'Twas the night before Christmas,
when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
Who doesn’t love this classic poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas, written almost 200 years ago by Clement
Clarke Moore. Moore wrote the poem for his children, presumably, to tell them a
story – tell them a wonderful story of a jolly elf who flies through sky in a
sleigh pulled by reindeer, his sleigh loaded with toys for girls and boys all
over the world.
Moore may have found his inspiration in another story,
one written in 1809 by the author Washington Irving, in which Irving wrote of
St. Nicholas “riding
over the tops of the trees, in that self-same wagon wherein he brings his
yearly presents to children.” And Irving was, no doubt, inspired by stories
about the first Saint Nicholas, who lived in the 4th century and
served the church as a bishop in what is now Turkey.
We love stories, especially during the Christmas season. A Charlie Brown Christmas has been a favorite
story for, amazingly, the past 51 years. Families gather every year in front of
the television to watch Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Sally, and of course,
Snoopy, prepare to tell the beloved story of the baby Jesus born in a manger.
It is this story that we all turn to so eagerly this time
of year, the story that Linus tells so movingly on stage: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were
sore afraid. And the angel said unto
them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the
babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.”
This
is the story we wait all month for. It is, as Linus reminds Charlie Brown and
all their friends, “what Christmas is all about”.
And so we will turn again to the story of the baby
born in the stable, the shepherds keeping watch in the field, the Wise Men
following the star, Joseph and Mary obedient and humble. It is a story always
fresh, for it is a story grounded in hope, joy, grace, and love – “what
Christmas is all about”. “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was
the light of all people.”
May your Christmas be filled with joy and your New Year
abound in God’s blessings,
Pastor Skip
