First Sunday after Christmas sermon

This sermon was given shortly after the movie 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe' had been released. In it there is a reflection on what it means to be always winter and never Christmas and how when Christmas does come it brings hope which is the beginning of the story that includes struggle and growth. 

Sermon

January 1, 2006

First Sunday after Christmas

The Rev. Valerie A. Valle, Ph.D.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Brentwood

Imagine what it would be like to always be winter. Always winter, no spring, no summer, no autumn. Just winter all the time. Imagine what that would be like.

Now living in California that might not sound so bad, after all the hills are green in the winter, and if you grew up in the Midwest or east coast you know what a “real” winter can be like, with snow and sleet and ice and minus degree weather. But imagine even a California winter that never ended. Day after day after day of clouds and rain and grey sky. Think what it would be like if every day the sun came up late and set early. All the time having it get up the dark and have the sun set before you get home from work. Always winter. All the time. No change. Always winter with no hope of spring.

This probably sounds familiar for those of you who have seen the movie Narnia or read the book it is based on, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, let me give you a quick introduction.

In the story a family of children find themselves in a land called Narnia. When they arrive it is winter. Not a California winter, but a winter of cold and snow. They are told that in Narnia it is always winter and never Christmas.

Always winter and never Christmas! Can you imagine that! How horrible, especially for the children, and the child within each of us. Always winter but never Christmas! Somehow that resonates in each of us as something terrible.

But early in the narrative we are told, “Aslan is on the move.” Aslan is the true king of Narnia. He is described as the son of the Emperor Over the Sea. He is the spiritual foundation of Narnia. He is the Christ of that world. When the children hear that Aslan is on the move, even though they don’t yet know who he is, they feel a special thrill inside.

Once Aslan is on the move Christmas finally comes to Narnia. Christmas brings hope to the land. The trees begin to bloom, the ice melts, the sun comes out and the world warms. It is a time of joy. Light has come into a dark world. It brings hope to the beings of that world who have been enslaved by an evil witch.

But Christmas is not the end of the story; rather it represents the beginning of a journey and a struggle to overcome the forces of darkness. As the children travel this road and accept their part in the struggle they become stronger and discover who they really are.

We are in the season of Christmas. For most people Christmas day is an ending. It is the ending of a month of frantic activity. Presents are bought and wrapped. Cookies are baked. Houses are decorated. Cards are sent. Parties are attended. Carols are sung. People greet one another with “Merry Christmas” and talk about the spirit of the holidays. Finally the culmination of all this activity comes on December 25 with great celebrations. On December 26 the party is over. Everyone waits for Christmas next year.

But for us, for the church, Christmas day is just a beginning. For us the season of Christmas is the 12 days following Christmas, not the month before. Today we sing Christmas carols. Today we celebrate the incarnation of Christ. Today we assert that it is still Christmas, even though our neighbors have taken down their decorations this weekend. For us the season of Christmas lasts until Epiphany, January 6, 12 days after Christmas. That’s where the song The Twelve Days of Christmas comes from.

So, Christmas is a beginning just as it was a beginning for the beings of Narnia. It is a beacon of hope in a dreary world. It is a light in the darkness. It represents the beginning of the end of winter.

We have all known times in our lives that were filled with darkness, where it would seem that the darkness would overcome the light. We have known times that we could call the “winters” of our lives. Perhaps your life right now feels like you are caught in an endless winter. Our times of darkness may be due to illness, or grief, or broken relationships, or addiction, or job loss, or loneliness or just a feeling of darkness shrouding our days. Sometimes things can feel hopeless, as if this difficult time, this dark time, will go on forever.

Those are the times when we most need Christmas. Christmas is the hope for a world in darkness. Christmas is the hope for a person in darkness. In the Gospel today when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple Simeon comes to them and says:

Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

  According to your word;

For my eyes have seen your salvation,

  Which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

A light for revelation to the Gentiles

  And for glory to your people Israel.

For Simeon the encounter with Christ, even the baby in his mother’s arms, is a source of hope. He can now rest at peace knowing that salvation has come into the world. For us, the encounter with Christ is the coming of Christmas. Christmas is a celebration of God making Godself know through Christ – Emmanuel  - God with us.

That is the gift of Christmas, that God is with us. Just as Narnia began the healing process when Aslan came, so our lives begin the healing, transforming process when Christ comes to us. Christ brings hope and the promise that He walks with us.

But, as I said before, Christmas is a beginning, not an end. Remember that for the children in Narnia Christmas was the beginning of a struggle.

If you have struggled with addiction you may know that moment when you reached bottom, when you realized that you couldn’t continue living the life you were leading. Such a moment is a gift of grace; it is the coming of Christmas; it is a coming of hope into a winter of hopelessness. It is also the beginning of a long and often difficult journey toward health. But looking back one realizes how much one has grown through that journey. One realizes how much there was to learn about oneself. One realizes that they are stronger now then they were before the journey began, just as it was for the children in Narnia who could become strong and mature only by facing the struggle at hand.

For me, Christmas came this past August. Most of you know that I was quite ill this summer. Although it was summer, it felt like a dark and long winter. But in August I was graced to be introduced to a doctor who knew how to correctly diagnose and treat my illness. That was the beginning of hope. That was the answer to prayer. That was Christmas to me. It was not an end but a new beginning. It took time and hard work to heal, but in the process I learned a great deal about myself and in many ways became even stronger than before the journey began.

Now some of you may struggle with chronic diseases. Where is the hope there? But Christmas can come into the winter of chronic disease as well. It is that time, or times, when the Christ spirit visits you. When you are touched by something that brings you hope. The hope is not necessarily for physical healing, but a hope for spiritual healing. It brings a sense of peace, regardless of one’s circumstances, just like it brought peace to Simeon, an old man approaching death who is given hope by his encounter with the baby Jesus.

Are you ready to step out of your personal winter? Are you ready to begin an adventure that leads to spring and new life? It won’t be easy. There will be inner battles to fight, there will be difficulties to overcome, but there is also the opportunity to discover who you really are and to become wiser and stronger than you ever imagined. Are you ready? Do you want to start anew? Do you want the hope and joy that is possible? Are you ready to step out into the unknown and leave the endless darkness of winter behind?

Christmas comes into our lives when we open our hearts to receive Christ. It is that moment, or those moments, when we think there is no room in us, when we believe that our hearts have grown cold, yet a little sliver of light sneaks in. We may be talking with someone and we feel cared about and things do not look quite so dark. It may be when we have reached a state of utter darkness and we cry out for help because we realize that we have totally failed on our own, and a peace steals its way into our hearts. It may be when someone speaks to you of God, of hope, of new life. It may be when you see a sunrise and suddenly feel hope again. It may be when you are graced to find the right doctor to help you.

Like the sunrise that gradually brings light into the world, like the melting snow that reveals the plants ready to sprout, like the candle lit in a dark room, like the gentle movement of love in our hearts, Christmas changes everything.

In our culture we see today, the first of January, as the beginning of a new year. We make resolutions and plans for the coming year to be different. But we cannot make things different on our own. There is nothing different about today than yesterday except a number on a calendar.

No, the time of change, the time of hope, is not the New Year, but Christmas. It is the grace of Christmas, of Christ’s presence with us, and within us, that brings the hope that things will be different, that we are starting anew, that it will not always be winter.

May this New Year be one in which you carry Christmas in your heart all year long. May it be a time where the light of Christ fills you and gives you peace.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.