December 24, 2007
The Christmas Eve Children’s Service (4:00pm)
Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Signs! People are big on signs. Can you tell me about some signs that you know of?
Stop sign. Sign out in front of the school, church, sign on a movie theater.
What does a sign do?
Points to something beyond itself. Stop sign means this is the point you should stop. The church sign says there’s a whole church in here – or a school or a movie . . .
Angels came to the shepherds and said there will be a sign for you that something stupendous has happened.
What was that sign that the angels told them about?
Yes, a baby in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Do you know what swaddling clothes are?
What kind of a sign is that do you suppose?
What did Jesus point to?
God. Truth. Love. Salvation. Hope. Life. All big things, aren’t they?
Isn’t it amazing that a baby can point to so many things?
Now, I am going to tell you a story and I want you to help me tell it. Okay?
When I say, “Angels,” I want you to say “Ahhhh!”
When I say, “Baby,” I want you to say, “Woah baby!”
When I say, “Love or loved,” I want you to say, “Ooooooo!”
When I say, “Star,” I want you to say, “Glory to God!”
So, once upon a time – what does it mean when someone says, “Once upon a time?” It means that you are going to hear a story that is absolutely true, but it may not be so factual. In other words you will learn something important.
Okay! Once upon a time there was a beautiful young girl who had very little in the way of things in her life, but she had many people who loved “Oooooo” her. She had a mother who loved “Ooooo” her , a father who loved “Ooooo” her and several other relatives, cousins siblings, grandparents, and neighbors, all who loved “Oooo” her!
The only thing was that this little girl wanted the things all her friends had. She wanted a girl size baking oven with its own little mixes, and webkins, and – what do you want for Christmas? That’s what she wanted too! And all the people who loved “Ooooo” her wanted her to have those things, but they could not buy them for her because as I said, she was a girl who had little in the way of things, and those people also had little in the way of things.
And the little girl became grumpy because her friends had a new baby woah baby, dolls and, being children who love “Ooooo” stuffed animals, they all had stuffed animals, baby “woah baby” elephants and baby ”woah baby” teddy bears. Some even had baby “woah baby” puppies. They even had all the baby “woah baby” webkins!
And then one day the little girl found out that her mother was very sick.
All of a sudden the little girl didn’t want baby “woah baby” webkins or the miniature baking oven or the new baby “woah baby” doll. All she wanted was for her mother to be healthy again, to stop being sick. And that is when she remembered about the baby “woah baby” Jesus she had heard about in Sunday school. She remembered that Jesus was the one who offered hope and love and healing. And she decided she better get to know Jesus better.
Now how do you suppose she could do that?
Sure. Pray. Go to church. The funniest thing of all that she discovered is that when she did things for other people, like her mom, taking care of her baby “woah baby” brother or washing the dishes when she wasn’t asked to or taking out the trash with her Dad or just sitting beside her mother’s bed and doing her homework quietly, when she did any of those things, she felt something very wonderful inside herself. Think we might call that thing she felt when she tried to do as Jesus did and take care of others, love “Oooo?” And because she had been to Sunday School she knew that Jesus taught us about love “Oooo” all the time. So she began to talk to Jesus.
Now at first she didn’t know what to say, so she just rambled on; but soon she began to talk to Jesus the same way she talked to her friends and parents and cousins and all the other people who loved “Oooo” her.
And pretty soon she started to feel angels “Ahhhh” around her when she talked to Jesus. She couldn’t see the angels “Ahhhh”; she could only feel them. And she knew the angels “Ahhhh” were there to help her and help her mom. Sometimes she thought she saw the angels “ahhhh” but it always turned out to be a real person, a doctor or a nurse or a friend or even a stranger bringing flowers or a prayer shawl to her mother.
And one day she was talking with Jesus – you know praying – and she asked Jesus if she could please see an angel “Ahhhh.” She wanted that more than she wanted a baby “woah baby” webkins. And Jesus said to her, at least she thought she heard Jesus say to her that every time she looked in the sky at night and saw the stars “glory to God!” she was also seeing an angel “ahhhh” because that is what angels “ahhhh” are, tiny specks of light and energy that remind us that God loves us so much. God wants us to have the things Jesus brought into the world always, the important things, the big things, not toys or things made out of wood or even silver and gold, but the things that money can’t buy, the things she learned about by taking care of her mother. That’s what angels “ahhh” are. That’s what stars “glory to God” are.
So tonight I have a star “glory to God” for you, to remind you that the most important presents we get don’t come in packages nor are they bought in stores, or even made with love “Oooo” by someone who cares for us. Indeed true presents spread around the things that God and Jesus value most: love “Oooo,” hope, kindness, respect, forgiveness, and good cheer.
So may this star “glory to God” remind you of those important gifts.
And in case you were wondering, the little girl’s mother got better. And together they went around being angels “ahhh” for other people, and they brought them stars ” glory to God” just like I am giving you as a sign – remember about signs? Well they gave the stars “glory to God” to remind everyone that God gives us the best presents of all! The stars “glory to God” became a sign of God’s love “Ooooo.” So may this be a sign of God’s love “Ooooo” to you too!
Amen.
The Rev. Dr. Gale Davis Morris
Church of the Good Shepherd