All Are Invited to the Table

Read Luke 2:7-14

Tonight we celebrate the birth of a baby boy.  A baby boy whose life came to stand for something radical.  Faith, some believe is a sign of weakness.  As a matter of fact, faith is a one of the most difficult things to hang on to because  the ways of the world will always be trying to take it away from you.   It requires great courage, to believe in something beyond one’s self and to stand up and to follow through on acts of humility, peace, love, kindness, and patience. 

FAITH is a way to experience the world not just as it is, but as it could be.  Won’t you hear  this BOLD act of faith:

It was Christmas Eve 1914.  And on the battlefields of World War I, the British and German forces faced each other in fierce fighting.  But here what happened on this Christmas Eve night according to a letter written by a British soldier:

“I never hope to see a stranger and more lovely sight. Clusters of tiny lights were shining all along the German line, left and right as far as the eye could see.

“What is it?” I asked in bewilderment, and John answered, “Christmas trees!”

And so it was. The Germans had placed Christmas trees in front of their trenches, lit by candle or lantern like beacons of good will. And then we heard their voices raised in song.

Stille nacht, heilige nacht . . . .

This carol may not yet be familiar to us in Britain, but John knew it and translated: “Silent night, holy night.” I’ve never heard one lovelier—or more meaningful, in that quiet, clear night, its dark softened by a first-quarter moon.

When the song finished, the men in our trenches applauded. Yes, British soldiers applauding Germans! Then one of our own men started singing, and we all joined in.

This hault in fighting became known as the 1914 Christmas Truce.  It is almost unbelievable what happened. But it did.  And THAT is the power of Christmas. Christmas is a great reminder that no matter who we are or where we are from, everyone is a child of God. 

NO ONE is turned away from God.  Christ went everywhere, ministered to everyone and people hated it because it is much easier to hate, to segregate, and to separate yourself from someone who is different.  But when people of faith decide to come together, to offer EVERYONE a seat at the table, the brilliance and shine of those people cannot be ignored…

(The room is darkened….At the end of each reading, a child comes forward from the back of the room with a candle and places it under the Christmas tree that is for Teresa, Isabelle’s mom.)

Reading One:  There was a man named Matthew Shepard, a gentle young man from Wyoming who was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die. The government says on average every week in America, two dozen people are physically attacked because they are gay. And yet, this one young man has become a symbol of what can happen with unacknowledged cruelty and prejudice. …………..  This man and all people who fear their own sexuality, through God’s unending grace, are invited to God’s table.

Reading Two: There are folks who share polar opposite beliefs when it comes to politics, religion, or any other complicated issue.  Some get mad and voice loudly, others shy into the background believing, but not voicing.  Each person, including people who believe differently than I are, through God’s unending grace, invited to God’s table. 

Reading 3:  There are babies born with birth defects who grow into children and adults who are teased for being different. Speaking is delayed, walking is not without a limp, and he or she is never invited to play with the other kids.  This child and every other child are, through God’s unending grace, invited to God’s table. 

Reading 4:  There is a woman who hides her bruises, wears sunglasses so the world won’t look her in the eyes, and she hates the fact that she sees no way out of her drug addiction.  She and every other drug addicted and battered woman are through God’s unending grace, invited to God’s table. 

Reading 5:  There is an enemy, or so it seems, in each of our lives.  That person who has wronged us, used us, and made us angry.  It is difficult for us to even think of this person, much less stand in the same room.  However, as believers in something way greater than you or I, we acknowledge that this person, through God’s unending grace, is invited to God’s table.

Reading 6:  In each of us lies insecurities, faults, and shortcomings.  None of us are perfect.  We have all said, done, or not done things we regret.  We all fall short of who we could be.  But it is our God who fills us with the grace and love we need and our God who offers every one of us a place at God’s table. 

(All candles that were brought up are now on the table)

When the light of one is joined with the light of another, the light does more damage to the darkness that surrounds it.  A body of people, unified by the love, radical hospitality, and deep spirituality of Christ, will shine a light so strong – no one and no thing can blow it out.

            We recently had a tragedy strike the Greater Binghamton area and the GA family: But instead of our light being put out by something so difficult, our light grew as people from this church immediately stepped up to be there in presence and spirit for Teresa, the mother of sweet Isabelle. 
            Belle was one of those kids who radiated the light of Christ in her smile, her hugs, and her unbiased love.  I invite you, if you brought an ornament, to now bring that ornament forward and hang it on this tree in honor of Isabelle…
            As we come to the tree, may we join together in singing Silent Night as printed in your bulletin. 

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