| To contact us: frbobg@comcast.net Calvary Episcopal Church 667 Mount Road Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 OFFICE 610-358-3571 RECTORY mail@calvaryepiscopalrockdale.org |
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| SERMON Christmas Eve December 24, 2007 The Rev. Robert C. Granfeldt |
| 667 Mount Road, Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 |
| Small Parish - Big Heart - Inclusive Come and worship with us! All are welcome! |
| Our Mission: To worship the Lord To serve the community To grow the church |
| There is no link to Bible readings for today, but you can see what they are by clicking here. Click here for the Main Sermon Page. |
I become increasingly conscious that I must be mellowing a bit, as I grow older (or maybe it’s
senility; I don’t know): some of you will recall that 8 Christmases ago I, when I first stood in
this pulpit on a Christmas Eve, I wasn’t very kind or accepting of the secular Christmas.
By now I’ve come around to realizing it’s not all that bad. What it has really become – apart
from the biggest economic event of the year throughout MUCH of the world – is really a
rather lovely, sentimental time; a time for family and friends; a time for recalling memories
and making memories; a time for song and laughter; a time for some joy in all our lives –
including many of those that weren’t really very joyful the rest of the year; a time of giving,
for many, a time for the opening of hearts and minds and purses, not just for our closest
friends and loved ones in gift-giving, but for the sake of some of those same unfortunates,
as well. A time so wonderful that over the past few decades it has lured much of the world –
people of all religions – into it’s observance.
Tonight, though, I want to point out one of the advantages we, as Catholic Christians, have –
having participated fully with so many millions of others about the globe – that so many
others don’t. That is, for us, it’s far from over!
Tomorrow, when we waken, it will be Christmas Day, and we’ll celebrate with the rest!
But on Wednesday morning, we’ll waken, again, and – unlike in the lives of those others – it
will still be Christmas! And the next and the next! And after a couple more “nexts” we’ll be
back here, again, celebrating the First Sunday of Christmas! And our celebration goes on
from there, too, for a full twelve days until – twelve nights after this one – we gather one
final time, to close the season as we’re opening it, in worship: symbolically ending the
season with the burning or our decorative greens, one last, festive round of caroling, and
one final “Christmas feast” before moving on to the Season of the Epiphany – the showing
forth to the world the wonder whose birth we celebrate this night! Thus our celebration of
this night’s birth extends even beyond the day, itself to remind us there’s more!
You see, while our focus on this evening is on the night and on the wonderful event that we
commemorate – the birth of a child, and while we will sing some lovely and meaningful
songs – O Holy Night, Silent Night, and others – we will remember (and remind ourselves
and one another if we don’t) that we don’t celebrate a birth, tonight, for it’s own sake: that
the birth, itself, is in fact not (in that terribly outworn slogan) NOT “the reason for the
season.”
Nor, even, is the life, itself, that resulted from that birth – as uniquely remarkable as it was: a
life of dedication, of selflessness, a life of teaching and giving – the reason for the season.
If we focus our attention on these things, we risk doing even more harm to the season than
we’ve done in turning it into a cultural, economic and emotional event, by turning it, instead,
into something that’s merely sentimental and sweet, and, therefore, ultimately meaningless.
What happened on that night was not sentimental and sweet: real childbirth never is, as any
mother here, tonight, can tell us. And the life that followed was not something sentimental
and sweet: real life seldom is.
No, the meaning of this night is not found in a cuddly baby, cradled in it’s mother’s arms,
sweet little animals and shepherds and angels gathered all around; it’s not even found in
the wonderful man, the selfless teacher and leader that the babe grew into, or in the life he
led.
The meaning of the birth we celebrate this night is found in it’s own opposite. The meaning
of the birth we celebrate is found at the other end of the life it began.
The meaning of the birth we celebrate this night really begins only in the death of the one
who was born.
If we don’t recall that the one who was born on this night died for our sins, then this night
has no REAL meaning at all. If we don’t remind ourselves that the destiny of the Christ child
was the cross, then we might as well be satisfied with Santa Claus.
Jesus Christ was not born to be announced by angels; he was not born to be adored by
Shepherds; he was not born to be honored by wise men. Those things are mere symbols of
how the world SHOULD have welcomed him – WOULD have welcomed him if only it had
known!
He was born to present himself as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, that we
might be freed from the law of sin and death. He was born to live for us and to die for us. He
was born to end his life upon the cross for our sake.
But even that isn’t the real meaning of the event, but only the beginning of that meaning,
because he was born for one more thing, as well!
He was born for the crowning even of all history, the event that finally completed the life
that began on this night we celebrate and that came to an end on that good Friday of his
33rd year.
He was born to be raised, again, from the dead, resurrected and Glorified to the new life of
the Son of God!
He was born to set us free! Free from the wages of sin. Free from the fear of death.
Free to glory in him, not only on this one night of the year, but for all eternity!
And those are all things we CAN’T buy at the mall! Those are things we CAN’T wrap in pretty
paper and put under the tree!
Good people, enjoy the gifts that are under the tree; enjoy the music; enjoy the food; enjoy
the company. Enjoy a sip or two of “Christmas Cheer,” if you will! It’s all wonderful, and it all
deserves our enjoyment. Enjoy the manger scene and the carols, and the sweetness.
But remember that the real conclusion of Christmas doesn’t come at midnight, tomorrow,
but on Good Friday.
And remember that the event we celebrate today is just the beginning of the cosmic event
that will not be completed until Easter Day.
I wish you all a Blessed and Holy Christmas. In the Name of the One whose birth we
celebrate this night, Jesus Christ. Amen.
senility; I don’t know): some of you will recall that 8 Christmases ago I, when I first stood in
this pulpit on a Christmas Eve, I wasn’t very kind or accepting of the secular Christmas.
By now I’ve come around to realizing it’s not all that bad. What it has really become – apart
from the biggest economic event of the year throughout MUCH of the world – is really a
rather lovely, sentimental time; a time for family and friends; a time for recalling memories
and making memories; a time for song and laughter; a time for some joy in all our lives –
including many of those that weren’t really very joyful the rest of the year; a time of giving,
for many, a time for the opening of hearts and minds and purses, not just for our closest
friends and loved ones in gift-giving, but for the sake of some of those same unfortunates,
as well. A time so wonderful that over the past few decades it has lured much of the world –
people of all religions – into it’s observance.
Tonight, though, I want to point out one of the advantages we, as Catholic Christians, have –
having participated fully with so many millions of others about the globe – that so many
others don’t. That is, for us, it’s far from over!
Tomorrow, when we waken, it will be Christmas Day, and we’ll celebrate with the rest!
But on Wednesday morning, we’ll waken, again, and – unlike in the lives of those others – it
will still be Christmas! And the next and the next! And after a couple more “nexts” we’ll be
back here, again, celebrating the First Sunday of Christmas! And our celebration goes on
from there, too, for a full twelve days until – twelve nights after this one – we gather one
final time, to close the season as we’re opening it, in worship: symbolically ending the
season with the burning or our decorative greens, one last, festive round of caroling, and
one final “Christmas feast” before moving on to the Season of the Epiphany – the showing
forth to the world the wonder whose birth we celebrate this night! Thus our celebration of
this night’s birth extends even beyond the day, itself to remind us there’s more!
You see, while our focus on this evening is on the night and on the wonderful event that we
commemorate – the birth of a child, and while we will sing some lovely and meaningful
songs – O Holy Night, Silent Night, and others – we will remember (and remind ourselves
and one another if we don’t) that we don’t celebrate a birth, tonight, for it’s own sake: that
the birth, itself, is in fact not (in that terribly outworn slogan) NOT “the reason for the
season.”
Nor, even, is the life, itself, that resulted from that birth – as uniquely remarkable as it was: a
life of dedication, of selflessness, a life of teaching and giving – the reason for the season.
If we focus our attention on these things, we risk doing even more harm to the season than
we’ve done in turning it into a cultural, economic and emotional event, by turning it, instead,
into something that’s merely sentimental and sweet, and, therefore, ultimately meaningless.
What happened on that night was not sentimental and sweet: real childbirth never is, as any
mother here, tonight, can tell us. And the life that followed was not something sentimental
and sweet: real life seldom is.
No, the meaning of this night is not found in a cuddly baby, cradled in it’s mother’s arms,
sweet little animals and shepherds and angels gathered all around; it’s not even found in
the wonderful man, the selfless teacher and leader that the babe grew into, or in the life he
led.
The meaning of the birth we celebrate this night is found in it’s own opposite. The meaning
of the birth we celebrate is found at the other end of the life it began.
The meaning of the birth we celebrate this night really begins only in the death of the one
who was born.
If we don’t recall that the one who was born on this night died for our sins, then this night
has no REAL meaning at all. If we don’t remind ourselves that the destiny of the Christ child
was the cross, then we might as well be satisfied with Santa Claus.
Jesus Christ was not born to be announced by angels; he was not born to be adored by
Shepherds; he was not born to be honored by wise men. Those things are mere symbols of
how the world SHOULD have welcomed him – WOULD have welcomed him if only it had
known!
He was born to present himself as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, that we
might be freed from the law of sin and death. He was born to live for us and to die for us. He
was born to end his life upon the cross for our sake.
But even that isn’t the real meaning of the event, but only the beginning of that meaning,
because he was born for one more thing, as well!
He was born for the crowning even of all history, the event that finally completed the life
that began on this night we celebrate and that came to an end on that good Friday of his
33rd year.
He was born to be raised, again, from the dead, resurrected and Glorified to the new life of
the Son of God!
He was born to set us free! Free from the wages of sin. Free from the fear of death.
Free to glory in him, not only on this one night of the year, but for all eternity!
And those are all things we CAN’T buy at the mall! Those are things we CAN’T wrap in pretty
paper and put under the tree!
Good people, enjoy the gifts that are under the tree; enjoy the music; enjoy the food; enjoy
the company. Enjoy a sip or two of “Christmas Cheer,” if you will! It’s all wonderful, and it all
deserves our enjoyment. Enjoy the manger scene and the carols, and the sweetness.
But remember that the real conclusion of Christmas doesn’t come at midnight, tomorrow,
but on Good Friday.
And remember that the event we celebrate today is just the beginning of the cosmic event
that will not be completed until Easter Day.
I wish you all a Blessed and Holy Christmas. In the Name of the One whose birth we
celebrate this night, Jesus Christ. Amen.