Two Rivers Pastoral Charge
December 24, 2024 – Christmas Eve
Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
This is the final
installment of a 4-week (plus Christmas Eve) story-telling series. Different
people who are part of the nativity scene tell the story of how they ended up
at the manger.
You asked me how I came to be at the manger. I’m here, because I trust in God-whose-name-is-Holy.
Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that God-whose-name-is-Holy is with me. I used to wander the hills, where the wind blowing against my face would remind me of the ruach, God’s spirit. I would gather flowers for my mother’s table, and be reminded that God-whose-name-is-Holy is the Creator of all Things. I would sing the psalms, the songs of praise of our ancestors, and sometimes I would sing my own songs of praise to God-whose-name-is-Holy.
I loved to go to the synagogue with my parents to hear how God-whose-name-is-Holy had been with our people in the past, but I was most aware of the divine presence when I was out on the hillside.
It was when I was out on the hillside that I met the angel, the messenger from God-whose-name-is-Holy. I knew that my opportunities to wander the hills were few in number, as my parents had recently arranged a marriage for me. I was to be married to Joseph, a carpenter in town, and once I had a home of my own and a family to raise, I wouldn’t have time to roam. I didn’t know Joseph well, but he had kind eyes, and a reputation for being a dreamer, just like our ancestor, the other Joseph. His family was known to be particularly devout in their worship of God-whose-name-is-Holy, and I thought that we had a good chance for a happy marriage that would grow into genuine love with time.
Anyways, I was telling you about the angel, wasn’t I? I had never seen an angel before – not many people have – but I knew right away that it must be an angel, even though I can’t describe it very well for you. Trying to look at it was trying to look into the sun, with dazzling brightness. And yet there was movement within it, almost like wheels turning, or a bird’s wings flapping. And even though I couldn’t see it clearly, I felt like the angel was watching me with the gaze of a thousand eyes, looking right into my soul.
And it’s voice. When it spoke, it sounded something like the rumbling of thunder, combined with the ringing of the biggest bell you’ve ever heard; and yet I could understand every word. The angel told me that God-whose-name-is-Holy had chosen me to carry their child. These words filled my heart with fear, even as the angel had told me not to be afraid. I was afraid of what would happen to my body. I was afraid of the risks of carrying and birthing a child. I was afraid of how my parents would react. I was afraid of how Joseph would react. And, underneath it all, I was afraid that God-whose-name-is-Holy had chosen me. The Creator of All had seen me, Mary, and had somehow believed that I could do this. What within me could make me worthy of this honour? Why was I the one who had been chosen?
But in that moment, the stories of all of my ancestors came flooding back to me, the stories of people in the past who had trusted in God-whose-name-is-Holy. I remembered Sarah, and how she had trusted that she would be able to have a child, even long after her years for birthing children were past. I remembered Moses, and how he accepted the mantle of leadership even though he felt unqualified. I remembered Ruth, a foreign woman who had worshipped foreign gods, and how she put her trust in God-whose-name-is-Holy and followed Naomi to a new country and to a new life.
As I remembered my ancestors, a feeling came over me, as though I had the strength of all of my ancestors behind me. A warmth filled me from my toes to the tips of my hairs, and I felt the love of God-whose-name-is-Holy embracing me, and the stillness of peace quieted all of my fears. And in the very next moment, I was certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God-whose-name-is-Holy had a plan for me and for my life.
And with my next breath, I said to the angel, “Let it be with me, according to your word.”
And as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I had a vision of the world, somehow it was like I was floating far above the earth and could see the whole world at once, yet, I could also see the details a clearly as if I was standing right beside them. And I knew that I was seeing the world as God-whose-name-is-Holy sees it. And in this vision, I could see that everything had been made perfect. There were no more hungry people. Wealth was equally shared between all people. There were no more kings, no more empires, but every life was valued.
And somehow I knew that with my simple “yes,” I was going to play a part in this world becoming a reality. I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, yet I trust that God-whose-name-is-Holy is bringing this world into being.
And I began to sing a new song. I sang of the vision that I saw of the world, and I continued to sing this song, singing for myself, singing for God-whose-name-is-Holy, singing for anyone who would listen.
And, well, the details took care of themselves after that. My parents and Joseph were upset, as you can imagine, but somehow Joseph still agreed to the marriage even though he knew that I was carrying a child that wasn’t his. You will have to ask him to tell his story some time.
When the time came for me to birth the child, we had traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census. We were staying with family members there, but the house was so crowded that we had to stay on the lower level, where the animals are kept safely at night. My mother had told me what to expect, and yet the pain still caught me off guard. The midwife was kind, and she talked me through the process, and showed me how to breathe when the pain felt too strong to bear. And with one last pain, and a rush of blood and water, my baby was born. The midwife cleaned him off, wrapped him in a blanket, and handed him to me.
And as I cradled him, I sang for him the song that I had been singing all those months that I had carried him in my body.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.
For God has looked with favour on his servant,
and from now on, all generations will call me blessed.
for The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and Holy is God’s name.
God’s mercy is for all of revere God, from generation to generation.
God has sown strength and power.
God has scattered the proud.
God has brought down the powerful from their thrones.
God has lifted up the lowly.
God has filled the hungry with good things.
God has sent the rich away empty.
God has come to the aid of God’s people,
according to the promises made to all of our ancestors.
I don’t know how, but somehow, God-whose-name-is-Holy is going to work within you and me, to make this world a reality.
And that is how I came to the manger – I’m here because I trust in God-whose-name-is-Holy, and because I trust in their plans for me and for the world. What about you? Why have you come to the manger this year?
“Nativity with Women Attending”
Frank Wesley
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