So the story goes...The night was much like tonight--cold and dark--it was Christmas Eve.[1] The children were in bed fast asleep from a long day of waiting for Christmas to finally come. The father and mother were tired from all the preparations and work that had gone into getting ready for Christmas. The presents were finally wrapped and under the tree. The dinner dishes were done, the lights and stockings were hung, and the dreaded words of parents-- "Some Assembly Required" --had been conquered. Bedtime was finally here.
Just as he was taking off his slippers and getting ready for bed, the father remembered he had promised the neighbors on the farm next door he would feed their sheep tonight. He'd almost forgotten with all the hustle and bustle of the day. But it was cold and the animals needed to be fed. So he put on coat and boots, and took off into the cold. A small lantern lit his way as he trekked down to the sheep's pen.
The lantern reflected off the fresh coat of snow that had fallen that evening. He arrived at the barn and found the sheep in the pen. He found the switch and turned on the light. Combined with the full moon and the lone bulb hanging from the ceiling, he could see despite the darkness. As he entered the pen, the sheep stood in the corner watching the stranger's every move. He got down the bales of hay and opened them up in the trough for the sheep to reach easily. They stirred from their corner, eagerly welcoming the gift the father brought.
Finally the father was done and it was time to return to the warmth of his home. "He [reached] up to turn off the bulb, and suddenly [realized] where he was. The winter darkness. The glimmer of light. The smell of hay and the sound of the animals eating. Where he [was], of course, [was] the manger."[2] He almost missed the significance. So instead of rushing home, he paused for a moment to remember the humble beginnings of the Light of the World. Then he headed back home with the lantern lighting his way. The light perhaps seemed just a bit brighter against the darkness. The cold perhaps seemed a little less cold.
"While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."[3] "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood."[4]
As a reminder to us that we celebrate the Light of the World that has come and entered our world, we each receive a candle tonight. We invite you to raise your candles on the last verse of our last song ("Christ the Lord, the Lord most glorious") to signify that Christ does indeed shine brightly in our world. We also invite you to take your candles home as a reminder of the Christ Child, the Light of the World, has moved into our neighborhood yet again this Christmas. My prayer is that we may each have a few moments this Christmas to pause and notice where God is present in our world and how we can celebrate the light even in the mundane and ordinary places of our lives. And then whenever you see the candle throughout the year, it will remind you to pause, despite how tired you are, and give thanks for the Light of the World that shines in our lives, just as the father did in the manger. May the light shine just a bit brighter for us this year as we remember anew the birth of the Light of the World. Amen.
[1] Adapted from Frederick Buechner's story in "Christmas" from Whistling In The Dark: A Doubters Dictionary (NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 1988) 29-30.
[2] Frederick Buechner, "Christmas" from Whistling In The Dark: A Doubters Dictionary (NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 1988) 30.
[3] Luke 2:6-7. NRSV.
[4] John 1:14. The Message.
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