Christmas Eve C
Luke 2.1-20
December 24, 2009
The world is a loud, frighteningly noisy place. As we listen to the tunes of the world we hear the deep bass notes of violence, death and destruction; ongoing wars, unceasing hatred.
(play bass notes)
Mixed in are the almost imperceptible sounds of tears falling, the wailing of women who have lost husbands and children to that violence. The sounds of inconsolable sobbing and hearts breaking for people who live in places abandoned by hope.
(play high notes)
In between is the discordant sounds of those in the middle; those who are frantically trying to keep up the pace of life. Those who are unemployed and underemployed scurrying to make ends meet. Those who have jobs that are sorely unsatisfying. Those who have been diagnosed with illnesses. Those whose lives have been torn apart by divorce or death. Those who perceive themselves as unlovable. Those who are infertile. Those who have no idea what the future holds for their children. Those who are lost, lonely, abused or neglected. (playing all the while discordant notes which get louder) The sounds of life drown out any melody, defy any rhythm, forbid harmony. (loud chord)
Then one night a clear note was sung by the composer of creation. The note was clear and strong, sung by an angel to a virgin. “And now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” The melody continued in the voice of Mary, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
The song grew within Mary and was joined by Joseph as he obeyed the words of the angel and took Mary to be his wife. (O little town of Bethlehem) Even the child within Elizabeth joined in the singing. The song had begun and could not be silenced.
The Romans would have silenced it if they would have heard the growing hum. But they could hear nothing above the orders they barked. The crowds moved to a different beat as they made haste to move to the towns of their birth for the great census of Caesar Augustus. (discordance noise again) As Mary and Joseph moved towards Bethlehem did they lose the music of the angels? Did it escape even them as they went from door to door; Mary heavy with child, Joseph tired from so much walking? Did they hear the music from behind the certain door as the inn keeper offered them the shelter of his stable and joined in the singing. (How still we see thee lie)
As Mary made her bed, the whole earth seemed to keep silent, the angels and stars watching silently for the birth of God. The cosmos kept the music silently in the night sky, as her contractions began and strengthened and Mary breathed to the beat of heaven; as Joseph watched in awe for the miracle of life to come forth. (Above they deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by)
Oblivious to all that was happening, the shepherds sat on the hillside, thankful for the still, quiet night air, broken only at times by the bleating of a lamb. For a few moments, there was rest. For a brief sleep there was hope that the world could be at peace. Unbeknownst to them, the Prince of peace was beginning his reign on earth as he was placed in a feed trough.
(Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light)
SUDDENLY they were faced with an angel of the Lord, the brightest presence they had ever witnessed. They fell to their faces, so afraid of judgment, of God’s wrath, of anything. It was a terrifying sight.
But it was not a messenger sent to bring God’s judgment or wrath, it was a heavenly choir sent to proclaim the birth of the king of righteousness. “Do not be afraid,” they sang, “for to you, to you, is born this day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord. You will find the child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in the manger.”
And SUDDENLY there was with the angel a multitude; the heavenly host was out in full force. The heavens were ablaze with the glory of God. And the song rang out: “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” It echoed across the mountains and plains, the ocean depths could not contain its volume; the earth swayed in time to the beat of God’s first drawn breath. “Glory to God in the highest heaven. Glory to God in the highest heaven.”
All of the pain and discordant notes of the universe were brought into harmony. God’s song became the anthem of all peoples of all times. It was a march of victory to the God of life. It was a lullaby of angels brought to the lowly, to those who were lonely or outcast; to the sick or imprisoned. It was a spiritual of freedom for the captive, and contains healing balm for the dis-eased.
(the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.)
(Continue to play)
Under the sounds of those who cry out for justice, the song continues. Under the wailing of inconsolable mothers, the song continues. Under the flares of the rockets in Afghanistan, under the flash of the guns in Iraq and Palestine, the song continues. Under the murmuring of those who have suffered loss of homes or jobs or healthcare, the song goes on.
God’s song cannot be silenced. It must be sung. It must be sung loud and strong. A single melody line is provided by the Lord of Life, the Alpha and the Omega. The harmonies were started by a single angel with a message, joined by an obedient girl and a righteous young man. The harmonies became richer with the voices of an unborn baby in Elizabeth’s womb, the tenor voices of the shepherds on the hillside, the descant of angels in the night air.
The harmony continues in churches and agencies that seek to bring justice to birth; to bring reconciliation to the outcast and healing to the sick. The harmonies are intertwined in the stories we teach our children and the comfort we offer one another. The chording is deeper with each laugh, with every hug.
Listen:
(another verse)
Do you hear your own voice in the choir? How do you punctuate the rhythm with your own acts of mercy? How does the song call to you? How does the Lord come to be born for you and through you? The heavenly choir is not complete until all voices are raised. I invite you stand and join in the singing.
Copyright © The Rev. Aileen Robbins. All rights reserved; use requires permission
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