Christmas Day sermon

[Preached at Church of Our Saviour, Killington, VT]

I have been greatly amused and intrigued over the discussion that has ensued after the media got a hold of the story that the mega-churches decided not to have services today. The pundits and blogosphere have had a field day with the news. Mind you, the last time Christmas landed on a Sunday was back in 2005 and before that 1994, so things surely have changed a bit since then or have they?

Nope. I do find it rather astonishing that economics have trumped faith. I can understand the minute congregation whose supply priest has to drive 65 miles one-way to get to the church, perhaps pondering not having a service on Christmas Day. But when everyone lives close by? Apparently the humungous churches in Texas decided it would cost too much to open their doors on Christmas morning. A spokeswoman for one of the megachurches said that 500 volunteers, along with staff, are needed to run Sunday services for the estimated 8,000 people who usually attend. She said many of the volunteers appreciate the chance to spend Christmas with their families instead of working, although she said a few church members complained.

The way some of the churches are getting around not having services today is clever: one enterprising church is handing out a DVD it produced for the occasion that features, in their words, a ‘heartwarming contemporary Christmas tale.’ Their spokesperson said, ‘What we’re encouraging people to do is take that DVD and in the comfort of their living room, with friends and family, pop it into the player and hopefully hear a different and more personal and maybe more intimate Christmas message, that God is with us wherever we are.’ That church considers itself a pace-setter and one that reaches out to the unchurched. They figure that the unchurched are not apt to come to church on Christmas Day anyway, especially since there are plenty enough services the night before.

Some observers of church growth wonder at this decision, given that Christianity is an evangelistic religion. One professor mused: ‘What about the people in society without strong family connections? The elderly, single people a long distance from family, or people who are simply lonely and for whom church and prayers would be a significant part of their day?’

What about them? Is this birth of Christ an individualistic or communal event?

Meanwhile, the other counter-cultural faith groups, the Catholics, Orthodox, Episcopalians and Lutherans do gather on Christmas Day because for them Christ’s birth needs to be celebrated in community. It doesn’t much matter to these faith traditions whether Christmas Day lands on a Sunday or not; for us, it is one of our major feasts and, therefore, there is no question about holding a service.

The mystery of God coming amongst us in the incarnation, in Jesus, our brother, is way, way too large to comprehend on just one night… or even the next morning… and so we keep coming back again and again, Sunday after Sunday. Still, this Sunday is extra-special because it is our usual day of gathering and it celebrates Christ’s birth.

Whatever your reasons are for coming this morning, I am glad you are here. I am glad there are companion pilgrims who understand the necessity for coming to church today—not just because it is a feast day or Sunday, but because, yes, indeed, it is Christ’s birth and we need to break bread together and be fed and celebrate his birth together, not alone.

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The late Patricia Wilson-Kastner suggested that ‘Jesus became flesh so as to show forth the love of God among us, a love which is not merely an expression of good will, but the power of an energy which is the heart, core, and cohesive force of the universe.… Christ is the human expression of God to us, and thus we must try to understand what God meant in Christ… Christ is not simply the new male person, but one who shows all persons how to live. As a human he shows us what human self-possession and self-giving are. Thereby Christ shows us the link between divine and human, the cosmos and its conscious inhabitants.’ (1)

As though she had read the early 20th century Spanish poet, Antonio Machado, or Machado had spoken with her about who and what this Heart is, Machado’s poem, ‘Last Night’ puts into more concrete imagery who the Heart is that lies at the centre of our faith.

Last night, as I was sleeping,

I dreamt—marvelous error!—

that a spring was breaking 
out in my heart.

I said: Along which secret aqueduct,

O water, are you coming to me,

water of a new life

that I have never drunk?

Last night, as I was sleeping,

I dreamt—marvelous error!—

that I had a beehive 
here inside my heart.

And the golden bees

were making white combs
and sweet honey

from my old failures.

Last night, as I was sleeping,

I dreamt—marvelous error!—

that a fiery sun was giving

light inside my heart.

It was fiery because I felt

warmth as from a hearth,

and sun because it gave light

and brought tears to my eyes.

Last night, as I was sleeping,

I dreamt—marvelous error!—

that it was God I had

here inside my heart.

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How is God-with-us, Christ, the Incarnate One, manifest in you? How are you aware of the Heart of Love that lies at the centre of our world, at the centre of the universe? Are there moments when you have a fiery sensation inside you? Are there moments when something moves you to the point of tears? How is God the aqueduct that moves through your soul and nourishes it?

How, also, do you respond to the wonder of God incarnate? For our faith is profoundly communal and part of living a life of faith is to reach out to those around us.
 
John’s prologue makes clear that in God there is communion, unity, love and light, and from this communion, all creation flows. And this movement finds its fulfillment as the Word became flesh to lead human beings into a new communion with God, to become one with God.

Just as water flows to keep the earth alive, and our hearts beat to keep us alive, so does God’s love sustain all creation. And God’s heart is more vast—for ‘the heart of God is unbelievably kind.’

On this Christmas morning, may we dream that spring is breaking out in our hearts. May we dream that our failures have been made sweet. May we dream that the fiery sun that dwells in our heart bring us light and tears to our eyes. May we dream and then come to know that it is God we have inside our hearts which, as they joy in love, it’s because God Incarnate is our Joy, our Love, our Heart.

END NOTE
(1) Patricia Wilson-Kastner, Faith, Feminism and the Christ.