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Trinity Episcopal Church Hattiesburg, Mississippi Christmas Eve (Christmas I, Year A) December 24, 2007 Go To Trinity's Home Page

Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96:1-13
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-14
The Collect of the Day
From the Revised Common Lectionary as Adapted for Use by the Episcopal Church
and Authorized by the 74 th General Convention of the ECUSA

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. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:2-7)

Welcome Home!
The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop, Rector

     Nationally, more than 3,800 men and women of the armed services have died since the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003. As of October 28, 2007, twenty-nine of the dead were from Mississippi,[1] four of whom were from the northeast Mississippi town of Pontotoc. While rising casualties have caused many to question their support of the war, the people of Pontotoc “talk about love for their country and about the willingness of their young people to serve and to sacrifice. Flags fly on Main Street every day, and a picture window next to the utility company displays flowers, photos and poems dedicated to the four local servicemen who died in Iraq.”[2]

     It may seem odd to begin a sermon on Christmas Eve about war, but talk of war should not be strange to our ears at Christmas. In the reading from Isaiah we hear echoes of a bloody period in the history of the Ancient Near East during which Assyria moved to conquer all empires to its east and south, including Babylon, Egypt, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The Assyrians were greatly feared. Isaiah predicted that they would come swiftly, with arrows sharp and all their bows bent; their horses’ hoofs would seem like flint (Isa 6:27-30). They would come roaring like a lion, and seize their prey (Isa 5:29); darkness would devour the land.

     Isaiah’s words to his King and to his people were words of warning. But they were also words of hope. Isaiah told of a child to be born (Isa 7:14) who would grow in stature and authority. The people’s oppressors would be overthrown, and the blood stained clothing and the boots of war would no longer be needed (Isa 9:4-5). The child would become the wonderful counselor who would establish endless peace. Isaiah ignited a hope that shone brightly in a world of darkness, where war and pestilence seemed immanent.

     Perhaps that is an essential although unexpected outcome of war – whether one sees war as a just or an unjust activity. Into the darkness of the human spirit, both on the battlefield and at home, a ray of hope will penetrate the darkness. The light that penetrates wartime does not change the horror or tragedy of life lost, but it brings a ray of hope for those holding rifles in the streets, and for those holding babies at home. The hope is that things will change. It is a cry to not give into despair.

     War casts a pall over the holidays.[3] Although the streets are still decorated, trees continue to be sold in supermarket lots, and the bells of the Salvation Army still ring, it is hard to think of presents or peace on earth when each day, parents and loved ones listen to the news hoping that tragedy will once again pass them by.

     In 1942, the situation seemed similar. The nation was at war, and the country was emotionally bereft. Many witnessed the same gut-wrenching scenes, “the prayers of frantic parents, the tears of newly enlisted soldiers saying their good-byes at train stations, the rush toward mailmen who might carry a letter from a loved one.”[4] To the song writer Kim Gannon this was the real horror of war: everyone wanted news about what was going on, but with that news also came a deep fear. Fear that parents, wives, or fiancée’s felt what they heard that a major battle broke out the same place as a son, husband, or beau was stationed. Gannon felt the depression of the country growing deeper as Christmas came closer.

     Like today, where families are displaced due to loved ones being shipped overseas, during 1942 the war had taken civilians away from their rural homes and moved them into the cities to work in plants and offices. Many were spending a Christmas away from home for the very first time.

     Kim Gannon was moved to write a song that put these feelings into words. But when he tried, he found that there was so much to say, it was impossible to put into a few lyrics all the feelings of those split apart by the hellish nightmare of war. Finally, Gannon was able to write simply about the heartache of being away from home at Christmas. In his mind’s eye, he saw the empty chairs at the supper table. He watched mothers trying to smile through tears as they baked cookies for remaining family members. He saw unopened presents under the tree.

     Gannon’s direct and sweet poem when coupled with the dreamy hopeful melody of tunesmith Walter Kent finally produced the Christmas song, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” which became the most requested song at U.S.O. shows in Europe and the Pacific during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. There is real sadness in the words and a sense of loneliness in the tune. It is a song that tells us that we are supposed to be home for Christmas, but it doesn’t tell us where that is. It invites the light to shine into our hearts and to let each of us to dream of the joy of going home and the completeness of being home all at the same time.

     Christmas is a time where family is celebrated and honored. It is a time when we remember the One who started it all and the Holy family who began their life together in the most humble of surroundings. Christmas is a time of dreaming, where we see try to see through the tragedy and mystery of life, hoping that the goodness of human nature will ignite and overpower the darkness. Christmas is a time of imagination, where we desire and pray for all the best that there is in this world and beyond for our children.

     Mary must have dreamt all of these things. After all, it had to get better than this. If she had only married a nice boy from Nazareth, she wouldn’t be laying on straw, surrounded by farm animals, and being visited by learned men from countries she had never heard of. Like all parents, Mary and Joseph hoped that the world would be a better place for their baby Jesus than it was for them. They never expected that their son would die as a consequence of political conflict.

     But that is the nature of the incarnation: it is past, present, and future all held together simultaneously as if in a dream. It was an unexpected event at a tumultuous time. It is the grace that feeds a lyricist and a song writer to compose something that symbolizes and captures the emotions of those on the battlefield as well as those us back home praying for them. It is the grace that encourages prophets and politicians to seek peaceful solutions to conflict. It is the incarnation that connects us to one another in this life and it is the love that will embrace us when we return to God. And it continues to be a ray of light that shines on darkness wherever there is injustice, oppression, fear, pain, tragedy, loneliness, war, and death. And it shines for all time.

     The incarnation reminds us that home is where Christ dwells. Regardless of geography or time, there is a place where we know we belong, where we can hear the good news that God loved the world so much as to come into it and experience it first hand, and where God will continue to inspire us in unexpected and surprising ways to seek peace for all of God’s creation.

     Welcome Home! Merry Christmas!

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Isaiah 9:2-7

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. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Psalm 96:1-13

1 O sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples.

4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.

5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.

6 Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.

9 Worship the LORD in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.

10 Say among the nations, “The LORD is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

12 let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

13 before the LORD; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.

Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Luke 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see -- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The Collect of the Day

O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

[1] http://www.rootsweb.com/~msgenweb/Military/iraqwar2003-2004casualtylist.htm
[2] Barbara Lohr. “ Mississippi town supports war despite losses.” Accessed 20 December 2007 at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14100400.
[3] The inspiration for what follows in this sermon is from Ace Collins. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas. ( Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Press, 2001), 91-95.
[4] Collins, 92.

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Copyright © 2007, William G. Stroop - All Rights Reserved.
20 December 2007

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