustus was real. Herod was real. Taxation was real. Death and slaughter were real. Despair was real and normal. And in the midst of all of this God had to be made real; and was made real in the flesh. That is what the Incarnation was and is, and that is why we bow before its presence.
"God with us" for that is what Emmanuel means, it is not just a translation of a Hebrew name but a translation of the living, loving God present in and among his people. God does not abandon that which he makes; he become one with us that we may become one with him. Even as he was born in Bethlehem that first Christmas so he wants to be reborn in our lives every day. He comes to us to be with us in our joys and sorrows, our laughter and our tears. He comes to bring light for our darkness, peace in the midst of our conflicts, hope when we are in despair, comfort when we are upset, and help when we are overwhelmed and the power of his presence in any and all circumstances. Jesus who was born in Bethlehem is real. He is the true light and he is really in our lives.
The light in the manger never goes out. It can lighten our path and show us the way.
The late poet and theologian Gerhard Frost, in his poem, "Grounds For Hope" says,
"If I am asked
what are my grounds for hope,
this is my answer.
Light is lord over darkness,
truth is lord over falsehood,
life is ever lord over death.
Of all the facts I daily live with,
there is none more comforting
than this:
If I have two rooms,
one dark, the other light,
and I open the door between them,
the dark room becomes lighter
without the light one
becoming darker.
I know
this is no headline,
but it's a marvelous footnote;
and God comforts me in that."
The light does shine in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.
The light in the manger never goes out and because of that we can see our way to rejoicing.
A woman, who had recently lost her husband and was facing her first Christmas without him, included in her Christmas cards a letter where she reflected upon some of her thoughts and feelings. She wrote: "I wonder about many things, things that I have noticed. I wonder, how can it be that my husband, who is dead, continues to live and minister to me and to the children? I wonder, how is it that in the midst of searing heartache, I found God and the power to keep on going? I wonder, how is it that as a result of this tragedy, old friendships are deepened and new friendships formed?" And then she answered her own questions at the end of the letter by writing, "Christmas is the promise that God can be trusted to meet all our needs. Some say the first Christmas without my husband will be very painful. I'm sure it will be. But without Christmas, my life would be impossible."
Some of you may be feeling that your life is impossible. You may be overwhelmed with problems or pain. You may not be able to see your way out of your situation. But God will show you the way. Christ has come. He was born to be the light of the world and he will lighten your darkness. God will be with you even when you are thrown into a fiery furnace. God has promised that nothing in all of creation, not even death can ever separate you from his love. The light in the manger never goes out.
Have a blessed and joyous Christmas my friends. Amen.
Pastor Stephen Blenkush
Zion Lutheran
Milaca, MN
www.ZionMilaca.org(Sermon Archive)
