Homily, Christmas Eve, 12-24-10
Christmas Eve Readings: Isaiah 9, 1-6; Psalm 96, Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord; Titus 2, 11-14; Luke 2, 1-14
A Review of Isaiah:
Author: there are 3 writers of this work of 66 chapters. Our writer today is Isaiah I.
Date of Writing & of Composing: the work was put together probably after the Babylonian Captivity around 550, a time when the Babylonians with King Nebuchadnezzar defeated the two tribes of the southern kingdom of Judah, where Jerusalem is.
Isaiah I wrote much earlier, like around 700, before the Syrians annihilated the northern kingdom and led the 10 lost tribes off into captivity where they vanished in the DNA of the middle east with intermarriage. He was warning them their evil ways were going to bring Yahweh's wrath down upon them.
Our Selection: a prediction of an optimistic & hopeful future when the people will be freed from walking in darkness and gloom because a child will be born who is a God-Hero and The Prince of Peace.
Where is He? Who is He?
Rosemary & I have a love of riding our bikes. In particular, we love to ride around White Rock Lake, which is about 10 miles around. We can access it close to our house where the White Rock Trail runs north crossing Royal Lane near Central and heading up past Medical City to Valley View.
One sunny day we were riding as usual. Most likely Bernadette & Gilberto and maybe Chris Phipps were with us. We all go at different speeds and we meet half way at a boat house on the south end of the lake near Garland Road.
On this particular day, I had arrived at the boat house and was waiting as people came in. No sign of Rosemary. I was beginning to get concerned when I see her approaching.
She is fine, but says she was delayed because her chain fell off and she did not know how to replace it. So she started walking. As she walked numerous people passed her both riding bikes and walking or running.
Suddenly out of the stream of people a guy asks her if she needs help. When she tells him her problem, he says, "No problem." He can fix it, which he did.
She got back on her bike and continued on to the boat house.
We are in the process this Christmas season of looking around and searching, searching for this God- Hero, this Prince of Peace. Where is he? What does he look like?
I would propose that the man who helped Rosemary is that person. That is what he looks like. That is what he does.
There is another example of this person's presence in the story by our friend Steve Blow in this morning's Dallas Morning News. A repo man was so touched by the plight of a woman whose car he was repossessing that he got his buddies together & they bought her another car.. A good story. Read it.
I was so impressed with what the man did for Rosemary that it has made a small but significant difference in my own life. I have resolved to ask people if they need help when they are broken down, especially on my bike, when I can get hooked often into an obsession with maintaining my average speed or whatever.
This evening as we look around, this room is full of people who are like our God. This is what he looks like, like the man who helped Rosemary.
Who is the Prince of Peace in your life?
How are you a Prince of Peace to others?
Picture 1: Charlie lighting the Advent & Christmas candles
Picture 2: 4 of the 5 Bambini, Sienna with her dad, Payton; Leo with his mom, Shonda; Buddy & Torri with their mom, Michelle; Beth
Picture 3: All but Emma on the right
Picture 4: Angels
Picture 5: Joseph, Dillon, & Shepherd, Hunter
Picture 6: Angels, Chloe, & Shepherd with Mary, Georgie, & Joseph, Dillon