Dec 24th: Christmas Eve, with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski.
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Rev. Dr. Steven Koski
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Christmas Eve with Rev. Dr. Steven Koski. Series: All In A Spacious Christianity, First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon. Scripture: Luke 2.
We all need to hear the good news of great joy we celebrate in the birth of a child in the manger. There is a light that shines in the darkness a light the darkness cannot overcome. Join us this Christmas Eve. As we once again receive the gift of this light and find the hope and courage we need to bring that light into the darkest corners of our world.
Transcript:
Singing Silent Night is a tradition I look forward to every Christmas Eve. I also have a tradition every Christmas Eve to tell the story of Wally who played the innkeeper in the children’s Christmas pageant while he had one line and he’d been practicing and practicing to deliver it with us a scowl on his face and in just the right tone when Mary and Joseph knocked on the door. While he was to say there is no room in the in the night of the Padgett while he was ready, Mary and Joseph knocked on the door, and while he was ready to deliver his line, but he took one look at Mary and Joseph and Wally’s heart was was so available to love that he abandoned the script he had been given.
And he said, There’s no room. But you can stay in my room. Love took over. That’s something beautiful happened. You know love does that. When love takes over. Old scripts are abandoned. New stories are told surprise endings are possible. That’s what Christmas Eve and celebrating the birth of this child is all about to make room in our hearts and allow love to take over. Because when love takes over, surprise endings are possible and God knows this world of ours could use some new stories and surprise endings. What we celebrate on Christmas Eve is the gift of God’s heart and the birth of this child. The angels announced it. The shepherd celebrated it the wise men came seeking after it. This gift had been promised throughout the ages. And now it was happening. Yet, almost everyone that night so long ago in Bethlehem missed it.
They were busy following their old familiar scripts, not expecting new stories or surprise endings. They were busy doing something else.
What’s most important is always at the mercy of what’s least important. Christmas Eve invites us to make room to make room in our hearts. For the gift of that which is most important. Robert Fulghum tells a wonderful story I want to share to remind us not to miss this Christmas Eve. What’s most important not to miss the real gift.
The cardboard box is marked the good stuff. As I write I can see the box on the shelf in my office. I like being able to see it. The box contains odds and ends of a personal treasures. You know a thief looking into this box wouldn’t see anything of value and would leave it be but if the house ever catches fire, that box goes with me what I run.
And one of the keepsakes in the box is a small paper sack. Lunch size. At the top is sealed with duct tape staples, several paper clips. There’s a ragged rip on one side through which the contents can be seen.
Now this particular lunch sack has been in my care for almost 14 years. But it really belongs to my daughter, Molly. Soon after Molly came of school age, she became an enthusiastic participant and in packing lunch for herself, her brothers and me and each sack got their fair share of sandwiches, apples, milk, and sometimes a note or a treat.
Well, one morning when I was in my usual hurry, Molly handed me two sacks. As I was about to leave one regular lunch sack and the one I mentioned with the duct tape, staples and paperclips.
The other one is something else she said. Take it with you daddy. Being in my usual hurry, I I stuck both sacks into my briefcase. Kiss Molly on the forehead and rushed off. At midday while hurriedly scarfing down my lunch on my desk.
I hastily tore open Molly’s other sack she gave me and I shook out the contents to hair ribbons, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a pencil stub a tiny seashell to animal crackers. A marble used lipstick, a small doll to chocolate kisses And 13 pennies.
I smiled. Oh charming and rising. To go off to all of the important business of the afternoon.
I swept my desk clean into the wastebasket. Leftover lunch, Molly’s sack, all its contents. I mean, there wasn’t anything in there I needed. That evening Molly stood beside me while I was trying to read the newspaper.
What sack I muttered. Not really paying attention. You know, the one I gave you this morning. Um, I I left it at my office. Why? I asked. I forgot to put this note in it. And Molly hands me the note and, and says, besides I want to back those are my best things in the sack, daddy. The ones I really love.
You’ve been kind of sad. So I thought you might like to play with them. But now I want them back.
You didn’t lose the sack. Did you daddy? And tears puddle in her eyes? No, honey, I just forgot to bring it home. I lied. Bring it home tomorrow. Okay, daddy.
As she hugged my neck with relief.
I unfolded the note that that had not gotten into the sack that she just gave me.
I looked at the face of my child.
What was in that sack? was something else. Molly had given me her treasure her heart.
All that a seven year old held dear love in a paper sack.
Not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket.
Because I thought there wasn’t anything in there. I needed. It wasn’t the first time I felt my daddy permit was about to run out.
It was a long trip back to the office.
But there was nothing else to be done. So I went the pilgrimage of a penitent dad just ahead of the janitor. I picked up the wastebasket poured out all of the contents onto my desk. And I was sorting it all out when the janitor came in lose something. Yeah, my mind. Worse. My heart.
It’s probably in there already said what does it look like? I’ll help you find it.
Now I couldn’t feel any more of a fool than I already was so. So I told him.
He didn’t laugh. He smiled. I got kids too. So the brotherhood of fools searched the trash and found the jewels. He smiled at me.
I smiled at him. You know you’re never alone in these things. And after washing the mustard off the dinosaur spraying the whole thing with breath freshener to kill the smell of onions.
I carefully smoothed out the watered sack of brown paper into a semi functional sack.
And I carefully put the treasures back inside. And I carry the whole thing home gingerly. Like an injured kitten.
The next evening I returned it to Molly no questions asked. No explanation offered.
You know after dinner, I asked Molly to tell me about the stuff in the sack. And she took it out a piece at a time.
And she placed the objects in a row on the dining room table took a long time to tell to tell the story.
Because every single thing had a story.
A memory of her mother or this was attached to dreams or an imaginary friend and I hadn’t remembered but I had given her the chocolate kisses. She was keeping them she said for when she really needed them. To my surprise Molly gave the sack back to me. Several days As leader, same ready sack, same stuff inside.
I felt forgiven, trusted, loved.
Over several months the sack went with me from time to time. And in time, Molly turned her attention to other things, found other treasures, lost interest in the game grew up. Me.
She gave it to me one morning and never asked for its return.
Sometimes I think of all of the times in this in this suite life when I must have missed the love, I was given.
A friend calls that standing knee deep in the river and dying of thirst.
So the worn paper sack is there in the box.
leftover from a time when a child said, here this is the best I got.
On this Christmas Eve, we celebrate the mystery and the birth of this child that God has given us this treasure the gift of God’s heart.
I know I’ve missed it more than a few Christmases along the way. For one reason or another.
Christmas doesn’t need to look like a like a matching pajama ad or horror scene from a Christmas movie.
If you’re going to make Christmas look like anything that’s here.
Make room to receive God’s great gift of love for you. Let love take over.
Because when love takes over, old scripts are abandoned.
Surprise endings are possible.
When love takes over and we’re reminded what’s most important we give to one another and to the world the gift that really matters.
The gift of our hearts may it be so
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