Christmas Day 2016
Ironic as it sounds, in this neighborhood, Christmas day is a tough day to get people to church, especially if they have young children. But fro many in our community, this is an essential weekly time of community. And so we gather…and so our reflection…
My question today ….What child IS this? Or WHAT child is THIS? As the carol asks…
What Child is this
Who laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
That’s the question we have to answer…
The text today….Jon 1 with the words .. in the beginning…the word inn Greek is genesis….sounds like the Happy New Year rejoinder to last night’s Merry Christmas…a New Year… a new beginning…and for most of us. it’s good riddance to 2016… BUT before we go there…it is John’s Christmas story…only for him it’s cosmic…his Christ is in time and out of time and an always was and will be….
It starts with a word…like the word spoken by the Creator that breathes life into creation…like the word brought by preachers and artists and singers and paper makers and painters and poets and prophets…
and the word that brings light…
We almost don’t notice that it brings our man John the Baptist back again…
But what I want to focus on is that darkness has not overcome it…
we need to remember that in a time when darkness surrounds…
that light is a gift…
and we are to receive it…and be light for others…we are all going need that for next year….
But what child is this?
All of John’s cosmic speculation is beautiful and inspiring….but for me it’s the earthly human form, the idea became flesh and dwelt among us…that this child is like the WORD made flesh…ie, the way this child moves in this world will be like an expression, a sermon, a song…
that’s what I want for us…
Pat has brought egg nog and cookies…so we share this time together before returning to our families…
And so Merry Christmas…and Happy New Year….
 |
| Thanks Leila and Pat |
No comments:
Post a Comment