Stars and Angels on Christmas Eve
Myth or Reality? Your Choice.
Is Christmas just a myth, an ancient story of something that maybe happened long ago and far away? Is the traditional story of God taking on human form just a repeat of the Greek myths from the past.
Not for me. I believe that the message of our beautiful and tough traditional Christmas story is true, not just for back then but for today as well. I’m not sure about all the details, but I truly believe that God, our Creator, did join the human race, did become human flesh in Jesus. God came as Emmanuel, God with us, to teach us how to love one another, to save us from ourselves.
Our Christmas story is so much more than a story of the past. God is born in each and every child all over the world. That means that, even in you and me, there is a spark of God. We have this camp song:
It only takes a spark to get a fire going.
And then all those around can warm up to its glowing.
That’s how it is in God’s world.
It’s fresh like spring. You want to sing. You want to pass it on.
Our traditional Christmas story carries this truth of Christmas. God was born in me and everyone at our birth. That spark is so strong that nothing can put it out. I believe the angels rejoiced and sang at our birth. We did nothing to earn that spark of God. Our job is to fan the flame. Last Sunday, Rev. Nancy reminded me of an ancient Cherokee story.
A young boy and his grandpa were talking. “Why is there evil in the world?,” the young boy asked.
Grandpa thought for a long time and then he told this story. “I believe there are two wolves within each of us. One wolf leads us to be selfish, to lust for power, to lie, to be greedy, mean and cruel. The other wolf leads us to kindness, sharing, loving, caring. These wolves are always fighting each other.”
“Which wolf wins?” the boy asked.
“Well, you see, son, the grandpa said. “The one you feed becomes the strongest and wins.”
Our Christmas story tells us that God is born within us. When we feed the spark of God’s Spirit with kindness, sharing, loving, caring, the spark becomes a flame and brings light to all we meet. As each of our flames grow, peace and love grow in this world.
I encourage you to fan the flame that is growing within you. I remind you that nothing you can do or say, or anyone else can do or say, will ever be able to completely kill that spark within you. It may seem very tiny at times, but it will always be there, waiting.