Christmas Eve B’20
24 December 2020
Is. 9.2-7; Titus 2.11-14; Lk.2
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
North Little Rock, Arkansas
The Rev. Carey Stone
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined. Amen.
{It’s true, a baby changes everything!}
Of course, one tries to prepare oneself before a baby is born. My wife and I sure tried. We both read books, watched videos, talked to other parents, and attended classes. But nothing can ever really prepare you for the drastic changes of the real thing. Drs. John and Julie Gottman who are marriage and family researchers said that “having a baby is like throwing a hand grenade in the room.”
{It’s true, a baby changes everything!}
Upon arrival the baby announces their presence with loud cries – and the transformation begins. Instantly, two spouses become parents, and parents become grandparents. Bank balances go down, while the stress levels ramp up. As a parent you quickly discover that sleep is an activity engaged in by only one member of the household – the baby. Then there is the first diaper that quickly fills with what must be nuclear waste material! As you listen to those first cries you suddenly nuclear waste material. Whatever your purpose was before their arrival has now been totally rearranged by the title of Mother, and of Father. It’s only as you first hold this precious bundle that you fully realize that your life will never be the same.
{It’s true, a baby changes everything.}
Tonight, we look back over two millennia to a cataclysmic event that set off shock waves that are still reverberating today. Why would God give away his only Son to a world gone mad? “For Love” is the only credible answer, a love that’s far above our human understanding. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3.16) This is The Gift that is there for us: Titus wrote: “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all…”
{It’s true, a baby changes everything}
The stars aligned, the angels sang and only the humble shepherds noticed, and while the angels sang and the shepherds knelt down at the manger, they knew that their lives would never be the same. With the eyes of faith, they understood the miracle that this baby had turned a manger into the first King-sized bed, and eventually even the knees of Kings would bend – for this would be the Ruler whose kingdom would have no end,
{It’s true, a baby changes everything}
So, what of this Gift, have we noticed he’s here, have we got enough room for him? This Gift has the power to turn our hearts into mangers, and our bodies into temples to provide a lodging for the Savior. From a manger used to feed farm animals has come the Bread from Heaven to feed the world. The insatiable hunger of soul and spirit, first revealed in the story of Adam and Eve, and experienced by us all is now satisfied by Emmanuel – God with us. Pure, unadulterated, unconditional love, waits to be picked up, held, embraced, and when we do, we’ll realize that it is us who are in the embrace of God, and we will know from that moment on that our lives will never, ever be the same.
{It’s true, a Savior changes everything]