“Good News is Louder Than Fear” a Christmas Eve sermon on Luke 2:1-20

Luke 2:1-20
“Good News is Louder Than Fear”
Preached Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24, 2025 (7PM) 

“Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people!”

So proclaims the host of angels to the shepherds watching their flocks on a hill outside of Bethlehem. They come, lighting up the night sky to proclaim good news! But first they say - do not be afraid!

The sermon title for this sermon is “Good News is Louder Than Fear” - this is the Good News of Christmas. But also…it gives me pause and I have to ask…is Good News…really louder than fear?

If I am being honest about my own life and experiences…not always. Fear, bad news, criticism… is pretty dang loud. There is actually something called “Negativity Bias” and studies have confirmed that it’s a real thing - that often, the bad is louder than the good. It can take up to FIVE - or even more - instances of Good News to outweigh one instance of bad news. It can take five compliments or affirmations to outweigh one negative comment. It can take five assurances that everything will be all right to outweigh that one inkling of fear.

So is Good News louder than Fear? Not according to modern psychological studies.

And the fear, the bad news of our world is loud - social media algorithms and news stations know that fear is loud. They know it garners engagement. Clicks. Purchases. More viewers. And thus, generates income for the one spreading the bad news, spreading the fear. Sometimes I think of it as the “Bogeyman Du Jour.” The “Fear of the Day” - what are we being told we should be afraid of today? And who benefits when neighbors are afraid of neighbors? When everywhere we turn there are enemies? The companies we buy guns and security cameras from? The politicians we vote for when they promise safety or an eradication of the enemy? Or just the social media algorithms and advertisers as our fear causes us to isolate more and more, spending more time on our phones, clicking further down the rabbit hole…

I don’t really need to share what the fears of today are. You know them. You know them from doom scrolling on your phone, you know them from watching the news and reading the headlines, you know them from the things that keep you awake at night, you know the voices of criticism and derision in your life - whether they come from those around you or that voice inside that tells you that you are not enough, you know them from the what ifs and fears running through your head …

Can we hear the angels saying to us this Christmas: “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people!”?

Can we let the Good News of Great Joy for All People - be louder than our fear?

Let’s turn to the backdrop of fear that this Good News was proclaimed during. Luke sets up the background of fear in his Gospel.

The Gospel of Luke starts with the words “In the time of Herod…” It has long been said that Luke was the more historical of the Gospel writers and he wanted to cement the story of Jesus’s birth in the historical narrative. This opening sentence, however, conveys more than just the year in which these events took place. It also lets us know what kind of world Jesus was born into. It is the important backdrop for everything that is about to happen.

Saying “In the time of Herod…” would be synonymous with saying
“In a time of rampant oppression,”
“In a time of economic disparity,”
“In a time of uncertainty,”
“In a time of instability.”

Perhaps this sounds not to unlike our world today.

Luke continues in the second chapter, in our Gospel reading this evening, in the Christmas story, to let us in on the background of all that was happening in the world that Jesus was born into.

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.”

In his book “The Politics of Jesus,” Obery M. Hendricks describes the horrors of Roman occupation that the Empire called “Pax Romana” - a “peace” that was achieved through violence, fear, and suppression. For instance, around the time of Jesus’s birth, in the city of Sepphoris - just three miles from Nazareth - 2,000 people were crucified by Roman forces for rebellion. In Wednesday Bible, when discussing the great inconvenience of traveling to Bethlehem for a very pregnant Mary and Joseph, one participant asked, “Why go? Do you think they debated just…not doing it?” This is why. They went because of fear. Fear for their lives if they didn’t go. And this census was going to be yet another tool of oppression, it was for taxation purposes that would further impoverish the poor - taking land and resources from the working class and farmers. All in the name of “peace - Pax Romana.”

This is the backdrop to the Nativity scene - this Christmas story of angels and Shepherds and a baby in a manger.

And so we ask - in this story, which is louder? The backdrop of fear or the Good News of Christ being born, Jesus, Emmanuel, God-With-Us, God-Enfleshed entering into our world.

Okay…deep breath. We’ve heard of fear this evening. We’ve heard of the historical context of Jesus’s birth and considered how it is similar to our world, a world saturated with fear. Again, deep breath - now, let’s hear some Good News and let it ring out louder than our fear.

“Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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 am 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 he favors!’”

“Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people!”

Do not be afraid!

The angel proclaims to the terrified Shepherds in the field that they are bringing Good News - Good News literally translates - the Gospel. Gospel is a term that we are well acquainted with in the church. We call Scripture the Gospel, we call the stories of Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John “The Gospels.” Preachers proclaim the Gospel! We bring Good News - the Good News of Jesus.

What we don’t realize in the church is that “Gospel” is a co-opted term from the Roman Empire. In the time of the angels appearing to the Shepherds in the field - “Gospel” was a politically charged term. The birth of a Roman Emperor or the conquest of a new region was proclaimed - “Gospel” by the Roman Empire. Except this “Gospel” this “Good News” was not “Good News of great joy for all the people!” The Gospel of the Empire was not joyful and it was not good. And certainly not good for all people.

So the Angel appears and uses this politically charged term but says it’s news of Great Joy for All the People? Immediately the angel signifies, my Gospel, God’s Gospel, is better than that other “good news” - that “fake good news” is you will - THIS Good News will be louder.

And then a whole HOST of angels appears in the sky singing praises to God. The word used for host here is actually also a military term. It’s basically used to describe a whole army. We don’t know exactly how many angels were in the sky singing praises to God but it’s possible that there could have been a legion, 5,000 to 6,000 angels singing God’s praises. Or a whole army of angels - and the Roman army was about 450,000 people during Jesus’s life. We don’t know but use your Biblical imaginations to imagine a host of angels in the sky - more than the eye could ever count, a whole army’s worth of angels echoing the Good News, the Gospel, of Great Joy and singing God’s praises.

Was the Good News of the Angels, multiplied over a whole host of heavenly voices - was that Good News louder than the backdrop of fear that was the Roman Empire during the Rule of Herod?

YES! Good News of Great Joy for All the People - echoed over and over and over again, enough times to outweigh the negativity bias of a world steeped in fear.

And now, consider the Shepherds, they were terrified when the angels appeared - rightfully so - but by the time they finished hearing the Good News, the Gospel, proclaimed by the angels, they went with haste to see for themselves. And after they encountered the baby Jesus in the manger, just as the angels proclaimed, Scripture says: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.”

So my question to us this evening is - how can we be like the angels and the Shepherds and proclaim the Good News of Great Joy for All People - loud enough, joyfully enough, lovingly enough, and over and over and over and over and over again - until this Good News is louder than all of our fears, than the fears of the world, from anything that would hold us back from this Good News?

Good News is louder than Fear - IF we allow it to be. If we echo it. If we magnify it. If we return from this place, glorifying and praising God for all we have heard and seen.

In a world of fear, choosing joy is a powerful act of resistance. In a world of bad news, choosing Good News is a radical form of discipleship. In our world, joining the angels in proclaiming joy and love and praising God is counter-cultural, brave, faithful.

What would your life look like if you chose, today, here, and now - to be like the host of angels and praise God with all your heart and voice? What would it look like if you chose, today, here, and now - to let all your words, your actions, your whole life - repeat the sounding joy that Jesus Christ, God-With-Us, came into this world to bring Love and Salvation to All People? What would it look like if you chose, today, here, and now - to be like the Shepherds who were changed by the Good News and returned glorifying and praising God?

What would it look like if you chose, today, here and now, that you would let your whole life be one where Good News is louder than fear? A life of joy, a life of love, a life of true peace, a life marked by hope in God’s promises, a life that is changed forever, changed for the Good, changed by the Gospel, because we hold on to Good News that the angels proclaimed that first Christmas?

Our world is full of bad news. Our world is full of negativity. Our world is full of fear. It doesn’t need echoing by us. It doesn’t need repeated by us. Our world doesn’t need us to be multipliers of fear, division, and hate. The world has enough of that. And that is not the way of Jesus.

What our world needs - what God is asking us to do - is to be bearers of The Good News of Great Joy for All People - that the God of Love loved us so much that God came to this Earth to be louder than all the Fear, to break the powers of Sin and Death, and give us a new life, a new way, marked by Joy and Love.

Let’s practice that now. Let’s practice echoing and magnifying the Good News of Great Joy for All People. Repeat after me:

Do not be afraid
Do not be afraid.

I am bringing you good news!
I am bringing you good news!

Of great joy for all the people!
Of great joy for all the people!

Good News is louder than fear!
Good News is louder than fear!

Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!

May it be so. Amen.

Christmas Eve Offertory Prayer

Emmanuel, God-With-Us,
Tonight we have brought our whole selves to celebrate your birth.
We have brought our joys and fear.
Our hopes and sorrows.
Our young and old.
Our laughter and tears.
We have remembered your Holy Nativity.
We know this worship glorifies you and magnifies your name.
We pray that as we bring these offerings before you, that they would also be pleasing to you.
That you would use all that we bring, all that we are, all that we give to you - for your purpose: to make the world a better place, a place where all would know the love of Emmanuel, of God-With-Us, and the joy of Christmas.
May it be so. Amen.

Prayer of Confession for Christmas Eve

Holy God, tonight is a night of Good News of great joy for all people. Yet we often let our fear be louder than the assurances of angels. We have failed to believe that the Good News is for us. We have not accepted that it is for all people. We have taken joy and put it on the back burner - living lives of apathy. Forgive us for not fully accepting the gift of your Son, Jesus, God-With-Us. May this Good News of Great Joy for all people transform our hearts and lives - for love of God and love of neighbor as self. Amen.

"How Does A Weary World Rejoice? We Make Room" a sermon based on Luke 2:1-20

Luke 2:1-20
“How Does A Weary World Rejoice? We Make Room”
Preached Sunday, December 24, 2023 (Christmas Eve) 

There is room for you here.
There is room for all of you here.

These are powerful statements of welcome and inclusion. The Church is at our best when we get it right. They are also part of the foundation of how I view my ministry. And they are also the foundation of the Good News of Great Joy for All the People from the Christmas Story.

And this Advent we have been talking about how our weariness and joy go hand in hand. That even in a weary world, there are reasons to hope, to connect, to sing, to rejoice. We have been using the line from the Christmas carol, “O Holy Night” - the line “a thrill of hope the weary world rejoices” to ask ourselves, “How does a weary world rejoice?” Tonight I’d like to answer that with “we make room.” Let me explain - first, starting with the Christmas story.

The traditional understanding brought to us largely by children’s Christmas pageants is that Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn but the innkeeper said, let me make some room for you - out back with the animals. Modern Biblical scholarship has talked about how Joseph, traveling to Bethlhem, where he was from, likely had family in town. And he and Mary would have been invited into what was essentially the traditional living room of a peasant family home - where animals too would have been welcomed in the night. Perhaps you noted that the Scripture I read this morning, a translation that came out in the last couple years, said “because there was no place in the guest room” rather than no place in the inn.

Whatever the case may be - in a stable or in a living room with animals… room was made. In those days when the emperor decreed that everyone had to go to their hometowns to be registered - which, to be clear, was a political act of oppression. If everyone was registered then they could tax them more, taxes that kept the poor in poverty and the emperor in riches. Taxes that suppressed revolution because everyone was focused on surviving, on just getting by. In a world that had seen massacres and violence at the hand and in the name of the emperor. In a world that would continue to be witness and victim to extreme violence - I am thinking of the slaughter of the innocents that was ordered when Herod heard of Jesus’s birth where all baby boys under two were ordered to be killed. In a world that was full and busy and hurried and overcrowded and beaten down and oppressed and weary - in that world, God made room.

God made room in this world, in the story of our salvation, in the middle of the narrative, God made room to come to us. To be with us. To be Emmanuel, God-With-Us. Jesus, God incarnate in a babe.

God came to us in Jesus, God came to us a human. Fully divine, yes, and fully human. In this amazing and salvific act, God is signaling to humanity, telling us that all of our messy and weary humanity, all of our sorrow and heartbreak, all of our needs and dreams, all of our joy and love - all that we are are that makes us human - that there is room for all of that, all of us, with the Divine. God in Jesus says to us, “there is room for you here - there is room for all of you with me.” God in Jesus is saying, “Just as I came to you, just as you were, come to me just as you are - I will make room for you here. There is always room for all of you in my divine embrace.”

…

And then - in the Christmas story, God continues to make more room. God invites more guests.

God invites the Shepherds to come and see! And perhaps even come and see with their sheep too. The Shepherds being invited represents how God makes room for the least expected and the lowly. They also represent the kind of king this baby would become - like a shepherd, leading with care and love. And the sheep - perhaps also representing how God came to save and redeem ALL of creation.

And then, a little later in the Christmas narrative, God invites the magi or the wisemen. These are people of a different religion, a different ethnicity, from a different region and yet God sent a star in the sky to invite them. Because God invites in and makes room for even the outsiders, especially the outsiders. There is room for all in the arms of God.

When we think of the Christmas story, it is often shaped by the phrase, “there was no room in the inn… or guest bed.” What if instead, instead of thinking of the lack of room, instead of starting with a narrative of scarcity, we re-shaped our associations with this story. What if we turned “there was no room” into “in the midst of a crowded, oppressed, and weary world - God made room.”

God made room to become fully human. To be with us and to dwell with us. To know intimately what it means to be human.
God made room for miracles. For Good News of Great Joy in a weary world.
God made room to include all: the last, the least, and the forgotten. The outsiders and the unexpected. The animals and all creation.
God made room on that first Christmas - room in God’s story of Divine salvation and love.

This Christmas, let us make room too.

Room to accept ourselves as the complex human beings we are - who carry sorrow and joy, weariness and hope alongside each other.
Room to accept the last, the least, and the forgotten.
Room to draw our circles wider, pull up chairs, and include the outsiders on the inside.
Room to accept God’s embrace of us - all of us - and room to extend that embrace to others.

This Christmas, let us make room. In our hearts, our homes, our lives.
For weariness and joy.
For each other.
For all.
For God’s good news of great joy for all.
Make room for all the ways that God is acting in our weary world - from that first Christmas when God made room in our world for Jesus, when God made room to be with us, until now - where God is still making room.

There is room for you here.
There is room for all of you here.
There is room for all in God’s divine embrace.
Let us rejoice.

Merry Christmas. Amen.

“From Generation to Generation…We Tell the Story” a Christmas Eve sermon on Luke 2:1-20

Luke 2:1-20
“From Generation to Generation…We Tell the Story”
Preached Saturday, December 24, 2022/Xmas Eve

For many people, a central way to observe Christmas - right up there with exchanging gifts, family get-togethers, and candlelight Christmas Eve services…is watching and re-watching our favorite Christmas movies.

What are people’s favorite Christmas movies - one you have to watch every year? Go ahead, shout them out, share with each other. What are your favorite Christmas movies? 

Let congregation answer.

So now we ask - why are these our favorite Christmas movies? I’d venture to guess it’s the way they make us feel. The nostalgia, the warmth, the feel-goodness. And I’d also venture to guess that it’s the message they share with us: a message often of goodwill to our fellow humans, of generosity, of righting wrongs, of hope for a better future.

My favorite Christmas movie is A Christmas Carol …actually, it’s A Muppet Christmas Carol which celebrated its 30 year anniversary this Christmas season. Along with the classic Dickens Christmas ghost story we get shenanigans from Gonzo and Rizzo. But really, any re-telling of A Christmas Carol is going to be near the top of my Christmas story favorites.

Just this week I watched Spirited starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds which follows Scrooge, now dead and having filled the role of Christmas Present trying to redeem a media specialist who excels at causing outrage and division for the gain of his clients - a man who has been deemed “Unredeemable.”

We might think - another retelling of A Christmas Carol? Does this story really need to be told again?  When you Google “How many adaptations of ‘A Christmas Carol’ are there?” The wikipedia page lists 33 film adaptations of the movie! And that’s not even counting the other mediums of theater and tv. Why do we tell this story over and over? And I think it’s beyond that Hollywood is out of original ideas. We tell the story over and over because we need to hear that every single one of us is redeemable. We need to hear that no one is beyond change. We need to hear that deep down at our core, we are all good

And that’s a message that is worth telling and re-telling, through books and movies and musicals and with muppets and in every way we can.

Which brings me to another Christmas story that is worth telling and re-telling, over and over again, in every way we can, and at all the times we can - and a hint, we’ve already told it once tonight: the story of Christ’s birth.

This is the story that drew each of us here tonight. This is a story that we continue to come back to. That holds a certain place in our hearts and our lives. And just like in A Christmas Carol, the story we tell over and over isn’t just about the facts. It isn’t just that it took place in Bethlehem. It isn’t just that the child was born of Mary and that they named him Jesus. It isn’t just that baby Jesus was laid in a manger. It isn’t even that angels proclaimed his birth. It isn’t the story itself, if you will, but it’s the power behind the story, the way it makes us feel, the message it gives us.

When we hear the Christmas story…I would venture to say that it gives us hope. It gives us a sense of peace - perhaps it even empowers us to work toward peace. It gives us contagious joy. It fills us with love.

Why do we get chills every year when we light the candles and sing Silent Night? Why do I fight back tears every year when I look out at all of you, holding little lights in the darkness, singing the story we know so well.

Why has this story, THE Christmas story, been told over and over again for the over 80 generations since Christ’s birth?

Each and every generation, no matter what they are living through, no matter what war, what trial, what recession, what disaster… no matter what answers they are seeking…when we turn to this timeless story, we find a story that we need to hear.

A story of hope, peace, joy, and love.
A story of God-with-us.
A story of God loves you.
A story of God who so loved the world that God came among us.
A story of God who changes the world…
Changes the world through a baby,
Through miracles,
Through wonder,
Through triumph in the midst of trauma.

This is the Christmas Story. Behind the details of Christ’s birth, behind the narrative, behind whatever way we tell it - whether it’s from reading the Scripture, the stories we tell our children and grandchildren, or through singing about it in Christmas carols - beyond the story is a message we all need to hear:

That God loves you and God loves me and God loves us all so much that God came to earth in the form of a babe, to live and love as one of us, among us, to share God’s radical message of hope, and peace, and joy, and love with all world - a message we all long to hear.

So this Christmas, tell the story.
Pass it on through the generations.
And in the telling and hearing of the Christmas story, may your heart hear the message behind the story: That God is With Us and God loves you.

Merry Christmas! Amen.

"Close to Home: Invited Home" a Christmas Eve sermon on Luke 2:1-20

Luke 2:1-20
“Close to Home: Invited Home”
Preached Friday, December 24 (Christmas Eve)

Our Mission statement here at Grace is to invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community. And tonight, if you are worshipping with us either here in the pews or online, you have accepted that invitation. Accepted the invitation to worship together, to celebrate Christmas, to be surrounded by love and care this night.

Welcome. Welcome into this space, a space we know is physical for those here and a space that is intangible, a state of mind and heart and soul, for those joining us from afar. Tonight, wherever you may be, may you feel at home. Welcome home. May you find God here tonight. The God of Love, Emmanuel, God-with-us, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. May you wonder at the Christ-child. May you find joy. May you be part of a Christ-centered community. May you feel like this place here tonight is home.

And speaking of invitations: the Christmas story can actually be tracked in invitations extended and invitations accepted.

Zechariah and Elizabeth accept the angel's invitation to have a child, John, who would be the one to prepare people for the Messiah.

The crowds in the desert accept John's invitation to repent, be baptized, and change the way they treat each other to be more just and loving.

Mary accepts God's invitation to be the Mother of God, to accept the impossible, to bring God-with- us into the world.

And when there was no invitation for a hotel or a traditional room, someone, an unnamed person, invited Mary and Joseph into their space - maybe all they had to give, so that the Christ-child could be laid in a manger.

Due to an invitation, newborn Jesus had a place to rest his head. Christ is born. Merry Christmas.

The invitations, however, don't stop here. Angels appeared to shepherds in the field and invited them to come and see the Savior, the Messiah, a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. The shepherds accept the angel's invitation and are among the first to worship the Newborn king…but can you imagine Mary's face and reaction when the shepherds just showed up right after having given birth and wanting to see her baby? SHE didn’t extend the invitation. Mary, still bleeding, covered in bodily fluids, exhausted beyond comprehension, hormones flooding through her body , trying to get baby Jesus to just latch deeply, a first-time mom holding the son of God to her breast in a space that is already less than ideal and then these uninvited guests show.

Shepherds were not considered unclean in the ritual, religious sense but most likely were unclean in the physical, smelling like sheep literal sense. Shepherds were among the lowest workers and could have been men, women, or even children. And they might even have brought their sheep with them! Divine revelations don't wait for shift changes or stop at the pen to drop off the sheep first…

So there Mary is, in all her after-birth, post-partum glory and these uninvited shepherds, their sheep, and all the accompanying smells, noises, and crowd come pouring in.

Oi vey.

Now, the Little Drummer boy is not Biblical but the shepherds showing up reminds me of all the memes on this very subject: Basically the idea that Mary, exhausted, having just gotten baby Jesus to Sleep is approached by a young man who thinks to himself: what this girl needs is a drum solo.

(images)

And as one fairly new mom to another, I would not have faulted Mary for kicking that drummer boy out or, back to the Scriptures, to say to the shepherds and the sheep. What are you DOING here!?

The uninvited guests don't stop there either. Although not present at the birth, the magi, wise men, three kings - whatever name you would like to call them - show up at the home of Mary and Jesus. Strangers from strange lands - invited by a star - not by you - showing up at your doorstep.

And really, this uninvited guests thing is a huge point of the Christmas story

Because when you invite Jesus into your life, your home, your heart - expect Jesus to then invite others without checking with you first. When you invite Jesus into your heart or accept Jesus's invitation to know him - both, really - you lose all control of the guest list. Jesus tells us as much when he tells us that he came for the last, the lost, and the least. His ministry is focused on extending invitations to those who society leaves out.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that when we give the hungry food, when we give the thirsty a drink, when we see a stranger and welcome them in, when we give the naked clothes, when we visit the sick and the prisoner - we do these things to Jesus himself. When we welcome Jesus into our lives, we also welcome in the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and prisoner.

This Christmas as we welcome Jesus into this world and celebrate him in our homes, we are called to look towards the least, the last, and the lost. Christ truly invites ALL to his heavenly banquet table. We are also called to make our guests lists, our homes, our tables look more like Christ’s. This Christmas and beyond.

Knowing that uninvited guests show up at the nativity and in our lives when we invite Christ in, reminds us that we don't earn or deserve our spot on Jesus's invite list either. It's an invitation given not by merit, but by love. So this Christmas, let us all extend invitations of love - love to God, love to neighbor, love to all those whom Jesus came for, the last, the lost, and the least. Love to all. Period. There is the grace in knowing that none of us deserve our spots on the invite list - but they are given to us anyway, out of love. A love that God has for us that God came amidst great darkness, turmoil, stress - all the things of this world 2,000 years ago and our reality this night - God came in the midst of that to take on flesh, become human in the form of a newborn babe, God incarnate, God divine. Emmanuel. God with us. God loves us so much - that God came to Earth to invite us all home. Home with Jesus. This Christmas, you’re invited. Invited to know the love of God. So this Christmas, let’s extend that same invitation to all.

Merry Christmas. Amen.

"Soon." Christmas Eve Sermon, 2020

Christmas Eve Sermon, 2020

Luke 2:1-20

“Soon.”

Preached Thursday, December 24, 2020 at Vermilion Grace United Methodist Church via FB Live

As members of my congregation know, I have just barely returned from maternity leave. I gave birth to my first child, Agnes, on September 11. I knew when I was pregnant that I would be returning to work, the church, just before Christmas. And within the first week of my leave, as I reflected on my experience in labor, I actually wrote this sermon - not yet on paper, but in my head, knowing that I would be sharing these thoughts on Christmas Eve. So a content warning, I will be referencing childbirth and labor but only in the literal sense for the introduction of my sermon. 

See, during my labor and the days and weeks that followed I could only pray one word prayers. Christian writer Anne Lammott says that there are really only three types of prayers and they can be summed up in one word each: Help, Thanks, and Wow. And I have found this to be infinitely true.

Lately I have been praying a lot of help prayers. In fact every night I pray a "help" prayer. The prayer is just one word over and over "sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep." And since I'm talking to God I do throw in a couple of pleases. "Please Lord, let us all just sleep. Sleep sleep sleep sleep please."

But there have also been plenty of wows and plenty of thanks.

So much can be said with a wow or a thank you.

Deep appreciation for one's body and what it's been through. Gratitude for community that surrounds you with love. Appreciation for the beauty of nature, whether that be in a newborn's face or the fresh fallen snow.

But the one word prayer that I want to focus on this evening is the prayer "Soon."

Soon. Soon. Soon.

When I was in the throes of labor this is all I could think. All I could pray, in my head or outloud.

Soon. Soon. Soon.

As the pain of birth and labor intensified. I prayed soon. Soon. Soon.

I could only think the word "soon." But there was so much intensity of emotion and thought behind it.

Let this pain be over soon.

Let me meet my baby soon.

Let all be well and healthy SOON.

Soon. Soon. Soon.

The Christian tradition of Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas where we prepare for Christ's birth, are rife with labor metaphors and not just because of Mary's pregnancy.

I wonder if Mary prayed the one word prayer of soon:

Let this long journey on camel be over soon.

Let us find a place to stay soon.

Let this child come soon.

Let God do this new thing through me soon.

Soon. Soon. Soon.

Advent is, in a way, us praying a one word pray over and over to God: Soon. Soon. Soon.

Let Christmas be here soon.

Let these dark nights and short days end soon.

Let the world be filled with hope, peace, joy, and love soon.

May we experience Christ's presence with us soon.

Soon. Soon. Soon.

In Advent we wait.

We wait for the celebration of Christ's birth. An event that happened in the past.

We wait for Christmas morning, for gifts and laughter and joy.

And Advent isn't just about Christ's birth, it's about his return. So we wait. We wait for that day where Emmanuel, God With Us, will truly come and dwell among us again, bringing the Kingdom of God to fruition here on Earth.

Our Advent prayers are:

Soon - remind us of the wonder and love of God.

Soon - let us once again experience the magic of Christmas day.

Soon - come into our lives and world once again, Jesus. Redeem us. Redeem all of creation. Make us whole.

Soon. Soon. Soon.

All the earth is crying out in the labor pains of Christmas, awaiting Jesus's second coming. This Christmas, may we recognize the twangs of pain for what they are.

Where there is violence and war may we hear all of creation crying out - bring us peace, Lord! Soon!

Where there is disease may we hear all of creation crying out - bring us healing, bring us hope - Soon, Lord, soon!

Where there is pollution and devastation, eroded coastlines, failed crops - may we hear all the earth crying out - Soon, Lord! Make us whole!

Where there is oppression. Where there is hunger. Where there is isolation. Wherever there are pains in this world may we begin to hear them as all of creation crying out to God: Soon! Soon! Soon!

Soon! End our pain. Soon! Give birth to a new thing. Soon! Let God's Kingdom reign.

Christmas is a reminder that the day of "soon" has already come - God was born into this world in the form of a newborn baby. God is with us. We are never alone.

Christmas is a reminder that soon can come right now. What new thing is God doing in you this Christmas? Where is God calling you to birth peace, hope, joy, and love into this world, this Christmas?

And Christmas is a reminder that soon is yet to come. And we set our eyes on that day. That the final soon has not yet arrived but God promised that it would. That the work that God begun through Jesus will be completed. That one day, God will descend to us again. That one day God will redeem all creation, birthing a new heaven and a new earth where all will be at perfect peace and perfect love. A Kingdom that will know no end, no death, no tears. A Kingdom that will be filled with the power of the resurrection of Easter and the wonder and love of Christmas Day.

And so this Christmas, with all of creation, we pray: Soon. Soon. Soon.

Amen.

Christmas Confession (Based on Isaiah 9:2-7)

Christmas Confession (Based on Isaiah 9:2-7)

Forgive us, Lord, for when we get so caught up in the darkness that we forget to look at the light.
Forgive us for all the time we spend in the valley:
Fighting amongst ourselves
Focusing on worldly success
Just going day to day without rest, praise, or pray.
Forgive us for when we fail to ease the burden of our neighbors. Forgive us still for when we add to it.
Forgive us Lord. Help us repent. Turn our hearts toward you and our eyes towards the sky.
May we see light shining in the darkness. May you increase our joy. May you rescue the oppressed. May you empower all to live into the light and joy of Christmas.
Until that day when there is endless peace and Christ reigns with justice and righteousness, guide our steps ever toward Bethlehem that we may be filled with wonder and love at the sight of Christ the newborn King.
Amen.

L: Hear the Good News! Christ came into this world, God incarnate, in flesh, while we were yet sinners, This proves God’s love towards us. In the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven.
P: In the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven.
All: Glory to God. Amen.

Christmas Eve Advent Wreath/Candle Lighting Liturgy

Christmas Eve Advent Wreath/Candle Lighting Liturgy

L: Through the darkest nights of the year we have prayed:
P: Come, Lord Jesus.
L: In a world where all can seem lost, we have looked toward this night for hope.
P: Come, Lord Jesus, Bringer of Hope.

*lights candle of hope*

L: Our eyes and ears are bombarded with war, violence, disruption, but at the manger there is peace.
P: Come, Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace.

*lights candle of peace*

L: In what is sold as a season of merriment, we know that hardship and grief abound. May we not lose sight of our joy in you.
P: Come, Lord Jesus, Child of Joy.

*lights candle of joy*

L: Our hearts ache to reach out and touch each other, for kindness to spread like warmth, we long for the fundamental need of all humanity: to love and be loved.
P: Come, Lord Jesus, Lover of our Souls.

*lights candle of love*

L: Too long we have walked in the darkness...but on Christmas, 2000 years ago and Christmas today, tonight, a Light has entered the world and the darkness cannot overcome it.
P: Come, Lord Jesus, Light of the World,

*lights Christ candle*

L: Christmas is here. Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love are here!
P: Jesus is here, Bethlehem's matchless child!
L: Christmas is here! All the world rejoices!
All: Christmas is here! Let us worship Christ the King!

Lighting of the Advent & Christ Candles (Christmas Eve/Day)

Lighting of the Advent & Christ Candles (Christmas Eve/Day)

L: We light the candle of hope, nurturing that flame that was light when Christ was born
in a manger and kindling it until Christ returns again, renewing and redeeming all creation.

All: O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie,
above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in the darkness shineth the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

L: We light the candle of peace, seeking to be peacemakers in all we do
and praying for that day when the Prince of Peace shall reign.

All: Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

L: We light the candle of joy, trusting deeply in God’s goodness
and never failing to rely on our Savior, God with us.

All: Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King;
let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and heaven, and nature sing.

L: We light the candle of love, worshiping a God who is love,
and who gave to us a son, God-incarnate, Emmanuel, God, Love, with us.

All: Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born  at Christmas; star and angels gave the sing.

L: We light the Christ candle, for unto us a Savior was born, born this Christmas morning.

All: O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Prayer After Receiving, Christmas Eve

Prayer After Receiving

Holy God,

We give you thanks for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.

Thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with Us.

May we who are the Body of Christ in this world
carry the message of Christmas out with us wherever we may go,
spreading love and joy, until that day when Christ comes again and redeems all creation.
Amen.