December 27, 2009: Christmas I
The Revs. Connie Reinhardt and Anne-Marie Jeffery
St. George’s/St. James Final Joint WorshipCR: Christmas is here. Thank goodness. You won’t believe what I had to put up with this Advent.
AMJ: singing – Oh the weather outside is frightful, but fire inside is delightful. Let it snow
CR: You know I think that singing Let it snow let it snow let it snow just might have had something to do with last week’s big storm.
AMJ: And didn’t you enjoy the snow?
CR: Absolutely I did. I thought it was great. But then, I’m a hearty New Englander who grew up in snow and all of that.
AMJ: yeah yeah –even those of us who grew up in warmer climates are managing just fine in this snow, but let’s get back to the singing. If you can’t tell, Connie and I are of differing opinions of when one can start to sing Christmas songs. I figure once it gets to be December, bring it on!
CR: I know, I know, I’m a throwback – or just odd, by some people’s standards. I like to keep Advent as its own season and savor the anticipation – the anticipation of Christmas, of Christ’s birth, and the anticipation of listening to GOOD Christmas music during the actual twelve days of the Christmas season. Now, today is day three – only nine Christmas-hymn singing days left!
AMJ: What do you mean good Christmas music? It’s all good in some way from All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth to Silent Night. That first one brings back memories of childhood especially the Christmas when I didn’t have my two front teeth and the other brings to mind a holy moment when the church is darkened the congregation sings in the candle light. I like the traditional carols and quite a few of the new ones as well. One of my favorites is Feed the World done by Band Aid back in the 80’s which always reminds me what Christmas is really about. And since Sarah McLachlan, the pop singer came out with her album Wintersong, Christmas just hasn’t been Christmas unless I hear her version of The First Noel – old and yet new. But I could go on and on. How about you Connie – what’s your favorite Christmas hymn?
CR: My favorite Christmas hymn? I have two. (but for the record, I like Sarah Mclachlan’s Christmas album too). But for church hymns, for joyful celebration, the one I want to sing no matter what, preferably more than once, is Joy to the World. For power and meaning, I love A Stable Lamp is Lighted. It’s one of those minor key hymns, the ones that make it clear that we are, at Jesus’ birth, crossing a threshold. And from that vantage point we can see all the way to Good Friday. We can see what it means for Jesus to be human, and therefore what it means for us to be human. To me, that’s the power of that hymn, and the power of music generally.
AMJ: Well you see, music does reach people in all sorts of different ways - some more theologically than others. But I do agree with Connie that the power of music of song is quite amazing. Songs can bring us to tears or fill us with joy. Songs can bring us into a holy moment – pausing in the presence of God. When music and words come together, people can be inspired, their hopes raised and they can find the strength to go on. A few years ago, before I even came to St. James I learnt at a seminary for new priest held right here in Miller hall at St. Georges, that singing together can change the tenor of a church meeting, bible study or prayer group. When we sing, we truly pray twice. Singing adds a whole other dimension.
CR: That’s what I love about when Advent turns into Christmas – we finally get to the time of singing. It’s as if the season of Advent is like one of those challenge courses – scaling walls, crawling on your belly. First there’s the End Times reading on Advent 1, with the signs in the sun and moon and stars and all of that.
Then there’s the reminder of the people’s captivity and the promise that they will get to return on a level path, walking safely home; and week three John the Baptist doing his scary prophet act with the promise – or is it threat? – about the coming Messiah: with a flaming axe.
If we make it through all of those Advent challenges, we get Advent 4, which is finally the time of singing. The Magnificat, Mary’s song, is always read on Advent 4 – but since we missed it with our snow day, we snuck it in this week.
AMJ: Mary’s song is amazing. I was struck by one sermon which noted that Luke’s story of pregnant Mary visiting pregnant Elizabeth almost seems to be lulling us into another haze of sentimentality - two overjoyed expectant mothers getting together to share their happiness – but then Mary breaks into song and everything changes. This is a time of singing where we hear the radical, earth-shattering vision of the world made different - the tearing down the powerful from their thrones, and lifting up the poor and hungry.” Through this song we learn about the about the ways of God. We see how Mary has gone from lowly maiden to one who is blessed by every generation. Through this song, we see how God’s power breaks into our lives and what it looks like to turn ourselves over to God.
CR: That’s what Christmas is about – how God’s power breaks into our lives. In Luke’s telling of the Christmas story we particularly see this through song. On Christmas Eve we heard the song of the angels singing to the shepherds – Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace to those whom God favors. Then this morning we hear the Song of Simeon – Lord, you now have sent your servant free to go in peace as you have promised, for these eyes of mine have seen the savior.
AMJ: It is interesting when the singing happens. The angels sing after they have told the good news of the Savior’s birth, the lowly shepherds are surrounded by a heavenly chorus. Simeon sings at Jesus’ naming - he gives praise that he has seen the Savior that he has waited such a long time to see. Singing heralds God’s breaking through to us, and God’s doing a new thing
The angel’s song, Simeon’s song, Mary’s song, all tell of something new happening in the world - Jesus coming among us to change the world. And you know what? Jesus continues to change the world showing us a new way. In these songs, we hear a new song for our lives.
CR: Learning a new song for our lives . . . I like that. There’s a practical level on which that statement has meaning – new hymns, new words, new tunes. But also there is a deeper level talking about the songs of our soul, powerful songs, the songs of God. You know, one of the things that I have so appreciated about our time of worshipping together is the music, the new songs we have learned from each other, the way the musicians have melded together and done this new and wonderful thing. While it’s true there has been a lot of conversation about our style of worship, and some mixed feelings about the translations of the scriptures we’ve used, the thing we have heard most consistently is that people have really enjoyed the music as we have worshipped together these past months.
AMJ: I also have found our sharing of music very special. There has been much beauty in the joining of our voices together. I, along with the rest of St. James, will take the songs we have learned in this place with us wherever we go. For sure, I have my favorites where the first time I sang them here I said – I am singing that again. We have taught each other our songs over the past months, and that is a powerful gift that cannot be taken away.
CR: I think one thing this process and our being together through a difficult time also reminds us though is that sometimes it is challenging to sing – to sing on that deeper soul level. This is what we see reflected in Psalm 137 where the people have been exiled and are captives. The psalmist writes
1 - By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 - On the willows there we hung up our harps.
3 - For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 - How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
In the season of Advent we hear the promise of the homecoming that the people of God long for; at Christmas, that promise is fulfilled. But this question remains - How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? It’s not just a question for those people in that particular place and time. It’s a question the faithful have always asked when circumstances are difficult, whether personally or as a community. I think about this question of how we sing the Lord’s song during our merger exploration, which in some ways felt like entering a strange land. I think about it for St. James now, as you move into this next phase of getting the church ready to close. How can we sing the Lord’s song in this strange place we find ourselves?
AMJ: I think in those difficult times we sing the Lord’s song because that is all we can do and because we know the power of that song. We know what singing the Lord’s song meant for those who came before us and we know that in singing of God’s faithfulness we are reminded of what is within us – the power of God that yearns for us and loves us and walks with us every step of the way.
CR: But then, there’s the other question that comes to me. It’s from an old Quaker hymn. It asks, how can I keep from singing?
“My life flows on in endless song above earth’s lamentation I hear the sweet, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation. Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear the music ringing It finds an echo in my soul: how can I keep from singing?
And that’s it right there, I think: the paradox of our lives, the paradox of our faith. How can I sing the Lord’s song in a strange land, on the one hand. And how can I keep from singing, on the other.
This is why, during the commendation at the funeral liturgy, we see this same paradox of our faith in the words we pray:
You only are immortal, the creator and maker of humankind; and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and to earth shall we return. For so did you ordain when you created us, saying, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
AMJ: When the power of God breaks into our lives, then we cannot keep from singing – no matter what is happening in our lives, no matter how strange the land. When God dwells within us, the song burst forth as it did for Mary even though she faced what may have been the greatest challenge of her life. Just as the angels sing because the news of Jesus’ birth was so great and as Simeon sings because his eyes have finally seen the Savior, we too must sing.
CR: as we cannot keep from singing
Both: as we rejoice once again to the Christ’s birth into this world. Amen.