Written and Delivered by The Rev. Canon Paul S. Nancarrow

"Oh come, all ye faithful..."

"Angels we have heard on high..."

"In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus..."

We gather tonight, on Christmas Eve, to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity--to hear again the old familiar story, to sing again the old familiar carols, to pray again the prayers that have been prayed by faithful Christians for nearly two thousand years. We come again, like the shepherds in the gospel story, to see this great thing, to be witnesses of the mystery of the birth of Christ.

And there is something powerful in these traditions and memories that gather around the celebration of Christmas. The Christmas carols have a power to move us in a way that few songs do. The sight of lights on a house or decorations on a tree can bring up feelings of joy, anticipation, generosity, gratitude, mystery, wonder. I remember when I was a child, our family had a Nativity scene, a creche set, in which the figures all looked like they were made of fine bisque china. I found out later they were actually molded plastic, but they looked like china. One year, my dad made a backdrop for the Nativity scene: he took a big sheet of masonite, painted it green, then with gold paint made a very simple, elegant line drawing: there were hills framing the stable, and Bethlehem off a little bit in the distance, little buildings with rounded domes in a vaguely Middle Eastern style of architecture, there was a palm tree on one side, and above all the shining star. I'd never thought of my dad as particularly artistic--musical, yes; good at speaking and preaching, sure--but never artistic; yet dad's backdrop for the Nativity scene really caught my childhood imagination. I remember once sitting in front of the mantelpiece, just staring at the creche, imagining what it would be like if I could become one of the figures in the scene, if I could wander over those hills, if I could follow that star, if I could come stand beside that manger. In my imagination, as a child and to this day, in my imagination that backdrop scene became a kind of invitation to come be part of the story.

And I think in a real way that's what the celebration of Christmas is all about. The old familiar story, the old familiar carols, the wonderful childhood and family memories--all of them are invitations to come be part of the story, invitations to let the mystery of the birth of Christ be real and present for us now. Because the mystery of the birth of Christ is more than just a once-upon-a-time kind of story. The mystery of the birth of Christ is the mystery of God entering into human life, God accepting our life as God's own, God loving us so much that God takes human life and makes it divine. The mystery of the birth of Christ that we celebrate tonight is the mystery of Emmanuel, God-with-us. The so-familiar story, the story of Mary and Joseph, the story of the shepherds and angels, the story of the stable and the baby in the manger, is the story about God coming to us, each and every one of us, to share our human lives in all their particulars and and all their details.

God came in Jesus to be with Mary and Joseph as their child--and so God in Jesus comes to be with all parents, who strive to love their children, and protect their children, and provide for their children, who strive to let their children grow up to become whole and wholly amazing people in their own rights.

God came in Jesus to be with the shepherds, who were out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night, working while others were at home safe and warm in their beds--and so God in Jesus comes to be with all people who work; who labor to have enough to eat, and to have a home, and to provide for their families; who seek recognition and respect and honor for their work, in a society that all too often takes their labor for granted.

God came in Jesus to be with the wise kings who journeyed from the East, following the sign of a star--and so God in Jesus comes to be with all people who have wealth and power and imagination and intelligence, all who strive to use their gifts to honor God and to make the world a better place.

God came in Jesus to be a little baby, vulnerable and small and weak, who was cold and hungry and tired, who needed to be wrapped up securely and laid down to rest, to gather his strength, in a feeding trough for a cradle--and so God in Jesus comes to be with all of us when we are vulnerable and small and weak, when we are cold and hungry and tired, when we need to be held securely in love and to gather strength to face the things our lives must face.

God came to us in Jesus to be Emmanuel, God-with-us, to share the whole of human life, with all its goods and bads, with all its ups and downs, with all its triumphs and tragedies, with all its sorrows and all its celebrations. God came to us in Jesus to share everything it means to be human, so that in Jesus everything it means to be human might be lifted up into God, so that everything it means to be human might shine with the glory of God, and show forth the peace of God, and be eternally enlivened with the love of God. In Jesus God came to be one of us, so that in Jesus we might come to be one with God.

And that is the mystery that we celebrate tonight. Beneath the familiar words and songs and stories, within the old traditions and customs and memories, wrapped up in the swaddling clothes of the Nativity scene, the living Word of God comes to us, and invites us to let Christ be born in our lives, here, now, tonight, and forever. And that birth of Christ in us means that we are empowered to carry on the ministry, to carry on the mission of God, that began with Gabriel's annunciation to Mary, and that Mary birthed in Jesus, and that Jesus grew up to share with his disciples, and that his disciples carried on in his Name, and that comes down to us to share tonight.

That birth of Christ in us means that we can speak Christ's peace, and work for Christ's peace, in a world that knows too much of violence and injustice and oppression.

That birth of Christ in us means that we can lift each other up in love and serve each other for the Savior's sake.

That birth of Christ in us means that we can give glory and praise to God for all that we have heard and seen, like the shepherds in the story did, and we can treasure all God's words to us and ponder them in our hearts, as Mary did.

That birth of Christ in us means that we can be transformed, and we can work with God and in God and by God for the transformation of the world.

And that is what it means for us to celebrate Christmas, to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity, to celebrate the mystery of the Birth of Christ. My Christmas wish, my Christmas prayer, for you tonight is that you may enjoy the old familiar songs and stories, you may enjoy the church traditions and family customs and personal memories, and you may rejoice in Emmanuel, God-with-us, bearing new life in you tonight and tomorrow and always. Amen.