Saturday, December 24, 2011

Love Came Down

“Love came down at Christmas,” the lovely Christmas poem, the lovely Christmas carol goes, “love all lovely, love divine. Love was born at Christmas, stars and angels gave the sign.” In the gift of Jesus Christ, Jesus the baby born in a manger, love came down. Love came down as God’s greatest gift ever imaginable.

Love came down at Christmas to Mary, a young, petrified, innocent, and faithful woman, a teenager who could have run the other way when she heard the news, but stood strong and sang a song of faithfulness and love instead. Love came to this teenager who felt called to give up her life for this miracle, this little baby she had been carrying for so long and had just welcomed into the world. Love came down at Christmas to Joseph, also very young, also very scared, to this man who had so much that society expected him to do, to be. Love came to this man who had every right to walk away, but instead chose to stand by the side of his beloved, to trust her and care for her and welcome this baby into the world. Love came down at Christmas to the animals who probably wanted to get the heck out of the way when the normal quietness of their night was pierced by the cries of a newborn baby. Love came to them as they stood watch over him that night. Love came down at Christmas to the shepherds, the poor and destitute souls in the fields charged with keeping watch over the sheep knowing that their livelihoods were at stake if even one sheep was lost. Love came down as the angel sang the best news of all: “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Love came down as they left all that they had every known, as they risked their lives to go and find this newborn babe.

Love came down at Christmas to everyone who was there—to the folks Mary and Joseph had passed on their long journey to Bethlehem; to the innkeeper who had turned them away, to the people who had comfortable rooms at the end of their journey. Love came down to the folks who would soon hear the good news of this beautiful baby; to the kings who would soon see the star and make their way to the newborn babe; and, yes, even to the king who would be so threatened by this little one that he would soon live in fear and rage. Love came down for all of them that night, for the faithful and the faithless, for those who lived in love and those who lived in fear, love for the saints and sinners alike.

And on this night, this dark and wintry night, love comes down for each of us. Love comes down for those of us who are joyful and those of us who are mourning. Love comes down for those of us who are scared and those of us who are hopeful. Love comes down for those of us who are surrounded by love and those of us who feel lonely. Love comes down for those of us are searching for peace and those of us who have found it. Love comes down for those of us who are wounded and scarred and for those of us who feel whole.

Love came down that Christmas night, and love comes for us again on this night. God’s great and ultimate gift of love comes down into our world, our world that too often seems too dark and scary and violent and overwhelming. In the darkness, there is such a great light, such a great gift—and that gift is given to us by God. That gift of love is a baby, our Christ. Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine. Love came down at Christmas, love for each and every one of us, the greatest love imaginable: "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." And he is born to us, for us, for our salvation, for our life. Thanks be to God for this unimaginable, unfathomable, overwhelming, life-giving love. Amen.