“Long Ago”

Christmas Eve Service of Holy Communion

Thursday December 24, 2009

Micah 5: 2-5a

Psalm 98

Hebrews 1: 1-3a

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.

I love the opening words of the Letter of Hebrews.  In these few short verses, the author invites his readers to cast their minds back over the long scope of history that had led to the moment when the Messiah, the Christ was revealed in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. 

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son…

These few short verses remind us that the ancient visions of the prophets had finally been fulfilled, that the longings of generations of hearts had been satisfied, that what had been hoped for, for such a long time, had finally come true.  The past truly had been prelude to the present; the glory of God had been revealed. 

But, even as the author of Hebrews invited his readers to cast their minds back over such a long period of time, the true intention was to remind them that their present moment was the moment when the glory of God was revealed.  Ancient dreams had become reality; what had been envisioned, so long ago, had come to fruition, in their time.  And nothing would ever be the same again.

He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.

Although it is Christmas Day tomorrow, we are also approaching the changing of the year.  The year 2010 is almost here; it has been almost ten years since the Y2K threat was going to bring the world to a standstill. 

We sometimes forget that this number – 2010 – actually refers to something.  And, although there is always some question about the actual dating, it is good for us to remember that the meaning of Christmas and the meaning of New Year’s are really not all that different.  The event from which we mark the passage of years was the birth of a child in a manger in Bethlehem -- about two thousand and 10 years ago. 

Which is a very, very long time ago. 

And, in the course of that long period of time, much has happened.  Great powers have risen and disappeared, empires have come and gone, ways of viewing the world, and the very nature of reality, have shifted and changed, our assumptions and understandings about the natural world have evolved and changed – in these, and in countless other ways, much has happened in the past 2010 years. 

And yet, the vision and the movement that began with the ideas and actions of that young man from Nazareth has continued.  And not only has it continued, but it has spread and grown, and has now become one of the most diverse and remarkable movements in the whole of human history.  Although the skeptics of this modern age offer their critiques and, sometimes, their ridicule, the reality is that the church is still a noble, a powerful and a wondrous reality in this world.  There are no other movements which can truly claim such a historic ability to bring together people from every culture and language, every age group and economic background, every political ideology and social status, all seeking to create healing, just and caring communities dedicated to the simple premise that life, in its fullness, is discovered when we live by two clear commands – to love God, and to love each other.  Yes, there have been mistakes made by the church over this long history, even as there are mistakes in the modern church – but this should neither be denied nor should it come as no surprise.  The church has never claimed that it is a perfect community.  Its claim, instead, is that it is a forgiven community, whose best qualities are demonstrated when that forgiveness is also extended to others, and the invitation is extended to all to join together in the pursuit of faith, of hope and of love in this world.  

And, over the course of twenty centuries, much good has been done.

It is good for us to cast our minds back over this long history – it is good for us to take the long view, and to remember that we gather together, this night, as a part of a long and living tradition of people who continue to seek to live out the great command of love, even as we await the day when the reign of God’s love, peace and justice will be revealed in its fullness.

But we miss the point of tonight’s reading from Hebrews, if we think that Christmas is only intended as an opportunity for reflection on the long distant past.  What we remember, this night, took place a long time ago; of that, there can be no doubt.  But tonight’s reading from Hebrews dares to proclaim that the past is prelude, and that it is the present moment when that which is longed for comes to fruition.  It was in that moment that the readers of the Letter to the Hebrews were invited to realize that it is in the present moment that God’s glory is revealed. 

And so it is with us.  It is in this moment that we are invited, to discover for ourselves, the presence of the One who is “reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being”; and, in so doing, to discover the truth of the claim that the child is Emmanuel -- God is with us.

In this moment.

Certainly there was something historic and unique that happened in Bethlehem two thousand and 10 years ago.  But it is not enough to sing songs at Christmas about what happened so long ago, if we do not also realize that the true meaning of Christmas is not simply that God came to us, in a rough, ordinary little stable, so long ago; the true meaning of Christmas is that God continues to come to us, even now, into the rough ordinary places of our lives. 

The love of God continues to come to us, to remind us that we – and this world – are loved; that our lives – and this world – can be redeemed; that each one of us – and this world – will find our true fulfillment when we once again allow the love of God to be born -- in us.