Christmas Eve

Waking from sleep, this wonder did I see in a garden fair there stood a beautiful street where on my spide a broad meeting, no help of his noble receiving, and the most important thing.

Blessed be all designed.

Amen.

Let's pray together.

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid.

By the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

Amen.

Let us pray.

O God, you've caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true light.

Grant that we who have known the mystery of that light on earth may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven.

For with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns one Lord in glory everlasting.

A reading from Isaiah.

Those who live in the land of deep darkness is on them light and shine.

You have multiplied the nation and you have increased its joy.

They rejoice before you as with joy of the harvest, as people exult with dividing blunder.

For the yoke of their burden and the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their pressure you have broken as on the day of Midian.

For all the boots of the trampling warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

For child has been born.

Authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named one of the counselors, mighty God, everlasting Father and Heaven.

His authority shall reign continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom.

He will establish it and uphold it for the justice and with the righteousness from this time onward and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

While we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

He it is who gave himself for us so that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself and people of his own, who are zealous for good deeds.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God's people.

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.

This was the first registration and was taken while Corinnaeus was governor of Syria.

All went to their own towns to be registered.

Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.

He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged, and who was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for see, I'm bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.

To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

This will be a sign for you.

You will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favors.

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.

So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger.

When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The gospel of the Lord.

It is a pleasure and hopefully also an invitation to return to the story that we have heard year after year after year.

So pleasure and invitation.

A common way to hear this story is that Jesus was born in a barn, which is an interesting phrase because this is something we say to somebody who has no apparent manners.

Were you born in a barn?

The answer, according to the Lord Jesus, is yes, in fact, I was born in a barn.

Which is a great reminder, the next time you think somebody is uncouth, that could be the Lord Jesus Christ standing in front of you.

Boy, I wish I could remember that in a moment.

There's this moment of cognitive dissonance where we talk about the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and the heavens opening up, and then there's not even room.

And so this I suggest is an invitation, possibly even a difficult challenge for us.

That if we can't see God and a fellow human being, the problem is in our looking, not in God's presence.

I want to suggest to you though there's a different turn happening in Luke, though.

Rather than this being a story about an extraordinarily low birth, which is good, it goes somewhere.

Um actually could be a pretty ordinary story.

It turns out that word in can also be translated guest room.

And here's the significance of that.

And uh, as a southerner, I was born in Kentucky, we understand this as well.

So uh when I went to visit my aunts as a child, we didn't go on vacation, we went back to Kentucky for holidays.

We stayed at my aunt's home, and there was no way we would be staying at a hotel.

That would have been a grave insult not to stay in my aunt's home, even though she only had two beds.

So, what we did up until the time we were like 16, uh, we slept on the couch, and just to make sure uh my aunt would put trash bags on the couch to make sure we didn't have a potty accident and ruined the bed.

And this is what we did.

Uh we went there every year, and the the thought of us staying somewhere else, I would have been like excommunicating the family.

Look, it's no different.

It's no different at the time of Jesus.

So here that there's this other potential reading here, which is that Joseph has gone home to Bethlehem, and so are the rest of his kin, and well, you know, the house is full.

Homes in Bethlehem, there's quite a bit of research on this.

We're single story, and if you had enough money, you built a guest room on top.

So this word in can mean guest room.

Joseph comes back, and some other relatives are already in the guest room.

So they sleep in the one-room home with everybody else, including the animals.

Turns out there weren't barns in Bethlehem.

Bethlehem's really small.

Like 90 people living in Bethlehem.

Animals were kept in the house, not only to keep them safe from predators, but to keep the home warm.

So the way homes were built was sort of as a half-story up, and the animals sat down here and they ate off of the step.

That's where a manger would have been, and everybody else was in the room.

So we could hear this story.

I think that takes us a great place about Jesus being in one of the lowest places.

But we can also hear the story about Jesus being born, frankly, in ordinary places.

My mother was born in the hospital, but my grandparents weren't.

They were born in the house.

Pretty normal until about, well, 60 years ago, that people were just born at home.

This is potentially the story of Mary.

They laid Jesus in the hay, because I don't know if you know what mattresses were made of about before 50 years ago.

They were made of hay and corncogs, if you were lucky, which is Which is tough to imagine.

So this is where they put the baby in a normal normal, ordinary place.

There's this great Jesuit priest who's got this line.

He was on the show with Krista Tippett, and he said, you know, he was talking about the Eucharist.

He was explaining why he doesn't put the host in people's mouths.

He always puts it in their hand no matter what they do.

He said, because you know, a lot of people don't think they're worthy to hold it.

So I make them hold it, because after all, Jesus isn't that worried, we'll forget how extraordinary the Eucharist is.

He's a little concerned, we'll remember how ordinary it is.

How a meal between friends or even people who don't know one another well can build bridges and build new life.

Jesus would like us to find him in the ordinary.

Now that rings true for me.

So I was born in Good Samaritan Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, and the Gospel of Luke says Jesus might have been in the bed next to me.

Next to you.

We could hear this story as something that happened once upon a time long ago, and it's extravagant and special, and we return to this fact in history, or we could hear the story as an invitation for where God is to be found today.

God is to be found in the person sitting next to you in the pew, even if you don't know them.

God is to be found this year in those people you have family dinners with, and you're like, man, I can't wait so I can get up and do the dishes, so I have an excuse to leave the table.

God is in those people at the table.

Ordinary.

And that's what makes it so extraordinary.

There's this other little bit about the story that's quite interesting that we gloss over sometimes.

You know, we got to hear this litany of names applied in Isaiah.

Uh, wonderful counselor, Prince of Peace, and of course, many of you are familiar with the word Emmanuel, which means God with us.

Now, this is how you know I didn't write the story.

I'd have picked a better name.

I'd have picked God fixes us.

That would have been a good one, right?

I got a problem, God fix it.

Well, 5 o'clock people thought that was funnier than y'all did.

You know, or like, or like God telling us what to do, or something like that.

And here's this mystery is like God shows up and needs taken care of.

Like Jesus was born and needed to be fed and changed, and like the birth.

It's not how I would have done the story.

Sometimes I'd rather God fix things for me, but this story says God has chosen to be with us.

And maybe the story says we're not as broken as we think we are.

And the story also reminds me of this cartoon.

Perhaps you've seen it.

There's a man on a bench talking to an adult version of Jesus, and he says to the Lord, You know, Jesus, I just don't understand why you let people starve, and I don't understand why you let people be lonely and not comforted.

And Jesus says to the man, of course, that's funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing.

And I think this story actually is an invitation.

When God shows up, full God in a human body, needs somebody to change him.

Maybe next time you're at the office, the next time I'm at the office, the next time a telemarketer calls me and I actually answer, there's an opportunity to hear, not a jaded, obnoxious adult, but a child that's just hungry.

Or maybe they just need a change.

Maybe they just need a change.

And when we do that, of course, we're not actually only serving one another, we're serving God incarnate in one another.

This is our invitation to return to the story in a new way, over and over again, to be part of the story.

Of course, there's another funny bit of the story, too.

I don't want to make you too uncomfortable, but it's been on my mind a lot this year.

You know, we do a lot with this scene, and you see Mary is wearing her blue hijab in Hebrew, it's called a shadow.

But Mary didn't own anything blue.

Blue fabric cost as much as gold did.

And if you wore it, it was called impersonating an officer, and you went to prison unless you were a member of the gentry, which she wasn't.

We've dressed her up and some ways forgotten how ordinary and like us the lady was, and therefore how we can be like her.

And being like her is not what we want for our children, let's be honest.

This is a story that we have all in wonder about, but you don't want your kids in this story.

I don't want my kid in this story.

And there's this great reminder when you see somebody who doesn't fit the values you have for your children, like a lady pregnant out a wedlock, imagine one of the cute little children acting the sound so you can have grace for her.

Because even if it's not enough values, this is a story about the Lord.

Not just then, but now.

And maybe there is that bit of imagination that we're frankly invited to and new.

There's a song that Pentatonics has just uh topped the charts with again.

Uh, it actually was written by a Christian comedian called Mark Lowry, who is a member of the Gaither Vocal Band.

Maybe you've heard it, Mary Did You Know.

It's a lovely song.

And there's a part of the song where uh the lyrics read, Did you know when you kissed your baby, you kissed the face of God?

I don't know if you've heard the song.

Of course she knew that.

When I kissed my baby, I kissed the face of God.

Every parent that's kissed a baby knew they kissed the face of God.

That's what I think, anyway.

If we can something happens to us when they turn like a web.

You know, and we sort of say, like, oh no, ichabbah, the Lord has departed.

Um but I'm gonna go with the song.

I think Mary knew and I know.

Of course, we usually, when they're little, we know it best when they're asleep, because they're still and they're peaceful, and then these wonders happen like they turn 21, and then like God is back there somehow, you know, if we're lucky, right?

And this I think is part of our invitation in this story.

Yes, we do kiss the face of God in our children.

And this is not just about parents and kids, this is about intimate friendships, this is about spouses, this is about siblings, this is about kissing my own parents.

We kiss the face of God.

That's how serious and how we're invited for everyday incarnation.

Everyday incarnation.

And it's a real scandalous story, right?

Because, you know, the church that raised me, and it probably wasn't that church's fault, it's probably my own like mental illness that I've got.

You know, what I heard was God loves me to death, but really doesn't like me very much.

Because I'm so wayward and evil and wicked.

But this is a different story, actually, than that.

And we even sing it, pleased with us to dwell.

This is a story in which Jesus did not eschew any of our limitations, but was pleased to join us.

That's a challenge for my imagination.

A challenge for my imagination.

I like to tell a different kind of story, like, I'm broke.

And Jesus comes along from beside us and says, you might have some brokenness in your life, but you're not broke.

You're not broke.

You might need a change every now and again.

You might need somebody to give you a grown-up error, but you're not broke.

And all of this thing you see is what the scriptures have in mind, and that they use that word gospel, which really just means good news.

Maybe you're not in the manger scene.

Maybe you get to be out in the field.

It's really easy for us to think about Renaissance art when we hear that word angel.

Think about a pretty looking person with like blonde hair and wings and stuff.

And uh, you know, in Greek angel just means messenger.

Like a prophet.

I've had messengers in my life give me oracles from God, they didn't even know me.

They were kind, they showed me empathy and compassion and had any reason to, they just did.

I could touch them.

You know, they didn't fly away, they didn't have wings.

They gave me a message from God that was good news.

Like, you might have some brokenness in your life, but you're not broke.

You might be going through a hard time, I'll go with you.

Some kind of good news, to be honest.

So these messengers show up and they tell these shepherds, hey, there's some good news.

God has shown up in an ordinary place.

You know why it's easy to find a baby Jesus?

There's 90 homes.

It's pretty easy.

There's only one kid crying.

We're gonna sing this song, Silent Night.

It's not about Jesus, it's about an organ and a blower went out.

The song was written on a guitar about 200 years ago in Austria, and we just forget, right?

We forget.

First night my little girl was born, there wasn't any silent.

Man, I've never been so delirious in my life, but it was joyful holding that kid.

It was, and I find that faith is that way.

It may not be quiet, it may not be silent, but it is full of the presence of God in each other.

And here's the real scary part.

If you're gonna go with me so far, that means when you look in the mirror, you should see the Christ child in yourself.

Because God sees the Christ child in yourself.

It's a holy mystery because it happened.

But if we're faithful, it gets to happen again this year.

It gets to happen again this year.

Like happening now.

Like starting now.

And when you get home.

And tomorrow, if you wake up early because you're up late tonight and you're cranky, it gets to happen tomorrow.

Miracle about what we call God's omnipresence.

If God really is everywhere all the time, and God is in you.

God is in the political party you don't like.

And God is the person that doesn't follow your master's policy.

And maybe that other person is just tired.

Maybe they just need somebody.

Maybe they need somebody to be a manual to be with God doesn't invite all of this.

So that we can hear any more of God.

God's idea is that by joining God isn't anymore.

Please join me as we pray our faith.

In the words of the nineteen.

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven of all that is.

We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ.

And the kingdom of the heaven.

We believe in the Spirit, the Lord of God, we received the Father and the Son.

We the Father and the Son who is worshiping the glorified.

We believe in one Holy God, and apostolic church, we all in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and for the life of the world.

Amen.

Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and his name shall be called the Prince of Peace.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Everybody's invited to the Lord's table.

So if you'd like to receive bread, just come with your hands out.

You can take your bread and dip it in the wine, or you can skip either.

We're still just dipping right now.

Please come distanced and uh and then you can just sort of lift up and consume on your way back to your seat.

Uh, the way we'll do it is by having you come to the aisle closest to your right-hand side, coming down front and returning to your seat on the far end of the pew.

We'll be serving the choir first and starting over here so that the choir can guide us to some carol singing and then we'll we'll sort of come back.

Um normally on Sundays, we're here every Sunday, uh, we have services at 8 a.m.

and 10 30.

This coming uh Sunday it'll just be 9 a.m.

only.

So just mark that change.

There's one service this Sunday at 9 a.m.

in the morning.

Walk in love.

As Christ first loved us, he gave himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God.

All things come of you, O Lord.

This is the table not of the church, but of Jesus Christ.

It is made ready for those who love him and those who want to love him more, so come.

You who have much faith and you who have little, you who have been here often and you who have not been for a long time or ever before, you who have tried to follow and you who have failed.

Come not because the church invites you, it is Christ, but he invites you to meet him here.

The Lord be here with you.

You alone are God, living and true, dwelling in light, inaccessible from before time and forever, fountain of life and source of all goodness.

You made all things and filled them with your whole blessing.

You created them to rejoice in the splendor of your radiance.

Countless throngs of angels stand before you to serve you night and day, and beholding the glory of your presence, they offer you who unceasing praise, joining with them, and giving voice to every creature under the heaven.

We are claiming you and glorify your whole name as we he say.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory.

Glory be to thee, O Lord Most High.

Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna and Mahamas.

We acclaim you, holy Lord, glorious in power.

Your mighty works reveal your wisdom and love.

You formed us in your own image, giving the whole world into our care, so that in obedience to you, our Creator, we might shepherd and serve all your creatures.

When our disobedience took us far from you, you did not abandon us to the power of death.

In your mercy you came to our help so that in seeking you we might find you.

Again and again you called us into covenant with you, and through the prophets, you taught us to hope for salvation.

Father, you love the world so much that in the fullness of time you sent your only Son to be our Savior.

Incarnate by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, he lived as one of us, yet without sin.

To the poor, he proclaimed the good news of salvation, the prisoners' freedom, with a sorrowful joy.

To fulfill your purpose, he gave himself up to death, rising from the grave, destroyed death, and made the whole creation new.

And that we might live no longer for ourselves, but for the one who died and rose for us, God sent the Holy Spirit, God's own first gift for those who believe, to complete Jesus' work in the world and bring to fulfillment the sanctification of all.

And the hour had come for him to be glorified by you, his heavenly Father.

Having loved his own who were in the world, Jesus loved them to the end.

Supper with them, he took bread.

When he given thanks to you, he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat.

This is my body which is given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine.

When he given thanks, he gave it to them and said, Drink this, all of you.

This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for all for the forgiveness of sin.

Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of our redemption, recalling Christ's death and his descent among the dead, proclaiming his resurrection and ascension to your right hand, awaiting his coming in glory, and offering to you from the gifts you've given us, this bread and this cup, we praise you and we bless you.

We praise you and bless you.

We give thanks to you, and we pray to you, Lord our God.

Lord, we pray that at your goodness and mercy, your Holy Spirit may descend upon us and upon these gifts, sanctifying them and showing them to be holy gifts for your holy people, the bread of life and the cup of salvation, the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.

Grant that all who share of this bread and cup may become one body and one spirit, a living sacrifice in Christ to the praise of your name.

Remember, Lord, your one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, redeemed by the blood of your Christ.

Reveal its unity, guard its faith, and preserve it in peace.

Remember Michael, our presiding bishop.

Andy, Jeff, Hector, and Kay, our bishops.

And the diocesan cycle of prayer, St.

Paul's Katie.

St.

Philip the Evangelist Houston.

The priest in our community.

Mike, Craig, Jim, Bill, and William.

And all the minister in your church.

Remember all your people.

And those who think you are truth, especially Chris.

Remember all who have died in the peace of your Christ.

Especially David.

Those whose faith is known to you alone.

Bring them into the place of eternal joy and light.

And grant that we may find our inheritance with all the saints who have found favor with you in ages past.

We praise you in union with them and give you glory through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, all honor and glory are yours, Almighty God and Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.

Amen.

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, and free from the those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Christ our Passover is incarnate for us.

Therefore, these are the gifts of God.

For you, the people of God.

Amen.

May God who sent different messengers to proclaim the good news of the Savior's birth, fill you with joy, and make you heralds of God's good news.

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with you this night and remain with you always.

Amen.