Introduction
This is the sermon I preached at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 2–3, 2010, for the Second Sunday of Christmas.
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Readings
Jeremiah 31:7–14 or Sirach 24:1–12
Psalm 147:12–20 (antiphon v. 12) or Wisdom 10:51–21 (antiphon v. 20)
Ephesians 1:3–14
John 1:[1–9] 10–18
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Prayer
Father in heaven, grant us times of quiet thoughtfulness, that we may rest in your Spirit, listen to your voice, and ponder in our hearts the good news of your Son’s birth. Amen.
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Message
When I was a boy,
growing up in Pennsylvania,
I loved to read and reread
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books.
Living in the Keystone state,
I had the chance to see first-hand
many of the historical sites
connected to our nation’s founding.
But in those plainly told stories
of Laura and her sister Mary,
living simply with Pa and Ma Ingalls,
my eyes were opened to the chapter
in our nation’s history
when pioneers settled the land
that we now have inherited from them.
And as we come to the final days
of this white and wintery Christmas season,
I’m reminded of Laura’s story
of a Christmas long ago.
She writes,
But Ma asked if they were sure the stockings were empty.
Then they put their hands down inside them, to make sure.
And in the very toe of each stocking was a shining bright, new penny.
They had never even thought of such a thing as having a penny.
Think of having a whole penny for your very own.
Think of having a cup and a cake and a stick of candy and a penny.
There never had been such a Christmas.”
(Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1935.)
This passage helps me to remember what it’s like
to feel the joy of thanksgiving
and the gratitude for having received gifts beyond one’s imagination.
Too often we can lose that childlike sense of wonder and glee,
that delicious ache that makes our hearts feel full
—almost to the point of bursting—
because of the bounty of what we have received.
But if we grow quiet,
rest in the Spirit,
listen to God’s voice,
and ponder the good news
of the great gift we have received
in the birth of Jesus Christ,
I am hopeful we can reclaim that feeling
of overwhelming joy and thanksgiving.
In St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians,
he almost sounds a little like Laura.
Our whole reading, Ephesians 1:3-14,
is one long sentence in Greek.
And as Paul carries us along
in his rhapsody of blessing,
his list of God’s gifts begins to echo
Laura’s amazement at the generosity of her parents:
“Think of having a cup and a cake and stick of candy and a penny.
There had never been such a Christmas.”
Listen to what Paul tells us we have received from Jesus Christ:
- We are blessed with spiritual blessings
- We are destined for adoption
- We receive his grace freely bestowed
- We have redemption through his blood
- We receive the forgiveness of our trespasses
- We know the mystery of his will
- We have obtained an inheritance
- We are destined to live for the praise of his glory
- We hear the word of truth
- We are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. (cf. Ephesians 1:3-14, NRSV)
It’s an overwhelming pile of gifts
and we sit in the middle of them,
like children on Christmas morning,
up to our necks in wrapping paper torn recklessly to shreds
from box after package.
How do we even decide which gift
to pick up and look at more closely
to see what we have really been given?
Think of having blessings and adoption and grace and redeeming blood
and forgiveness and knowledge and an inheritance and a destiny
and the truth and the seal of the Spirit.
There has never been such a Christmas.
This is the kind of God who loves us,
who has made us his children,
who embraces us as part of his family.
He is generous beyond belief,
past our understanding,
overwhelming us with his grace.
And as we sit in the midst of this pile of blessings,
and if we grow quiet,
rest in the Spirit,
listen to God’s voice,
and ponder the good news
of the great gifts we have received
in the birth of Jesus Christ,
questions begin to form
in our thoughts and hearts.
How do we say thank-you to God?
What do we do with these gifts?
How do we take care of them?
How do we share them with others?
What difference does it make in our lives
that God has given us these gifts?
What is our responsibility to be caretakers and stewards
of these gracious blessings?
What will we tell others about the God who blesses us?
How will our lives show the world
that we are children of our Father,
brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and a people marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit?
And this is just a list to get us started.
We have these questions with us
when we rise in the morning and face each day.
These questions surround us
as we gather and meet and discuss
our ministry together as a congregation,
as we work together to meet human needs,
as we worship the God who blesses us.
But, we needn’t feel overwhelmed.
It is enough to know we have received these gifts.
And then we can remember St. Paul’s encouragement:
we are destined to live for the praise of Christ’s glory.
And when we approach each moment with this in mind,
God will show us which gift is the best one
to hold in our hands now and say,
“Thank you for this gift, O God.
Help me to know what to do with this blessing.” Amen.