Welcome,
all wonders in one sight!
Eternity
shut in a span;
Summer
in winter; day in night;
Heaven
in earth, and God in man.
Great
little one, whose all-embracing birth
Lifts
earth to heaven, stoops heav'n to earth.
Richard Crashaw, an English poet of the 17th
century, wrote those words. They are a stanza from his poem “In the Holy
Nativity of our Lord.” His words beautifully express, as only poetry can do,
the wonder of this holy night, when the eternal God comes to us as a newborn
baby. When eternity is enclosed in a tiny human form, when in the depths of
winter we experience the new life of summer, when in the darkness of night we
experience the full sun of day. All things are possible this night.
When Jesus was born all of heaven
rejoiced. Heaven had come down to earth in the birth of baby Jesus. A glorious multitude
of the heavenly host, God’s heavenly army of angels, suddenly appeared to
rejoice and praise God for the birth of the Savior of all mankind. It seemed
that the heavenly host, the multitude of God’s angels simply could not restrain
their joy. They had to come and tell someone the good news. One can imagine
that they had long been waiting this day when God would send a Savior to earth,
God’s only Son. The angels and all of heaven were bursting with joy. The
shepherds were blessed to be the first to hear the good news, the good tidings
of great joy, and to be the first to see the Savior baby, born in Bethlehem. It
is a night for rejoicing, and music, and singing and poetry.
It is right and good that we celebrate and laugh and are merry,
that we make preparations for feasting, sing carols and hymns, give gifts to
spread our joy in gratitude for the great gift God has given to us. It’s right
that we too are bursting with joy, like the angels. For the dark night of the
world is over. With the birth of Jesus heaven and earth are brought together, never
again to be separated.
On this holy night when Christ was
born the light of heaven entered our world, dispelling the darkness. The people
who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The shepherds in a way
symbolize the people of the world. It is night and they are going about their
business, when suddenly the glory of God breaks into their darkness, and the
darkness becomes as bright as day. Jesus’ birth shines the light of God into
our lives. At first it may be a frightening thing, but then we discover the joy
and the glory of God’s light in our lives. Jesus’ birth dispels the darkness of
the world.
On this
holy night when Christ was born, the peace of God, which surpasses
understanding, was given to us. The angel declared “Glory to God in the
highest, and peace among those whom he favors.” Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
He gives us peace, not as the world gives, dependent on circumstances and how
things are going in life. The peace Jesus brings is the deep inner peace of faith,
as the Spirit reassures our hearts that nothing can ever separate us from the
love of God, that we are perfectly safe in God no matter what the circumstances.
Jesus’ birth gives us the peace that surpasses understanding.
On this
holy night when Christ was born, the hope of all mankind and the desire of the
nations came to dwell with us. The world longs for truth, for goodness, for
beauty, yet because of sin, the world’s desires are twisted into an insatiable
hunger for money and power. Greed and selfishness that rules human hearts are broken
through the Spirit Jesus brings. In Jesus Christ is found Eternal Truth, Pure
Goodness, and the Beauty of the Son of God. Jesus is the one for whom the
nations long.
On this
holy night when Christ was born, the eternal King of glory came to inaugurate
his kingdom of justice, righteousness and mercy on the earth. The Kingdom of
God has been planted in our hearts, that we might begin to bring forth the
fruits of God’s justice, righteousness and mercy as we feed the hungry, clothe
the naked, visit the sick and those in prison. And we know that one day, when
Christ returns, all will be put right. There will be no more suffering, no more
injustice, no more nights of weeping. In Jesus we see the eternal reign of
God’s justice and righteousness coming towards us.
On this holy night when Christ was
born, the redeemer of all people came that we might be forgiven and reconciled
to God. One of the symptoms of our fallen nature is blindness of heart. We are
blind to our own weaknesses, faults and sins. We are usually very aware of the
sins of others, but we are blind to recognizing our own. Jesus sends us his Holy
Spirit to help us see the places where we need to repent, where we need to be
healed, so that we can seek God’s forgiveness and healing. Not only are we
forgiven and reconciled to God through Jesus’ redemption on the Cross, we are
set free to live a new life in him. In Jesus we receive forgiveness,
reconciliation to our heavenly Father.
On this holy night when Christ was
born, the bread of heaven came down to earth that we might be fed with the
heavenly food of God’s own self. We hunger for God, we hunger to know him, we
hunger to be known and loved by him. We see God perfectly revealed in Jesus. He
reveals God’s compassion for you and for me. We experience God’s love in Jesus
taking on our own human suffering on our behalf, living and dying as one of us.
We receive the comfort of his Holy Spirit, who does not condemn us but
reassures our hearts of God’s love and nearness to us. In Jesus, the bread of
heaven, our hunger for God is satisfied.
On this holy night when Christ was
born, the living water of God poured forth that we might have eternal life with
him. Through Jesus we no longer need to fear death, for by his death and
resurrection, death is finally conquered and we, as sons and daughters of our
heavenly Father, are heirs of the eternal life that pours out for us like an
eternal spring of water that quenches our thirst for eternal life in God. Jesus
is the living water of eternal life.
This is a night to rejoice and give
thanks for God’s great gift to us in sending his son Jesus, to be born as one
of us. Let us receive him into our hearts this night, that our joy might be
full.
Welcome, all wonders in one sight!
Eternity
shut in a span;
Summer
in winter; day in night;
Heaven
in earth, and God in man.
Great
little one, whose all-embracing birth
Lifts
earth to heaven, stoops heav'n to earth.
Amen.