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| Christmas homily 2002 |
Imagine for a moment what it must have been like… To be one of the shepherds, going about your nightly work Watching flocks of sheep of the hillside that magical night Some 2000 years ago now… The night would be dark the sort of inky blackness you see when you first closed your eyes it would take some time to get used to but after a few seconds you would begin to make out the form of the sheep spread across the grassy fields before you bathed in the silvery light shed by stars that flickered above a film of dewy mist envelopes your feet as you stand watch over the animals crook in hand feeling the dampness, and the cold, on your feet this is the last watch for the night but there are still a few hours until dawn your colleagues sleep peacefully in distance entrusting their safety, and their livelihoods - their sheep to you vigorously you rub your hands together and press them into your cloak the words of the shepherd’s psalm came to you The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want… breath forming clouds of mist in the thin night air as you speak you stand, waiting, watching for the dawn to stretch its fiery red fingers above the peaks of the mountains that are a grey silhouette in the distance Below them, in the valley, lies the little town of Bethlehem Though cannot be seen from here… Some time later, during the course of that same night Perhaps not more than an hour Your eyes, already heavy with sleep Are blinded by a brilliant light A light so white and bright that it lit up the hills and the sheep and wakes the others as they slept They rise from their beds in the damp grass Shielding their eyes – as if from the sun And there in your very midst stood a wondrous sight A brilliant white form, like that of a man, but bigger Saying “Do not be afraid For I bring you good news of great joy for all people Tonight in Royal David’s City a Savior has been born Christ the Lord” No sooner had this majestic creature spoken when the heavens were peeled back And a choir of angels joined this magnificent being Singing “Glory to God in the highest And peace to all people on earth” It was the most wonderful, the most joyous, sound And then someone threw down their staff and began to run Down the hillside and into the valley Toward Bethlehem And everyone began to follow Not knowing why or where they were going Running frantically through the night and through the darkened streets of Bethlehem Not knowing where they were going But somehow finding the place The stable Lit up by a magnificent star overhead That was as bright as the angels clothes And inside the child and his mother, Surrounded by ox and cattle and sheep and goats And all one could do was fall to his knees In the presence of something holy Something wonderful… [pause] Heaven touched earth that holy night …. imagine what it must have been like Something beyond this world invaded the realm of the everyday and the ordinary And touched those shepherds going about their business that night God got involved… And all who were drawn to the manger that night felt the very touch of God Perhaps you have felt it too Perhaps you have known it at some point in your life The experience of the holy The touch of God I think I felt it once – standing in a lonely place at night and looking into the heavens Or was it reading Wordsworth’s “Daffodils” for the first time? I think I heard it once – in the cry of a newborn child And the very first time I heard a full symphony orchestra playing “The Blue Danube” I think I saw it once - in the selfless act of one person for another I’ve seen and heard and known the touch of God As two young lovers exchange their vows to love one another unconditionally for life As a grieving son or daughter speaks of the great love they had for and knew from a parent… As the bread and wine are held aloft by a priest standing at this very altar Perhaps you have known it too The touch of God, the presence of the holy Maybe you know what I am talking about… During the week I was stuck in traffic (more than once) Christmas rush traffic I found myself aimlessly studying the motorists trapped in traffic around me Do you know that people do the strangest things in their cars It’s as though being inside a car makes you invisible to others I won’t tell you what I observed in that traffic jam – Some of it was quite ugly But one lady, in front of me, commanded my attention She was wearing what looked like a purple robe That clashed badly with her early model Orange Toyota Crown She looked like a witch And she reminded me immediately of the characters in the fabulous Harry “Potter books and movies Perhaps there really is a Hogwarts I thought and she is one her way there But not – if ever one needed a flying car it was now on the back of her car was a large sticker that declared “magic happens” Yes it does I thought It happened on the hills of Bethlehem 2000 years ago As shepherds watched their flocks by night Can it happen there today Can it happen here in Melbourne In Mornington / Mount Martha? Today… Tonight I guess that is up to us… This is Christmas Something holy, something other worldly, something wonderful Happened that first Christmas Magic happened, God, who often seemed so far away So distant – Came to us In the child, the infant, Jesus God got involved And the world has never been the same since The course of history was altered by the birth of that child The Christ child – Jesus Shepherds sought him – running from their flocks in the hills to the stable where he lay Kings and magicians from the east sought him Following a star to where he lay Those who gather here in this Church And in churches and halls and other places all over Melbourne Tonight / Today - and every Sunday Still seek him And find him What about you ? Have you sought him? Have you found him? Has the magic of Christmas lit up your life? Have you felt and known the presence of something holy? Has God got involved? Imagine for a moment what it is like Close your eyes if it helps Focus your thoughts…. Imagine what it is like Following that star of wonder Tonight / Today To Bethlehem And there standing – no kneeling - face to face with God Imagine what it is like… [leave the pulpit in silence] |