One More Christmas Story

“One More Christmas Story” was preached at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on Christmas Day, December 25, 2016. Themes found in this homily include Scripture, theology, Christmas, hymn sings, and personal narratives.

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John 1:1-14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it

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6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

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“O sing to the Lord a new song”

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth”

“Sing praises to the Lord”     —excerpts from Psalm 98

O Lord, did we?! We raised our voices up to the Lord!  God hears our joyous songs of praise! We got to celebrate this Christmas morning with a hymn sing, and I have to tell you, I love a good, ol’ fashioned hymn sing! It makes me think of my three years at seminary. If you want to find a place where having a hymn sing is the coolest thing possible, step foot unto a seminary. I’m not joking. Both in and out of worship, seminarians love hymn sings. It doesn’t matter if it’s a special day such as Christmas or just a typical afternoon, if doesn’t matter if it’s morning or night, we would have a hymn sing. When we had our hymn sing this morning, although small with just a few hymns, I couldn’t help but remember the fun I had with my classmates, and the joy we all got from praising the Lord together. It’s a blessing to be able to do that again with Sunnyside and First Pres-Mishawaka. Thank you! Thank for allowing me that trip down memory lane.

It seems I find myself reminiscing a lot this Christmas Day. Of course, this comes from being with family and thinking of how our traditions have been practiced over the years, but it also has something to do with this Sunday—this Christmas Day—this Gospel text: John 1:1-14.

We are now in service three of three between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, so I’ll keep this brief… But let me tell you one more “Christmas” story…

My first experience working in ministry was at an outdoor Bible camp in North Dakota called Camp Metigoshe. My first summer I worked as a counselor and my second I was a chaplain. As the chaplain, I often narrated a walking passion play called the Christ Hike that took place every week on Wednesday. The play starts right before sunset with Jesus being baptized in the “Jordan” (or the lake at Metigoshe) by John. The campers follow Jesus as he walks through camp: telling parables and performing miracles. As part of this Christ Hike, there is the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. There is the Last Supper. There is the praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and there is the betrayal of Judas. There is the scene of Jesus before Caiaphas and then another scene of Jesus with Pilate. And right as the sun set (and they time this perfectly), Jesus is lifted high unto the cross. Yes, I’m not joking. They actually put the staff member playing Jesus up on the cross. Night falls as a scene of death is displayed before the crowd. And after the song, “Were you there?”, the narrator would then lead the campers back to the shore where it all began with the baptism. It’s completely pitch black at this point, and darkness has surrounded the camp. And although there is no nativity scene or birth displayed in this Christ Hike, it is at this moment following the death of Jesus, the narrator reads John 1. With a swinging of a lantern and a loud, booming voice, the narrator proclaims, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Then, suddenly the campers see it why the narrator was swinging that lantern. Across the lake, a giant sculpture in the shape of a dove is lit on fire. There it is. The resurrection. The promise that Christ was born so that we might all be born again.

Since I was the one so often swinging that lantern and proclaiming those words, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it,” I read this words today, even on Christmas Day, and I am reminded of the resurrection that is to follow.

John 1 is not the story we most often associate with Christmas. It’s not the narrative. It’s not the story we know. It doesn’t have the imagery found in the nativity scene. It’s not Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem; it’s not the cows and the sheep; it’s not the shepherds or the magi; it’s not angels in the sky; it’s not even a baby in a manger. John 1 is the theology; the doctrine; the explanation. This is the story of the Word made Flesh. The light in the darkness. The incarnate God. It’s the birth; it’s the life; it’s the death; and it’s the resurrection. It is the full cycle of a promised life for humankind that was destined from the very beginning of time. This is the birth of salvation. This is Christmas.

On this day, we raise our voices together to praise the birth of our Savior. I hear the joyful noise! Through our songs, we all loudly proclaim together, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” I love the stories we hear at Christmas.  We need to remember Mary and Joseph; the cows and the sheep; the shepherds and the magi; the angels in the sky, and especially the baby in the manger. That’s why we read the stories found in Matthew and Luke again and again. But in the Gospel of John, we remember why that baby was born. God was born into the flesh as a baby in the manger to eventually die and defeat death through the resurrection. For us, it all started there right there in that moment: the birth of Christ; the reason we celebrate Christmas. Christ was born as one of us so that we might all be brought to new and eternal life. That’s the Christmas story. That right there is a reason to make a joyful noise! The light will forever shine. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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Photo credit to Alexis Philbrick