Christmas Eve Homilies

On Christmas I:

Before our first reading, let us review what we know of the Christmas story. When most people think of the nativity, the story we think of is something like this: There was a census and people had to return to their homelands to be registered, so Joseph took his pregnant betrothed, Mary to Bethlehem. But it was terribly crowded because of the census; there was no room at the inn, and so when Mary delivered her child, she did so in a stable. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, and there were three of them, Mary, Joseph and Jesus, and all the kindly animals of the stable around them. A star, brighter than all others, shone brilliantly in the sky right above the stable, heralding Jesus' birth. Three kings came following the star, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Wise men, magi, came, sent by Herod who feared the babe's birth as it had been foretold that this child would bring about the demise of Herod's reign. But rather than betraying the infant to Herod, the magi escaped by another way, and returned to their own lands. Shepherds too, were drawn by the star, and as they neared it, angels appeared on high announcing the birth of a new king, Christ, Emmanuel, and the goodwill God sent to all who dwelt on earth. So all these were there to witness the new-born baby in the manger, Joseph, Mary, the animals, shepherds, kings, magi, and angels. Let us bear this in mind as we hear the readings of the nativity story.

On Christmas II:

[Matthew, 2:1-14]

Webmaster's note:
For your convenience I included the Matthew and Luke passages from the Revised Standard Version (RSV), though Rev. Lerner may not have read them in this version. If you wish to read to the passages in other versions, please refer to The Bible Gateway where you can look up the Bible in various versions.

1

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,

2

"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."

3

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;

4

and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5

They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet:

6

'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'"

7

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared;

8

and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him."

9

When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.

10

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy;

11

and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

12

And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

13

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."

14

And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt,

Christmas III:

[Luke 2:1-20]

1

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.

2

This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria.

3

And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.

4

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

5

to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

6

And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.

7

And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

10

And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;

11

for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12

And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."

13

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"

15

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."

16

And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17

And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child;

18

and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

19

But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

 

Christmas IV:

What we have here are two distinct stories. The story as told by Matthew begins pretty much after the birth. Wise men announce the King of the Jews to Herod. Herod sends the wise men to follow the star to the Christ-child, and then send word of his location. The wise men follow the star to the house where the child is. They go in, see him there with Mary, offer the famous gifts, and, warned by a dream of Herod's real plan to kill the child, they do not send word, and go home by a different route to their own lands.

In Luke, Joseph takes his pregnant betrothed Mary to Bethlehem to register for a census. Mary gives birth to Jesus in a stable and lays him in the manger, because there is no room at the inn. An angel announces the birth to shepherds, along with God's message of goodwill and peace to all. The shepherds go visit the stable and tell those present of the angel's words. Then the shepherds return whence they came, praising God for all they'd heard and seen.

The story we most of us know, is a combination of the two gospel stories, with three kings who aren't in either story, thrown in for good measure. There are a host of reasons, and a whole history, of why and how the two stories became one. But what about the meaning of the story now that it has become one? Now when one of my favorite carols is all about those three kings who aren't in the Bible?

Unitarian-Universalists believe that Jesus' meaning for all humanity is not in his death but in his life and how he lived it. This story is the beginning of that life, as it has come down to us, added onto and combined; the story of Jesus' birth is a symbol of his life's message because his birth unites so many in caring. Think of a creche. Who and what do we see there? Mary, Joseph and the baby in a manger. A cow. A donkey. One or two sheep. One or two shepherds. Three kings, wise men, bearing gifts. Everyone's dressed in flowing, Eastern robes. One or many angels. Light in the stable, shining out warm and golden into the dark, frosty night.

What a holy scene this is. People and animals together gazing as the miracle of a birth, and a child in squalor and splendor, helpless and mighty, just arrived in this world yet filled with potential to heal the world. Kings who are wise and insightful. Kings and shepherds together, sharing equally, in a stable. The divine manifest and speaking clearly to all of us. Angels and mortals, a rejoicing together. Light unconquered by dark, warmth and love and safety in the midst of cold and want and danger. The unity of all that is.

The unity of all that is. This unity is greatest in the popular version of the Christmas story. If we go by the earliest, gospel, versions, we lose the kings, or the stable, or the shepherds, or the angels. And what is best about all these, and about the story as most of us remember it, is that God seems present, incarnate, in each of these elements. God seems magnified because they are all present together, animals and people, rich and poor, powerful and weak, all living things, birth, love, hope and joy, the greatest and most sacred gifts of life. Another name for Christ is Emmanuel, and in Hebrew, Emmanuel means God-is-with-us.

There is a divine spark in everything that lives and shares this planet, The gathering of living creatures to celebrate the great goodness of life, kindles those many sparks into a flame bright as a star. With Christmas, the blessing is renewed. The blessing and message of Christmas which we celebrate here, and must take with us when we go is that God is with, and in, us. We celebrate the message of Christmas, and are reminded by our celebration that it is our task, gifted and blessed as we all are, to do the ongoing work of humanity, that this world might become the world of the nativity, where we live in harmony with animals and nature, where we live with a sense of the sacred around us, where all are warm and loved and safe.
Alleluia. Emmanuel.

Amen.