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December 24, 2006

"The Sound of Silence"

Christmas Eve meditation

This past week, I decided I would take a few moments of peace and quiet before I started to work on this Christmas Eve meditation. I thought I would have a few minutes for myself as a break from the stress and business of the holiday season. Mike, my husband, had just left for work.
There was a soft glow coming from the lamps and Christmas tree. Stockings were hung awaiting their Christmas treasures. I curled up in my thinking chair and reflected that the only things missing in this perfect Christmas picture were a roaring fire in a fireplace and a cup of hot chocolate. It was peaceful. It was calming. It was serene. It was quiet.

Just a little too quiet for my sense of mind. So I went to check on the kids. When I say kids, I really mean cats. I found two of them quietly curled up on a bed and I thought maybe I am just imagining things. It seemed as if the household really was experiencing peace and quiet for the first time in weeks. Well I knew that it was too good to be true. Much to my dismay, I found the other cats pondering how to climb the tree, with their paws already on the second branches. They were trying to discover how to swat the shiny balls that were at the top of the tree. They were wondering what those tiny white lights would taste like if they could only reach them.

Needless to say, crisis was averted on that day. But I soon realized that my meditation found me in the peace and quiet. I soon realized that my meditation was breaking through the all too quiet morning to shout the Gospel message that I am bringing to you tonight. I discovered my meditation climbing my tree, disrupting my perfect Christmas picture with everything neatly in its place, to remind me of the true meaning of Christmas.

Sort of like what happened on that very first Christmas night. “In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night”. We imagine it as this perfect picture. Shepherds in the fields. All the sheep accounted for and sleeping soundly, cuddled together for warmth and comfort. Stars blazing brightly the sky. Moonlight dancing on the ground. The shepherds decide to take a few minutes of peace and quiet. The shepherds thought they would have a few minutes as a break from the stress of shepherding. It is a quiet peaceful night in the countryside of Judea. Just a little too quiet.
They go and check on the sheep. None are missing. Maybe they were imagining things.

“Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people; to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

It was in that too quiet moment that God came to the shepherds to share the Good News. The night was too peaceful when the shepherds heard a chorus of angels telling of a sign of new things to come for all people. The countryside was too serene when a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger was brought forth into new life.
The picture perfect world of the shepherds was disrupted joyously to bring forth the true meaning of Christmas: A child is born who is the Messiah, the Lord!

We appreciate the quiet moments of the season. It is in those moments we relax and enjoy Christmas. We are not sure when those unexpected too quiet moments will find us. We worry about what’s wrong. We wonder what’s being or been destroyed in our perfectly designed Christmas scenes. We never expect a message from God coming to us loud and clear in those too quiet moments.

As we attempt to fill our lives with images of perfect people, perfect families, perfect jobs or even perfect Christmases, God comes to us and shows us that life should be filled with hope, peace, joy, and love. As we get caught up in the stress and business of the world, God comes to us and offers us rest and tranquility. As we worry about the perfect gifts for our families or what to make for Christmas dinners, God comes to us as a baby wrapped in a manger, and offers us the innocence and the faith of a child.

It is in those moments when we stop and enjoy one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, that the true meaning of Christmas shines through in our hearts and in our lives. It is in those quiet moments when we offer comfort to one another, and hold one another in an embrace that represents the unconditional love of God, that we truly understand what it means to be a part of the Good News and glimpse a small part of the kingdom of God.

It is in those too quiet moments where we slow down and really become aware of our surroundings, that we hear the still small voice calling out to us, inviting us to share in the Good News, and to celebrate the birth of a child, the Messiah, the Lord.

One of the most amazing times of the year for me is Christmas Eve. Not Christmas Eve at six o’clock as the stores are closing and people are hurrying home for family dinners. Not Christmas Eve at seven o’clock when families are coming home from Christmas Eve services with their minds filled with Christmas carols and parents are trying to figure out how soon they will be able to get their children to go to sleep.

One of the most amazing times of the year is Christmas Eve after late night services. You can drive around and there is almost no one about. There is peace. There is calm. There is quiet. It is a picture perfect Christmas scene. A scene that is almost too quiet.

Just remember that as you drive home in the quiet, in the peace, in the too quiet, that I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people to you is born a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. The baby that will one day grow up and heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and make the lame to walk. The baby that will joyously disrupt our picture perfect lives and nicely designed Christmas scenes to bring us the true meaning of Christmas.

May we enjoy and celebrate the quiet moments of Christmas in which we meet the Christ child that brings peace and grace to the world. Amen.

Rev. Heather McColl
Midway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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