our god, heaven cannot hold him

nor earth sustain



The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke!

Come, come you who have been waiting, come and hear this message. 
Come, come you who have only just arrived, come and hear this message.
And come, come you who can wait no longer, come and hear this message.
Come. Come and hear this message, all of you!

Hear this; to you is born a savior!

On this night when the light is only just beginning to prevail upon the darkness, we listen for this message. And although it may only be a little, still; still the days have begun to lengthen, and so we listen for this message. We listen because it must be true, the light has come - darkness is turned to light on this holy eve because of what God has done! 

We listen, we listen to this Message all creation strains to hear. 
Listen closely, though, because the truth is; this Message is so good, this history is so unexpected one can hardly even bring themselves to believe it.

Listen to the Message of this thing God has done, listen to the only message that can turn the darkness into light; a savior is born.
Blessed be, a savior is born!
We are not left to our own destruction, God has interceded, God has sent us a savior, tonight that savior is born!

And this will be the sign; because honestly, we need a sign.
After all, if this history is so unlikely we can hardly bring ourselves to hope for a savior, we will need a something to look to and know that indeed God has sent a savior to save us from the darkness.

This will be the sign for you; this savior isn’t born in some palace, but instead, in a lowly and ramshackle dwelling; this savior isn’t born to a throne either, but instead, in a trough.
The sign of this savior, is that the savior isn’t born in some far-off castle; but rather the savior is born into those places we all know too well: those empty fields we’ve wandered amongst, those unfamiliar cities we’ve realized we were lost in.

This is the Good News, the sign is this savior is born exactly where we need a savior. This savior isn’t born to those mansions we’ve envied, but born into those empty fields we’ve toiled away in. This savior isn’t born in those highs we’ve chased, but born into the troughs we’ve all fallen into, this is where the savior is born.

This is the Good News we can hardly bring ourselves to believe, this savior comes, not to the clean and lofty places, but to those places where we need a savior, those place where we need to be saved!

This savior is born exactly where you are, bringing the Good News of salvation. This is the heart of the Christmas miracle; that the savior is not simply born, but born to you!

To YOU; not to those high and mighty who order others hither and yon with a mere word; but to you, you, who like Mary and Joseph, have been displaced by the whims of others.
To YOU; not to those who dwell in royal and luxurious domains; but to you, you, who like Mary and Joseph, have found yourself away from home, without anywhere to rest.

To YOU; not to those elite of the world; but to you, you, who like the shepherds, have labored on the outskirts of the city, away from any respectable society.
To YOU; not those whose outfit is always pressed and just so; but to you, you, who like the shepherds, have toiled in the muck of this life; To YOU is born a savior, born right where you are this night.

To you is born the savior who brings an end to that exile you feared would last forever. To you is born the savior who makes a place for you, a place where you truly belong. To you is born a savior who comes to those outskirts you thought you alone were doomed to. To you is born a savior to clean you from that muck you were afraid would never come off.

This savior is born, born to you; born right where you are, right where you need a savior. This is the Good News that turns the darkness to light on this holy eve.

There is nothing left to do, God has done it all in this strange history. There is nothing to do, but to do what people have always done after hearing this news, there is nothing to do but to do what the blessed angels did after they got to share the Good News; sing!

With this promise ringing in our ears, we sing because this promise is true for us, tonight!
Rise, rise you must; and rise you will because of this thing God has done. God has turned the darkness to light, God has transformed those troughs of life into the very cradle of salvation as this message of Good News for all people has been proclaimed on this night. 

So, rise, rise and sing; sing Joy to the Word!
Amen

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