Poetry, beauty and wonder
The Reverend Shearon Sykes Williams, The Nativity of Our Lord: Christmas Day 2024
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined…For a child has been born for us, a son given to us…”. Isaiah 9: 2-7
Poetry, beauty and wonder. That is what this morning is about. Our souls long for the profound mystery at the heart of Christmas, the gloriously impossible reality that God’s power and God’s love came to us as a little child. God’s ways are clearly not our ways. We come together today as people who walk in a land of deep darkness. There is so much right now that threatens our sense of well-being. But into that deep darkness, a light has shined, “for a child has been born for us, a son given to us.”
There is nothing more poetic, more beautiful and wonder-filled than the birth of a child. But what precedes that glorious moment when a new life comes into the world is pain and suffering. Luke tells us that Jesus was born in the usual way. Mary and Joseph weren’t spared anything--the pain or the joy. They were given an unspeakably precious gift, the gift of raising an extraordinary child in an ordinary world. A child who would teach them that every moment of this life is shot through with glory—if only we have eyes to see and hearts to perceive it. God’s wonder is present in these two impoverished, oppressed Roman subjects, giving birth to their son in a stable far from home—and God’s beauty radiates from the face of the little one whom they call Jesus, and we will call Emanuel, “God with us”.
One of my greatest joys as a parish priest is to welcome children into this world and to bless them after their birth. There is a freshness, a newness, a particular kind of beauty that pervades everything when a child is born. God is present in a very palpable way, just as God is very present when we are about to transition to eternal life. These times of birth and death are times when everything comes into perspective if we are present to God’s purposes in this world. We become aware of fundamental truths that we are often blind to in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We suddenly know how very precious life is, the sacredness of relationships, the transforming power of love and the deep mystery at the heart of the universe. We become aware of the holy.
Our remembrance of Christ’s birth this morning puts us in mind of these things, those things that are worthy and good and true. And we not only remember, but re-enter that moment in history and know in the depths of our beings that everything that went before and everything that is to be, is changed because of the birth of an extraordinary child who grew up to be an extraordinary man who changed the world forever.
This morning reminds us of the potential that we all have to embrace what Madeleine L’Engle calls the “gloriously impossible” wonder of God and to use that power to transform the world.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”
We need this morning. We need to know that there is hope for this world—because there is. Jesus came to us to be our light in the darkness and to help us be his light in the world until all things are one day brought to perfection. That is part of the glorious impossible—that we can be agents for God’s redemption of this world. Mary and Jospeh could have refused their divine commission, but they did not. Instead, they embraced it, letting their fear be transformed by God’s power working in them. This world can be a very hostile environment for God’s work. That was true when Jesus was born, and it is true today. But God continues to be born. God came to us in vulnerability and tenderness that first Christmas and God comes to us this morning to bring us peace and strength. Mary and Joseph were infused with courage to bring light and life to the world, and we are too. Birthing God into this world is hard work but it is vitally important work, a creative process that gives our lives meaning and purpose.
Like stars against a midwinter night sky, the light shines brightest when the darkness is deepest. A sense of disquiet surrounds us—concerns about our world and our country, concerns particularly for the vulnerable among us. But this disquiet cannot pierce our core, our center where God dwells. Throughout the ages God has worked in and through desperate circumstances with a mysterious combination of strength and tenderness. We look into the face of the Christ child this bright Christmas morning and see hope for ourselves and hope for our world. And if we have the eyes to see it and the hearts to perceive it, we can envision a world transformed by the power of divine love.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined…For a child has been born for us…and his is named Wonderful Counselor…, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9: 2-7