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If Only for a Moment
Luke 1:39-55
December 24, 2006
PERHAPS SOME OF YOU SHARE THE HABIT WE HAVE IN OUR
HOUSE, OF POSTING OUR APPOINTMENTS FOR EACH DAY ON THE
KITCHEN CALENDAR NEAR THE TELEPHONE. THIS INVOLVES WRITING OR
PRINTING THE TIME, PURPOSE AND SOMETIMES LOCATION OF ALL
SCHEDULED EVENTS FOR ANY GIVEN DAY ON A “1.5” BY “2.5” INCH WHITE
SPACE. ON ANY GIVEN DATE, THE CALENDAR WILL ULTIMATELY
FEATURE ALL COMMITMENTS, CANCELLATIONS, RESCHEDULINGS
AND/OR POSTPONEMENTS, SOMETIMES IN DIFFERENT COLORED INK, TO
TRY AND LESSEN THE CONFUSION!
THIS, OF COURSE, DOESN’T INCLUDE THE MYRIAD OF ACTIVITIES
THAT ACCOMPANY LIVES BEING LIVED (LIKE SHOPPING, PREPARING
MEALS, PAYING THE BILLS, WASHING THE CAR, ETC. ETC. ETC.)
THIS YEAR, SINCE ABOUT THE TIME THAT THE COMMERCIAL
WORLD DECIDED IT WAS THE CHRISTMAS SEASON AND BEGAN ITS
ANNUAL HARASSMENT OF THE CONSUMER – AS I SAY, SINCE ABOUT THE
DAY AFTER HALLOWE’EN, OUR CALENDAR HAS BEEN SO COMPLETELY
FILLED UP THAT IT IS, IN SOME CASES, DIFFICULT TO SEE THE ACTUAL
DATE!
THE LAST TIME I LOOKED AT THIS SOMEWHAT CONFUSED
COLLECTION OF CELEBRATIONS AND COMMITMENTS, IT LOOKED AS
THOUGH WE MIGHT BE TOO “BUSY” TO APPRECIATE THE MIRACLE OF
CHRISTMAS.
THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR OF THE CHRISTIAN YEAR, WITH ALL
ITS AMBITIONS, OBLIGATIONS AND COMMEMORATIONS, HAS NO EASIER
WORK TO DO IN SETTING OUT THE YEAR’S ARRAY OF ACTIVITIES THAN
THE KITCHEN CALENDAR. THE SENSE OF BUSYNESS ABOUT THE
CALENDAR THIS YEAR IS ACCENTED BY THE VIRTUAL DISAPPEARANCE
OF THE 4TH WEEK OF ADVENT. BECAUSE IT IS ONLY AS LONG AS TODAY,
AND SINCE WE START BEHAVING AS IF IT WERE CHRISTMAS WITH OUR
EVENING SERVICES TONIGHT, IT MAY FEEL TO YOU THAT CHRISTMAS IS
BEING SQUEEZED INTO OUR HECTIC SCHEDULES A WEEK TOO SOON!
NO SOONER IS CHRISTMAS OUT OF THE WAY THAN BOXING DAY IS
REMEMBERED LITURGICALLY AS THE COMMEMORATION OF THE
SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS – KING HEROD’S ATTEMPT TO PREVENT
THE BIRTH OF ANY PRETENDERS TO HIS THRONE. DECEMBER 27TH IS SET
ASIDE FOR REMEMBERING THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR, ST. STEPHEN.
THUS, EVEN THE CHURCH TRADITION SEEMS TOO BUSY, ESPECIALLY IN A
YEAR LIKE THIS ONE PERHAPS, TO DWELL ON THE MIRACLE OF
CHRISTMAS FOR TOO LONG!
I WONDER, HOW CAN CHRISTMAS SPEAK TO US IN SUCH
AN ATMOSPHERE OF HASTE? HOW DOES THE GOSPEL SPEAK TO OUR
BUSY-NESS, OUR FRANTIC CONCERN WITH ‘WORLDLY PURSUITS’?
THE REALITY OF THE CHRISTMAS STORY RESULTS FROM
GOD’S EVIDENT DECISION THAT THE TIME WAS APPROPRIATE
TO HONOUR HIS COMMITMENT TO HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE ABOUT THE
COMING OF THE MESSIAH.
PRECEDING WHAT WOULD BECOME THE “CHRISTMAS
MIRACLE”, GOD SENT THE ANGEL GABRIEL TO VISIT ZECHARIAH, AN
AGING JUDEAN TEMPLE PRIEST, TO TELL HIM THAT HIS ELDERLY
WIFE, ELIZABETH, WAS ABOUT TO HAVE HER LONG-DESIRED BABY.
ZECHARIAH, WE ARE TOLD, WAS RENDERED MUTE FROM THAT MOMENT
UNTIL THE BABY WAS BORN BECAUSE HE EXPRESSED DOUBT ABOUT THE
POSSIBILITY OF HIS WIFE’S PREGNANCY TO THE ANGEL.
BUT HE DID MANAGE TO INFORM HIS WIFE THAT SHE WOULD INDEED
BEAR A SON, TO BE CALLED JOHN, WHO WOULD BE, IN THE WORDS OF
GABRIEL, “GREAT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD…HE WILL BE FILLED WITH
THE HOLY SPIRIT. HE WILL TURN MANY OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL TO
THE LORD THEIR GOD. WITH THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH HE WILL
GO BEFORE JESUS, TO MAKE READY A PEOPLE PREPARED FOR THE LORD.”
ELIZABETH, AS A CHILDLESS WIFE OF THE TEMPLE PRIEST HAD
FELT SHAME AND DISGRACE AMONG HER PEOPLE FOR HER BARREN
SITUATION. SHE WAS SURPRISED AND DELIGHTED TO BE HONOURED BY
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THIS SPECIAL WAY.
SIX MONTHS LATER, THE ANGEL GABRIEL WENT TO NAZARETH TO
CONSULT WITH A YOUNG WOMAN, MARY. MARY WAS A COUSIN OF
ELIZABETH, AND WAS ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED TO JOSEPH, A LOCAL
CARPENTER.
GABRIEL TELLS MARY THAT SHE HAS FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD, THAT
SHE WILL “CONCEIVE IN HER WOMB AND BEAR A SON” WHOM SHE IS TO
NAME JESUS, AND HE TELLS HER A BIT ABOUT WHO THE SON WILL BE.
MARY IS DOUBTFUL AND EXPLAINS TO GABRIEL THAT SHE IS A VIRGIN,
IMPLYING THAT SHE CERTAINLY IS NOT PREGNANT.
GABRIEL EXPLAINS THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKING WITHIN HER
WOULD CAUSE HER TO BECOME PREGNANT AND THEREAFTER TO
BECOME THE MOTHER OF THE “SON OF GOD”. IN SUPPORT OF HIS FINAL
COMMENT TO HER, THAT “WITH GOD NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE”, HE
POINTS OUT TO MARY THAT HER COUSIN ELIZABETH, WHO IS OLD AND
WAS BARREN IS IN HER SIXTH MONTH OF PREGNANCY, ALSO EXPECTING
A SON.
IT IS A DEFINING MOMENT FOR MARY. IT APPEARS THAT, IF ONLY
FOR A MOMENT, SHE DID HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE ABOUT HER
INVOLVEMENT IN GOD’S GREAT PLANS.
AND MARY’S IMMEDIATE REPLY RESONATES THROUGH THE AGES :
“HERE AM I, THE SERVANT OF THE LORD; LET IT BE WITH ME ACCORDING
TO YOUR WORD.”
IN MARY’S REPLY, AND IN ELIZABETH’S ACCEPTANCE AND
CELEBRATION OF HER LONG-SOUGHT PREGNANCY, NEITHER WOMAN
HAD TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT. NEITHER WOMAN, IT IS REASONABLE TO
ASSUME WOULD HAVE HAD TIME ON HER HANDS THAT WOULD MAKE
PREGNANCY AND CHILD-REARING A RELIEF FROM THEIR UNDER-ACTIVE
LIVES. IT ISN’T THAT THEY HAD TIME, IT IS THAT WHEN GOD SPOKE TO
THEM THEY MADE TIME, WITHOUT HESITATION. I AM SURE, WITH MUCH
FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY, THEY TOOK ON ROLES NEW AND IN MANY
WAYS BEYOND BELIEF, SIMPLY IN FAITHFULNESS TO GOD.
THIS COMES CLOSE TO THE HEART, IT SEEMS TO ME, OF
EXPLAINING WHAT I THINK IS REQUIRED OF US. INTO THE RECORD, GOD
HAS JUST INTRODUCED TWO EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN, QUITE
DIFFERENT IN MANY WAYS. ONE THING THAT THEY LIKELY SHARED IS
THAT THEY WERE BOTH VERY BUSY WOMEN, EACH GIVEN THEIR
ROLE IN LIFE AND THEIR STATUS AS WOMEN IN THEIR CULTURE.
MORE SIGNIFICANTLY THEY APPEARED TO SHARE SOME AWARENESS OF
THE ENORMITY AND THE IMPORT OF GOD’S REQUESTS. ALTHOUGH THEY
COULD NOT BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE IMPLICATIONS OF THEIR
DECISIONS, THEY WERE OBVIOUSLY STRENGTHENED BY THEIR SPIRITUAL
MATURITY TO PROCEED AS WAS BEING EXPECTED..
THE TASK OF SECURING THEIR INVOLVEMENTS IN THE PLANNED BIRTHS
OF JOHN AND JESUS TOOK GABRIEL APPARENTLY ONLY A FEW MINUTES.
IT ONLY TOOK FEW MINUTES AND YET THESE TWO IMPOSSIBLY
PREGNANT WOMEN BEGAN A SONG OF PRAISE THAT HAS CONTINUED
THROUGH TWENTY CENTURIES. SURELY MARY IS REFLECTING THE JOY
OF BOTH HERSELF AND ELIZABETH AT BEING SO HIGHLY FAVOURED BY
GOD AS SHE EXCLAIMS : “MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD, AND MY SPIRIT
REJOICES IN GOD MY SAVIOUR”…..WONDERFUL WORDS OF WHICH ONE
PREACHER HAS SAID “ THERE IS NO CHRISTMAS MUSIC BLARING
THROUGH THE HALLS OF THE MALL THAT EVEN GETS CLOSE”!
IN A SENSE, WHEN WE COME TOGETHER AT CHRISTMAS IN
CELEBRATION OF CHRIST’S BIRTH AND LIFE AMONG US, WE COME
SIMPLY TO REJOICE THAT IT HAPPENED. BUT WE MUST ALSO BRING TO
THE PARTY THE GIFTS OF OUR OWN BEINGS THAT WE ARE PREPARED TO
RENDER TO THE SERVICE OF GOD WHEN AND AS WE ARE ASKED.
SOMETIME THEN, AT CHRISTMASTIDE, IF ONLY FOR A MOMENT,
GO TO A PRIVATE CORNER OF YOUR MIND, YOUR HEART AND SOUL AND
CELEBRATE GRATEFULLY THE BIRTH OF CHRIST, GOD’S GREATEST GIFT
TO HUMANKIND.ACKNOWLEDGE IN THANKFULNESS THE KNOWLEDGE,
SKILLS, ANDCAPABILITIES THAT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN, THAT YOU
COULD, AND PERHAPS DO, MAKE AVAILABLE IN THE SERVICE OF GOD
AND HIS SON, JESUS.
TO ME, THAT IS CLOSE TO THE HEART OF PARTICIPATION IN THE
CHRISTMAS MIRACLE.
IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG, IT CAN BE DONE – PERHAPS IS BEST DONE
BY BUSY PEOPLE – AND WILL HELP TO ASSURE US THAT WE HAVEN’T
“MISSED” THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS.
TO THAT, MAY ALL OF GOD’S CHILDREN SAY, “AMEN”.
Preached by Thomas D. Stickland
Knox-Metropolitan United Church
Regina, Saskatchewan
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