Many years ago, when I was still living in Dallas, I was driving and flipping through radio stations. I landed on the classical station because they were playing a beautiful rendition of Silent Night. Afterwards the radio hosts shared some information about the song and I swear, I swear y’all, that I heard them say, “you have just listened to Silent Night, composed by Hans Gruber.” And y’all, I almost lost control of that car I laughed so hard. What a coincidence, Hans Gruber? If you do not know, Hans Gruber is the character in one of my favorite Christmas movies, dare I say a quintessential Christmas movie, Die Hard. But alas, had I heard correctly? No, google and our United Methodist Hymnal told me that the music of Silent Night was composed by, Franz Gruber. Well, whoever composed it, the candle lighting during Silent Night on Christmas Eve is one of the most special times of the year for me. A darkened sanctuary, lit only by candles, your candles, God’s light that you hold, to me that shows the meaning of Christmas.
Over and over and over and over and over and over again, God reaches out to humanity in love, grace, and liberation. In the beginning, God made us in God’s image, created us in love for love, to love creation, to love one another, and then it got messed up. Turns out with free will, we are capable of such love and goodness and justice but also harm. But did God abandon us? No, God kept reaching out. Making a covenant with Abraham. Tapping Moses, sending prophets. Over and over again God reached out to humanity in love and forgiveness and over and over again we kept finding new ways to miss the mark. Scripture is like this great love letter to humanity, words inspired by God that tell the story of God’s unwillingness to abandon us to our worts tendencies and mistakes. Words that culminate in God’s ultimate Word to humanity, to all of creation. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger.” “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shined.” Tonight, exemplified by our candles, we see the reality of darkness around us and know that darkness cannot and does not define us because there is light. 2000 years ago, God saw and heard humanity and creation in pain and after trying pretty much everything else to help us God said, I will come down myself. I love them so much, I will come down myself, I will be amongst them, I will be their Emmanuel, God with us. The light has come into the world and no amount of darkness, no amount of mistakes you have made and no amount of pain you feel. No amount of grief or sorrow, no amount of pain done to you, nothing can overcome the light.
Perhaps the words of O Holy Night, another beloved hymn, say it best:
O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shinning. It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pinning. Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Tonight we celebrate that phenomenal cosmic power came into the itty bitty living space of a baby, to dwell among us, to guide us, to forgive us, to redeem us, to liberate us. We celebrate that love’s pure light shone forth in an infant and that light is with us still. This Christmas Eve may you feel how much you are loved, may you know that God’s light shines not just in the darkness but in your shadows, your long nights, and that light can never be overcome. Amen.