Rev. Tessie Mandeville
December 19, 2007
Christ Covenant MCC
Decatur, GA 30030

The story of the first Christmas is not a fairy tale. It’s about life in the real world . According to Matthew, Mary, who is extremely young, unmarried and engaged to Joseph the carpenter, discovers she is pregnant and that the paternity is questionable. Joseph does not want to embarrass Mary and plans to quietly break off the engagement perhaps because he is heartbroken, angry and confused that his fiancé is pregnant by someone else.

This was not an easy time for this couple. Their country was invaded and occupied by Rome, and King Herod who ruled Palestine for the Romans, was known for his cruelty. These are not exactly ideal conditions for bringing a child into the world. In the midst of their fear, turmoil and grief, an angel of God speaks to Joseph in a dream and tells him to proceed with his marriage to Mary.

On a cold, dark December night, after months of traveling and no prenatal care, Mary gives birth to Jesus in a barn because she and Joseph are homeless and they have very few resources. And just when they have a moment of reprieve and some joy over the safe birth of Jesus, another crisis happens. King Herod orders the death of all children under age 2 and so Joseph, Mary and Jesus can’t return home but instead become refugees trying to not get caught by the border patrol.

The story of the first Christmas is not a fairy tale. It’s about life in the real world.

And those of sitting here tonight know all about life in the real world. We, too, know that Christmases aren’t always happy stories. Maybe you’re here tonight because this is your first Christmas without your mom or dad or partner or some other special person to you. Maybe you’re here tonight because you’re sad over a recent change in your life—perhaps you’ve changed jobs or lost a job. Perhaps a beloved pet has died. Perhaps you’ve moved to town recently but you haven’t made friends and so you’re lonely. Maybe you’re here tonight because you struggle with depression and the long, dark nights of December are overwhelming to you. Maybe you’re here tonight because it’s the first time someone has given you permission to tell the truth about your sadness and sorrow and maybe even to say that you hate Christmas and just wish it would end.

We don’t have to pretend to be happy when we’re not. The deep healing that we long for in our lives doesn’t come by misrepresenting our true feelings. It doesn’t come by hiding them or pretending they don’t exist. True healing comes when we can talk about our pain out loud and have others bear witness to it.

The story of the first Christmas is not a fairy tale. It’s about life in the real world. But it’s also about God coming to us in our darkest nights. It’s about God taking flesh, becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ and meeting us in our pain.

 Christ came into the world for people who are hurting. Christ came into the world for people whose burdens are too heavy to bear. Christ came into the world to wipe the tears from our eyes.

Christ comes again and again to meet us right where we’re at, even in the dark nights of our souls.

In this season of Advent and Christmas:

We can have heavy spirits and shattered dreams.
Broken hearts and deep wounds.
And still God comes to be with us
To comfort us.
To redeem us.
To save us.
To restore us.
To empower us.
To strengthen us.
To grant us peace.
To hold us in the communion of saints with those whom we have loved and lost.
To wipe the tears from our eyes.
To heal us.1

The poet, Ann Weems’, who wrote Kneeling in Bethlehem, is no stranger to suffering. Her 21-year old son was murdered in 1982 and when she was able to write again, after a long, long period of grief, she wrote this:

Into this silent night

as we make our weary way

we know not where,

just when the night becomes its darkest

and we cannot see our path,

just then

is when the angels rush in,

their hands full of stars.2

May the light of God go with you during these dark nights. May the stars guide you to the healing that you long for. Bless you and amen.

1 Rev. Diane Hendricks, at the Little Falls Presbyterian Church in Arlington, VA, on December 16, 2001. Adapted by rev. Tessie Mandeville

2 “Into This Silent Night”, Ann Weems, Kneeling in Bethlehem.

Copyright © 2007 by Rev. Tessie Mandeville. Permission granted for non- profit circulation with attribution of author and venue. Other rights reserved.