Christmas Eve 10 PM Sermon

Faithful God, you chose Mary, full of grace, to be the mother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now fill us with your grace, that with her, we may understand your ways, rejoice in your salvation, and embrace your will; through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

That poem from 1973 from Madeline L’engle gets me thinking about Love being born for us this night. God risking it all with the birth of a child.

On WMNR on Tuesday, our local classical station, I heard a Middle English lyrical poem or Carol of the 15th century that frames the Nativity with a song sung by the Virgin Mary to the infant Christ - "Lullaby, mine liking" and in those words from Mary to Jesus, I could imagine love surrounding him there in the manger. Here are the words:

Refrain:

Lullay, mine Liking, my dear Son, mine Sweeting,
Lullay, my dear heart, mine own dear darling.

I saw a fair maiden, sitting and sing,
She lulled a little child a sweet lording:
Refrain

That very lord is He that made all things
Of all lords He is Lord (and) King of all king.
Refrain

There was mickle (much) melody at that Child's birth,
All that were in heaven's bliss, they made mickle (much) mirth. Refrain

Angels bright they sang that night and saiden to that Child,
"Blessed be Thou, and so be she that is both meek and mild."
Refrain

Pray we now to that Child, and to His mother dear,
Grant them His blessing that now maken cheer.
Refrain

I love this lullaby. I can picture Mary near Jesus at the Nativity, giving him a lullaby (Lullay, mine Liking, my dear Son, mine Sweeting, Lullay, my dear heart, mine own dear darling), soothing him while Joseph watches. It is a beautiful scene. Such a blessing. We too are called to be such a blessing…

In a story I read recently, I read this snippet:

Every evening she could hear the newborn in the apartment next door cry and cry. The parents put the child to sleep alone in the dark. The baby cries for a long time; the exhausted parents clearly are oblivious to their child's anguish or are at a loss as to what to do.

What can and should she do? She's not sure. Speaking to the parents might make what is just an annoying situation into something much worse. So she decides to sing.

Just as she can hear the baby, the baby can hear her. So every evening when her mom and dad put the child to sleep, she sings lullabies and cradlesongs, talks softly and reassuringly to the baby through the walls, consoles and comforts the child. The baby hears her invisible friendly voice and falls asleep peacefully, without a tear or whimper. [From The Power of Kindness by Piero Ferrucci.]

Let us in word and deed proclaim our saviors birth, following Mary’s example, sharing her love for Jesus in quiet and serene ways. We can be such a voice of compassion, comfort, forgiveness and peace in even our smallest and simplest songs of love & kindness, in a world filled with too much hate and noise.

Let us celebrate in joyous sounds the birth of our savior. Amen.