Christmas Eve: The Greatest Gift: The Mystery of the Divine

It was the week before Christmas and I was in the county jail. My friends, William and Mike, had invited me and a few colleagues to join them. William had a bag for each inmate with socks and snacks. Mike had his guitar. We were there to sing some songs and say some prayers. 

The room was concrete blocks with no windows. The women (and later men) filed in one at a time and sat in rows. Mike asked for song requests and we sang a few carols. Then, it was my turn to speak. I looked out at the rows of women in orange jumpsuits and wondered: what did I possibly have to say to them and would they believe me?

When I was a child, I spent my summers with my grandparents. My maternal grandmother would work all day: cooking, cleaning, and entertaining me. At the end of the day, she would get me a glass bottle coke from the fridge (she got a gin and tonic). Then, we would settle in the living room to play cards and watch tv. If there was nothing good on the tv, we would watch an old movie. We watched all the old movies, especially musicals: South Pacific, The Sound of Music, and State Fair. Our two favorites were White Christmas and Meet Me in St. Louis. A bit odd to associate these two movies with the summer, still we loved them. This is how “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” became one of my favorite carols.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

let your heart be light

next year all our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

make the yuletide gay

next year all our troubles will be miles away

Once again as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who were dear to us

will be near to us once more

Someday soon we all will be together

if the fates allow

until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow

Have yourself a merry little Christmas now

Written in 1944 for the movie, it is not a light or happy song. Indeed, when Sinatra sang it in 1957, it was revised or “jollied up” as Sinatra put it. Sinatra’s version is a celebration of present happiness. Garland’s version, though, is hopeful. She anticipates a better future. 

Imagine Mary, a young woman, pregnant and unmarried. She sees the world around her: how her people are oppressed and hungry. She knows the promises given to her ancestors and to her. The angel comes to her, “Do not be afraid. God is act work in and through you.” Mary believes and she knows the nature and character of God. She knows how God works in the world. She unites her life, her child’s life, to God’s Word, and anticipates a better future.

Imagine the shepherds, keeping watch over the flocks. The economic need for sheep keeps them loosely connected to the community. They are, mostly, detached and isolated. What difference does a king or messiah make in their lives? The angel comes to them, “Do not be afraid. God is at work right now - FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. Go and see.” They believe. They go and find everything exactly as the angel said. Here is their God: the divine revealed in a poor, vulnerable child. They know the nature and character of God. They know how God works in the world. They unite themselves to God’s Word, glorifying and praising God, anticipating a better future.

Imagine women of every age gathered in a concrete room. They have little hope. Who cares for them? Standing before them is a young priest and her friend with a guitar. Do not be afraid, they hear. God is with you, at work in the world - for all people. This Christmas is not the end of your story, the priest says. There is more than enough mercy and grace for all of us. We know this because God sent God’s self to us. A small child is born. And this child will grow into a young man declaring forgiveness, healing, and new life for all of creation. We have hope: God’s future, written for each of us. And then, the women, Mike and I sing, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas; let your heart be light; next year all our troubles will be out of sight.” And one young woman asks for a prayer: help me to believe, she says.

Fast forward one year. About 10 of us are gathered for Holy Eucharist on Christmas Day. I’m in the middle of my homily. And the scene takes on a movie quality: a young couple quietly open the church door and slip in the back pew. One of them looks familiar but I can’t remember why. It’s only after church that she introduces herself: the young woman asking for a prayer, to believe. I came to see if it was true, she said. I came to see if God really is at work, if you were telling the truth. 

Imagine us at the end of a year that brought so many challenges. Cuddled up on Spring Street looking for the divine. We know the nature and character of God: mercy and grace for the whole world. We know how God works in the world: feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and lifting up the lowly. I don’t mean to minimize the suffering and sadness of this year. And, this is not the first time our world has faced incredible challenges. Still, God is at work in and through each one of us, right now. We have all we need: God’s infinite grace and mercy given to us for all the world to know. Tonight, we receive the greatest gift: the mystery of the divine revealed in a poor child, to shepherds in a field, and to us. Tonight we witness the mystery of the Incarnation: all the hope we need for a better future.

Merry Christmas! May your heart be light! Even while our troubles are in clear sight - because no matter the trouble God’s faithfulness is true. God will help us muddle through. Have yourself a merry little Christmas now! Peace be with you. Merry Christmas!