\u201cLet us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years… Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nAnd so, as we just sang, I hope we gather here tonight as a faithful people.\u00a0 On this eve of Christmas which both brings so much joy\u2026\u2026.and so much angst in our lives, perhaps we can once again contemplate its higher meaning.\u00a0 Yes, we love the gifts, the parties, the beautiful music and the good food, but we could think of other reasons to so celebrate.<\/p>\n
Here at the Gathering we\u2019ve looked at a few different holiday perspectives over the past few weeks \u2013 through the eyes of the skeptic, through the eyes of those who suffer at this time of year and through the eyes of women and a re-imagined Virgin Mary.\u00a0 Ultimately, though, the holiday comes down to commemorating the birth of a man whom we cannot even say for sure ever lived.\u00a0 As much as our faith calls us to heed certain teachings in the Bible, it is most definitely NOT a history book.\u00a0 But along with the sacred scriptures of other world religions, the Bible contains profound pieces of wisdom and insight.<\/p>\n
I believe the power and beauty of Christmas is that one such piece of insight for us is symbolically represented in the Bible through the birth of the Jesus child.\u00a0 Whatever our beliefs about whether the Christmas story is fact or myth, we find that the birth of a weak and homeless child, perhaps conceived out of wedlock, fully represents the ethic of Jesus\u2019 teachings.\u00a0 Born not to wealth and power but to an impoverished teenage girl, housed not in a mansion but in a small barn, leading a life of an itinerant rabbi and condemned to die a criminal\u2019s death, Jesus was and is the most unlikely<\/em><\/strong> of heroes.<\/p>\nIt is an ironic twist, but the power of Jesus and his birthday story come not from the sword or a lofty position of status or a bulging bank account, but from the example and teachings of his life.\u00a0 He began that life as just another poor child \u2013 one of millions \u2013 born in some unknown village to parents of no special reputation.\u00a0 He lived his years in another small town, performing manual labor and never amassing the funds to build or own a home.\u00a0 And yet, whether or not this man Jesus ever lived, two thousand years later, we still celebrate his birth.\u00a0 To understand why, we need only hear the words attributed to him\u2026<\/p>\n
Blessed are the poor, <\/strong>
\n<\/strong> for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. <\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Blessed are those who mourn, <\/strong>
\n<\/strong> for they will be comforted. <\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Blessed are the meek, <\/strong>
\n<\/strong> for they will inherit the earth\u2026 <\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Blessed are the merciful, <\/strong>
\n<\/strong> for they will be shown mercy\u2026<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Blessed are the peacemakers, <\/strong>
\n<\/strong> for they will be called children of the Divine.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\nCome, you who are blessed\u2026I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me\u2026<\/strong>whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.<\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\nThe one whose birth we celebrate tonight and tomorrow, the one who calls us to give, to find peace, to act with love and humility, was first and foremost a servant.\u00a0 The cries of the Jesus child echo to us from that distant Bethlehem night\u2026\u2026to be like him\u2026..to have the heart of a servant.<\/p>\n
(Please sing with me, while remaining seated, the song, \u201cO Little Town of Bethlehem\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\nJesus is quoted at one point in his life as saying that whoever is the greatest among us will be our servant.\u00a0 He teaches the paradoxical notion that greatness<\/span><\/strong> comes not with power and status but with lowliness and servitude.\u00a0 In that regard, the story of a low-born baby coming to serve humanity resonates strongly.\u00a0 As we just sang, it is in those who are humble who find the Jesus child within.\u00a0 The heart of the Divine, we are told by Jesus, is to think less of ourselves, to esteem the needs of others as greater than our own, to love our enemies, to renounce violence, and to forgive.\u00a0 In each action, we serve others.<\/p>\nOut of all the things we do each day \u2013 most of which are done to meet our own personal needs \u2013 the mundane actions of service for others speak the loudest.\u00a0 Whether it be for a partner, a child, a friend or a stranger, each act we do for another, is a Jesus act\u2026we reach beyond ourselves, and our own needs, to meet those of others.<\/p>\n
Seeing through a servant\u2019s eyes is to see the world in a new way.\u00a0 As I often say \u2013 and continually must apply in my own life \u2013 we exist for a purpose far beyond the meager years and petty demands of our own lives. \u00a0By serving the needs of others, we fulfill our holy destiny to help build a better world.\u00a0 We participate in the moral imagination to improve equality, justice, health and welfare for all creation \u2013 not for our narrow interests.\u00a0 What a nasty and brutish world it would be if we each always acted according to our own interests.<\/p>\n
A servant does not count the cost nor does he or she seek the limelight.\u00a0 Genuinely motivated servants often operate in the background never seeking glory or recognition.\u00a0 Indeed, the highest form of service or giving is to do so anonymously \u2013 we will have served and loved with pure motivations.\u00a0 If we serve only to bolster our own egos or reputations, I believe we have failed to act with love.<\/p>\n
Much like prayer or meditation, serving others selflessly has its own intrinsic rewards.\u00a0 We draw nearer to the heart of God \u2013 who is simply defined as love.\u00a0 Mother Theresa is famously quoted as saying that when she tended a dying street person or leper, she felt she was in the presence of the Divine.\u00a0 To wipe a tear or extend a caring hand was, for her, a way to touch the face of God.<\/p>\n
My friends, it is not enough for us to simply say we believe in love.\u00a0 Each of our actions and, indeed our lives, must, I believe, speak of serving others. \u00a0We must refuse to return hatred with hatred, we must listen to another when we have no desire, we must forgive an offense as if it were not committed, we must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, tend the sick, extend a smile, offer a kind word, rescue an animal, give a hug, cook a meal\u2026.in simple terms, we must find a way to do for others great or small acts of kindness.\u00a0 Indeed, if we say we love others but do not act to tangibly show it, we are the worst of hypocrites.<\/p>\n
I was recently sent the story about an honor marine whose duty it is to inform the families of soldiers that their loved one has been killed in combat.\u00a0 This marine arrived at a nursing home to so inform the father of a fallen soldier.\u00a0 He discovered, however, that the man he was to inform was himself dying.\u00a0 In the fog of drugs and near death, the man confused the honor marine for his own son and extended his hand to be held and comforted.\u00a0 This marine, however, did not fulfill his intended mission of informing the old man of his son\u2019s death, but instead grasped the hand of the dying man and then proceeded to remain with him through the night until he peacefully passed away.\u00a0 The dying man all the while believed he was holding the hand of his beloved son.\u00a0 Such an act of love and service may seem small but it speaks of what any of us should do for another.\u00a0 How do we treat family members?\u00a0 How do we respond when criticized or attacked?\u00a0 How do we serve the least of God\u2019s creation \u2013 the poor, homeless, illiterate, hungry, abandoned, sick and imprisoned?\u00a0 Each of us has, I believe, the capacity to serve and to do so in amounts greater than we meet our own personal needs.<\/p>\n
I know that within these walls there are many who serve sacrificially.\u00a0 The tutor who patiently teaches a young inner city child, the one who comforts a local inmate, those who rescue wayward animals, the life partner who daily loves and honors his or her mate, the ones who volunteer to feed the hungry, the tireless parent of any child, those who comfort and support frightened gay teens, we are all in the presence of the Divine.\u00a0 We celebrate the birth of Jesus tonight and His<\/span><\/strong> life purpose, as we ever seek to make it our own life mission\u2026\u2026.we live to serve.\u00a0 This Christmas and in the year ahead, may we celebrate that servant child born in a manger within us all\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\nPlease reflect with me and watch a short pictorial video capturing, I hope, the essence of loving with a servant\u2019s heart\u2026click here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Message 43, Christmas Eve 2010, \u201cHoliday Perspectives: Through the Eyes of a Servant\u201d, 12-24-10 \u00a9 Doug Slagle, Pastor at the Gathering UCC, All Rights Reserved Service-Program-12-24-10 George Matthew Adams, a well known newspaper columnist of the early 20th century once said, \u201cLet us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gnhuu.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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