at the First Congregational Church of Stoughton

United Church of Christ

Well, it’s finally here. Christmas! Christmas! To all of you who have come -- friends and family, church members and visitors, neighbors and out-of-towners -- to all we say welcome. No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here and invited to celebrate the birth of the Jesus, the One we call Emmanuel — God with us.

Tonight, God knocks on the door of humankind and presents Godself as a person, God with a human face. Thousands of years ago, the prophets foretold the Messiah’s birth, their ancient writings telling of a miracle that would free God’s people from bondage and exile, shining light into a world filled with darkness, and changing humankind forever. As Isaiah proclaimed, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.”

Isaiah’s words, spoken generations ago, were for the ancient Hebrews, but when he talks about “the people who walked in darkness,” he is also speaking about us. Because we all walk in darkness of one sort or another – fear, anxiety, separation, sickness, sadness, suffering.

But listen to Isaiah’s words of hope for all of us who dwell in the shadows: “Arise, shine; for your light has come.... For a child has been born…” At the very moment of deepest darkness, the Light shines forth in the cry of a newborn in a stable in Bethlehem.

And that’s where we go tonight: to rejoice with the shepherds at the good news told to them by the angel; to worship with a multitude of the heavenly host who proclaim, “Glory to God in the Highest!”; and to journey with the Wise Men who follow the star to pay homage to the King of kings lying in a manger.

The poetry of this night belongs to everyone, no matter who we are or the level of our faith, and it connects us with generations across the centuries who have gathered year after year, just as we have tonight, to be moved once again by the story of God's incarnation in a vulnerable baby born in Bethlehem.

In another Bethlehem – the one in Pennsylvania -- a large and elaborate nativity scene is set up each year beneath a huge lighted star on the hills across the Lehigh River. But a few years ago, someone stole the figure of the baby Jesus right out of the manger. For several days the newspapers reported on the search -- a search almost as urgent as one carried out by Wise Men almost 2000 years before.

Finally the statue of the Baby Jesus was located, abandoned in a nearby alley. To avoid a repeat of such thievery, the city leaders settled on a solution: they drilled a hole in the statue and threaded a great big bolt through it, permanently securing the baby Jesus to the manger.

And it is a temptation for us to make Jesus a captive of the manger, to metaphorically bolt him there, that he might remain the meek and mild infant forever. But as much as we’d like to keep Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, the baby must grow up to fulfill his mission as the Messiah.

In her Magnificat, Mary proclaims that through her son, God will bring about a moral revolution, scattering the proud; he will bring about a social and economic revolution, casting down the mighty and exalting the humble; and also a spiritual revolution, bringing new life and hope where formerly there was only despair and fear.

That’s what Jesus does. It’s no wonder we’d rather keep him as a helpless baby, because when he grows up, he turns the values of the world upside down.

The baby grows up to upset the status quo, teaching a revolutionary ethic of unconditional love and forgiveness.

The baby grows up to proclaim a startling new way of living, showing us that God works through the poor, the lowly, the powerless, and the marginalized.

The baby grows up to preach that the last shall be first; the meek shall inherit the earth; the greatest among us are those who take the role of servants; and tax collectors and sinners will be welcomed into heaven ahead of the righteous and religious.

No, the manger cannot contain the Light of the World; his radiance is beamed into the deepest shadows, pointing to new possibility and new hope for the world. It is fitting that we celebrate Jesus’ birth at the darkest time of year, at the deepest portion of night. Because tonight is less about a baby being born in a manger than it is about the power of God’s Light overcoming the shadows of life. In the manger, the Light was born, but that was only the beginning. The living Christ beams his inclusive welcome to the farthest margins and proclaims that no one is beyond the reach of God’s gracious love. He offers each and every one of us the beacon of his healing touch, tender embrace, forgiving grace, and renewing Word. And the light of Christ shines again and again wherever love is offered, wherever relationships are restored, and lives transformed.

In a few more days, many of us will be taking down our Christmas trees, putting away the ornaments, and -- along with our manger scenes -- packing away the nativity story for another year. But the work of Christ has only begun! Christmas is only the beginning of an eternal journey – it is a journey of joy and hope, of redemption and salvation, of expectation and promise. It is a journey of light -- God’s light -- breaking into the darkness; of God’s grace and unconditional love shining into the world. And on our own spiritual journey, that divine light guides our path as we reflect God’s love, compassion, and forgiveness in the world, leading us to new life through the One born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago and born again in our hearts tonight. Yes, arise, shine, for our light has come! Amen.

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