Monday 29 December 2008

Christmas 2008 Sermon

Christmas Day 2008

We sometimes receive a shock – normally we would think of a shock as a bad thing, such as an accident, or a piece of bad news.

On the other hand we can receive a shock of joy, for example the Resurrection. Imagine how downcast the disciples were and then how suddenly and joyfully surprised to find Jesus risen again.

Christmas is another shock along those lines.

Consider the shepherds. What were they doing when the angels appeared? Just minding their sheep, minding their own business.

Suddenly angels appear. That would be enough of a shock in itself, let alone the message -
Over there in the town the saviour is born.

We tend to sink back into mundane, low expectations. We could say that Christmas forces us to rejoice.

It is possible to reduce Christmas to routine procedures and practices. We go to Midnight Mass, and then to lunch at such-and-such a place.

We can do those things, but we should search for the deeper meaning of it all.

We are often warned about impending crises in the world: lack of food, water, oil, air etc.
And we should do something about said pending disaster. We can put things off. Yeh, yeh, I must do something about that one day.

Christmas is the opposite in a way. We are being told about something wonderfully good. Again ‘we should do something about it’. And again we might put it off year after year.

We can ignore Christmas like we ignore the warnings; sink back into the lifestyle we know. We can say to the angels: Not today, thank you. Don’t interrupt me; I am busy doing what I always do.

Christ has entered the world; has He entered your world? What are you celebrating?

If there had been a grumpy shepherd among the others he might have said, I don’t want to go to Bethlehem, I will just stay here with my flock. He would have to be talked into going.

People can be like that. Inertia ... Just leave me alone.

Christmas can be shrunk into the familiar pattern of the rest of the year. More of the same.

It can easily be divested of any religious significance. Or even if one is religiously inclined it is still easy to avoid personal commitment. But the Saviour demands a response.

So the message confronts us: this night a Saviour has been born for you.

What must we do?
The first thing is just to believe that such good news is possible.
The second thing is to respond to it.
The third thing is to keep responding to it the rest of our lives.

The Saviour can save us only if we are agreeable to being saved; only if we give Him some space to get inside us and change things.

So we let ourselves be shocked with good news. We have enough of nasty shocks. This burst of joy is enough to counteract all bad news and even to make bad news disappear altogether.

And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.

The angel is talking to us: the Saviour is ours.

1 comment:

Anne B said...

No Comments. That says it all. Oh how we would comment and comment if we understood.

But THOSE shepherds are still commenting. The angels have not stopped commenting.

I have read St Bernard's thoughts on Christmas and they are so many and so contemplative that although I could pierce through them as I read I could never remember any of them later, when I tried. So had to pick the book up the next time Advent came around (if I could lay my hand on it again) and start over.

Christmas!

For long centuries the Prophecy was repeated: "I will put enmity between thee and the Woman, between her Offspring and thine... she shall crush thy head"; "Virgin shall be with Child"; "Flower shall spring up from the root of Jesse"; "And thou Bethlehem art not least among the cities of Juda..."

Simeon had waited a long lifetime believing he would see its Fruits, and he did.

And we take it for granted.

Let us recall St John Southwell's "Burning Babe":

As I in hoary winter's night stood shivering in the snow,
Surprised I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow;
And lifting up a fearful eye to view what fire was near,
A pretty babe all burning bright did in the air appear;
Who, scorched with excessive heat, such floods of tears did shed,
As though His floods should quench His flames, Which with His tears were bred:
'Alas!' quoth He, 'but newly born in fiery heats I fry,
Yet none approach to warm their hearts
Or feel my fire but I!
'My faultless breast the furnace is; the fuel, wounding thorns;
Love is the fire, and sighs the smoke; the ashes, shames and scorns;
The fuel Justice layeth on, and Mercy blows the coals,
The metal in this furnace wrought are men's defiled souls:
For which, as now on fire I am to work them to their good,
So will I melt into a bath, to wash them in my blood.'
With this He vanish'd out of sight and swiftly shrunk away,
And straight I call-ed unto mind that it was Christmas Day.