(For the reader: This was a very visual sermon. I was a pastor who was coming into to clean up after the children’s Christmas program. Use your mind’s eye to see the manger tipped over, the children’s costumes: shepherds costumes, king’s crown and presents, odds and ends scattered about as some children in their rush to get on to other things might have just drop them. Behind the manger is a wooden tree. It consists of an upright six foot pole with four cross bars and green string of Christmas lights. [During the sermon I will wind up the string of lights and remove the bottom three crossbars. This will leave a cross.] )

(Pastor enters and surveys with a tired but happy smile the things that need to be picked up after the Christmas program. They obviously bring up lots of memories. As he begins cleaning up he turns and talks to the congregation as much as to himself.)

“Wasn’t that a delightful program? The kids were great, they knew their lines, the choir sounded wonderful, all glory be to God, and those shepherds – put a towel on a kid’s head, tie it on with piece of rope and you’ve got a shepherd. (picking up a shepherds headscarf and putting it on) Those shepherds told us something very important, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this baby the angels have told us about.’ Weren’t they the best!.... ‘It is recorded that they spread the Word concerning what had been told them about this child and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.’ (Luke 2.18)…They told everyone. Sometimes I wish we were more like them, telling everyone. Sometimes I think we forget to share with others of the miracle that is God in a manger, the virgin birth, and the angels appearing. They weren’t shy or embarrassed they told everybody. (Pastor picks up a few costumes and folds them.) Sometimes I think we ought to be more like the shepherds just telling everyone and trusting God to sort it all out. ‘Hey, Have you heard Mary had a baby not just any baby, but the long promised Savior of the world!’

(Then the wooden Christmas tree catches his eye. He goes up and beings winding up the Christmas lights. He winds them into what looks like a wreath.) We need to ponder the stories of Christmas and all the rest of the stories of Jesus. We have plenty of time to do that when we take down our Christmas lights and wind them up. Just the other day as I was sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of coffee and was hungry for a piece of fruit, I was reminded of the time that Jesus was hungry. He was going back and forth to the temple in Jerusalem. He came across a fig tree. He was looking on it for figs and when he didn’t find any He cursed that tree. May you never bare fruit again. (Matt 21.19) It was like the Word of God just took that tree apart. (Pastor begins pulling the bottom boards off the wooden Christmas tree. He pulls the tree bottom boards off and then gets distracted leaving the last upright, which just so happens to form a cross)

The Word of God has power to change things. The tree that was green and lush would never bear fruit again. We should remember that tree and how the Word of God is powerful and how it changes things. We come here and we hear IT and we say that is nice, but we fail to recognize and realize the power it has. If Jesus says to a tree you cursed then it withers and dies and if he says to us we are forgiven, then we have life and growth and can bear fruit. We need to ponder the power in the Word of God.

(Turning and seeing the manger which was left tipped on it side, setting it upright) I was looking at this manger and it reminded me of boats. Many of you don’t know this but I love boats. I was thinking about how Jesus had taught all one day. The people came to hear Him and from the boat He taught them about God: Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Blessed, are the merciful for they will be shown mercy (Matt5.3,4,7) He taught about the things of God in ways that no man had ever taught. Oh, if it is up to us what do we teach…we teach about works. If you do enough good you’ll make it to heaven. If you do enough of this you’ll merit God’s forgiveness. If you do enough of this or that then you’ll earn your way into heaven. Horse feathers! says Jesus. No! it is not about what we do. It is all about what God does, and what He did some 2,000 years ago.

And there is this story of when Jesus after teaching all day set out across the lake with the disciples. There was this horrible storm! The boat was going back and forth, filling up with water, and what happened to the disciples? They “got” afraid. They woke up Jesus, who sleeping in the back of the boat. “Jesus, don’t you understand what is going on here? We are going to drown? Don’t you care?” Jesus got up and looked around, at the wind and the waves. He stood up and said the most amazing thing. He said, Hush, be still! I don’t know if He said as much to the wind and waves as He did to the disciples. It is recorded that the sea became like glass (Mark 4.35-39) Hush be still you of little faith. Sometimes in our lives, we think the storms will overtake us, that God doesn’t know our struggle and peril. We need Jesus to tell us to Hush, and be still!

The boy born to that manger grew up. Thirty years later He said, “Hush be still.” He calmed the storm. He calmed hearts. Do you think the kids understood all that? No, I don’t think we get it all either, but you’ve got to start somewhere. You’ve got to start by telling them the stories. How about us big people we need to be reminded of them, as well, and how when Jesus said to them Hush be still, He also said, oh, you of little faith.

You know sometimes I think I’m the one He talked to, I’m the one with little faith. But I know I have God who forgives me my often weak faith, and He renews and accepts me. I just hope I not so busy in the weeks to come that I just want to put Christmas away. I hope I’m not too busy to want to tell people the stories of Jesus.

(Walking back up among the items in and around the manger…picking up a long bright red scarf-like piece of material) Oh, oh, do you remember this story? There was woman who was brought to Jesus. She had been caught in adultery. They took this sinner and threw her at Jesus’ feet. She must have been afraid and she knew that having been caught in adultery she could be stoned. They brought her to Jesus and said what do you think we should do? They were laying a trap for Jesus….. Jesus did the most amazing thing with this woman. He knelt down on the ground and began to write in the dirt. Have you ever wondered what that was? Have you ever wondered what He wrote? We don’t know…we don’t know….maybe he wrote their sins…and ours, but we do know that Jesus said the most amazing thing….

You know, sometimes we are very good at catching other people in their sins, aren’t we. Have you ever looked at another person and said, “Now there is a first-class sinner. Look at them!” It is always nice to have one of them close by. You can always say, “At least I’m not as bad as that person.” Jesus didn’t say that. What Jesus said was you are right she broke the Law. The Law says she is to be stoned, okay. Whoever is without sin you go ahead and cast the first stone. It is recorded that the crowd began to melt away. Pretty soon it was just Jesus and the woman. Where are those who accused you?... Well, I do not accuse you either. Then Jesus says the most amazing thing, you “gotta” hear this part. Go and leave your life of sin. (John 8.1-11)

You know we come in here and confess our sins all the time and we need to be reminded that we, too, need to leave our lives of sin. We need to confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness and then by the power of the Holy Spirit we too need to strive to leave our lives of sins. (Walking up to the cross [made from the wood of that withered fig tree] which stands behind the manger, Pastor hangs the red scarf off one of the arms on the cross.)

Oh, the kids were so cute. Kids and Christmas they just go together…. The whole thing was beautiful, but I need to tell you a secret. Did you know what was in the bottom of this manger? Something very special. I bet they never looked to see if it was there. (Pastor reaches down into the manger and pulls out a ten inch spike) (holding up that spike) It is very important that it is here. It is to remind us that this Babe of Bethlehem was born for a purpose and to bring peace on earth, peace between God and man. This nail is to remind of what was in store for the babe. From the manger he would one day go to the cross to die for the sins of the whole world. Oh, He taught us much about God, God’s mercy and forgiveness. He also taught about His justice that our sins must be atoned for, paid for, that our sins carried a terrible price.

(Taking up a box that had been used as one of the gifts from the wise men, it looks like a Christmas present) One last thing, the gifts of the wise men. Do you remember what they were? Gold, frankincense, and…. myrrh. This gift reminds me of something else. I have to let you in on a little secret. If we had opened these the night of the program these were empty boxes. I’ll bet you didn’t know that. I’ll bet you thought there was real gold and frankincense in them. Nope, the boxes like this one were empty, but this box can tell us about the most amazing gift that was empty, as well. That gift was the empty tomb. Jesus came to teach us about the ways of God; He came to earn for us the forgiveness of our sins, He came that the tomb would be empty. You see the empty tomb is the promise that God has forgiven our sins. The Father has accepted the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins, and as Christ lives we too will live. There is sooo much, sooo much, we can learn.(Pastor places the open, empty box next to the spike in the manger)

(Taking up a gold, paper crown one of the kings wore.) Jesus set aside His crown in heaven. He set aside His crown in heaven to wear a different type of crown. (Pastor places the paper crown in the manger, loops the red scarf on each of the arms of the cross and places the wreath of Christmas tree lights on the cross which now everyone realizes looks like a crown of thorns.)

(Leaving, Pastor keeps saying to himself,) “There is so much we can learn….. There is so much we can learn.”

Amen

(A parishioner sings the song, “Mary Did You Know?”)
“Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water.
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save your sons and daughters….”