Christmas Eve 2009

Text: Luke 1:1-20

I bid all of you welcome on this Christmas Eve,
where we come together to give and receive,
to share in the wonders amidst the cold winter’s chill,
and listen to ancient stories that captivate still.

And yes, with it being Christmas Eve, my tradition stays,
tonight is the fifth time I’ve offered this way,
of preaching the message somewhat diverse,
I hope you don’t mind it’s completely in verse.

Through word rhythm, and pattern, and rhyme,
I hope it helps us to listen this time.
Rather than some distant mouldy old story,
we may catch a glimpse of God’s true glory.

So please, relax, listen and enjoy,
and I don’t mind if children make noise.
It’s part of it, the package you see,
the story is about a child, a little baby.

It is a rare occasion when stories are told,
that the words the King James can unfold,
the tale of Christmas in a very special light,
of what the shepherds heard that first holy night.

Now normally, I prefer versions more practical,
rather than the words of something less tactical,
But there is a poetry in the language that is hard to match,
even if Shakespearian English is difficult to catch.

But there is a mythic quality… of power and awe,
of telling this story of the child in the straw.

But what about Luke who wrote this story out,
what did he tell us that this story was about?
For Matthew, it was all about the wise men,
Christ, light to the nations, so he did pen.

But for Luke, his focus was far more humble,
because God comes to those who stumble.
Let’s look at the story, as Luke does share,
where something powerful was in the air.

It begins with the story of a young man and a maid,
who had to travel for taxes to be paid.
They lived in Nazareth a small town in the north,
far from the place their ancestors went forth.
So onto the roads, they made their way,
a lengthy journey suffice it to say,
to Bethlehem that town in the south,
for nobody was thrilled with the Emperor’s big mouth.


Everyone had to get up and move all about,
hither and yon trying to find their own route,
back to their home town so the story tells,
all because of some bureaucratic smells!

There was a complication, of course, as we do know,
for Mary was not set for travel for her belly did grow,
“Being Great with Child” as the King James reports,
she was pregnant with her first, to make it short.

Travelling a long way would be only the first of their trouble,
when they got to Bethlehem it would only double.
Since everybody was also moving around at that time,
there was nowhere for them to stay, though Mary was prime.

So they were forced to camp out, to be squatters in stable,
homeless and outcast, or even worse was the label!
Pay attention to this I think we need to,
because we tend to romanticize this little lean-to.

But there was nothing outwardly magical about this place,
it was dirty, it stunk, it was a horrible place
for a child to be born? Come on get real!
But we’ve whitewashed it, and cleaned it to give it appeal.

But the power in this story is precisely because it’s off,
of an outcast newborn sleeping in a feeding trough.

But Luke wasn’t finished with this image as we know,
for he then takes us to the fields where cattle low.
He doesn’t go to the palace, to the places of power,
he goes somewhere else, at a very late hour.

Of to a hillside, overlooking the town
to some wayward shepherds who were feeling down.
They were the night shift, a truly thankless job,
amongst the outcasts, they were the poor slobs.

But then it happens, an announcement so grand,
angels appearing to that stray band.
The shepherds are afraid, and truly distressed,
this singing telegram has the wrong address!

But the song continued, sharing good tidings,
that a child is born on whom hope is riding.

There’s a connection here, now do you see?
A cast of poor shepherds and a homeless family.
This is the last place you would expect to find,
a miracle that would echo across time.

But that is Luke’s point, in the way that he tells us,
that God did not come to a rich king’s palace.
Instead, Christ was born in the meanest of circumstance,
to show and to give even the poorest a chance.

But that’s not the message that we get today,
“Come buy our stuff, we’re just giving it away!”
It’s just a ploy to get us to the shop,
so that their bottom line does not drop!

In the end, when come to this Christmas eve,
we are tired and worn, we want to relieve
all of the things that are tying us down,
and sometimes it’s hard to do nothing but frown.

Compare that with Luke, whose message proclaims,
the joy, hope and wonder of how God came,
to be with us without so much fluff,
and remind us that Christmas is not about stuff.

But how do we do that, amidst all of the hype?
It’s all done, now and we’re just left to gripe!
Maybe next year will be different we hope,
I’ll slow down more, I’ll try then to cope!
But we get into our routines, and find it the same,
and the same message we want, gets lost in the game.

But how about this, a special reminder tonight,
that Christmas isn’t over, and this is not trite.
You see as the malls and the shops pack up their trees,
we’re just getting started, you may not agree.
Remember while shops stow decorations away,
Christmas itself begins today!
Those days of you once heard of in song,
tomorrow is the first, and it’s twelve days long!

We don’t have to wait until next year to see,
that now is the time to celebrate the baby.
We have twelve days of it, and Epiphany beyond,
to remember in Jesus, God’s special bond.

Luke told the story, to help us assure,
that it’s not about stuff, as Jesus was poor.
He was an outcast, not wanted on the night he was born.
So why should we be tangled and torn?
Why do we need things just perfect and right,
when even the Son of God did not on that night?

Instead maybe we need to look and see
of how we connect with the holy baby.
Maybe we need to look deep in our souls,
and realize at our heart God does console.
It’s all there! We’re important to God,
and Christ showed that in a way most odd.
By joining us in a way that all of us could see,
God came into our lives as a little baby.

So I would invite you on this holy night,
to see how your lives reflect Christ’s light.
How do you make a difference to the people you care,
and even beyond that to the world everywhere!
For a single poor child, in a manger once curled,
lived a single life that would change the world.

Imagine the possibilities that we do the same,
and in this we might learn why God came,
to set us all free from that which weighs us down,
and open us up to the wonders around.

It’s Christmas my friends, I wish you the best,
may your days always be wonderfully blest,
I wish you God’s blessings, to all once again,
With the Christ Child, and Holy Spirit, I now say Amen.