Christmas
Homily
As a young vaudeville actor Bob Hope found himself alone each Christmas. The grueling road schedule prevented him from returning to Cleveland for the holiday. Each Christmas morning Hope would think of his family worshiping at Euclid Avenue Presbyterian Church without him, followed by a family dinner of turkey and plum pudding. For the Hope household Christmas was family day, and Bob longed to join them around the hearth.
In 1948 Senator Stuart Symington, a Democrat representing Missouri, asked Bob Hope to entertain American military personnel in Berlin with a special Christmas celebration. Never forgetting the loneliness he felt as a young performer in a strange city far from home, Hope readily agreed. That was the beginning of what Bob Hope would call his “Christmas family,” thousands of homesick servicemen with whom he shared annual Christmas greetings.
Each Christmas day as Bob Hope walked onto the stage, gazing at the throng of gathered servicemen and women, he would begin the performance saying to himself, “It’s a long way from Cleveland.” With those words he could empathize with the forlorn GIs.
The shepherds stood their lonely vigil on the hills outside Jerusalem. The night was long and the air was cool. Suddenly the sky was illuminated by the heavenly host and the shepherds quaked in fear; though, their trembling subsided when an angel spoke these words, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
Like most of us, the shepherds were commoners. Spending their days doing mundane tasks, they often felt on the periphery of society. Yet, it was to these humble laborers that the angelic chorus proclaimed the birth of the Son of God. With that announcement to the meek, God acknowledged the worth of every person.
Seventeen-year-old Joni Eareckson dived off a floating dock into the shallow water of the Chesapeake Bay. The resulting accident left her a quadriplegic. Young, active, athletic, Eareckson now had to adjust to her life in a wheelchair.
Several months after the accident Eareckson was physically unable to go Christmas shopping. This inability depressed her, realizing she wouldn’t have any presents to place under the evergreen tree. Reading the Bible one day Eareckson understood that the only gift Christ gave to the world was the gift of himself. She took this message to heart, believing she had a unique talent to share.
The next day Eareckson approached her physical therapy class with new enthusiasm. Placing a brush between her teeth, this time she really did try to paint candy dishes. Little did she know that this artistic endeavor would become her career. Affirmed by the Christmas message, Joni Eareckson recognized her own self-worth. The importance of each individual is announced in the Christmas story.
Sadly, some people remain unaffected by the Christmas story. This is the traditional view held regarding the innkeeper. When Mary and Joseph knocked on his door, he acted indifferent. He offered a place for the couple in the stable, reluctant to disturb one of his more prominent guests. (Luke 2:1-7) Apathy is not a sin reserved for the innkeeper, as it is for all people, even to this day. It is not that we are overtly bad, we are just not overly concerned. One would like to imagine that with the birth of the child the innkeeper became a tender-hearted soul, a message that should be imparted upon us this Holiday Season.
The ability of the Christmas spirit to transform lives and restore fellowship is aptly illustrated in Charles Dickens’ story A Christmas Carol. Everyone is familiar with the miser Scrooge whose attitude towards Christmas, as with life itself, was “Bah! Humbug!” Then on Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of Marley, his late business partner. In three visions – Christmas past, Christmas present, Christmas yet to come – Scrooge glimpses his life as a schoolboy, then as an apprentice and young lover, and then what his life will be as a discarded old man. In the final dream, he saw a joyous Christmas celebration in the home of Bob Cratchit, his underpaid clerk, and what Scrooge’s own lot would be if he were to die now, heartless and despised. He also saw, because he was an insensitive bureaucrat, that the child Tiny Time was never healed from his crippling physical handicap.
These revelations redeemed his disposition, transforming Scrooge to a cheerful, benevolent, and friendly caretaker. Awakening Christmas morning with a renewed countenance, a jubilant Scrooge whoops, “I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A Merry Christmas to everybody!” It is indeed a joyous time for those who capture the true message Christmas.
The wise men discerned the solemnity of the occasion. Three sages – Caspar, Melchoir, Balthasar – recognized the child as the Messiah. Worshiping the Son of God, the magi placed before the manger gifts: gold, the gift for a king; frankincense, the gift for a priest; myrrh, the gift for one who is to die. These gifts foretold the life of the child who was born in the little town of Bethlehem, a town that was suddenly placed on the world stage. The Christmas child has become for us the King of Kings before whom all will bow; the Good Shepherd who guides us to still waters and green pastures; the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Matthew 2:7-12) Amidst the festivities of the holiday season, offer praise to Jesus the Christ.
Cecil B. DeMille said the most memorable moment of his career was filming the crucifixion scene for the movie, The King of Kings. During a mob sequence, the multitude of cast members and extras gathered on the side of a bare ugly hill before three stark crosses screaming “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Suddenly, DeMille was uncomfortable with the actions before him, for the scene was being filmed on December 24. The producer was telling the story of Jesus’ death on the eve of his birth. Troubled, DeMille called for five minutes of silent prayer so all could honor the Christ. Looking over the crowd he realized he done a foolish thing; for, the actors and actresses would just use the time to drink, smoke, and engage in cheap talk. Annoyed, DeMille bowed his head in prayer. Shortly he heard a few voices, then more, soon all joined in one chorus: “It came upon a midnight clear, the glorious song of old,” DeMille looked up to see the entire cast and crew on their knees, bowing before the cross of Christ, singing a carol.
Christmas. It is a day of celebration and praise.