The Power of Story

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Another Christmas is upon us!  Where to begin?  How to tell the story?   There are so many ways!  But ah, the POWER of story!

You know, I usually don’t watch much TV, but there is one show that I really like, and I have to watch it every Sunday night when it is on.  It’s called “Once Upon A Time”. 

Have any of you ever watched it?   Well, it is a very interesting & creative show that takes the stories & characters in the fairy tales we all grew up with, and sort of “re-tells” them... but not quite exactly the way we may have heard them.  It is a new version of some very old and familiar stories.  

The story takes place in Maine, in this little seaside town called “Storybrook”.  And little do they know it, but the people who live there are all actually various fairytale story characters!  But they can’t remember who they really are, as their memories have all been erased! 

The first grade teacher who works at the school, is really Snow White!  The guy who works at the animal shelter is Prince Charming!  The town mayor is really the Evil Queen (of Snow White).   And who is the guy who owns the antique shop?  Yes, it is Rumpelstiltskin.  The town psychiatrist, is Jiminy Cricket, and so on! 

And how did they all get here?  Well, a terrible curse was enacted by the “Evil Queen” who wanted to take away all their “happy endings”,  erased their memories and brought them all to a dreadful land where there is no magic and no enchantment!     

Our world!

Ah, now we see the need for stories! 

Now, we may think fairy tales are just for amusement and mean “fiction”.   But upon a closer look, many of these stories have a very deep spiritual message, or lesson, a moral to the story.   But you have to sort of read or listen between the lines to get it.

The characters in Storybrook, are all walking around with their memories erased, not knowing who they really are, or what is really going on.  But how many of us walk or go through life this way?

Hmmm.

And on this night, we once again re-tell, re-remember & re-live a very familiar and very old and very powerful story!    

The Christmas story is our story, all its versions.   Whether it be in song, storytelling, music, traditions, rituals, and so forth! 

And on this night, here in this place, we once again tell the Christmas story! 

Wonder why we have incense tonight?  We are enacting part of the Christmas story, you are smelling &; breathing real Frankincense, straight from Arabia!  I brought it here from when I was there in 2009!  Remember, the three Magi, or Wise Men bring gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh!?  And here you are, breathing the story!

We just heard Luke’s gospel.  Mary & Joseph had been traveling on the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for the census.   

Bethlehem, by the way is about five miles south of Jerusalem, very hilly and means “House of Bread” in Hebrew. “ Baet” meaning house.  Well, being there were so many people also in Bethlehem trying to register for the census, they could not find a room at the inn, so they “checked in” to a stable.   And among the animals, Mary gives birth to Jesus, and lays him in a food trough full of hay, a manger!

Meanwhile out in the fields, the shepherds are watching over their flocks.  Suddenly, an Angel of the Lord appears to them.  And what happens?  

They are terrified!  And what does the angel say?  “Do not be afraid!   I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. … you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."

So, the shepherds go to Bethlehem to “see this thing that has taken place", and there they find baby Jesus in the manger.  They tell everyone there what had been told to them by the angel.

What did Mary do?    Well, she listened!  And she pondered these things in her heart.   Do you ponder these things, in your heart? 

And then, the shepherds went away praising God!

I know, that for some of us, it may be difficult to feel the joy of Christmas.  Perhaps you are grieving, or going through a rough patch in life.  But to be sure, in time, it will change.  Life will change.  It will change, because we all change.  For the one thing constant in life, is change. 

And over and over Christmas comes, a constant in our sometimes turbulent lives & world.  Christmas comes every year, in all its versions and ways…  Giving us comfort, hope, joy, courage, strength, healing, and a time to re-remember what life is really all about!

Now someone mentioned their favorite Christmas song is "Silent Night".  Yes, it tells the story, er, sings the story of Christmas.  But do you know this song has a story?   Well, here goes...

Once upon a time, a long time ago, at a little church in Austria, it was only a few days before Christmas, and the church organist announced to the priest that the aging church organ had broken down.  "Bad news Father", said the organist.  The organ is broken, and it can't be fixed by Christmas Eve.  What are we going to do?"   The parish priest responded, "Hey don't you play guitar?  Maybe we can have guitar music instead.  I know it's a little unorthodox, but we are between a rock and a hard place!"    The church organist agreed.  The priest added that he had written a little poem, perhaps he could put it to music?   

And so, on that night, on Christmas Eve in the year 1818, the world heard and sang “Silent Night” for the first time.  And we still sing this simple yet noble song, for it captures so well the spirit of this holy night!

And once again we are re-reminded, that even in the longest, coldest and darkest of “nights” in our lives, that Emmanuel, God is with us… always!  

Amen!

[Sermon given DEC 24, 2013 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Casa Grande, AZ.]