Christmas Eve: John 1:1-14; Luke 2:1-20; St. Paul’s,
12/24/2019
Jim Melnyk: “The Word Made Flesh”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. The Word was in the beginning with God. Through the Word
all things came into being, and apart from the Word nothing came into being
that has come into being. In the Word was life, and that life was the Light of
all people. The Light shines in the deepest darkness, a Light that the darkness
has never overtaken.
The
Word was coming into the world – was in the world – and though the world was
made through the Word, the world didn’t recognize it…. And the Word became flesh
and lived among us; and we saw the Word’s glory – and the favor and position a
parent gives an only child – filled with grace and truth.”[1]
This
evening we light the fifth candle in our Advent Wreath – the Christ candle at
its center. Throughout the last four weeks we have prayed for hope, peace, joy,
and love to come upon us and to dwell within our hearts. This night we
celebrate the gift of God’s Son – the Light of the world breaking into our
lives – finding a home within our hearts. The Word made flesh is the child born
to Mary and Joseph in the midst of a hectic and chaotic world – born in a
stable-cave – attended by shepherds and angelic choirs – vulnerable and humble
– a child who will grow up to be the Light of the world.
So
here we are on Christmas Eve – our church resplendent in poinsettias, greenery,
and glowing candles. Our hearts are warmed by friends and family gathered
around us as we sing praises to a God who chooses to take on our form and to
live among us – to live with us – to love us and to die for us – to take up
residence within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Joy to the world indeed!
Theologian and Pastor Joyce Hollyday tells a story about
“an 11-year-old boy with cancer [who] lost all his hair as a result of chemotherapy
treatments. When it came time for him to return to school, he and his parents
experimented with hats, wigs, and bandanas to try to conceal his baldness. They
finally settled on a baseball cap, but the boy still feared the taunts he would
receive for looking "different." Mustering up his courage, he went to
school wearing his cap—and discovered that all of his friends had shaved their
heads.
You can't hide the
pain of the world,” says Hollyday. “You can't cover it up. You can only share
it. Make someone else's journey a little easier. Be willing to go to great
lengths to help someone else carry their pain.
God did [exactly
that]. God left whatever throne people had put [God] on in their imaginations
and came to earth. And God made the absurd choice to arrive as a baby,
vulnerable and dependent, [born to May and Joseph in a tiny little village in
the middle of a tiny, occupied country,] subject to all the pains and fears and
frustrations that plague the rest of us humans.”[2] The
very God who spangled the heavens with stars and planets – the very God who
brought life to this fragile earth, our island home – that same God chose
incarnation as a way of getting our attention and capturing our hearts. The
very Word that called into being the vastness of the universe emptied itself of
all power and came to us in the powerless body of a human baby – born in the
chaos of an occupied land – lying in a manger – because sometimes it takes the
simple innocence of a child – a baby – to capture our attention and change our
hearts.
This holy night we
light five candles and recall that no amount of darkness can quench the light
of God’s love for this world. As we look at the light of these candles we
recall God’s great love for each and every one of us. And as the Spirit of the
incarnate God of heaven fills each of us, we each become the Light of Christ
for this world. Whatever brokenness is to be found in this world, it will never
quench the Light of Christ. Whatever gloom surrounds us amid the vagaries of
life, the Light of Christ cannot be dispelled. One single candle – one tiny
flare of a match – will light up a room.
Think of what the smallest gesture
of kindness – the smallest act of compassion – the simplest work of mercy – can
do to repair and transform this world.[3]
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God…. And the Word became flesh and lived among us…giving us
power to become children of God.” And that, my friends, is the wonder of
Christmas.
