Galen asked a perfectly good question earlier this
evening. Why are we here? And he gave a perfectly good answer. But I have
a follow-up question. Now that we are here, for whatever reason, what in
the world are we doing here? Or, to cast things in--for many of us--a slightly
more familiar vernacular, "What makes this night different than every
other night?"
I'll tell you what I am doing here, in addition to delivering the shortest
sermon of my entire life. I'll tell you what I hope to do, what I am about
to do, as soon as I stop talking, as soon as I start worshipping. I am about
to do nothing. Do . . . nothing . . . just, for a blessed moment, be. Just
. . . be.
Be . . . present. Be . . . open. Do nothing, force nothing, just let myself
be, myself and my worries and my fears and my hopes and my ambitions. Just
let them all be. No more striving, not now, only watching and waiting. No
more preparations for Christmas has come. No more rushing, simply opening
like a night lily to the stars and to the music and the peace.
I've done enough this year. So have you. We have all done enough. Too much
even. Too much and too many and too often. Around and around we go, stirring
our little pots, making them boil, and our plots and our fancies and our
prancing little egos, making them spin, keeping them spinning. It's time
to stop. Now. For Christmas. Just to be, be present, open, awake, forcing
nothing, lightening, listening, easing, catching breath.
The good news is, we have almost no choice. Like Mary had no choice. Only
to praise. Only to wonder. For unto us a child is born. We are that child.
So let God scatter our pride in the imagination of our hearts. Let one of
the most beautiful pieces of music ever written touch and soothe our souls.
Listen for angels. Angels of mercy and angels of healing. Angels of mystery.
Angels of birth. Listen for angels dreaming, angels dancing in candlelight,
imagine yourself in a field under stars of wonder. Listen and imagine. Do
nothing. Just wait. Wait for a miracle. Wait for the hint of a little birth
within you. A little burst of joy. A harbinger of hope, beyond all seeking
and all striving. Don't do anything. Just be. Here. Now. Together. That
is Christmas. Copyright AllSouls 1997