This is the “sermon/homily” I delivered this morning at Christ Lutheran Church in Washington, DC. The first few stanzas came to me while sitting in traffic and I expanded it from there. A very merry and blessed Christmas to you and your families.
Beneath all the gifts, boxes and bows,
Lies our Lord wrapped up in human clothes,
God became flesh among us to dwell,
We know him as Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Not born in a palace or down by the sea,
But born in a manger – Whew! Dirty!
Still, all the same, angels came and sang loud,
You can imagine the noise – it was quite a crowd!
Praising, they sang “Glory to God on high!
And “On earth peace!” They continually cried.
The shepherds in fields full of wonder and mirth,
Ran to Bethlehem to witness the miraculous birth.
Lowly herdsmen with frowned-upon work,
Were the first to worship – what a perk!
Once there, the good news they couldn’t hold inside,
Shared it with Mary and Joe, gleaming with pride.
Mary treasured these words – kept them in her heart,
Wondering what meaning they could possibly impart,
As this boy grew, became a teacher and leader,
These words came to be all clearer to her.
He started near home and gathered some students,
Taught throughout the land with wisdom and prudence.
Speaking of love, he turned the world on its head,
People marveled at the things that he said.
He healed the sick, the lame and the blind,
And reached out to welcome those left behind.
He brought forgiveness and told wonderful stories,
And gave hope to people in the midst of worries.
But the people in power, they didn’t approve,
And sadly they couldn’t get into the groove.
They arrested him and put him to death,
Leaving his little band of followers bereft.
But wait! Hold on! The story doesn’t end here.
One morning his followers, faithful and dear,
Hurried to the tomb only to find it empty,
He is risen – he lives again! Praise to God be!
Jesus appeared to many after that day,
Calling more to follow him on the way.
He ascended into heaven and sent the Spirit,
This same holy history is the one we inherit.
So in this Christmas season we rejoice,
Not because the fruitcake is actually moist,
But because God came to us, born in a stable,
And comes to us now in water and at the table.
Christ is with us – not just on Christmas day,
But he’s “present” with us in all different ways.
In conversations with family and friends,
When something begins or something ends.
In the scriptures we listen to and read,
In a friend’s kind word when we’re in need,
Praying alone in our bedrooms at night,
Or as we struggle that one essay to write!
In singing our praises and passing the peace,
Or when our good fortune is on the decrease,
Serving the poor or in the face of a stranger,
We can encounter the God born in a manger.
So on this day we proclaim and try not to forget,
The God born in Bethlehem we just re-met.
Keeping in mind that beneath all the gifts, boxes and bows,
Lies our Lord wrapped up in human clothes.
© 2011. Annabelle Peake Markey. All rights reserved.
Shepherds Watching Their Flocks By Night
I have a confession to make. I have already started listening to Christmas music. I had songs stuck in my head and I gave in to the temptation sometime before Thanksgiving. Shame on me! And since I’ve gone down this slippery slope, now you’re going to hear about a Christmas carol! I was driving a few days ago and I heard “Little Drummer Boy” come on the radio. It’s my dad’s favorite carol since he’s a drummer, so I was grinning and singing along, but then I realized that this song was a perfect way to kick off our first Sunday of Advent and the Advent Conspiracy.
The song tells the story of a little boy who comes with a group to see the infant Jesus. While others have fine gifts to give the King to honor or worship him, this poor, little boy has nothing to offer him. And so, he humbly asks,
“Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?
Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.”
Besides being a catchy tune with a fun beat, this is a great story about worshiping God with all you’ve got.
As you may recall, this Advent, we are participating in Advent Conspiracy, a program which is encouraging congregations to reclaim Advent as a time of worship, of spending less on material items, giving more of our time to family, friends and helping those in need, and loving all as Christ loves us. This Sunday’s theme and, really a theme of Advent as a whole, is “worship fully.”
The church season of Advent and the shopping season for Christmas fall at the same time. In the church we are in an odd in-between time. We are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas, while already recognizing that it has happened. At the same time, we are preparing our hearts for Christ’s return. It’s a confusing time for sure! But maybe this time – these four weeks – can help us understand something much bigger: how we live our lives as Christians in the world each and every day.
Our Gospel reading for this morning does not seem to match up with the joy and merriment people often associate with the Advent season or Christmas time. “But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” It doesn’t sound good! But in an instant, the next verses bring hope: “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.”
Jesus will return and will gather up his people. There’s the good news! With so much suffering, injustice, chaos and stress in the world, this is refreshing news. But when is this going to happen? “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Hmph. If you’re a planner like I am, this might be frustrating. What on earth are we supposed to be doing in the meantime?
Jesus answers us in two short words: “Keep awake.” Keep awake. This is clearly a command not to fall asleep during sermons!! Sadly, I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind when he told this to his disciples. But keeping awake was important to Jesus. In this passage, this phrase or similar phrases show up four times. And the other time this phrase is used in Mark’s gospel is when Jesus tells his disciples to “keep awake” with him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Keeping awake is crucial.
Now, I’m pretty sure Jesus is not instructing the disciples and us to be insomniacs. Keeping awake can also mean keeping watch or keeping alert. It means paying attention. For the disciples, it meant that they would soon have to be paying attention to what was going on around them because Jesus wouldn’t be with them. He was going to be crucified and they would have to make their way without his physical presence. It meant that they would have to be on guard against false teachers who might seek to lead their fledgling community astray after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension.
We walk out of this sanctuary on Sunday mornings and we walk back into the world. We walk out of an atmosphere of worship into the hustle and bustle of the city streets, humming with people rushing about, getting ready for the holidays. We walk out of this place and into the whirl of the week. And sometimes, in the midst of the craziness, we find ourselves dozing off to God’s presence in our lives.
It’s so easy for this to happen. With to-do lists, shopping to be done, errands to be run, and cleaning, cooking and decorations to be managed, Advent, the season of hope, joy, and light turns into something we hope we make it out of.
Jesus’ command to “keep awake” is an invitation to once more find the joy and light in this time and all seasons. Jesus invites us to pause and pay attention to where God is appearing and acting in our own lives. It’s an invitation to notice once again how God is with us. “Keep awake” is a call to turn from the things that drag us away from Christ and instead to turn once again toward God. It is a call to be alert and watchful for the things that lead us to Christ.
We hear every year about the so-called “War on Christmas.” There is a war on Christmas, but it’s not one that involves not being able to say “Merry Christmas” to people. It’s a war that pits worshiping Jesus and following him against buying into consumerism and materialism in the name of Christ.
During this major shopping season, advertising would have us turn our hearts toward things and gadgets. But we follow and worship a living, breathing God. A God who comes to dwell with us incarnationally – in the flesh! A God whose second coming we await and for which we yearn.
And this worship is not limited to this building. In fact, this type of worship should not be contained by any walls. It should spill over and shape every aspect of our lives. It is worship we participate in in our homes, our jobs, our schoolwork and our play. It includes prayer, praise, thanksgiving, hospitality to others, participating in the sacraments. It also includes serving and forgiving others, and living out our vocations, whether they are jobs or roles as parents, spouses, children or friends. Evelyn Underhill describes the mood of worship as “loving confidence in the Divine generosity.” Worship is our response to God’s incredible love and forgiveness. What does that worship look like for you?
Does it sound like making a joyful noise to the Lord with singing and instruments? Or maybe it looks like dancing before the Lord like King David? Does it look like a poem composed to praise God? Or is it more like tending and caring for creation to honor our Creator? Or maybe it looks like volunteering at the soup kitchen over the holidays? Does it look like spending less on gifts and spending more time with family and friends? Perhaps it is even something as simple as being a calming, gracious presence to those around you in the hectic Christmas rush.
One of the Eucharistic Prayers we use incudes these words: we worship “not as we ought but as we are able.” Every time I hear this, I have great hope, because it means that on those days when I don’t feel particularly worshipful, what I can give is still welcomed by God. And through those little offerings, God can transform our hearts into hearts full of worship and praise.
In this season, we wait. We keep watch. We keep awake. We keep awake through the ever-darkening days for Jesus, the Lord of light, to burst onto the scene and illumine our lives and our way. At the same time, we also celebrate that Jesus has already come and brought forgiveness, hope and love into our lives. We are reminded by our reading this morning that Jesus continues to call us to keep alert for the ways in which God is present in our lives.
How will you worship God fully – with your whole life – this Advent? How will this affect your shopping? Your preparations? Your stress level? How will these four weeks help to shape your life as a follower of Christ the rest of the year? I challenge all of us to think about worship this Advent – not just on Sunday mornings, but every day. May we think about worship as a way of life, not just as a name for what we do when we gather here. May we like the little drummer boy worship with all we’ve got. May we worship fully. AMEN.
© 2011. Annabelle Peake Markey. All rights reserved.
We light one candle.
We wait in expectant hope.
We light two candles.
We pray and work for peace.
We light three candles.
We rejoice for Christ draws near.
We light four candles.
We love and rest in love.
We light candles
And the light of the world
Rekindles us to new life in him.
© 2011. Annabelle Peake Markey. All rights reserved.
In trying to stick to my own devotions in spite of a busy schedule, I thought I would try my hand at writing daily prayers. The prayers are written with the ELCA’s daily Bible readings as well as current events in mind. I’ve been doing my best to post the prayers by 2:00 pm each day, but sometimes…well, life happens! 
In any case, the prayers can be found at Prayers on the Go: Daily Prayers for Busy People. It is my hope (and indeed my prayer!) that these prayers might invite and encourage people to discover the joys of conversation with God. Use them as a jumping off point for discovering or deepening your own prayer life. As always, I welcome your feedback!
Eating Gelato in Florence!
ELCA Daily Bible Reading
