CHRISTMAS EVE, 2008 - Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20 - A sermon preached by The Rev. Peter A. Munson for St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Boulder, Colorado

 

Holy Moments With God

 

ZACH’S BIRTH

 

It was almost 18 years ago. Julia and I were living in Alexandria, Virginia and I was in the last semester of seminary. Julia was pregnant with our first child, and we had decided to go the “natural child birth” route. We had had all of our prenatal appointments with certified nurse midwives in nearby Maryland, and one of them would be in attendance when our baby was born. We had done the Lamaze classes together - Julia had practiced the breathing techniques, and I was coached in being a coach. We were told that less than 10% of the moms were transferred to the hospital to have their babies. That would only occur if absolutely necessary.

 

And Julia went into labor, just before bedtime on a Saturday night. We timed the contractions, and when they got closer together we drove to the birthing house together. It was a beautiful home with a number of rooms - all of the advantages of having a baby at home, just not your own home. Julia’s labor progressed for a while, and then, it seemed to stall. Sure enough, the nurse midwives were very attentive. “Take a hot shower; do whatever will help you the most.” Julia took one very long shower, as I recall. She moved around. She tried the Lamaze breathing techniques. Mostly she groaned and yelled and got more and more exhausted. Her labor continued throughout all of Sunday and into Sunday night. Now and then, I would take a peak at the Super Bowl game that was going on. It was the closest one in years, the one where the Bills lost to the Giants on a missed “wide right” field goal at the very end of the game. (Julia still talks about me breaking away to see what was happening in the game.) Finally, at four o’clock on Monday morning, the decision was made to transfer Julia by ambulance to a nearby hospital. I followed in our car. Sometime after 4:30 a.m., Julia was administered pain medication for the first time, after already being in labor for 31 hours. The medication helped. Two hours later, our son, Zachary, was born.

 

I remember that particular moment when Zach was born quite well. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. His head crowned, Julia pushed one more time, and suddenly there he was. Julia and I simultaneously burst into tears. We were both exhausted - especially Julia. But we were ecstatic with joy - it was joy beyond all words. And then we discovered that their was a complete loop - a knot, really - in the umbilical cord. And I remember the doctor and the nurses commenting on how long Zach’s feet were. “Wow! Look at those feet!” After 33 hours of labor, our son was born.

 

His birth was a holy moment. We felt the presence of God with us, and we were grateful, relieved, and joyful - all at the same instant.

 

JESUS AND THE SHEPHERDS

 

A little over 2,000 years ago, the circumstances for Mary and Joseph were much more uncertain. They could not find a place for her to give birth to their first-born son. Everyone had returned to their home villages for the census, and all of the inns were filled. And babies come when they are ready to come, so Jesus was born - evidently without nurse midwives attending to him, without a bed being available, without even making it inside where other people were, but around back with the animals, perhaps in a barn - and then laid in the animals’ feeding trough.

 

Those were the humble beginnings of our Lord’s birth.

 

But there was another part to the story.

 

For nearby in the surrounding fields - you can still see those fields near Bethlehem today - shepherds were camped out, living with their sheep, keeping watch over them by night. And suddenly - suddenly - an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone all around them. The sky was lit up, and they were terrified.

 

And then the angel gave them the message that was good news for them and for all the people. “... to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” There would be a sign - they would find a child wrapped in bands of cloth, and lying in a manger. And suddenly the armies of heaven joined the angel and there was this tremendous, unbelievable sound as they praised God together. And just as suddenly, the shepherds were alone again.

 

Another holy moment with God. What would you do? Set out in haste to Bethlehem? You bet! There wasn’t going to be any more sleeping this night. They searched for a bit, and then found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger, just as the angel had said.

 

What would you do next? Tell Joseph and Mary what had happened? You bet.

 

Luke writes that “...Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” I think he forgot about Joseph, who also treasured these words and pondered them in his heart. And you can be sure that as Jesus got a little older, Mary and Joseph told him about his birth. In the same way that Julia and I have told Zach and Hannah - many times - about the unique circumstances, and the holy moments, that were their births.

 

“The shepherds returned [to the fields and to the sheep], glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen...” They were joining their praises to those of the multitude of the heavenly host, whom they had heard praising God just a little earlier.

 

What else could they do? How else could they respond? They experienced the presence of God with them, and they were grateful, relieved, and ecstatic - all at the same time.

 

THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS

 

The good news of Christmas - the good news of great joy for all the people - is that God has come to be among us. God is with us. But more than that, the message of Christmas is that God is for us. God is for us so fully that God came to be one of us.

 

Not only that, God continues to come and break into our world.

 

Why, just in the past year alone, I’ve seen God in my wife’s recovery from cancer, and in all the people who reached out to our family during our time of need - a surgeon, nurses, family, friends, all of you.

 

I’ve seen God show up when small groups of us have meditated on Holy Scripture together.

 

I’ve seen God in the laughter of my son, Zach, and his friends... as we hiked together and sat around a campfire together near Buena Vista this past August.

 

I’ve known God to be with me as six other guys and I successfully traversed one of the hairiest ridges I’ve ever been on, between El Diente Peak and Mt. Wilson.

 

I’ve known God to be present in many of the songs we’ve sung together, in the communion that we share in at this altar rail, and in the mutual commitment and steps of faith we made to bring Heather to St. Ambrose as our Curate.

 

I knew the presence of God with me when I went hiking last month and saw four coyotes trot in front of my car, before I even got to the trailhead, and as God gave me a vision and a dream for the future, as I hiked back down the trail from Timberline Falls.

 

HOLY MOMENTS

These are all holy moments. You have them in your life, too. They are moments when God shows up, usually in ways that we are not expecting. They are the moments when God comforts us in our fear or reminds us of what a miracle it is to be alive. They are the moments when the people of God help us overcome adversity, and the moments when we experience transformation, and become more and more like the people who God calls us to be.

 

When these holy moments occur, we are inspired, renewed and transformed, just as the shepherds were - the ordinary shepherds who were living in the fields, responsibly looking after their sheep. Suddenly they encountered the holiness of God, and their lives would never be the same again. And so they glorified and praised God.

 

That is why we are here tonight - to glorify and praise God. We are here to acknowledge the holy among us, in the child born for us - a child who becomes our Lord and Savior. We are hear to acknowledge that if God is with us and in us, then we bring the presence of God - and the holy - to each other. And so tonight we also celebrate the holiness of God that comes to us through the presence of you to me, and me to you, and us to each other.

Is it possible for us to experience the holiness of God right here, right now, at this moment?

 

“To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth, and lying in a manger.”

 

There is always a sign, when it comes to the presence and holiness of God. May we be awake and alert and open. May we be paying attention, so we don’t miss the sign, and don’t miss the truth that God is with us, God is for us, God has come.

 

“Those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2) And it continues to shine. Thanks be to God!