Is 9:2-4,6-7; Tit 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-16
The winter of 1911 was very bleak in Ukraine, especially for Mennonites (The Mennonites are a group of Christians). The Russian Revolution was in full swing and Mennonites all over the country were living under the threat of violence. Every day stories of great atrocities circulated around the small community. Robbers rode in the night, demanding food and horses. They burned barns and destroyed crops. Women were assaulted and men were kidnapped. Apprehension permeated the entire area because people never knew when they would become the next target.
Amidst this violence and dark moments, the Krause family decided to celebrate the birth of Jesus. A musical Christmas tree stand was brought as a present for their parents. On Christmas Eve, the family gathered around the tree to watch it spin in the glow of the candles it had been adorned with. Suddenly the door burst open and a band of ruffians stormed in, all holding guns. Shock blitzed through the family. Silence and terror filled the air. Death hung over their heads as the sword of Damocles. Unexpectedly, the musical Christmas tree stand clinked away “Silent Night.” Miraculously the intruders stood still for a moment, and then backed out of the house and closed the door, leaving the room peaceful.
Their childhood memories of Christmas might have taken them back to the Silent Night when the Angels announced “Peace to all men of good will.” Those sweet memories softened their hearts, and they forgot violence for a minute.
The music of the Silent Night from the Christmas tree gifted life for the Krause family. Two thousand years ago, the song of the Angels in Bethlehem announced life for the entire humanity.
The promise that had been made through Isaiah is fulfilled. “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and you will call Him Immanuel, God is with us.” (Isaiah 7:14).
The Biblical Account of creation tells us that God created Heaven and Earth, and all the beings in the sea, land and air in five days, and on the 6th Day God created man. According to the Biblical writer the entire creation took place in 6 days. From that time onwards God had been preparing the human race for the greatest manifestation of His love, the birth of Jesus.
The first promise was made in the Garden of Aden. Not long after Creation, God pronounced His judgment on the Serpent and promise to humanity, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed.”(Gen 3:15). The promise was renewed through the centuries. According to the biblical account, to be very precise in the words of Luke, God has been preparing humanity for 77 generations from Adam to Jesus. During these generations the Prophets gave a very clear Picture of the Messiah. His Lineage, His nativity, the hardships he would have to bear and the final triumph. In today’s first reading from the book of Isaiah, we are given the details of the names given to the promised saviour. He will be called:
Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God
Eternal-Father, Prince-of-peace.
"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them." [Isaiah 9:2] These words from the prophet Isaiah told of the coming Prince of Peace, and of the light and life He would bring.
When Isaiah told of the coming of Prince of Peace, he spoke of light dispelling darkness. The image of light dispelling darkness is central to our understanding of the incarnation and its meaning. The metaphor of light makes sense only against a background of darkness. In the Bible, darkness is a rich metaphor that refers to evil and wilful blindness or sin.
Since sin pushed humanity into darkness, men dreaded the presence of Light, God. In God’s presence the people were terrified. When Adam heard the voice of God he hid himself behind the bush. In Mount Sinai the Israelites saw the glory of God and cried, “do not have God speak to us or we will die." When the shepherds saw the Angel, they were afraid. The angel spoke to them. "Do not be afraid. I'm here to bring you good news. Today in Bethlehem a baby has been born, He is the one that will save the world. "
The angel told the shepherds that “This event is to you,” and the shepherds’ response was immediate and practical: “Let us go to Bethlehem.” The angel’s message had power; it moved people. When Cicero addressed the Roman senate, everyone appreciated his eloquence and said, “How beautifully he speaks!” But they remained in their seats. Yet when Demosthenes addressed the Greek army, they leaped up, clashed spear upon shield and said, “Let us march!” Angels’ message of birth of Jesus moved men of peace and the forces of darkness alike. The shepherds rushed to the manger. The wise men set out following the star. At the same time Herod paced up and down all night worrying. His soldiers rode across the land in search of the infant. The soldiers never found the baby, because they were not searching for the light, but they were groping in the darkness. The shepherds met him, as they followed the light.
The shepherds required to come only a short way to meet Him, from the fields to the stable. But He came an infinite distance to meet them; from heaven to earth, from eternity to time, from infinite joy to suffering and death. The shepherds met in the manger the Universal healer without a doctor to attend to him, the king of kings without any sentry or attendant, the master of whole creation without a proper bed to lay his head, but the joy that prevailed in the manger was magnanimous.
Tonight as we share in the joy of Shepherds, we share in the joy of the angels, and we share in the joy of Joseph and Mary, it must move us to action. We should leave the way of darkness and follow the path of light, to meet the Saviour who has come from Heaven to Earth to meet us, and take us back to Heaven. St Athanasius wrote, "God became man so that man might become god"
Let us join the Angels and sing, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to men of good will.”
Satish
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Anecdote 1) Christmas: God’s Presence and Word: A man narrates the story of how his father who was a telephone engineer sometimes worked away from home. At first, his father was away only a couple of days and this happened rarely, but then his absence became more frequent and also lasted longer. Eventually, his father never returned home. The telephone engineer had fallen in love with love distance and his son had to live his life in the felt absence of his father. There was no word, no contact—just silence and absence.
It is impossible to have a relationship with someone who is always absent and always silent. Usually we overcome our separation from those we love and miss by staying in contact with them—keeping in touch through phone or writing. And for us Christians, Christmas has become a traditional time for keeping alive old bonds of friendship by a word of greeting. At Christmas we celebrate the consoling truth that God did not fall in love with long distance but came among us through Jesus. –[M. K. Paul, “Inspiring Anecdotes and Stories”
"We'll all be home for Christmas.” Senator John McCain spent 5½ years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam in the1960s. During that time, he was frequently tortured or held in solitary confinement. He reports that his lowest point came on Christmas Eve 1969. McCain was giving up hope of ever getting out of Vietnam alive. To compound his homesickness, the captors played the song "I'll Be Home for Christmas" over the PA system. Just then, McCain heard tapping on his cell wall. This was the communication code the POWs used to communicate with one another. On the other side of the wall was Ernie Bruce, a Marine who had been imprisoned for four years already. In spite of his dire situation, Bruce was tapping out, "We'll all be home for Christmas. God bless America." These simple words of comfort restored John McCain's hope. ("The tapping on the wall" by Senator John McCain, Ladies' Home Journal, July 2002, pp. 107-111.) The message of Christmas is always one of hope. This world needs saving, but God began that process of salvation two thousand years ago with the birth of a babe in Bethlehem. There's something about Christmas that elevates us. Christmas is about hope of a better world to come.
"We'll all be home for Christmas.” Senator John McCain spent 5½ years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam in the1960s. During that time, he was frequently tortured or held in solitary confinement. He reports that his lowest point came on Christmas Eve 1969. McCain was giving up hope of ever getting out of Vietnam alive. To compound his homesickness, the captors played the song "I'll Be Home for Christmas" over the PA system. Just then, McCain heard tapping on his cell wall. This was the communication code the POWs used to communicate with one another. On the other side of the wall was Ernie Bruce, a Marine who had been imprisoned for four years already. In spite of his dire situation, Bruce was tapping out, "We'll all be home for Christmas. God bless America." These simple words of comfort restored John McCain's hope. ("The tapping on the wall" by Senator John McCain, Ladies' Home Journal, July 2002, pp. 107-111.) The message of Christmas is always one of hope. This world needs saving, but God began that process of salvation two thousand years ago with the birth of a babe in Bethlehem. There's something about Christmas that elevates us. Christmas is about hope of a better world to come.