Sunday, December 25, 2022
Christmas Day
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
The irrepressible confidence of Christmas
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
Two thousand adults and children filled up Grace Covenant Church last night. I looked around at faces in the crowd several times, especially when the lights went out and our candles were lit, each of us with our own candle, not dependent on any power company, for just that one sweet moment.
What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Some of us went out to eat afterward, some of us home to wrap presents. And some of us sat around a tree with our family or friends and opened them, happy to be loved in just this way. Some of us went home alone, and sat quietly in the darkening night, waiting for Jesus.
With our family I stepped into the quiet night hung with soft white lights, knowing the church’s giant live oak was above us, strong as always but resting now, in the winter. We drove in two cars to see some wonderful neighborhood Christmas lights, with the smallest sliver of a waxing crescent moon above us in the west.
For many years Chris and I went to church at midnight on Christmas Eve. Sometimes we stayed around for strawberries and champagne, but usually we went home. Sometimes since those years I’ve gone alone, and more often I’ve watched the Vatican’s mass, especially since Francis became the 266th pope in 2013.
Margaret and I spent Christmas Eve morning preparing beautiful food for our family, who filled our apartment for a couple of hours before church. Miles and Jasper practiced squeezing bright red raspberries and colossal black olives on each of their fingers, and then eating them off. We toasted the first Christmas with all four Tomita and the Sandel grandparents now living in Austin, and filled up on shrimp cocktail and a charcuterie tray, fancy olives and sweet gherkins. We didn’t even get to the green and red ice creams sitting in the freezer.
Today we’ll continue the holiday feast at Aki and Andi’s house. Steaks and more shrimp on the grill, cannoli cake, scalloped potatoes and brussels sprouts on the stalk. But first a quiet prayer time, then a gleeful gifting time and a Christmas game or two. We might get into teams of two and take turns tossing ping pong bowls into a wastebasket tied behind the target person. Or we might do something which requires less skill.
The Texas freeze forced us to spend these last couple of days without water. After the Valentine freeze two years ago, we’re old hands at this. We got buckets of water from the pool and bought several gallons of water at HEB. There were plumbers rebuilding our apartment complex main valve all day yesterday. They say the water will be back on today. And we still have heat, electricity, and a fireplace. I am grateful for all of that.
Martin Luther was my religious hero for all my growing up years. Every year in Sunday School on Reformation Sunday, we watched Martin Luther (1953), a black and white drama about the founder of our Lutheran church. Luther loved to preach, and he especially loved to preach on Christmas. He wanted everyone who listened to feel the joy of being brothers with Christ, especially on Jesus’ birthday:
“There is born to you this day a Savior…” The angel does not simply say, Christ is born, but to you he is born, neither does he say, I bring glad tidings, but to you I bring glad tidings of great joy. Furthermore, this joy was not to remain in Christ, but it shall be to all the people. For this purpose Christ willed to be born, that through him we might be born anew. O, this is the great joy of which the angel speaks. This is the comfort and exceeding goodness of God that, if anyone believes this, he can boast of the treasure that Mary is his rightful mother, Christ his brother, and God his father. – Martin Luther, 1483-1546, “Sermon for Christmas Day” from The Sermons of Martin Luther, Vol. 1
Giorgione, Adoration of the Shepherds, 1505-1510
Oswald Chambers also loved to preach on Christmas. He invited – no, insisted – that his listeners get into “personal contact with Jesus.” Why?
Because Jesus’ words are real. “My peace I give unto you,” is a peace all over from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet, an irrepressible confidence. “Your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the imperturbable peace of Jesus Christ is imparted to you.
And there it is awaiting us, the completely given gift, the best gift of our lives, made manifest here again on Christmas, and every day thereafter.
From his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace, grace and truth through Jesus Christ.
(Isaiah 52, Psalm 98, Hebrews 1, John 1)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
#
