Christmas Eve Sermon
December 24, 2023
Rev. Robert McDowell
According to an NBC news affiliate which aired a few years ago leading up to the Christmas season, well over half of us prefer an artificial Christian tree instead of a real one. According to this report, only 18% of us are old school when it comes to our Christmas trees.
My brother happens to part of that 18% and he proudly reminds me of this every single Christmas. He knows that Penny and I sold out a long time ago when it comes to buying real Christmas trees. We think we have a very beautiful Christmas tree, but all he can see are the metal tubes and the fake pine needles.
I must admit that I’m envious every time I see his 12-foot-tall authentic Christmas tree that has been freshly cut down and always includes the delightful smell of pine throughout his house. That’s something you just don’t get with an artificial tree that gets stored in a box year-round.
In one of the churches I pastored, the young adult Sunday School class invited me to a Christmas decorating party that was held in their classroom where they met at the church. When I arrived, they had punch and cookies and after about ten minutes, somebody said, “Let’s start decorating.”
I watched as a couple of the class members walked to a nearby storage closet and carried out an artificial Christmas tree that still had the lights and the decorations on it from the previous year.
They stood up the tree in the corner of their classroom, plugged in the lights, and someone yelled out, “That should take care of it! Help yourself to some more punch and cookies.”
The decorating took a total of 3 minutes! I guess there is something to be said for real Christmas trees.
Whether you have a real Christmas tree or an artificial one isn’t really the point. The real question is if our faith is real or not.
The Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke is all about keeping it real. The gospel writer reminds us that God risked everything by sending us Jesus.
The one who would be given the title the King of Kings was first born in the shadow of the mighty Roman Emperor Augustus who claimed this title for himself.
The one who would go on to heal the sick, calm the storm, and feed the multitude would first be placed in a feeding trough upon his birth.
And the one who would face rejection and betrayal, would be turned away at his birth because there was no room in the inn.
Yes, the Christmas story itself is a story that helps us to keep it real. It doesn’t get any more real than this. Real people. Real animals. Real fear. Real risk.
Over the past several Sundays here in church, we have been lighting the Advent Candles. Traditionally, these candles stand for hope, love, joy, and peace. When we shine these lights, it helps us to keep Christmas real.
During the first Sunday of Advent, we looked at how we can keep Christmas real by lighting the candle of hope. George Iles once said, “Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.” I love that thought. “Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.” We light the candle of hope.
On the 2nd Sunday of Advent, we lit the candle of love. It’s when we share the love of Jesus that we experience the deepest kind of love there is. This love is an unconditional love that accepts us for who we are and loves us just the way we are.
Morrie Schwartz once said, “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and let it come in.” We light the candle of love.
On the third Sunday of Advent which was last Sunday, we lit the candle of joy. The church refers to this Sunday of Advent as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is a Latin word that means “Rejoice.”
That’s why one of the candles around the Advent wreath is pink and not purple like all the others. Purple reminds us to patiently wait for the coming of Christmas, but the color pink reminds us that we can experience joy along the journey.
Helen Keller once said, “Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow.” If you want to keep Christmas real, just look around at how God is at work in your life and the situations that come your way.
These God moments will lead you to a Gaudete moment of rejoicing even during the more challenging times. We light the candle of joy.
And today on this 4th Sunday of Advent, we lit the candle of peace. When we put our focus on Christ, rather than only on the sentimental surface meaning of Christmas, we experience a deeper sense of God’s peace in our lives.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” One of the ways we can keep it real this Christmas is by seeking peace rather than division.
We will discover that it’s when we are actively seeking peace, that we will experience a peace that passes all understanding. We light the candle of peace.
If you are looking to keep Christmas real this year, just remember to always light the candles of Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. These four Advent Candles remind us of how we can keep it real this Christmas and beyond.
I was on the phone with my insurance company a couple days before Christmas one year. As the person on the other end of the line was pulling up my policy, she noticed that I was a minister.
So, she said, “So Rob, are you ready for your Christmas Eve services? I mean, this is a really busy time of year for you.”
Now, this happens occasionally when someone calls me Rob or Bob even though I go by Robert. I didn’t think too much of it. And so, I told her that I was close to being ready. And she said, “Well, that’s great, Rob.”
Since her computer was slow in pulling up my information, she asked me another question just to pass the time. “So, I imagine it would be really hard to preach on Christmas Eve? Don’t you ever run out of something new to say?”
Now, up until that very moment, I had been feeling pretty good about my Christmas Eve sermon. All of the sudden, I wasn’t so sure anymore.
This insurance person on the other end of the line was reminding me that it really is a challenge to think of something new to say about something we have already heard many, many times.
So, I said to her, “Yeah, it’s a challenge, but I think I’m ready again this year.” She said, “Well, that’s good to hear, Rob.”
As I think back to that conversation, she’s totally right. Never mind that she didn’t call me by my real name during that long and drawn-out conversation, but she was so right when she said to me, “So, it must be really hard to preach on Christmas Eve. Don’t you ever run out of something new to say?”
And the truth is, we preachers are uneasy about Christmas Eve. What can we possibly say that is new and insightful and memorable? What can I possibly say to all of you even though you have probably already heard your share of Christmas Eve sermons?
And then it dawned on me. I actually do have a fresh message to share with you today even though you have probably heard the story of Christmas a zillion times.
Here’s my super insightful and genius thought to leave with you today. Are you ready for this? This is going to totally blow you away. Here’s my genius thought for you to remember, fresh from the Holy Spirit.
Are you ready for this? Are you sure?
Ok, here is my super insightful thought fresh from the Holy Spirit. This Christmas, keep it real.
That’s it.
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