Christmas Eve Homily
Forrest Church December 24, 2000
What a blessing it is. To be here, together, in this sacred space. To rest from our pre-Christmas labors. And to luxuriate in the splendor of such magnificent music. For twenty-five years, Walter Klauss, our minister of music, has graced Christmas eve here with his magic. Among the many things to be thankful for this holiday season, Wally and our splendid choir rank high on my list.
This said, we should also not lose sight of how far we have drifted from the manger and stable yard in Bethlehem. Even from the inn, where there was no room. We wouldn't even think of staying at that inn. No stars, believe me. I take that back. There was one. But it pointed to the stable yard and manger where Jesus lay.
Let me tell you about a Christmas card I received this week, purportedly sent to me by The Mall Association of America. Two precious lambs, an elegant bewinged Mary, and the baby Jesus, swaddled in finery. I have to believe that The Mall Association of America, if there is such a creature, had nothing to do with this card. "In Jesus' Name We Shop Happy Holydays" is probably not the greeting their advertising firm would have pitched, at least not successfully, for the inside of their Christmas card. Nonetheless, it is not so far off the mark that I dismissed its message entirely, noting in particular the small print under the picture.
O Baby Jesus' swaddle cloth, 100% imported cashmere, Martha Stewart for babies, $475
O Angel Mary's Birthing Gown by Vera Wang, $8,500
O Hollyberry and gold thread hairnet from the GAP couture collection, $215
O Rare Israeli whitebird-feather angel wings, SoHo Ho Ho, $1100 and,
O Baby Jesus' faux hay bed from Hold Everything! $239
I admit, this picture may have been taken after the Three Kings visited. More likely, it is the work either of a brilliant wag or of some sardonic religiously-correct grinch who wants us to feel guilty for completely missing the point of Christmas. Far be it from me to serve as his elf this evening. Or to serve his gruel. As I've said before, the Unitarian menu doesn't number guilt among its entrees. As for the appetizers, on the other hand. . . Well, maybe just a small portion to awaken our taste for ultimate things. That is to say, I don't want to make you feel like Harod. Only, perhaps, like the innkeeper.
So what is the state of your heart this evening. That is the question Christmas poses. Is it open for business? Is there any room at the inn of your heart?
I adore Christmas carols. I delight in their tuneful, often joyous, sometimes meditative melodies. And in their simple, often festive, sometimes poignant words. My favorite line this year -newly so-is from the first stanza of "Joy to the World. The third line. After "Joy to the World, the Lord has Come/Let earth receive her King." You know it well. "Let every heart prepare him room." Room for the Prince of Peace. Room for the love child.
Is there any room at the inn of your heart? Or is your heart closed for business? Have you locked it to protect yourself from all those unpredictable and sometimes onerous demands that are made on an open heart? Demands for attention. For unpremeditated giving and receiving. For unconditional love.
When our hearts are open, we have to answer when others knock, and let them in. Early in the morning. Late at night. "Yes, there is room," we say. "There is room in my heart for you." However great the bother, however disruptive of our carefully laid plans, or desires, the open heart says "Yes, of course, come in. All that is mine is yours. Come in and I will listen to your story by the hearth fire. I will try to ease your pain. I will put down what I am doing and hold hands with you or cry with you. I will close my briefcase. Put down my book. Turn off my game. Put down my drink. Build a fire to make you warm. Put on my jacket and go out into the cold with you."
It takes courage to open your heart. I know that. An unlocked heart can easily be hurt. Hearts that can't be broken-into are rarely broken. But even more sadly, there is nothing within them for another to steal.
As for God, is there any room for God at the inn of your heart? Or are you closed for business here too? Are you so protected, your life so controlled and ordered, so willed and planned for, that there is no space in it for wonder and mystery, no space for ultimate, awe-inspiring, fear-provoking, heart-rending and -wrenching and transforming experience? Are your hearts open to God's grace and God's power? Are they open to the truth that to live more abundantly we must throw away the key to our hearts, let their doors swing open, and prepare God room?
The prince of peace, the love child, taught us that the realm of God is not the realm of tomorrow, but of today. The Kingdom is within us, within our hearts. But only if they are open. Open for business. Open for our loved ones. Open for God.
So tonight, in our hearts, let us prepare him room. Let us say "Yes." Let us say "Thank you." Say, "I love you." Forgive. Share. Let go. Imagine. Rejoice. That is the Christmas spirit. It reminds us that like birth and life itself, every gift we receive is undeserved, and every gift we give can be an act of gratitude.
So let the Christmas spirit in. There's still time. Until the moment we die, there's always time to make room in the inn of our hearts for God and neighbor. There's always time, even eternity in time, to open our hearts and make room for love. Amen. Merry Christmas. And may God bless us all. Copyright AllSouls 2000.