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Episode Transcript
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him. And without him, not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life.
And the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world and the world came into being through him. Yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.
Who were born not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. And the word became flesh and lived among us. And we have seen his glory. The glory as of a father's only son full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.
The law indeed was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only son who is close to the Father's heart. Who has made him known?
The gospel of the Lord. Through the written word and the spoken word, God help us to hear your living word, our savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas. More specifically, merry fourth day of Christmas. I always like to remind myself and others that there truly are twelve days of Christmas, twelve days of rejoicing that we get to share with one another. Upon putting up my Christmas tree this year, I thought to myself, why do we only have lit trees covered in beautiful memories for about a month in each year? I wonder how the soft glow of the tree in the evening, how ornaments that invite us into storytelling, and how the living or artificial greens might soften us, slow us down, and help us to savor little moments.
While our Christmas trees might not always be the most Christ centered parts of our celebration, they are in a way adorned with the joy of Jesus entering our lives anew. Isaiah speaks of being clothed with the garments of salvation and covered with the robes of righteousness. He compares the gifts from God to the way a bridegroom decks himself with a garland and a bride adorns herself with jewels. The Christmas season is certainly a season of adornment. Look at the way our church is adorned today, giving glory to God.
Our trees in our homes glow with the brightness of the season. Our tables have advent wreaths and calendars. The signs of the season surround us. Glimpses of the incarnation of God are all around. Our collect today asks that God will enkindle the light of the incarnate word in our hearts to shine forth in our lives.
We can glimpse the light of the incarnate word in our advent candles, in our glowing trees, but that light goes so much deeper, and it spreads so much wider. So I wonder, what does it mean to be clothed with the garments of salvation? What does it mean to be covered with the robe of righteousness? How can the light of the incarnation be so enkindled in our hearts that it may shine forth in our lives? Let's explore each of these images just briefly.
The garments of salvation might be anything from the swaddling clothes that covered Jesus in the manger to a baptismal gown to the vestments worn by lay people and clergy in worship. These garments help us to see the salvation offered to us by God in the incarnation. If we wear the garments of salvation, whatever those garments may look like, we live into our baptismal covenant. We join in the apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayer. We persevere in resisting evil.
And when we sin, because we will sin, we repent and we we return to God. When we wear the garment of salvation, we proclaim the good news of Christ. We seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves. We strive for justice and peace, respecting the dignity of every human being. The robe of righteousness is not the robe of royalty.
In Advent, we heard Jesus speak of John the Baptist by reminding people that in the wilderness they find the prophet, not the soft robes of a king's palace. The robes of righteousness are fit for a prophet rather than a palace. To wear the robes of righteousness, we live in the counter cultural ways of God. Mary prayed in gratitude for her son saying he has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
We participate in the life of Christ by helping to balance the scales of power and justice, by working to fill bellies. We participate in the life of Christ by living in sufficiency, knowing that to have enough is a life of abundance. The light of the incarnation is every glimpse of God we see around us in the world. Our God came to inhabit our human world. Our God is in all of creation.
The light of the incarnation is in the face of the bay of a baby, in the spark in the eyes of a loved one, in the shine of a star in the sky. The light of the incarnation is the warmth of kindness, the love of friends and family, the compassion of a stranger. The light of Christ is in each and every one of us. God will enkindle that light to burn with the power of the Holy Spirit if we let her. How is God stirring in your heart this season?
What makes the fire in your heart burn? How can you dawn the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness? How can you shine the light of the incarnation in your life? The light of Christ is already in you. Will you let it shine?
Join me in this song. I'm sure you know it. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Amen.
