Christmas
Cycle C
December 25, 2012 4pm and Midnight
Saint
Margaret Parish, Bel Air
When Night Ends
Some
centuries ago, a wise old rabbi once asked his students how they could tell
when night had ended and day was on its way back.
The
students first responded, “Could it be
when you see an animal in the distance and can tell whether it is a sheep or a
dog?” The old rabbi answered, “No!”
Then
the students said, “Could it be when you
look at a tree in the distance and can tell whether it is a fig tree or a peace
tree?” And again the old rabbi
answered, “No!”
Now the
students were frustrated. So they asked,
“Well, then, when is it?”
The old
rabbi responded, “It is when you look on
the face of any man or woman and see that she or he is your brother or
sister. Because if you cannot do that,
then no matter what time it is, it is still night.”
O Holy Night
Tonight,
we celebrate a very special night.
The
famous Christmas Carol proclaims this O
Holy Night. And we call this Holy because what happens on his night
marks or intends to mark the end of night.
The
birth of Jesus Christ is the moment when “day
is on its way back,” to use the words of the wise, old rabbi. This makes night begin to end and day begin
to return in several ways.
Day Returns: Brothers and Sisters
First,
the infant in Bethlehem embraces all human beings.
This
child attracts and reaches out to the poor, lower-class, uneducated
shepherds. And he attracts and reaches
out to the more affluent, upper-class, educated wise men.
With
his outstretched arms, Jesus sees everyone as brother and sister. And so, with him, the day is on its way back
as we are empowered to look on the face of all persons and see our oneness with
them.
The
words of O Holy Night invite us to do
this.
“Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.”
Day Returns:
Self-Worth
And then the infant in Bethlehem affirms our absolute worth
as persons.
God taking on our humanity proclaims the inherent value of
each person. No longer do we need to
look for self-worth or self-esteem in any other place.
The birth of Jesus has so fused the human with the divine
that the night of self-doubt and self-deprecation is over. The day has come to feel assured of our inherent
value, from our first moment in the womb to our last breath before meeting God
face to face.
And again, the words of O
Holy Night convey this so well.
“Long lay the world
in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared
and the soul felt its worth.”
Day Returns: Hope
And finally, the infant in Bethlehem gives us hope.
Sometimes we grow weary trying to keep up with the stresses
of everyday life. Sometimes we grow
weary as we look at the extent of the problems facing our country and our world.
In the midst of this, the infant offers us the hope of “Emmanuel – God is with us.” He offers us the assurance of his presence
each step of life’s way, sustaining us through each minute of personal “night” until
personal “day” starts to come back.
And again, the words of O
Holy Night lift up this hope.
“A thrill of hope,
the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a
new and glorious morn.”
Conclusion
So, the night begins to end and the day is on its way back.
This happens because the infant in Bethlehem embraces all
persons as brothers and sisters, affirms our absolute self-worth, and by all
means gives us hope for the light of day.
And so, no wonder we sing:
“O holy night, the
stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of
the dear Savior’s birth!”
