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Sermon for Christmas Eve 2003St. Luke’s Church, Jamestown, NYEric M. Williams “Heaven on Earth”
There is no night which evokes the same feelings as this night, no night which we anticipate with such joy. For weeks we have been getting ready, engaging in personal, family and civic traditions which have become precious to us. Cards, presents, parties, concerts, decorations. Frankly, some times it feels like too much of a good thing. But what would we leave out, what would we sacrifice? All this hoopla, all this effort, all to celebrate one birthday, the arrival of one baby. He didn’t look different from any other baby. He cried just the same, nursed just the same, spit up just the same. His birth went unremarked by most people even in Bethlehem. Yet, over two thousand years later, we are still celebrating. If residents of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Rome, even Nazareth had been asked on the day of Jesus’ birth whose birthday would still be celebrated hundreds or even thousands of years hence, they would probably not have guessed Jesus. Instead they would have guessed Caesar. And for good reason. Caesar Augustus was one of the great rulers of his or any time. Under his rule Rome became one of the greatest empires of all time. The Pax Romana, Roman Peace, gave order and stability to much of the ancient world. He was even acclaimed as a god after his death. But it was not this king whose reign endured. The Kingdom of Caesar quickly became corrupt and violent and fell within a few centuries. Today it survives only in magnificent ruins. No one throws even a small party on Caesar’s birthday. While the Kingdom of Jesus endures. Christmas is the triumphant celebration not just of the birth of a baby, but of the birth of the Kingdom of Heaven— heaven on earth. Our celebration is not just about something that happened in the past, but something that continues today. And while we celebrate with joy, in many ways the kingdom of heaven is hard to figure out. Our King of kings and Lord of lords never lived in a palace, never commanded an army, never enjoyed great wealth, never wore a golden crown. He was born in a stable and lived his adult life as a wanderer, a teacher, with no possessions that he could call his own. The only crown he ever wore was a crown of thorns. This past Sunday several of us from church went to see The Return of the King, the third movie in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings epic. It is a marvelous movie, a marvelous story. The characters face monstrous evil and defeat it. After leading the good guys to victory, the king is restored to his throne, and a new age of peace and justice is begun. Yet I was struck as I put the images of the movie alongside the images of Christmas, how different the Kingdom of Jesus truly is. It is much harder to see, much more difficult to recognize. The Kingdom of Heaven is not revealed in a mighty battle or a glorious enthronement. Many cannot see it at all. Instead the Kingdom of Heaven is revealed only to those who have the eyes of faith. Jesus said again and again that the kingdom is here, but it is hidden, secret. Only those who look for it will find it. The Kingdom of Heaven was revealed first in the unlikeliest place imaginable— an animal’s feeding trough in a barn. It was revealed first to the unlikeliest people imaginable— a bunch of shepherds considered unclean even by their own people. And the first to understand its significance were equally unlikely-- foreigners, heathen magicians from the far East. Not a very auspicious beginning. No wonder it was hard to recognize in this humble birth the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It’s still hard. The world remains full of violence and corruption. The Kingdom of heaven that Jesus promised, the Kingdom of justice and love, of peace on earth and goodwill to men seems forever out of reach. But here for me is the message of Christmas. Christmas brings heaven to earth. To see the Kingdom of Heaven, however, we must look for it. We must open the eyes of our faith. For the Kingdom of Heaven is all around us. We feel it right now as we worship on this holy night, as we sing the carols and see the crèche. And we can see it other times as well. The Kingdom of Heaven is revealed in every kind word, every thoughtful gesture, every generous gift. It comes to life every time enemies become friends. Whenever an innocent person is freed from jail, whenever wrongs are put right, whenever the hungry are fed, the naked clothed, whenever justice is done the Kingdom is at hand, heaven exists on earth. The Kingdom of Heaven rarely makes the news, for it is present in all those occasions when violence is averted, when the potential terrorist has a change of heart, when the potential criminal puts down his weapon. It is felt by all those who know the healing power of God in body, mind and spirit: the abused child who gets help as an adult and ends the cycle, the alcoholic who finds the strength to stay sober one day at a time, the cancer patient who gets a new lease on life, the dying person who finds the grace to let go and trust God. Unlike earthly kingdoms which always in the end disappoint us, the Kingdom of Heaven is a kingdom of everlasting peace and justice. It will never be completely realized on earth until the end of time when Christ returns to establish his kingdom in its fullness. Until then we must continue to look for glimpses of heaven on earth. The amazing thing is that once we start to look for them, the signs are everywhere. These last few months I have been treated to glimpses of heaven right here. The joy this past weekend of a vocation long felt beginning to be realized. Another person whose life was full of darkness suddenly bursting forth in strength and beauty. A quiet gathering of family at the funeral of a beloved patriarch; others gaining courage to face their demons and succeeding! A young married couple working to keep the flame alive. Another couple facing down time and age with dignity and courage. And half a world away young men and women faithfully serving God and country as they fight and die to bring peace and justice to Iraq and end the scourge of terrorism. I saw a glimpse of heaven at the Salvation Army last week when I went to drop off some of the 75 gifts you gave for our angel tree. There in the gym were a mountain of gifts--clothing and toys— given to brighten the Christmas of thousands of children and families in our community. The shepherds were the first to see the signs of heaven on earth. They heard the message of the angels, they saw the baby in the manger. And then they told the good news far and wide so that others who walked in darkness could see the light. And that is our Christmas joy and challenge as well. In a world still full of too much darkness, we need to open our ears to hear again the message of joy, open our eyes to see the glimpses of heaven on earth. And then, like the shepherds, we need to tell this good news, because it is not just for us, but a message of hope for the whole world. May God bless you and your family this Christmas, may you see and know the gift of heaven on earth and may you have grace to share that gift with others.
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410 North Main Street, Jamestown, New York 14701Phone (716)483-6405 * Fax (716)483-6406 * stluke@madbbs.com |
