6 Geese a Laying!

Christmas 1C

John 1:1-18

December 30, 2018

St. Matthias

We have now reached the 6^th Day of Christmas.  I hope you have received your 6 geese a laying today and your 5 gold rings, 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree on all the days before. If not, then you may want to have a talk with your true love.  I have eaten everything I wanted this year and too much more.  With 6 days to go in the Christmas season, many of us have likely had our fill of celebrating for the year.

           But of course, we know that gifts and food are not WHAT we celebrate at Christmas.  They are HOW we celebrate.  Christmas is the celebration of God coming into the world as a baby born in Bethlehem - a Savior born to be for us the Light.  In our Collect for the Day, we pray, “Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives.”  Our scripture lessons accomplish the impossible task of expressing in words the miracle of Christ’s birth. It is like trying to describe eternity in 10 words or less.

           The Prophet Isaiah in our first reading will die many years before Jesus is born, but he knows that God is constantly at work in the world.  The Apostle Paul writes to the Galatians in our second reading this morning.  He tries to explain the meaning of the incarnation – the mystery of how God could become one of us in Christ Jesus.  I am quite certain these early Christians were just as confused about it as we may sometimes feel, and Paul tells the Galatians that it is OK not to understand.  Instead, God asks us to have faith and to believe that Christ came as the Son of God AND as a Human just like us.  Fully God – Fully Human.  God loves us so much that He would send his only Son to us and for us.

           But of all the Scripture lessons we read at Christmas and throughout the year, it is our reading from the Gospel of John this morning that is my favorite.  In the beginning was the Word!  The Gospel of Mark starts at the baptism of Jesus.  Luke and Matthew open with Mary, Joseph, and the Nativity.  But John begins with the beginning.  God moves over the deep and with God’s Word – everything is created out of nothing.  God speaks, “Let there be…” and the light explodes in the darkness with a brightness never before seen - and would never be seen again until a star shined over Bethlehem and a child in a manger was born.  “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory.”  

           For years I flew airplanes and it can get really dark at night especially when it's cloudy and there is no moon.  The sky is black – the ground is black.  It’s easy to get lost even with GPS.  But every pilot learns that if you click your microphone switch 5 times, the runway lights at the closest airport turn on.  The lights suddenly appear shining in the darkness and you can see the runway from miles away.  It is the best feeling in the world.

           This is what John wanted the people to understand.  In Christ – the Light of God’s love is always there.  The Light overcomes the darkness.  The Light fills the darkness of hate and anger.  The Light is there in death and sickness and pain.  The Light outshines sin and despair and that loneliness that comes when we feel ever so far away from our Savior who is always right here with us.  The words of John’s prologue proclaim the message of the Angel Gabriel, the heavenly host, and the whole of scripture.  The first light of creation, the Star over Bethlehem and ultimately the Light of an Empty Tomb proclaims that God loves us!

           And the Light leads us.  People talk about following Christ and the will of God and if they just knew what they were supposed to do and how they were supposed to live, then the Christian life would be so much easier.  What it takes from us is the faith to actually follow the Light of Christ.  Christ calls us to love our neighbor and when we do, we will see the Light.  Christ calls us to care for the weak, the hungry, and the sick and when we do, we will see the Light. 

           Following Christ eventually becomes not just A WAY, but THE WAY of life.  Suddenly we begin to know how Christ wants us to live in this world.    When we hit our knees and ask for guidance and help and the peace that passes all understanding – Christ lights our path and we often find that the shortest distance is between our hearts and our Savior.  We will hear the Word that was in the beginning and is now – calling us to live in God’s love – calling us to follow.  The Word became flesh and brings light and life to all who believe.  It’s a Christmas gift from God that you get every day.  Plus, tomorrow your true love just may give you 7 Swans a swimming too!  AMEN.