Luke 2:1-20
December 24, 2023
On that night there was fear.
There must have been. On hillside and in stable,
fear permeated the darkness.
Fear was a presence around the fire,
Held at bay by the flame’s dim light.
Luke tells us of the shepherds’ fear.
Startled by angels, surrounded by glory,
Those shepherds trembled and shook
while the sky and stars exploded into heavenly choruses
overwhelming their senses.
Was this a dream, these angel voices,
This dizzying brightness, celestial praises?
Was this a dream?
But the shepherds were not the only fearful ones.
Mary and Joseph, consigned to an animals’ stall,
Both must have feared what that night would bring.
For mother and child, birth is a dangerous thing
And the journey from womb to world
Is harrowing.
On that night, Mary, so young,
should have been encircled by other women,
Midwives and mothers crooning their wisdom
Concerning this woman’s work.
But only the deep snuffling sound of animals could be heard
As Mary labored for Love to be born.
And on that night, surely Joseph was also afraid.
Maybe he swallowed back his fear and held Mary’s hand,
Whispering words of comfort.
Maybe he fought back his fears of what could go wrong
By reassuring her of all that was right.
Was he overwhelmed by her pain on that night,
Desperate to take it from her but helpless
As she endured alone?
There was fear that night, on hillside and in stable
when the sky filled with glory of the heavenly host,
But that band of angels came not with news of terror
but with glad tidings of great joy.
Do not be afraid!
A savior is born. God is with you.
God is doing something new.
Do not be afraid!
There was fear on that night,
But it was swallowed by the angels’ song.
On this night in Bethlehem
The nativity sits on top of rubble,
Surrounded by destruction, cracked concrete and wire.
And hatred still causes fear in hearts and minds.
And how can we not be afraid
When wars rage on and on
And a little child tries to lead us
But the grownups refuse to listen ?
But on that night,
Jesus was born into that fear
Into that messiness
And sadness
And into a weary world
That did not know how tired it was.
And on that night Light pierced the darkness
And Love disrupted hate
And Peace refused to be silenced by war
And Hope would not lose heart.
And on this night
Jesus is born into our messiness
And our soul-deep sadness
And Jesus is born into this weary world
that still does not know
How tired it is.
And on this night, if we can only tune our hearts to listen,
We can hear the heavens resound with angel song
And glad tidings of great joy
And on this night, God still works through
the improbable
And unlikely
And on this night we hear again
these ancient words
And ageless story
And in them we see God
Doing something new
Something wonderful
Because God will not be kept
From loving us
And God will not be stopped
By cracked concrete or wire
And God will not forget
The promises made
and the heavenly hosts
will not be silenced
and the good news
is still good news
for in Bethlehem
on that night and on this night
a child is born in the way that all children are born
and on that night and on this night
a baby’s cry is heard
and joy and love and peace and hope
are more than words,
because God is doing something new
and God is doing something wonderful
so do not be afraid
God is here
God is with us
On that night and on this night
Love is born.
Alleluia.
Amen.
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