Christmas Eve 2011:
St Paul’s, Wallingford CT
The Rev. Dee Anne Dodd, preacher
Helen Stowe, flute
[From today's second reading, from Titus:]
When the goodness and
loving kindness of
God our Savior appeared, he saved us,
not because of any works of righteousness that we had done,
but according to his mercy . . .
{flute tweet}
Ah, you may have heard that
tune before
if you ever listen to public radio.
It's the musical signature of a little series called "Bird Notes"
which punctuates regular programming with fun facts about birds.
You can almost hear them tweet in the theme song, can't you?
{flute tweet}
Earlier this month "Bird
Notes" featured a story about a saw-whet owl -- a miniature owl of the Pacific
Northwest --
which dwells in small evergreens.
Maybe some of you have
already guessed where this is going.
Yes, a December not too long ago one of these little owls was hanging out in a
Christmas Tree farm in Oregon.
There he got himself caught in a tree
that was cut down, wrapped in a mesh bag and
shipped off to British Columbia in a pile of Christmas trees!
I wonder who was most
startled -- the little owl or
the family who found this living ornament in their Christmas tree?
Fortunately the family contacted a nearby wildlife lover who knew
exactly what "loving kindness" the little owl needed.
{flute tweet}
I don't know about you but
I'm here tonight
hoping to be transported by Christmas.
As we come to this candlelight service,
where many of us may be able to take a deep breath
for the first time in a long time,
I have to wonder:
What are we caught up in this Christmas?
What are you caught up in this Christmas?
We all know how easy it is
to get caught up in the busy-ness,
the many obligations.
The wish that this year everything will be perfect.
And of course for many this
season is not as joyous as we pretend.
Perhaps some of us are caught up in thinking about
who's missing from the table this year.
Or we feel some disconnect and we're not quite sure why.
Well, the very Good News is
that we're here in this holy place
to get caught up in a story that's big and bold and beautiful enough
to carry everything we bring here with us tonight.
Exhaustion, excitement,
anxiety, anticipation,
desolation, jubilation --
it's all there in the story
of that young inexperienced couple
caught up in a birth that was by turns both typical and spectacular.
It's there in the story of
the shepherds who were both
going about their business-as-usual and changed forever.
In the story of angels both terrifying and comforting.
In the story of the grinding wheels of bureaucracy and
God's kingdom victorious here and now.
Most of all it's the story
of God loving us so much,
so determined to convey that love,
as to be born among and within us.
God born among and within us
to catch up with us --
to really know what's happening in our lives --
so that we might be caught up in the divine story we tell tonight:
The story of Jesus,
the Messiah lying in a manger,
who is God with us.
Tonight. Tomorrow. Always. No matter what.
A few days ago I
visited the "Christmas in Africa" exhibit
at the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven.
There I learned, among other things,
of a wonderful custom from Madagascar
(the large island in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa).
Instead of simply wishing one another a "Merry Christmas",
in Madagascar they bid one another to be "caught by Christmas."
I like that.
It strips away all the external expectations and
speaks to us wherever we are deep in our lives.
It reminds us that at its heart Christmas is not something we do,
but pure grace from the "goodness and loving kindness"
of God our Savior appearing.
Be caught by Christmas.
Be transported. Be
distracted. Catch on fire.
Let yourself get caught up in the story of God's love born for you.
Oh, dear ones, may we be caught by Christmas!
{flute tweet}
AMEN.