A Christmas Eve Journey (A Reminder of the Good News of Christmas)
(Based on the Good News of Luke 2: 1-20)
We, brothers and sisters in Christ, in this place. On this night. We celebrate the end of a journey.
A journey where we, like the Israelite shepherds, glorify and praise God for all that we have seen and heard.
A journey where we, like Mary, treasure all the parts of the Christmas story and ponder them in our hearts.
A journey that ended with a child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
We, brothers and sisters in Christ, in this place. On this night. We celebrate the end of a journey.
A journey that ended in the city of David, Bethlehem, where we find our Savior, the Messiah.
A journey where the glory of the Lord shines all around us. And, in the midst of this glory and the accompanying fear, we are told: “Fear not.”
A journey that is full of Good News and great joy for all people.
We, brothers and sisters in Christ, in this place. On this night. We celebrate the end of a journey.
A journey that concluded in a manger because there was no room in the inn for this small, young, marginalized family.
A journey that ended in Bethlehem after the uncomfortable trek from Nazareth in Galilee because of the first census that was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
A journey that ended in a manger because Joseph and Mary were obeying Caesar Augustus’ decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
And yet...
We, brothers and sisters in Christ, in this place. On this night. We celebrate the beginning of a journey.
A journey that began long before there was a decree from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
A journey that began not in a palace in Rome or in a manger in Bethlehem, but at the Creation of the universe with a Triune God and a dearly loved humanity. When God brought order to chaos, shaping everything out of nothing. When God separated the waters and land and sky. When God brought planets and stars, fish and birds, animals and plants into existence. When God created humans.
We, brothers and sisters in Christ, in this place. On this night. We celebrate the beginning of a journey.
A journey of New Creation where a child was wrapped in swaddling cloth and lying in a manger – because there was no room in the inn for this King of Kings.
We, brothers and sisters in Christ, in this place. On this night. We celebrate the beginning of a journey where we stand surrounded by the glory of God, like the shepherds in the Bethlehem hills keeping watch over their flocks by night.
A journey where we are invited to “Fear not” because God’s presence is among us. And this is the Good News and the great joy that will be for all people even in the midst of fear-filled situations.
We, brothers and sisters in Christ, in this place. On this night. We celebrate the beginning of a journey because in the city of David our Messiah has come, the Savior who is Christ the Lord.
A journey where we echo the beautiful proclamation of the angelic choir, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
A journey where we, like Mary, treasure these words; and where we, like the shepherds, glorify and praise God.
We, brothers and sisters in Christ, in this place. On this night. We celebrate the beginning of a journey.
A journey that will lead inescapably to the cross, the empty grave, and the resurrection. A journey that begins and ends in the most unlikely of places with the most unexpected Messiah. This Messiah, the Savior of the world, so small and vulnerable. This small, crying, squirming, beautiful child born in the humblest of locations to the humblest of parents.
A journey of the spreading of New Creation with the Creator of the universe and the breaking in of the Kingdom of God with the King of Kings. A journey that brings salvation and new life and good news to all people.
We, brothers and sisters in Christ, in this place. On this night. We celebrate both the end and the beginning of a journey – a journey of hope, joy, peace, and love.
A journey with our God who is with us, our Emmanuel. Our Christ who is born.
