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December 17, 2006
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Advent
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Pastor Brian Shimer
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"Do you Hear what I hear?"
Luke 1 and 2
- We opened one of our Christmas presents already, the package that came from our friends who live in England. They sent a CD of stories written and read by a favorite author named Gervass Phinn. He is a school inspector in England and writes about his amazing experiences with the children in the schools as he has been there to check on how the school is doing.
As I heard the first story I thought of this Sunday and the marvelous experience of this children's production with the diligent efforts of all the crew who have put it on. Before we had the children come and share in new ways the Christmas Story, I wanted to share this story with you.
The rector of the local parish was invited to share the meaning of Christmas with the school children one day and came and began by asking if they knew what the special celebration was that was soon to happen. Of course the children chorused that it was 'Christmas!' Then one boy in the front row shouted, "I am going to get a new bike!" And then one after another they shouted out a litany of what all the children were going to get from Father Christmas.
The Rector was beginning to lose control of his audience and so thought he would seek to bring them back into order, saying, "Children, children, that is wonderful! But this season is about a very special gift God gave to us in a baby," when one boy shouted loudly enough for all to hear, "I know'd what the baby were called!"
Thinking this was the thing needed, the rector looked at the boy and said, "Wonderful. What was his name?"
"His name was Wayne," the boy said.
"Wayne!???" said the rector. "Certainly not."
"Twas so!" declared the boy.
"No, his name, son, was Jesus."
"Twas not, it was Wayne," responded the boy.
"No, it was Jesus," the rector said.
"Twas not," the boy again declared, "we been singing it all these weeks, "A Wayne in the Manger no crib for his bed."
- I was telling that to Estelle Medearis, a woman who is no longer able to attend on Sundays for health reasons, and she laughed and laughed and then said, "You know when I was a child a similar thing happened to me with some of the other songs we sang," and proceeded to tell me what some of them were.
It is like the little boy who declared "I feel sorry for God" again and again until finally the adults in the room tuned into him and asked, "why do you feel sorry for God, Joey?"
He replied, "Because Jesus is sitting on God's right hand!"
Haven't you had an experience in which you misunderstand what someone is saying and believe you have heard rightly? Sometimes what we think we hear is not what was said at all.
And the season of Christmas is a season of listening for the message spoken to us by God yet again.
This season is all about people who were attentive for God to speak. Zechariah after his encounter had a 9 month lesson in listening by God silencing his tongue so he could learn to truly hear and to hinder him from speaking out any of his doubts.
Mary heard God's call on her life and responded, "be it done to me as you have said."
The shepherds were listening for God - they did not cover their heads and hide at the glory of God splashed across the heavens, but instead, listened for the message given, and once they heard raced to Bethlehem to "see this thing we have been told about".
Simeon, an old man in Jerusalem was looking for the coming of the Messiah, and had been listening once when at prayer to hear God say to him, "you will not die until you have seen Him."
He was listening again another day when the Holy Spirit directed him to go to the temple courts and then showed him the couple he sought with the child amongst all the throngs of people there that day.
Anna the prophetess was listening for God to direct her to the same couple and that old man Simeon standing there praising God and speaking to them and she too could tell others of who she had seen.
- To hear Christmas rightly we need to have on the right "hearing aids" - we need to be tuned into God's radio station, we need to have hearts that are willing and able to "receive" what He is speaking. For us to hear in this time of worship what God is speaking, we will need to get her hearts and ears ready to listen. For you have the privilege of hearing the Word read and enacted by these precious children.
So before they come out, whatever they do is what makes this extra special. Be prepared moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, to just let whatever happens be for us the blessing from God today.
This time is not about a perfect performance, but about the privilege of listening for and hearing the Gospel for us, that "to us is born this day a Savior" that is the message. Doesn't everyone need a savior? I do, daily.
So in a moment I am going to pray for you and for me that we will "hear God's message" today and in this season. That we will have ears open to the gospel and be listening for God to speak to us.
Before I do on this past Sunday afternoon, I went to the Elms Retirement Center to lead in their 3 pm worship time there. The folks were all gathered there and the man I have mentioned to you before named Carl who is a Down's Syndrome child age 40-something, was there. Now Carl usually brings with him two bells like those used in a handbell choir, stands very close to my side and rings them vigorously. But Sunday Carl had brought his keyboard from his apartment there at the Elms where he lives with his mom.
She said, "Pastor, I do not know what he is planning to do, and I did not even know he had done this."
Clearly, Carl had worked hard to set it all up with the stand, the extension cord all the way to the wall. And he had set it up so that it was next to the piano lined up where I would be seated there to play the hymns for the congregation.
"Wow, Carl, were you going to play with me on the hymns today?" He said he was.
Then I prayed and was a bit puzzled as to how to solve this dilemma knowing I have heard him play the organ there before and he has tried to play along on the hymns on that and it just did not work well. That was when the Holy Spirit showed me the bell setting on the keyboard. I pushed it and it played "bells".
"There, Carl, you can play along with me however you want and it will be just fine," I told him.
His mother declared from across the room, "He does not read music."
"I know," I told her.
"Well, you are in charge," she said.
So we began with "Joy to the World" and Carl played right along in perfect rhythm. I found the sound of the keyboard much more muted than the bells were being rung in my ear. It was wonderful, so much easy to hear the piano and sing. It was a bit more difficult when he managed to press the button for the Latin Beat and that was added to the bells, or when he turned on the organ setting for a moment. But, it worked. So he played with me on all the hymns and then did a "bell solo" on the final hymn.
But his mom was coming unglued with his doing this. Poor woman in her 70s was embarrassed or seemed to be because her son was doing this. She left for a while, because she was not able to just sing and ignore the ongoing bell melody, but she returned for the message.
On Sunday, however, I was hearing the joy of the Heavenly Father in the melodies Carl played. I believe God was pleased and enjoying Carl and his music and was just sorry that Carl's mom could not share God's joy.
Do I need to tell you it does not matter what doesn't work? I don't think so. Are you parents and grandparents ready to be listening for God's good news to you as you experience this pageant? I think you are.
And today and beyond today - be listening for the message of Christmas, for the baby in the manager was not named Wayne but Jesus.
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