IS 9:1-6; TI 2:11-14; LK 2:1-14
My Brothers and Sisters, JOY
TO THE WORLD for tonight we celebrate the Birth of our Savior! I am so lucky to be with you tonight. Earlier today, Father called me and said that
he was still sick. He asked “Could I deliver the messages at the vigil mass,
midnight mass, and the mass on Christmas day.” This request was a Christmas present to
me.
Earlier tonight at St.
Lawrence, before mass began, we had a special presentation. Our Choir and our young people acted out the nativity story. It was beautiful.
It reminded me of a similar performance at a Christmas
mass 19 years ago.
Every year, the children look
forward to acting out the nativity story. All the girls want to be Mary but
none of the boys want to be Joseph. Nineteen years ago, my oldest daughter was
Mary. She was in the first grade and Joseph was in the fifth grade. He was not happy to have to be Joseph; especially with a first grader as Mary.
The boys didn’t want to be
Joseph and have to walk with a girl; they wanted to be shepherds. Shepherds
had good costumes and got to carry sticks. They didn’t have to say anything.
My daughter shows up thinking
she’s grown up, wearing her purple princess high heel shoes. It made her a
little closer to the size of the fifth grade Joseph; so, we let her wear them.
The nativity story that night began as Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem by walking up the right side aisle of the
Church to the back, across the back aisle, down the left side aisle, and then
to the sanctuary stairs. As they walk, my daughter’s plastic high heel shoes go
clop-clop, clop-clop. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem
Mary then puts the baby Jesus
doll in the manger set at the foot of the sanctuary stairs. All the little
girls wanted to be Mary and bring the baby Jesus to the manger. The manger was important.
That manger where Jesus was born is important.
When we think of the manger, the place where animals are fed; we see in our
mind something polluted by where it's at: dirty, dusty, and chewed up. Why
would God come to us in such a humble place; a place were animals are fed?
Let’s look at the angels
message. They came to shepherds in the fields.
That’s an interesting thing. They
announced the birth of the King, the birth of our savior to uncouth,
uneducated, outcasts - shepherds tending their flocks. Shepherds more
at home with animals than with people.
The angels say, “Don’t be
afraid, good news and great joy for all people.” Good news and great joy for
even you shepherds, who probably don’t know anything about good news or joy.
Good news shepherds, born is a savior for you
§ He's
not in a palace – there wasn’t even room for him in the Inn .
§ He
doesn't come on a throne – he's born in a manger.
§ He's
not in royal robes – he's wrapped in swaddling clothes.
He's savior for even the lowliest
of people. He's the savior for those who can’t always be perfect, like shepherds. He's the savior for those like all of us.
Today, we are like those
shepherds of so long ago or maybe we’re like those little boys in that nativity
play. We don’t want to have to say much. We don’t feel comfortable. No matter
how much we study, how much we pray, how much we try – we never truly understand the
mystery of God. We don’t fit in; we just want to be quite and blend into the
background.
But our Savior comes to us in
a manger. The Savior of the world comes to us: not in a palace; not on a throne;
and not in royal robes. He comes to us approachable in a manger; the manger that is our hearts. It can be just like that manger in the animal shed, polluted
by all that's around us: dirty, dusty, and chewed up.
Do not be afraid, because
Jesus Christ still comes to us, approachable. If we sit quite maybe we hear
that clop-clop, clop-clop; as Jesus comes to that manger, we call it our
hearts. When we make room for him, we praise God -Glory to God in the
Highest.
Jesus Christ has come to us my
brothers and sisters in a manger- JOY TO THE WORLD!
No comments:
Post a Comment