Advent and Christmas: Christmas Day
Silent night, holy night, shepherds quake at the sight. Glories stream from heaven afar. Heavenly hosts sing alleluia. Christ the Savior is born. (Silent Night #111 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
From Heaven
Today is the first day, the beginning act of God’s redemption of the world. In Jesus, God comes to us, in flesh and blood, with eyes and ears and baby fingers. This infant, helpless and dependent, is also God eternal and incomprehensible. We have been chosen to receive this gift, the gift of Jesus’ presence among us. God has taken the first step. God has not waited for us to sort things out or get our act together. Instead Jesus, God from God and Light from Light, has entered into our messy, damaged world and elected to live here with us, to bring heaven down, in order to lift earth up into the kingdom of God.
How has Jesus’ birth changed your life?
2nd day of Christmas
Silent night, holy night, Son of God, loves pure light, radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus Lord at thy birth. (Silent Night #111 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Light
The sun rises late today, and sets again almost before we have a chance to do anything with the day. We seem surrounded by the dark, but as my friends in the southern hemisphere remind me, for them it is the height of summer and the daylight continues well into the evening hours. South or north, summer or winter, we crave the light. The light of the sun strengthens us, energizes us. How much more does the light of God’s presence provide us with what we need to continue our journey further into God’s light!
As you turn on the lights today, morning and night, allow God’s light to fill you and spill over to those all around you.
Listen to Angels We Have Heard On High
3rd day of Christmas
Angels we have heard on high, singing sweetly through the night, and the mountains in reply, echoing their brave delight. Gloria in excelsis Deo. (Angels We Have Heard on High #96 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
The Mountains
I grew up in the shadow of the foothills of California’s coastal range. Houses huddled along the base of the ridge and we knew that up above there were wildcats and peacocks and deer sharing the mountains with the eagles and buzzards. I loved to watch the fog roll over the tops of the hills and settle like some strange liquid, slowly gathering everything into its opaque embrace. These mountains were my mysterious silent guardians. When I’ve lived in flatlands I found I missed my mountains, the hills that remind me of God’s constant guardianship. I’m grateful that once again I live in the shadow of the mountains, the Uncanoonuc’s .
How does where you live speak to you of God?
4th day of Christmas
Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why these songs of happy cheer? What great brightness did you see? What glad tidings did you hear? Gloria in excelsis Deo. (Angels We Have Heard on High #96 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Glad Tidings
Weddings, birth announcements, passing the bar exam, or getting the promotion, we shout and celebrate the wonderful news! This in unadulterated joy! There are other celebrations that reverse the sorrows that had gone before: the cancer is gone, unemployment is over, or child is born after a miscarriage. These too bring celebration—joyful, yet tinged with a shadow of what it took to get there. As they come to the manger rejoicing, celebrating, the shepherds bring a festival in their hearts. The festival is shot through with the dark colors of an occupied land and a life lived on the edge of hunger, in ever-present poverty. These are the ones that hear the glad tidings, the news that Jesus is born, that God has come to make all things right and whole.
How do you celebrate, today, this fourth day of Christmas? What is Jesus seeking to make right and whole in your life?
5th day of Christmas
Come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing. Come, adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the new born king. Gloria in excelsis Deo. (Angels We Have Heard on High #96 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Bended Knee
Bethlehem today, as at the time of Jesus’ birth, sits at the center of a great and deadly conflict. Violence surrounds us, we hear of it every day, in homes and streets and countries far away. It is tempting to fight back, to try to protect what we have, to drive away people and ideas that threaten us—and then the violence enters our own hearts. Somewhere, somehow, we need to let our defenses crumble, to allow are stiff backs to bend, and to come, with our terrified and broken hearts, to adore the baby in the manger, who is God come to us, come to bring peace to our broken world.
What violence lingers in your heart? Lay it at the manger and accept the Peace of Christ.
6th day of Christmas
See him in a manger laid, whom the angels praise above. Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, while we raise our hearts in love. Gloria in excelsis Deo. (Angels We Have Heard on High #96 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Gloria in Excelsis Deo—Glory to God in the Highest!
Earth and heaven overlap, intertwine. “The whole world is now God’s holy land,” (N. T. Wright). Jesus had come to reclaim creation, to put right all that is twisted, damaged, broken. The angels know it. They can see the dawning of glory pouring over the land, reaching out, spilling out. This infant, utterly dependent on others, is the Son of God, the Savior of all creation. Through Jesus, God’s kingdom will reclaim all the earth. Glory in excelsis Deo!
What part of your world do you long for God to enter? Offer it to God.
7th day of Christmas
The first nowell, the angel did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay, in fields as they lay keeping their sheep, on a cold winter’s night that was so deep. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Angels
“In Scripture the visitation of an angel is always alarming; it has to begin by saying, ‘Fear not.’” C.S. Lewis
Contrary to popular lore, we do not become angels when we die. Angels are angels and we are not. Scripture describes angels as standing in the presence of God, of being God’s messengers, and of being rather frightening. They seem to carry with them the imprint of God’s presence. We are called to stand in God’s presence as well. We enter into that presence in prayer, at worship as we taste bread and wine, and when we see Christ in the person before us. These are holy times, holy places. We stand with the angels there, encircled by the glory and love of God.
May you stand in God’s presence today, until you shine with the glory and love of God.
8th day of Christmas
The looked up and saw a star, shining in the east beyond then far. And to the earth it gave great light. And so it continued both day and night. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Looking Up
It is a night for stars. Scattered across the night sky, they dance to the tune of a new year. It is a night for new beginnings. The calendar has turned and we are looking forward to what happens next. It is also the Feast of the Holy Name, when the infant Jesus was brought to the temple for the first time. We use many names for God, and many titles for Jesus. Among the Jews of Jesus’s day the holiest name for God, YHWH, was never spoken and rarely written. To speak someone’s name, with reverence and love, to whisper it, or shout it with joy, is a gift. It brings them close to your heart and you to theirs. By what name do you call on the Divine One—Father, or Brother, or Christ, or Lord? Is there a name that is closer to your heart, one that reflects Christ’s unique connection to you?
Look up today, and whisper Jesus’ name with reverence and love. Listen for yours in return.
9th day of Christmas
And by the light of that same star, three wise men came from country far. To seek for a king was their intent, and to follow the star where ever it went. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Following
Our world constantly seeks out leaders, not followers. Just look at any advertisement for a college or business. Somewhere in the wording your will see that they are the leader in their field, the fastest, the biggest, the brightest. The magi followed the star. They didn’t strike out on their own and try to figure out the best way. In fact they didn’t even know where they were going. They just followed the star, one day at a time, one step at a time, night after night, watching, waiting, looking for the star. They remind me that I am a follower of Christ—not the leader, not the one making the map. My responsibility is to watch the night sky and look for the light of Christ, and follow the star.
In the darkest part of your life the star of Christ shines. Look for it. Follow it, one step at a time.
10th day of Christmas
This star drew nigh to the northwest. O’er Bethlehem it took its rest. And there it did both stop and stay, right over the place here Jesus lay. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Stopping
Our days move by so fast. Time flies past us at a rate that takes our breath away. Even when we arrive where we are going there is another destination calling to us. We need to move forward to the next task and the next. STOP. Stop right now, right where you are. Stop listing the things you need to get done today. Stop picking at the problem that nags at you. Just stop. Breathe—one breath, and another. Look closely; there is a baby, fingers curled, lips smacking as he sucks in his sleep. Stop and stay here for a moment. Let yourself be in the presence of the infant Jesus.
Set aside some time today to be with the ones you love. Enjoy them. If they are far away give them a call.
11th day of Christmas
Then entered in those wise men three, full reverently upon their knee, and offered there in his presence, their gold and myrrh and frankincense. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Offering
Tomorrow, in the middle of worship, there will be an offering. The choir will sing, and the plate will be passed, and bread and wine will be brought forward. Over the last several weeks, one of the offertory sentences has been ringing through my head: “All things come of thee O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.” All things—not just money and bread and wine—all things are what we give to back to God. Our ability to read this post, light and water, food and breath, the ability to move, and comprehend—ALL things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee. Your whole life in an offering, a gift from God offered to you, and a gift you can offer back to God. “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.”
What will you place in Christ’s hands today?
12th day of Christmas
Then let us all, with one accord, sing praises to our heavenly Lord, that hath made heaven and earth of nought, and with his blood our life hath bought. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Our Life
The thesaurus says, “Bought: purchased, procured, obtained, redeemed.” Whatever the word, Christ has laid claim to you. One of my (current) favorite songs speaks of us bearing Christ’s watermark. Like fine writing paper, Christ’s mark is part of the very fabric of our being. The mark of God’s favor, of God’s choosing you is part and parcel of your very self. Jesus chose to be with us, to become one with us, and he chose you. To echo the words of your baptism, “You are marked as Christ’s own, forever.”
How is the watermark of Christ apparent in your life?
Open the heavens, Holy Spirit, for us to see Jesus interceding for us: may we be strengthened to share his baptism—strengthened to share his cup, and ready to serve him forever. Amen.
From Heaven
Today is the first day, the beginning act of God’s redemption of the world. In Jesus, God comes to us, in flesh and blood, with eyes and ears and baby fingers. This infant, helpless and dependent, is also God eternal and incomprehensible. We have been chosen to receive this gift, the gift of Jesus’ presence among us. God has taken the first step. God has not waited for us to sort things out or get our act together. Instead Jesus, God from God and Light from Light, has entered into our messy, damaged world and elected to live here with us, to bring heaven down, in order to lift earth up into the kingdom of God.
How has Jesus’ birth changed your life?
2nd day of Christmas
Silent night, holy night, Son of God, loves pure light, radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus Lord at thy birth. (Silent Night #111 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Light
The sun rises late today, and sets again almost before we have a chance to do anything with the day. We seem surrounded by the dark, but as my friends in the southern hemisphere remind me, for them it is the height of summer and the daylight continues well into the evening hours. South or north, summer or winter, we crave the light. The light of the sun strengthens us, energizes us. How much more does the light of God’s presence provide us with what we need to continue our journey further into God’s light!
As you turn on the lights today, morning and night, allow God’s light to fill you and spill over to those all around you.
Listen to Angels We Have Heard On High
3rd day of Christmas
Angels we have heard on high, singing sweetly through the night, and the mountains in reply, echoing their brave delight. Gloria in excelsis Deo. (Angels We Have Heard on High #96 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
The Mountains
I grew up in the shadow of the foothills of California’s coastal range. Houses huddled along the base of the ridge and we knew that up above there were wildcats and peacocks and deer sharing the mountains with the eagles and buzzards. I loved to watch the fog roll over the tops of the hills and settle like some strange liquid, slowly gathering everything into its opaque embrace. These mountains were my mysterious silent guardians. When I’ve lived in flatlands I found I missed my mountains, the hills that remind me of God’s constant guardianship. I’m grateful that once again I live in the shadow of the mountains, the Uncanoonuc’s .
How does where you live speak to you of God?
4th day of Christmas
Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why these songs of happy cheer? What great brightness did you see? What glad tidings did you hear? Gloria in excelsis Deo. (Angels We Have Heard on High #96 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Glad Tidings
Weddings, birth announcements, passing the bar exam, or getting the promotion, we shout and celebrate the wonderful news! This in unadulterated joy! There are other celebrations that reverse the sorrows that had gone before: the cancer is gone, unemployment is over, or child is born after a miscarriage. These too bring celebration—joyful, yet tinged with a shadow of what it took to get there. As they come to the manger rejoicing, celebrating, the shepherds bring a festival in their hearts. The festival is shot through with the dark colors of an occupied land and a life lived on the edge of hunger, in ever-present poverty. These are the ones that hear the glad tidings, the news that Jesus is born, that God has come to make all things right and whole.
How do you celebrate, today, this fourth day of Christmas? What is Jesus seeking to make right and whole in your life?
5th day of Christmas
Come to Bethlehem and see him whose birth the angels sing. Come, adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the new born king. Gloria in excelsis Deo. (Angels We Have Heard on High #96 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Bended Knee
Bethlehem today, as at the time of Jesus’ birth, sits at the center of a great and deadly conflict. Violence surrounds us, we hear of it every day, in homes and streets and countries far away. It is tempting to fight back, to try to protect what we have, to drive away people and ideas that threaten us—and then the violence enters our own hearts. Somewhere, somehow, we need to let our defenses crumble, to allow are stiff backs to bend, and to come, with our terrified and broken hearts, to adore the baby in the manger, who is God come to us, come to bring peace to our broken world.
What violence lingers in your heart? Lay it at the manger and accept the Peace of Christ.
6th day of Christmas
See him in a manger laid, whom the angels praise above. Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, while we raise our hearts in love. Gloria in excelsis Deo. (Angels We Have Heard on High #96 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Gloria in Excelsis Deo—Glory to God in the Highest!
Earth and heaven overlap, intertwine. “The whole world is now God’s holy land,” (N. T. Wright). Jesus had come to reclaim creation, to put right all that is twisted, damaged, broken. The angels know it. They can see the dawning of glory pouring over the land, reaching out, spilling out. This infant, utterly dependent on others, is the Son of God, the Savior of all creation. Through Jesus, God’s kingdom will reclaim all the earth. Glory in excelsis Deo!
What part of your world do you long for God to enter? Offer it to God.
7th day of Christmas
The first nowell, the angel did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay, in fields as they lay keeping their sheep, on a cold winter’s night that was so deep. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Angels
“In Scripture the visitation of an angel is always alarming; it has to begin by saying, ‘Fear not.’” C.S. Lewis
Contrary to popular lore, we do not become angels when we die. Angels are angels and we are not. Scripture describes angels as standing in the presence of God, of being God’s messengers, and of being rather frightening. They seem to carry with them the imprint of God’s presence. We are called to stand in God’s presence as well. We enter into that presence in prayer, at worship as we taste bread and wine, and when we see Christ in the person before us. These are holy times, holy places. We stand with the angels there, encircled by the glory and love of God.
May you stand in God’s presence today, until you shine with the glory and love of God.
8th day of Christmas
The looked up and saw a star, shining in the east beyond then far. And to the earth it gave great light. And so it continued both day and night. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Looking Up
It is a night for stars. Scattered across the night sky, they dance to the tune of a new year. It is a night for new beginnings. The calendar has turned and we are looking forward to what happens next. It is also the Feast of the Holy Name, when the infant Jesus was brought to the temple for the first time. We use many names for God, and many titles for Jesus. Among the Jews of Jesus’s day the holiest name for God, YHWH, was never spoken and rarely written. To speak someone’s name, with reverence and love, to whisper it, or shout it with joy, is a gift. It brings them close to your heart and you to theirs. By what name do you call on the Divine One—Father, or Brother, or Christ, or Lord? Is there a name that is closer to your heart, one that reflects Christ’s unique connection to you?
Look up today, and whisper Jesus’ name with reverence and love. Listen for yours in return.
9th day of Christmas
And by the light of that same star, three wise men came from country far. To seek for a king was their intent, and to follow the star where ever it went. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Following
Our world constantly seeks out leaders, not followers. Just look at any advertisement for a college or business. Somewhere in the wording your will see that they are the leader in their field, the fastest, the biggest, the brightest. The magi followed the star. They didn’t strike out on their own and try to figure out the best way. In fact they didn’t even know where they were going. They just followed the star, one day at a time, one step at a time, night after night, watching, waiting, looking for the star. They remind me that I am a follower of Christ—not the leader, not the one making the map. My responsibility is to watch the night sky and look for the light of Christ, and follow the star.
In the darkest part of your life the star of Christ shines. Look for it. Follow it, one step at a time.
10th day of Christmas
This star drew nigh to the northwest. O’er Bethlehem it took its rest. And there it did both stop and stay, right over the place here Jesus lay. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Stopping
Our days move by so fast. Time flies past us at a rate that takes our breath away. Even when we arrive where we are going there is another destination calling to us. We need to move forward to the next task and the next. STOP. Stop right now, right where you are. Stop listing the things you need to get done today. Stop picking at the problem that nags at you. Just stop. Breathe—one breath, and another. Look closely; there is a baby, fingers curled, lips smacking as he sucks in his sleep. Stop and stay here for a moment. Let yourself be in the presence of the infant Jesus.
Set aside some time today to be with the ones you love. Enjoy them. If they are far away give them a call.
11th day of Christmas
Then entered in those wise men three, full reverently upon their knee, and offered there in his presence, their gold and myrrh and frankincense. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Offering
Tomorrow, in the middle of worship, there will be an offering. The choir will sing, and the plate will be passed, and bread and wine will be brought forward. Over the last several weeks, one of the offertory sentences has been ringing through my head: “All things come of thee O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.” All things—not just money and bread and wine—all things are what we give to back to God. Our ability to read this post, light and water, food and breath, the ability to move, and comprehend—ALL things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee. Your whole life in an offering, a gift from God offered to you, and a gift you can offer back to God. “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.”
What will you place in Christ’s hands today?
12th day of Christmas
Then let us all, with one accord, sing praises to our heavenly Lord, that hath made heaven and earth of nought, and with his blood our life hath bought. (The First Nowell #109 1982 Episcopal Hymnal)
Our Life
The thesaurus says, “Bought: purchased, procured, obtained, redeemed.” Whatever the word, Christ has laid claim to you. One of my (current) favorite songs speaks of us bearing Christ’s watermark. Like fine writing paper, Christ’s mark is part of the very fabric of our being. The mark of God’s favor, of God’s choosing you is part and parcel of your very self. Jesus chose to be with us, to become one with us, and he chose you. To echo the words of your baptism, “You are marked as Christ’s own, forever.”
How is the watermark of Christ apparent in your life?
Open the heavens, Holy Spirit, for us to see Jesus interceding for us: may we be strengthened to share his baptism—strengthened to share his cup, and ready to serve him forever. Amen.
