“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a mighty savior for us
in the house of his child David,
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
in his presence all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
~ Luke 1:68-79 (NRSVUE)
Friends, all that I can say is, “Thank goodness that we have been spending our Advent learning to BE Present to ourselves, to one another, and to God.” Because if we hadn’t, I don’t know what we would be doing here today!
As I was pulling worship together this week, I ran into a little conundrum. You see, back in October, okay really November, when I was putting plans together for Advent, I noticed that there were four responsive scripture readings in our hymnal around Christmas, and I thought that might be a wonderful way for all of us to participate in, and to hear the scripture readings a little differently. And yes, it was change, and it wasn’t the way we always do it, but I think it has helped all of us to be a little more present, listening to and experiencing our Advent scriptures with fresh ears. Well, that being said, I saw that there were four readings in the Advent/Christmas section of the hymnal, but I didn’t really focus on what the scriptures were about. I figured the hymnal writers were telling the story, and each reading would get us closer to Christmas. After all, the first two were from the prophet Isaiah, first telling us to prepare the way.
Remember: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill made low.”
Then, sharing a promise of a peaceable Kingdom, “a shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The wolf shall lay down the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.”
Last week, we heard the beautiful song of Mary, also known as the Magnificat: “My soul magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God my savior. who has looked with favor upon me, a lowly servant. From this day on, all generations will call me blessed.”
Everything was working and moving along, and our Advent Visitors have been reminding us of the importance of not buying gifts but being gifts of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love for the world. Well, I was getting excited for today’s worship; it’s Christmas Sunday, after all, so I was dreaming of the arrival of the angels and the shepherds and even the animals in the stable. But when I opened the hymnal to page 137, I found the Song of Zechariah as he praises God for his son, John the Baptist–a beautiful song and an amazing story, but where are the angels and the shepherds? Where is the innkeeper saying, “no room” and the hay in the manger? This doesn’t sound like Christmas!
Well, as you may or may not know, preachers don’t always practice what they preach, but because I always encourage all of you to take a deep breath, especially in anxious moments, I decided to do the same. Then I thought about this whole idea of being present. Should I try that too? So I sat and read through the song of Zechariah a few more times:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has come to set the chosen people free. To show mercy to our forebears and remember the holy covenant. To set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship without fear. To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
As I slowly read through the scripture, it was true–there were no angels or shepherds. There was no holy night or wise people coming from afar, but there was a song, a beautiful song, a song about a father’s love for his child and the amazing things that he knew his child would do for the world. I sat with those words for a little bit longer. Then I realized that the gift we receive through our scripture this week is what Christmas is all about: LOVE.
Today’s scripture is a beautiful song of a father’s love for his son and the excitement he felt because he knew that his son would change the world in his own way. Does that sound familiar? As I thought of the love that Zechariah had for his son and the song that he sang out because of it, it reminded me of last week when Mary was so filled with Joy that she sang out about what God had done for her. That’s strange, two songs in a row? But wait, there’s more, because in just a few days, on Christmas Eve, we’ll be hearing the Angels sing out to shepherds tending their folk by night, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men.” And the Sunday after Christmas, we’ll be hearing the Song of Simeon as he sings and rejoices at the word of God being fulfilled in the form of a tiny baby. All of these songs are not sung on stages, to crowds of people, or played over and over again on the radio, but songs sung in the hearts of real human beings.
Friends, the season of Christmas is filled with songs. We sing Christmas Carols about the birth of the baby in Bethlehem, songs about the angels and the shepherds and the gifts that the wise ones brought. We even sing secular songs about snow, jingle bells, Santa and reindeer. Christmas Music is even considered a genre with its own playlists and channels on Spotify and Sirius Radio.
During our sharing time today, I asked you to share the name of your favorite Christmas song with your neighbor. Now, though we do sometimes sing the song that the angels sang at Christmas, we don’t often sing Mary’s song, Zechariah’s Song, or Simeon’s Song. Maybe they are too personal because they speak of the love in their individual stories and hearts, and our stories might be different.
Folks, did you know that, like Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon, you all have your own song that you sing to yourself all the time? It may be words and phrases that you tell yourself or words or phrases that have been handed down over generations. But the words to your own individual song are filled with LOVE, and they help to make you who you are. If you take some time to truly BE PRESENT to yourself this Christmas and you listen carefully, you just might hear the words.
A few weeks ago, I was with my daughter Abbey and my granddaughter Eliza. We were folding paper and cutting it into snowflakes to hang in the window. Well, Eliza, being two-and-a-half, got frustrated and said, “I can’t do it.” For some reason, deep inside, when I heard her say those words, I felt uncomfortable. My daughter must have noticed because she looked at me and said, “I know, Mom. She’s not a Thibeault; she’s a Goldman.” When she said that, I suddenly heard part of our family song, words that have been passed down for generations are a part of each of us. My father-in-law always used to say, “Thibeaults don’t say can’t.” It’s a phrase my husband grew up with and taught to our kids. I’ve absorbed it as well over the years and it’s become a part of our love language, our family song.
Folks, the songs that we sing to ourselves have been written over the years in our hearts. They are the true essence of who we are, what we love, and what carries true meaning for us. But sometimes, over the years, just like we get busy and forget the importance of being present and sharing the gift of ourselves, we also allow less-than-loving words into our songs.
Friends, Mary, Zechariah and Simeon all faced struggles in their lives. But the words to their songs, the thing that kept them going especially when times were tough, came not from their struggle, or their complaining, or of putting themselves down, but from their faith and trust in God, their life experience, the people they cared about and the unconditional love that God shared with them.
Friends, over the last few months here in Oldtown, in order to provide a wider welcome to the world, we have been trying to figure out exactly who we are as a church and what it is that God is calling us to do. I guess we need to listen in our hearts for our Oldtown song, the song that we sing because of that baby that was born in Bethlehem so long ago, and the song that we sing out of a sense of knowing that we are loved and that we belong just the way we are. We might not all sing exactly the same words, but I have a feeling the sentiments and feelings are pretty close. And when we find just the right words, our song will feel like a beloved Christmas carol that has filled our hearts with hope, peace, joy, and love for generations.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead, remember to join us back here on Christmas Eve as we hear the sacred story of Christmas and sing Christmas songs of angels and shepherds, of a baby in a manger, and wise ones who travel from afar. But also, be present to yourself and listen for the words of your own sacred song. Then, like Mary, take time to treasure it in your heart, knowing that you are a precious child of God, that your song is beautiful, and you are loved beyond measure!
My friends, may it be so. MERRY CHRISTMAS! And thanks be to God! Amen!
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