John 1:1-14
Annie Dillard wrote a lovely little essay about a childhood remembrance, called God in the Doorway. One Christmas Eve, in her fancy dress, having returned home from a festive dinner with her family she sat near the fire for the warmth, and she became aware of a sudden commotion; the front door opened and there stood Santa Claus in the doorway, big as life, ringing a loud bell and shouting “Merry Christmas!” And Annie was terrified. She ran upstairs and refused to come down, no matter how much her mother coaxed and cajoled her; she wanted this so much for Annie. But Annie wanted none of it. For Annie, seeing Santa there in the doorway was like meeting God, and at this stage in her young life, she was in no hurry to meet God.
It is easy for children to confuse God and Santa Claus. I remember my oldest child, on her fifth Christmas, opening her gifts with excitement and looking up to heaven, saying, “Thanks, Santa! I mean, thank you, God! I mean…” Her grandmother laughed and said, “They often seem like one and the same, don’t they?” The one who comes down at Christmas, enters our homes and our hearts, bringing us gifts.
Love comes down at Christmas. This is the text of a beautiful hymn by Christina Rossetti:
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
Star and angels gave the sign.
Love came down at Christmas in a very special way, when God sent God’s own Son, the true light, Word made flesh. God took on the form of humankind, flesh and bone and blood, became one of us, to be with us; we who are made in God’s own image now brothers and sisters to God’s own Son.
Love came down at Christmas – but people were afraid, just as Annie was afraid of Santa standing in the doorway of her house. When love came down that first Christmas, angels appeared out of nowhere, the glory of the Lord shone all around and the heavenly host sang praises to God. All of this signaling that something well out of the ordinary was up. And the shepherds watching their flocks that night were terrified. Terrified.
And having never been exposed to such a thing, the skies opening up to reveal the heavenly host in all their glory, who am I to judge them for being afraid?
On this night, a night of darkness into which we bring the light of our candles, we remember the night that love came into the world as God stood in the doorway.
Out of love for this world and all who live in it, God came to us as one of us. In the words of Annie Dillard, God stood in the doorway between two worlds.
God brought all that is good of God’s holy realm, stood in the doorway, and offered it all to us: joy, peace, hope, and love. All this was offered to us, freely, a gift. Would we take it?
Would we accept, embrace, this gift from God?
Into this world where, even now, wars continue, sickness and death continue. On this night, as on every night, there are places where love and hope, peace and joy are scarce. There are places where these gifts of God have been rejected, or simply can’t be found amidst the misery that lives there.
Even on this night we might ask: is there light and love enough for all of us?
Of course, we can turn our eyes away from the scarcity and the misery, those things we don’t care to see, those things that might make us uncomfortable. But the light that came into the world on Christmas will make it harder for us to do that.
Because the light that we know came into the world that night showed us God’s unwavering love for the least, the last, and the lost. The light that came into the world that night taught us that God’s power is made perfect in weakness, and that the first will be last and the last will be made first. The light that came into the world that night showed that those who lead in God’s way lead by serving others.
When the light came in, when the door between the worlds blew open and God stood on the threshold, it showed us the topsy-turvy way God works. And the angels said, “Do not be afraid.”
Do not be afraid.
This love that is the power of God will save us after all. When we let this love in, it will fill us and move us and change us. It is, truly, a miracle. I have seen this miracle many times.
Because there is something about Christmas which inspires people to generosity. At this time of the year when we celebrate the gifts God came bearing into the world for us, we are more likely to remember those who need the most, and this is, I think, one of the greatest gifts God brings. When we open our hearts to receive the gifts God brings for us we will be filled with love. We will be filled to the brim and overflowing with God’s love. And the power of that love cannot be overstated.
In the final stanza of Christina Rossetti’s hymn, we sing:
Love shall be our token,
love be yours and love be mine;
love to God and others,
love for plea and gift and sign.
May your hearts and minds be opened tonight to the gifts of our God – hope and joy and peace and love. May love be your token, love be your sign; may love be your gift to the world.
