This week, the sermon seemed to go better in the Chapel, although I was pleased with the sermon in both services. My only concern is that the two fun illustrations to start and finish the sermon do not overshadow the message of everyone being welcome to come and be a part of the Christmas story.
If I did the sermon again, I would not pick the Matthew passage. I would go back to the Luke passage about Zechariah and Elizabeth. I think that story would fit better with the final sermon.
"A
Pink Swan at the Manger?" Matthew 1: 18-24; Isaiah 11: 1-1; FPC,
Troy, Advent 2, 2013; December 8, 2013
Introduction:
"A Role for Everyone: Casting the Christmas Pageant”
christian Century, Nov 30, 2012, Rev. Kenneth F. Baily
Rev.
Ken Baily tells the story playing one of the characters in a
Christmas pageant at the church he served.
Because
he grew up in the Quaker church, he never had a chance to be in a
Christmas pageant growing up.
When
he was in his forties, serving as a minister, the kid playing Joseph
got sick a few days before the children's pageant. As the minister
who could not say “No,” he was asked at the last minute to
fill-in as Joseph.
He was
given a costume, a place to stand and curt instructions from the
director to “Be quiet. Stay still. Act adoring.”
When
he arrived for the first rehearsal, he discovered that the director
might have had an ulterior motive for casting him as well
It
seems that year a beloved kindergartner had been chosen to be one of
the animals around the manger, and she had taken it upon herself to
wear a feathery pink swan costume, which stood out in sharp contrast
to the traditional gray/brown manger scene. The director expected him
to to discourage the young pink swan.
At a
break in the rehearsal, he kneeled down before this fabulous
five-year-old and asked if she wouldn’t consider being a donkey or
a sheep or a goat. “I’m a swan,” she said.
He
explained that there were swans at Jesus’ cradle. She furrowed her
brows and looked me directly in the eye with calm conviction. “Don’t
you think pink swans love Jesus too?”He immediately went and told
the director that the swan was in.
Move 1: When we come looking for the Christ-child, we should expect surprises.
a.
Certainly the prophet Isaiah speaks about the coming Messiah in
surprising ways.
1.
the prophet Isaiah provides the image of a time when the wolf and the
lamb will live down together; when the leopard and the kid (goat)
will lie down together.
2.
I'm not
much of a farmer, but even I know that's a surprising image.
3.
Isaiah goes on to note that a child shall lead them.
4.
We meet that child who will transform the world when we arrive at
the manger scene.
b.
It's no wonder that children like the Christmas story so much.
1.
It's a fascinating tale.
2.
It does not go like expected. Who has a baby born with cows and
donkeys nearby?
3.
Maybe even a pink swan will appear.
4.
The manger is about the surprising possibilities, the hope for
something different the the Christ-child
brings to
the world.
Move
2: we
might also note the odd
and unexpected list of those invited to be part of the manger scene.
a.
Who would you invite to a special event?
2.
Consider who we invited, or invited themselves to the our
Bicentennial celebration.
3.
People who had helped shape the congregation – Former ministers
and former organists.
4.
People you might expect to be involved in something big -- no heads
of state; no government officials, but I might note that at our
Bicentennial celebration the mayor of Troy wanted to be involved and
later our state representative came by to give us a resolution passed
by the OH House of Representatives
5. a
significant event marked by an exemplary guest list.
c.
Consider who was invited to participate in the coming of Christ.
Would any of them be on your list to invite to a special,
life-changing, world-changing event?
1.
Zechariah and Elizabeth -- an old priest and his barren wife;
2.
Mary and Joseph -- a virgin and her reluctant boyfriend;
3.
shepherds in the fields;
3.
wise men from far away – OK, maybe these guys make the list.
Certainly if you knew the gifts they were going to bring., you would
invite them.
4.
the long-awaited Messiah is coming and it
does not appear that any movers and shakers in the world were
invited. Or if they were, they never showed up at the manger.
5.
On the other hand, think about the breadth of people there: a few
rich guys; foreigners; the younger demographic; the older
demographic; the religious; the working class
6.
m,maybe not the people you would put on your guest list, but a wide
variety of people, nonetheless.
- Rev. Baily notes that during that pageant when he filled in as Joseph, he “began to understand the central message of the Christmas pageant: the core of the story is that no matter the script, the set or the costumes, there is a role for everyone in the Christmas story.
1.
Anyone and everyone is invited
2.
That means even you, and even me.
3.
maybe even a pink swan.
Move
3:
Being involved with the one who arrives in the manger is a
life-changing event
a.
is there anyone we listed whose life was not changed by being
involved with the Christ child?
1.
Zechariah is struck mute and Elizabeth gets pregnant.
2.
will Mary and Joseph's life ever be the same?
3.
shepherds leave the fields in the night.
4.
wise men travel a long way and then venture home a by following a new
path.
b.
Approach
the manger with caution.
1.
Do not come to find the Christ-child at the manger if you want your
life to remain the same, if you do not want surprises.
2.
Centering
your life on the Christ-child opens you up to new possibilities.
2.
for some of us, that may be welcome relief. We are ready for
something new. We ant a change in our lives.
3.
for others, that might be a bit unsettling.
4.
we are satisfied with what we have and where we are. We're not all
that
interested in any surprises.
If
you make the trip to Bethlehem, be ready!
Conclusion:
In my role as a minister, I've been involved in lots of Christmas
pageants in churches. I suppose I did it a time or two as a child.
The
time I remember best, though, was being a the church pageant my Sr.
year in high school. The person directing the pageant asked me and
two other high school boys to be shepherds in the pageant. No
problem. We could be shepherds.
At
the first rehearsal, though, we discovered that the director has
something special in mind for that year's pageant. It had been set
in West Texas. So the shepherds had to dress accordingly:
bathrobes, long johns (apparently on cold nights were wore our longs
johns in the fields), and cowboy boots. Clearly, we were the comic
relief portion of the pageant.
So
there we were. Three shepherds from the fields of W. Texas startled
by the singing angels in the sky and then proceeding with haste to
the manger in Bethlehem to find the Christ-child.
Our
boots striking the tile floor as we walked across the fellowship hall
announced our arrival; our bath robes and long johns coming into full
view; we made it in all our glory to the manger at center stage.
We
were there to see the Christ-child.
I
don't remember, but maybe there was a pink swan lurking in the
background.
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