24 DECEMBER
Below is a DRAFT text of the homily. It may vary considerably from the recorded version. Please excuse typos and grammatical errors, and do not cite without permission.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”…have you seen it?
Where was it?
“Those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.”
I hope so…but where is it?
Where is that light in your life?
Is it just a vague feeling you have…that a better world is possible…that somehow this will all turn out for the best?
Or is it a bright, shining star that you set a clear course by?
Are you “zealous for good deeds as we await the blessed hope and manifestation of our God”?
Or are you clinging to faith but wondering “where is that manifestation, that hope…where is that light, in our world? I want to see it, but…”
Part of the problem is that we’re not typically the first ones to get the message about the light…and that’s hard for us…We are used to—we expect—minute by minute updates about The Most Important Things. We need to be plugged in and up to the minute or suffer from the dreaded “fear of missing out”…if something THIS momentous happened…we’d know!
Except, that’s not how it works…we’re not the ones who get the message first. We’re in here…where it’s well lit…and a small flame doesn’t shine very brightly in here…But outside…out in the dark…out in the chill of the night… one candle does make a big difference…that why the message always comes to the ones out there first…the ones out in the dark…out in the cold…the ones tending to things we’d rather not be bothered with…and dealing with things we might not be able to imagine…they’re the ones who hear and see first.
The shepherds, and the animals who come for a bite to eat and find a baby in the straw…they see…they get it…
Meanwhile we’re receiving news updates about tramping warriors…and rising sea levels and…rising levels of hate…and…where is this hope? Where is this light?
Listen…
The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all…
A child is born…
Out there in the dark…in the cold…out there on the edges…a child is born…a child is born… into poverty, and a child is born into plenty…
out there a child is born with family around, or with no one around…
out there a child is adopted…or placed in foster care…
out there a child is born and raised and taken to church or temple regularly…or not…sent to school…or not…
out there a child is fleeing violence…or is on the wrong end of a weapon…
out there a child is crossing an inhospitable landscape…is in jail…in the hospital…is with family and friends…is separated from family and friends…
out there a child is hungry, thirsty, needing clothes and shelter…
out there a child is full and sated and well-cared for…
Tonight a child is born…and authority rests upon their shoulders.
And no, not every child is this child…but in a very real, and true sense, yes…every child is this child. Every child bears the image of the divine…every child carries this light…is the spark, is the flame that can ignite the hope that can light up the world. Can you see that? Can you see the light in every child? Can you see that light in those around you? Can you see that light in you?
We are a people who walk in darkness—who live in a land of deep darkness—and upon us light has shined…a child is born…can you see it? Can you see the light?
Seek the light in the darkness…be the light in the darkness…Be zealous for good deeds…and give thanks to God, who has appeared…who is appearing…who is our light…and our hope…our Emmanuel—with us—always.
Amen.