"A Song, A Star, A Savior"

(Matthew 2: 1-12, Luke 2: 1-20)

Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

INTRODUCTION:

In a FAMILY CIRCUS cartoon, Dolly, the little girl, is sitting with her baby brother, P.J. on her lap and she's telling him the story of Christmas. It goes something like this: "Jesus was born just in time for Christmas up at the North Pole surrounded by 8 tiny reindeer and the Virgin Mary. Then Santa Claus showed up with lots of toys and stuff and some swaddling clothes. The three wise men and elves all sang carols while the Little Drummer Boy and Scrooge helped Joseph trim the tree. In the meantime, Frosty the Snowman saw this star . . . ." Dolly got most of the basics of the story, but kind of mixed them all up with all the other worldly traditions and additions that we've made over the years.

So, this evening I'd like to deal with some of the basic elements of the Christmas story. The rush and turmoil of Christmas shopping, decorating and parties, is behind us, and now it's time to deal with those quiet, precious truth that occupies such an important place in our hearts. There are three things we need this Christmas eve to make this Christmas a time of spiritual growth and renewal.

I. A SONG:

A. First of all, we need a song we can sing. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the sounds of the carols in the air. "Silent Night," "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "Joy to the World", "O Holy Night", our hearts rejoice to hear the triumphant hymns and the tender carols that herald this special season of the year. I can't imagine Christmas without listening to the sound of a great choir like ours. There is something about Christmas that just lends itself to music filled with adoration and praise.

And the greatest Christmas song of all was the song of the angels sung to shepherds on the Judean hillside, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men."

That's a song we need to sing everyday of the year. It's a song and a prayer we need to sing and pray as we face the turmoil of the middle east and the uncertainty of simply living day to day. Without good will toward one another, we will never have peace on earth.

B. During World War II an air strip was built on a small tropical island in the South Pacific. The chaplain and others had tried to tell the natives about the Christian faith, but the natives responded slowly. Orders came to move on at Christmas 1943. The departing Americans gave a farewell party with makeshift gifts, and several tried to explain the origin of Christmas and the true meaning of the Christmas spirit. A few years later this very same chaplain stopped at the island on his way to a Far East assignment. He was greeted with excitement and taken to see the beautiful Church which the natives had built. Over the doorway was crudely lettered, "This is our Church, built on faith and brotherly love."

The chaplain stayed for a worship service in the church. There were no seats; the songs were all Christmas carols because those were the only ones they knew. One native explained to the chaplain, "After you left, we built the Church to worship Jesus. We worship Him with the only service we know - Christmas, the Day He was born. Every day is Christmas here. Every day the Christ child is born anew. Our gift to give is love. Our Church, we call it, the Christmas Church."

Our world needs a Song to sing so that we can be reminded that Christ can be born in our hearts everyday.

II. A STAR:

A. The second thing we need is a star to follow. This may be the greatest need of our time and our generation. We need to find a a star, a singular goal, objective, or ideal upon which we can fix our gaze and toward which we can move together. One of the tragedies of our time is that people are pulling in so many different directions.

We need a star to follow. Not a Hollywood star. Not Woody Allen or Kevin Costner. Not a Music Star like Celine Dion or Tony Bennet. We need a star like the Wise men followed. We need a vision! A vision of a better world toward which to strive. I think there's an urgent demand upon the church today, to translate the concept of the Kingdom of God into concrete Twenty-first Century terms. And not only translate it but live it as well.

B. Harry Emerson Fosdick, in his book, ON BEING FIT TO LIVE WITH, tells of a church on the coast of England that had been destroyed in a hurricane. Its members felt unable to build it again, and the ruins remained untouched. One day, however, the British Admiralty sent a representative to urge its rebuilding. He told the people that if they did not rebuild the church, the government of England would. Then he added: "That spire is on our charts and maps. It is the landmark by which the ships of the seven seas steer their course."

The basic decency and honesty of Christmas is part of God's Kingdom. Our world is in search of something to believe in. It wants to know that traditional values are alive and relevant to this new age. People look to the church to put that star back into the heavens. That is the second thing we need: A star that we can follow.

III. A SAVIOR:

A. The final, but most important thing we need is a savior we can worship. I'm not the savior and neither is any other pastor, preacher or priest. All we can do is point the way. but then so can you. And hopefully, we will all do it faithfully.

Norman A. McMurray tells about a palace in the city of Rome which has a great high dome. Inside that dome there is a painting known as "The Dawn" by Guido Reni. In order for visitors may see this masterpiece, a table has been placed directly beneath the dome, and on the table a mirror. When you looks into the mirror, you see the majestic painting far above. That's what this birth of this baby is all about. That's what the Incarnation is all about. Jesus of Nazareth is the "mirror-image" of God.

B. Do you remember Louis Cassels' famous parable of the birds? It was Christmas Eve and the man's wife and children were getting ready to go to church. But he wasn't going. "I simply can't understand what Christmas is all about, this claim that God became man," he told his wife.

It had been snowing all day and it was beginning to snow harder as the man's family rode off to church without him. He drew a chair up to the fireplace and began to read his newspaper. A few minutes later, there was a thudding sound at the kitchen window. When he went to investigate, he found a flock of birds out in the back yard. They had been caught in the storm, and in a desperate search for shelter, were trying to fly through the kitchen window. Now this man was a very kind man so he tried to think of something he could do so the birds wouldn't freeze. "The barn!" he thought. That would

be a nice shelter.

He put on his coat and boots and tramped through the deepening snow to the barn and opened the door wide and turned on the light. But the birds didn't come in. "Food will bring them in," he thought. So, he hurried back to the house for bread crumbs which he sprinkled on the snow to make a trail to the barn.

But the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around waving his arms. But they scattered in every direction except into the warm, lighted barn. "They find me a strange and terrifying creature," he said to himself, "and I can't seem to think of any way to let them know they can trust me."

Puzzled and dismayed, he thought to himself, "If only I could be a bird for just a moment, maybe I could lead them to safety. If only I could be a bird myself..."

Just then the church bells began to ring, pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. The man stood silently for a minute, then sank to his knees in the snow and began to pray.

"Now I understand," he whispered as he lifted his gaze to the sky. "Now I see why You had to become one of us."

CONCLUSION:

The world needs that reflection of God's goodness and love. It needs it before it will be able to sing the song of "Peace on earth and Good Will to all." It needs it before it will recognize and follow the star of traditional values. It needs a Savior that it can worship.

And that is our greatest need as well: We come tonight to kneel before the manger of Bethlehem. We come to kneel and feast at the greatest banquet ever spread before the world. As you come tonight, as you kneel, pray "Come into my heart, Lord Jesus." Then within your hearts you'll hear the song and behold again the star. And our Savior will be born again in your life and make you His own.

This is the Word of the Lord for this evening.