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First Sunday after Christmas
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All Years
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In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not
one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the
life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent
from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so
that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came
to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming
into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He
came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who
received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of
God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of
man, but of God.
And the Word became
flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a
father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried
out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me
because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace
upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is
close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.
Merry
Christmas! Today is the third day of
Christmas and the feast of the first Sunday after Christmas. A day that takes precedence in our church
calendar. For the secular society around
us, and as I heard on the evening news last night, Christmas is over – or soon
will be. The beautiful trees will soon
litter the gutters – kicked out of their places of prominence. The neighborhoods that have all been lit
aglow by thousands of lights will soon go dark.
The stores that have been selling Christmas decorations since the end of
summer will move on to the next big sale season – valentines day I believe.
But
we are a peculiar people! For us we
remember Christmas not as a day but as a season. A season that starts on Christmas day and
goes on twelve days until we reach the feast of the Epiphany on January 6th.
Our
Gospel lesson today is one of hope. A
hope we remember being born on Christmas day.
A hope that the evangelist John reminds us goes back to the very
beginning of time. “In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” For John there is no manger scene. There is no birth narrative. John traces the lineage of Jesus to the very
beginning of creation. In the very
beginning when the winds of the spirit of creation were blowing through the
universe God and Jesus where present.
For
John there is never a question “Who is this Jesus.” For john right from the prologue he knows and
lets us know that this Jesus we remember is from God and indeed is God. It is we who need the reminding from time to
time. Jesus – the light of the world
took on human flesh and dwelt among us.
Jesus is the light that cannot be extinguished.
This
Sunday it is also fitting to look back on the past year in our world. There are times that it seems that evil has
won out. If we dare watch the evening
news, read the newspapers, or look at the newsfeeds on our computers we are
continually bombarded with darkness.
From the coordinated attacks in Paris to the attacks closer to home in
San Bernardino. The horrendous stories
of beheadings in the name of God. Wars
that still plague the human race. It
seems that the darkness has taken over.
And it is too easy to let that darkness come into our lives. It is too easy to see a society that says we
should have a string military presence – yet not we do not always take care of
our veterans that return to us with a shroud of darkness trying to blot out the
light.
It
is too easy to see the people whom society has discarded as having lost the
light. Who have retreated into drugs and
alcohol to escape the pain. It is too
easy to ignore the person – perhaps drunk – perhaps just thankful for a safe
place - sleeping in the back of the church when communion is offered to the
people of God.
On
Christmas Eve there was one such young man sleeping in one of the the church I
serve. He had barely exchanged the
peace. Not really engaging eye
contact. When he did not come up for
communion I went back to him. He was at
first startled that I went back to him. But when I offered him the “Body of
Christ, the Bread of Heaven – for you a child of God” I saw the Light shine
forth in his eyes. I saw the veil of
darkness slip back and the light of God shine through his eyes. A light that has not been extinguished. When I greeted him after the service that
light was still there shining through his eyes.
The Light that came into the world cannot be extinguished.
I
am not a Pollyanna and I know that likely without further intervention to get
this young man off the street and away from whatever demons are trying to
extinguish the Light that a single offering of communion will turn his life
around. But if it gives him a chance to
see that the light has not been extinguished there is hope. There is a love that will not give up on
him.
Queen
Elizabeth in her Christmas address reminded all people “It is true that the
world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but the Gospel of John
contains a verse of great hope, often read at Christmas carol services:
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome
it".[1]
Christmas
is a reminder – with all of the lights in our homes and in our churches – that
the light that we remember coming into our midst, as a small baby, cannot be
extinguished That we are called to be witnesses to that light. Just as John was sent to be a witness to the
Light so are we called to be witnesses.
We are called to hold fast to the promise of our baptisms. To work hard to see God’s light of creation
shining forth in all of us. Especially
to see God’s light shining forth in those in whom society would say have had that
light extinguished.
The
Queen in her address said it very well!
“For Joseph and Mary, the circumstances of Jesus's birth - in a stable -
were far from ideal, but worse was to come as the family was forced to flee the
country.
It's
no surprise that such a human story still captures our imagination and
continues to inspire all of us who are Christians, the world over.
Despite
being displaced and persecuted throughout his short life, Christ's unchanging
message was not one of revenge or violence but simply that we should love one
another.”[2]
That
is the true message of Christmas. Love.
As
Paul said in our reading today “… because you are children, God has sent the
Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are
no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.”
And as children of God it is our calling to be a witness to the light of
creation that breaks forth into our lives every single day. To be a witness to the Love. And to work to lift of the veil of darkness from
our hurting a hurt-filled world.
On
this third day of Christmas my prayer is that we all will remember the grace of
God that sent Jesus to us as a vulnerable child. A child that carried the light of Love that
cannot be extinguished into our hearts. And that we will work to show God’s grace to
all whom we encounter and to see God’s light in all of creation.
Amen
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