Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2005 Fr. McCard

‘Always winter and never Christmas…’ O God be in my mouth as I speak for you and fill this place with your great grace that we may leave this place less of what we used to be and more of what we ought to be, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all people for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. In the recent blockbuster movie, The Chronicles of Narnia, the Faun, Mr. Tumnus confesses to the human child Lucy that he is in the pay of the evil White Witch. Lucy being a newcomer asks who she is? Mr. Tumnus replies, “Why it is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb. It’s she that makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas, think of that!” Yes think of that, always winter and never Christmas. This is the curse that the white witch has chosen to put on the mythical land of Narnia in C. S. Lewis’ books. In some ways, you might think it is a strange enchantment especially if you may have needed a few extra days of winter to finish up your Christmas shopping. Yet despite our commercialization of our Christian festival, there is seemingly no White Witch that prevents this day from coming into our lives each year on December 25th. Or is there? Are we ourselves under an enchantment that in our busy and stress-filled lives we do not recognize? In Lewis’ popular book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Christmas is prevented from coming because of what it represents for the citizens of Narnia. The witch does not like celebrations. In fact those who know the story well, will remember that when she discovers some animals feasting in the forests on gifts from Father Christmas, she turns them into stone. Why is she so angry do you think? Why would anyone want to rule a land where it is always winter and never Christmas? I suspect if we had her on a witness stand, she would say that she was against Christmas because as a dictator, she wants her subjects to be dependent upon her for all their joys, and their pleasures. She is afraid that if folks are allowed the freedom to celebrate, they will discover that she is a false ruler. All that is good and beautiful comes from God or in the Narnia stories from Aslan. She is not the creator of Narnia and the White Witch has no right to claim the type of ownership that demands worship. This is why Christian belief always threatens a tryant because they demand worship that belongs to God alone. And it is finally at this point in my sermon, we can begin to ask the question whether we live in a land where it is always winter and never Christmas. A quick glance at contemporary American culture suggests there are lots of winter things that can prevent the joy of Christmas from coming into our hearts. Some of these things are understandable. At this time of year, many people are lonely, grieving the loss of someone they loved. People often talk about having the holiday blues. There might indeed be very good reasons that some folks feel they don’t have much to celebrate. There are also though other types of winter oppression. There is the stress that can come from finding the right gifts, traveling on an airplane or just the plain old pressure some folks feel to have a good time. Lewis captured this type of oppression in a short essay called, “What Christmas means to me”. He said there were three types of Christmas observance in contemporary society: First, the religious festival (which he endorsed), the second was the popular holiday with all its merry making and hospitality (he was in favor of having fun) and the third and final one was what he described as the commercial racket that he strongly condemned. For those of us stuck in winter tonight, his words are still worth hearing: The commercial racket gives on the whole much more pain than pleasure. You have only to stay over Christmas with a family who is seriously trying to keep the commercial type in order to see that the thing is a nightmare. Long before December 25^th everyone is worn out—physically worn out by weeks of daily struggle in overcrowded shops, mentally worn out by the effort to remember all the right recipients and to think out suitable gifts for them. They are in no trim for merry making; much less (if they should want to) to take part in a religious act. They look far more as if there had been a long illness in the house. All right time to confess….who can relate to this kind of description. Yes, we have all in someway been guilty of trying to keep Christmas in this fashion. And trust me if you ever make this type of observance a steady practice, you can rest assured that it will always be winter in your home and never Christmas. So how do we reclaim Christmas? How do we banish the white witch and her minions from destroying this special night? First we must recognize that like the citizens of Narnia we are all in bondage to something. We have been or are currently slaves to vices and sins that we have set up on altar to worship. These things demand our loyalty at the expense of our friends, our families, and souls. Second we must see this night as an invitation to start over. We have to be willing to ask for God’s help to throw off this idolatry, wipe the slate clean, and renew our commitment to Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Does anyone really want to live in a gray hopeless land of gloom where life is never renewed and Christmas never comes? Our celebration of Christmas proclaims to a weary world that winter is over. God has come into our world, into our lives, seeking to redeem his creation from the bondage of sin and the slavery of the white witch. St. John Chrysostom in the fifth century put it this way: On this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life had been implanted on earth, angles communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels. Of course in modern terms I usually rely upon another great American theologian, the late Charles Schultz. In his Peanuts Christmas special first broadcast in 1965, he had to fight the network censors to include the following well-known section. After Charlie Brown frustratingly shouts, “Isn’t there anybody who knows what Christmas is all about?” Linus takes center stage and recites the following six verses from our gospel lesson tonight: And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields keeping watch over there flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will toward men. That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. That is what Christmas is all about. No matter what may have brought you to St. Martin in the Fields Church, I want you to ponder in your hearts what C. S. Lewis, St. John Chystostom and Linus are telling us tonight. At Christmas, God gives us an opportunity to start over, to begin the process of being healed from the physical, the emotional, relational and spiritual brokenness of your life and of mine. It is a time for us to make a choice between two things: the bondage of winter and a renewed life with God. Which are you going to choose? For unto all of us is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.