That is Christmas.

Rev. Clevis O. Laverty

The scriptures tell us that Christmas is something else too. It is not only the gift that God gave of himself; it is what happens when you receive that gift and begin to live in the spirit of his life. The scriptures say that "the shepherds returned glorifying God for all they had heard and seen." That is part of Christmas too.

This babe who was born in a manger grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. One day when he went to church in his home town, the preacher asked him to read the scripture. He turned to the prophet and read, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted; to bring deliverance to the captives; recovery of sight to the blind; and to set at liberty them that are bruised.”

When he had finished, he said, “Today is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.” And this was the program he followed so that after his death, he was described as a man who went about doing good. That was Christmas.

Christmas — The birth of Christ in men's hearts

In the maternity ward of a New York hospital, a doctor faced the sad task of informing a young father that his child had lived but an hour or so. He sympathized as best he could and as he was about to leave the father said: “Doctor, I have read that human eyes are needed for the cornea operations. Could my baby's eyes be used that someone might see again?”

And so a working man, head of a large family, blinded in an industrial accident and a young mother who lost her sight in a cook stove explosion were able to see again, thanks to the thoughtfulness of a young father. That is Christmas, whether it be June or December.

That angel that was added...not seen since...space station orbit...don't trust the power of angels. Can you see an atom? No. But you can see what it does. Can you see an angel? No. But you can see its power at work.

Look at the church...it has problems of adjustment...sure, it reflects imperfections of yourself...but look with sympathetic eyes...she struggles...in an atom bomb world...bringing the angel's message to fearful and anxious men.

Listen to those words: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings...for unto you is born...a Savior which is Christ the Lord.

Once...prep for great feast...went well...expected many...the night came...many gathered...the feast began...Where was the guest of honor? In the midst of expensive preparations and busy times, the guest had not been invited.

This parable characterizes many...this season...the activity...the busyness...the schedules...festivities...feasts...but often the guest of honor hasn't been invited. At the center of this vital energy, there is an emptiness, an ironic vacancy.

The mission of the church is to ensure that people invite the guest to their Christmas festivities so that Jesus Christ gives meaning to the season, the church community...homes...hearts. Otherwise, it's a nerve-wracking routine for naught—winter without Christmas.

Listen to a phrase from an English hymnal
And to those who never listened
To the message of Thy birth
Who have winter, but no Christmas
Bringing them peace on earth,
Send to these the joyful tidings;
By all people, in each home,
Be there heard the Christmas anthem:
Praise to God, the Christ has come!

This then is the significance, the inner meaning, the golden heart of Christmas splendor: God giving us a Savior in Jesus Christ.

Christmas is a time of hope, of loyalties made sturdy, in the face of calamity. The shining light of hope: God has acted, visited his people. When you come to know Jesus Christ as Simon did in the temple, you can experience inner relaxation and say, “Lord, let Thou thy servant depart in peace.”

The big question is not what you get, or give, or eat, or whom you celebrate with. If in your heart, you experience peace and joy because of the birth of Jesus, the Incarnation, as a living personal experience—this is the mission of the church.

Perhaps...for a season...cease your worrying about what the world is coming to, and celebrate instead what has come to the world.

...

You can see what Christ brought with that first Christmas. But there are people who are still without it, there is still winter without Christmas because people don't believe, don't have that expectancy, aren't really waiting.

The facts have lost their living meaning until it's just another winter, another observance without the real experience...just go through the motions and the festivities.

To those who wait in hope, there is therapy in Christmas. Tennyson, In Memoriam: reference to a personal tragedy, 15 years enlarging of spirit...understanding the meaning of the pain...until he can say:
Rise, happy morn, rise, holy morn,
Draw forth the cheerful day from night;
O Father, touch the ease, and light
The light that shone when Hope was born.

Therapy in Christmas...wait with expectancy. Look to see the healing, helpful, transforming power in a simple story: The Savior born in the manger, sharing the home of the lowest. There was no Christmas until Christ came. And there is non today until Christ comes into your experience of winter.

There are those who wistfully wait, those who feel too proud or too good to be bothered, and those whom we recognize as too profane to enter the deeper meanings of Christmas, but the Good News is that Christ calls to one and all.

God has come...must also come into our lives. Unless Christ is truly born in our hearts, we have winter but no Christmas.

And finally what happened to that man who believed that the spirit of the Lord was upon him, who was encouraged by that elderly preacher, was licensed by a bishop of the Methodist Church to preach the Gospel. I think he believes that the hand of God led him late one evening to the vestry of a small church where he was met by a compassionate group of Christians who were looking for a minister. They talked and chatted of various things and then the preacher left while they deliberated his and their future. I understand that after a comparatively short discussion they said, “We want this man.” And brethren, that was Christmas too.