December 24th:
A Village of Hope Scripture: Luke 2: 1-14 Second: Luke 2: 15-20 Third: John 1: 1-14 Read: W&S #3; W&S # 7 A Village of Hope Is there any chance at all That you and I have sung the Christmas carols and hymns so often That we don't give the meaning of their words A second thought? Perhaps, not even a first thought? Have the Christmas hymns become a matter of Memorization and recitation rather than information and inspiration? Have they become so pleasant and so comfortable That you and I are more interested in getting the words and the tune correct Than in getting the emotions and the messages correct? Tonight in trying to tell, understand, and be enriched by the story of Christ's birth We will focus on the words of our hymns Allowing them to guide us through our celebration With the hope they add depth and meaning to that celebration We begin with the words that literally called us to worship [and I can't read these from the pulpit without motions, so bear with me] O come all ye faithful Be joyful and feel triumphant, O come, O come, to Bethlehem Come so that you may see, behold, and experience him For he (that is this child in a manger in that small town) was born the king of angels Yes, come O come O come let us adore him For the child born there is none other than Christ the Lord. The one for whom we have been waiting and preparing The one whose coming has been promised to us. [pause] That"s what that hymn says It calls us to come to him Because he is indeed our lord and our king "O Come All Ye Faithful" isn't just a hymn It is an invitation And when we allow ourselves to really hear its words - rather than melodically recite them We recognize that we are being invited to Christ And we want to accept that invitation. Later tonight, after the candles have been lit We will sing "Silent Night" That is a hymn of comfort I t is a hymn where the music is beautiful and sets the tone, but where trying to get the music right can make the wording less clear These are the words (slightly modified for clarity) It is a silent night. It is a holy night All is calm and all is bright around the virgin mother and her child an infant who in age is tender and in disposition mild and whose birth makes it possible for us to sleep as in a heavenly peace And thus when we sing it after the candles are lit and while the baby is being placed in the stable its music and its words, combine with our flowers and our candles to create an atmosphere of both calmness and brightness around us who follow that child and we do feel that heavenly peace. And, of course, we close, with "Joy To The World", Thereby proclaiming what a joyous event we have experienced because we accepted the invitation And praying that earth will receive her king Something that will most assuredly happen If all of us make room for him in our hearts. Those hymns and our two hymn medleys One preceding this time of reflection And focused on the place of birth The other following this reflection And focused on the announcement of, and response to, the birth Tell us just like our candles reveal to us the story of Christ's coming into the world You and I have prepared for this day By spending our Advent time Getting help from the candles and the words of Jeremiah, Malachi, Zephaniah, and Micah Tonight that preparation reaches its climax In the words of one of the hymns that focused on the place of birth For its words, Written long after those prophets (but 144 years before we gathered to celebrate tonight) Continue the dichotomy of tone given voice by their words O, little town of Bethlehem How still we see you lie Above your deeply sleeping people The silent stars go by Thus the hymn begins by painting a picture of calm and quiet and peace Very much like "Silent Night." A picture that is to be dramatically altered, however, by what follows. O, little town of Bethlehem How still we see you lie Above your deeply sleeping people The silent stars go by And then, BUT YET In your dark streets shineth the everlasting light And thus The hopes and the fears of all the years The years of the past The years of the present The years yet to come Are met in thee tonight. In a manger; in a stable; in a small community, Hope met fear and fear met hope Just like the prophets whose words both Subjected us to chastisement, warnings, and punishment But also provided us with the chance -or even the assurance - That we could trust God to make things better Tonight we celebrate that in this little town Some six miles south of the big city of Jerusalem Our fears and our hopes came together They met in this small child Who was there and is here to disturb and to alter our world and our lives Through his everlasting light. A dramatic change took place Even as the townspeople slept and the silent stars continued to go by. Throughout the centuries people have had fears Fears of drought that would destroy the crops And of wolves which would eat the sheep Fears of bandits and attacks And of losing ones job or being ostracized Fears of losing a loved one And of being unable to make it alone. The antidote The means of preventing our fears from destroying us is hope; and hope is found in the love and the grace of Jesus the Christ Thus when hope met fear and fear met hope In that manger in that stable in that small town You and I were given the freedom to live By His everlasting light Tonight we celebrate that light And that it came into the world on that sleepy, silent night.