One Angel Short

Isaiah 40:1-2, 25-31; Matthew 1:18-24, 2:7-23; John 1:1-14

December 23, 2007, Fourth Sunday of Advent, Blue Christmas Service

Every year we gather at Christmas time to celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. Every year we hear the song of the angels ringing out through the sky, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people. We hear the familiar story of Mary and Joseph making their way to Jerusalem, and while there, Mary delivers her child. Angels appear to the shepherds announcing the Messiah’s birth, and they go and find Mary and the babe, and tell them what had been told to them. You will find that story in the first 20 verses of Luke, Chapter Two.

But then there is the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey might say. In our Matthew passage we hear of Joseph’s conundrum. Does he consign this young girl to whom he is betrothed to a stoning, which the law said he could and should do? And you have the news of the holy family fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod’s soldiers who killed all the small children of the Jews. Where are the angels now? Where are the angels who are supposed to protect the Messiah? How could God let this happen? Mary even wondered if the child she had was really the one promised. She heard the words of the shepherds and she pondered them, as if she were trying to decide if this was the promised one. Jesus was not born with a halo around his head; he looked like any other baby, and probably acted like any other baby.

William Sloan Coffin, a former pastor of the Riverside Church in New York City once said, “Every Christmas I’m struck at how the Lord hits the world with the force of a hint. We want God to be God, and God wants to be a baby in a feeding trough. We want God to come with power and might, and God sends a baby, the most vulnerable creature on earth."

There are times it feels that we are one angel short. Life takes a totally unexpected, or unwanted detour from what we could ever have imagined; the loss of a family member or close friend, the loss of a job, the loss of a marriage, the loss of an idea or a hope. And we not only wonder how we can ever get through it, but if God is even there with us. We want an angel to come and not only comfort us, but reassure us that yes God is there. We want an angel to light our darkness, but it feels that we are one angel short.

Our passage from Isaiah comes from what we call second Isaiah which is written by a prophet who lived and spoke during the exile of the Jewish people in Babylon. They are in darkness wondering if and/or why God has left them. The prophet says to them that God does and will comfort them. God will give them strength and power again. They will mount up with wings like eagles again. God has not left them. There is still an angel for them.

The writer of John’s Gospel reminds us that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not, and by extension cannot, overcome it. The Rev. Dr. Scott Black Johnston tells the following:

A seminary student was preparing a lesson plan on the ninth chapter of Isaiah. It is a chapter that we often read during Advent, "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." As part of her research into this passage, a student decided to try and find the darkest place on campus. After hunting around, she discovered a little-used racket ball court in the basement of a classroom building. It was accessed only by going down two flights of steps and through a few heavy doors. A good portion of the court was probably underground. This enterprising student discovered that when you got inside and closed the door and turned out the lights, it was really dark in there. There wasn't a single stray photon bouncing around that could make an impression on a human retina. It was, she said, totally dark. Scary dark.

When it came time for this student to lead her class through the lesson, she brought them down the stairs, through the doors, and sat them down around the edges of the court. Then she said, "You are people who live in a land of deep darkness." And she turned out the light. A few students gasped. Then it got pretty quiet. She waited. In the hush and in the dark, they sat. They sat and waited. After five minutes, five surprisingly long, silent, and absolutely dark minutes, she read the words, "Those who lived in a land of deep darkness-on them light has shined." With those words she struck a match and lit a small candle. Now, as I understand it, by no means did that small candle fill the vast room with light, but all the same it changed things. It changed them radically. With the flickering of the light, people saw themselves, and they saw each other. They saw faces-surprised faces, puzzled faces, and even a couple of faces streaked with tears. For those in deep darkness, a little light made all the difference, all the difference in the world.God sent Jesus to be the light in our darkness. There are those who have been touched by Christ’s love, who show us God’s light in many small and large ways. Whatever darkness you find yourself in now, or in the future, when you feel that God could not possibly be with you because you don’t sense God’s presence, look around. You might find some angels in disguise, people with incredible stories to tell and love to share, and they will remind you that God is there.

God was there at that first Christmas, God was there at that first Easter, God was there on that first Pentecost, and God is here tonight with us. You may not feel God here, but take my word for it, God is here. May the peace that comes from knowing that the light has come and is coming into the world, hold you and comfort you this Christmas.

Amen

© 2007 Rev. Dr. Thomas T. Peters