Christmas Eve 2023 - Service Of Lessons And Carols Transcript

I'd like this evening to give you a few words to ponder in your hearts as you have heard the Christmas story anew, the promise of a Savior, the Son of God, through whom all things were created, through whom all things came to be, who entered the darkness of our world, emptying himself of the glory of God so that he might walk among us, that he might know us, he might know our joys, he might know our laughter, he might know our suffering, he might know our pain. And that is what we celebrate this evening: we do not serve a God who stayed distant and watched but became and fleshed, walking among us. Emmanuel, God is with us. When we remember Jesus Christ, born and placed in a manger, we remember that the author of all creation was placed in that manger. The face looked upon by Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, was the face of God. This is the hope, this is the peace, and this is the joy that we find this night. It is what we remember and what we hope to hold dear to us each and every day. 

Over the last few weeks here at Burwin, we've been spending some time looking at the Gospel story, looking at the good news through the lens of a Christmas carol, Watching and waiting, watching and hoping and seeing that if Scrooge himself, though fictional, could be redeemed as bad as he was, there is hope for all. This evening, we look at that transformed life at the end of the story, the promise that he makes to the ghost of Christmas future, and the promise that he makes to his friends and family and neighbors that he will keep Christmas all year long, all the days, and keep it in his heart. Charles Dickens said he did that, and we want that for ourselves, do we not? We want to be enlivened by our celebrations. We want to be enlivened by this telling of the Christmas story. We want to carry its message of goodwill, hope, and light in the darkness daily. We need this story and this message when we go into the world. We encounter the darkness within it when we see where there is hurt and suffering, feel it for ourselves, or see it happening to another when we turn on the news. There is war and poverty, and it seems so distant the promises of God to be fulfilled. Those are the precise moments that we need the Christmas story. We need the promise of God with us, walking beside us amid the pain that we see, amid the suffering around us, amid our own pain, confusion, and hurt. God is with us, but it doesn't take long for this feeling of Christmas, this feeling of goodwill, this desire to see the world transformed, to disappear, anticipate. No sooner have we placed Jesus in the manger? Is it time to put the trees away, take down the lights and decorations, and move on? And some of us move on faster than others, with the day after Christmas being that time, and others linger further but move on we do. 

Sometimes, I'm curious if this Christmas spirit we wish to hold on to dissipates faster than the New Year's resolutions we'll make next week. We hold on to them. It's in answering this question, but I am struck by something I should have seen before but now see clearly. As much as I love the story of the Christmas Carol, the story of transformation and hope, there's little substance of why that transformation and that hope is possible. There is little indication, other than some general Christmas spirits that are visiting this man, of why redemption happens and if it's just about the goodwill if it's just about how Christmas makes us feel, if it's just about trying to hold on to that, no wonder it dissipates in the long month of January. Who else has felt you got to the middle of January and thought you had lived about three months so far? No wonder this goodwill, which becomes a memory refreshed each year, dissipates. 

So, what is it that can fuel our desires? What can fuel our hope for peace and our longing for love, joy, and happiness? It is Christ himself. When we reconnect the feelings, emotions, and experiences of Christmas past, present, and future with the message of Christ, the message of the light in the darkness, when we recognize that it is through Christ that transformation happens, it is only then when we can hold on to what we long for this time of year. Only through clinging to Christ can what usually would simply dissipate into the January wind and snow fuel us and last us all year long. 

Now, don't get me wrong. There are always days, even if you follow Christ and cling to Him, where you see darkness, where light seems distant and faint. But the promises of God are that no matter how far we have strayed, no matter how long it's been since we've looked towards the light when we look, we will see it. That's the way light works. Darkness is the absence of light. There is no speed of darkness, only speed of light. And when it is lit, when it is passed on, when it is kindled, when it is carried forward, when it is reflected, the darkness of night is dispelled, and glory shines brightly again. 

If we genuinely wish to live that Christmas spirit each and every day, carrying it in our hearts, then we become like the candles we will be lighting in just a little. While we ignite our flame from the light of Christ, we carry it with us, protecting it, making sure that nothing blows it out, holding it close but letting it shine, and taking that light to wherever we go. Wherever there is darkness, wherever there is pain, wherever there is loneliness, wherever there is hopelessness, wherever there is violence, war, hate, and division, we carry the light of Christ to dispel the darkness so that those too caught in darkness may one day see the light. This is my prayer for us this evening that we rekindle the light that we seek, connect deeply with the promises of Christ in our midst, and seek the transformation that he brings for ourselves and the world around us; then, we become light bearers.