“In an old city bar, that’s never too
far, from the places that gather,
the dreams that have been
In the safety of night, with its old
neon light,
it beckons to stranger, and they always
come in.”
Some of you might know these words.
For those who do not know, this is the opening verse of a song appropriately
titles Old City Bar. It is sung by one of my favorite music groups known as the
“Trans-Siberian Orchestra.” It is a song about a young girl who is trying to
get home. She has no money and she wanders through the streets of this town…she
is lost. You get the imagination that the city lights are so bright that she
can’t see the stars overhead. So she does the only thing she can by wishing or praying
upon this old neon light. It is the light that advertises the bar.
It sounds unusual to begin Christmas
by talking about a bar, doesn’t it? It does feel a little odd as the pastor to
be talking about a bar at this most sacred and Holy time of the year. When we
think of bars, we think of some pretty nice ones that we may have visited on
vacations or special occasions. But our song tells us that it is an old city
bar. The pictures that is being painted is not a bar that appears to be too
friendly. It is the kind of bar where people go to get lost from society. It is
the kind of bar where people lament over missed opportunities; they drink their
troubles away thinking about what could have been rather than what could be.
This
is the kind of bar where suspicion of strangers is expected and accepted. This
is the place where people come to get lost in their sorrows…to get lost from
the world: a hectic job, or not having a job, the stresses of life and
everything that comes with it. Interesting thought; they are getting lost from
the world where the girl outside is trying to find her way back home…back into
her world. Nevertheless, this bar is not necessarily the place where one would
find comfort, a smile, or a helping hand.
It
does feel a little odd speaking of this bar because this is the time of the
year…THE special night of the year when we gather to hear the story of Jesus’
birth. We all have heard this story many times. We might even be able to recite
by heart. It is the story of Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem to be
registered. It was time for Jesus to be born and there was no place for them at
the Inn. We hear the wonderful words of how he was wrapped in bamds of cloth
(we have always heard the term swaddling cloth) she laid him in the manger. It is
a story that brings us great joy and comfort on this night.
BUT,
there are a few things we need to remember in this truly blessed story. Jesus
was not born in the place that may be considered “traditional” in his time. He was not born in a nice room, a
hospital room, or even a double sweet at the Sheraton Inn. Jesus was born in an
animal shelter. He was born in the barn where the animals lived because there
was no room for this couple who travelled so far. There were no doctors,
rabbis, Pharisees, or Sadducees present to bless the child. There were cows,
goats, mules…and I would imagine some of them may not have been to friendly
knowing they would be giving up their space for this new family.
That
is not the only part of the story. The story of Jesus’ birth does not end with
just being born. The shepherds were in the fields and tending to their flocks.
Shepherds are not the cleanest of people. They spend lots of time in the field
with sheep. They are loners and probably have not taken baths for some time.
They sleep out in the open often; always being vigilant that their sheep don’t
run off. While they are doing their job this angel appears. Not just one, but a
whole army of angels are there to back this one angel up and tell them the
story of Jesus. This angel tells them to go and see this wonderful child; and
they went.
This is why it ma it may seem
strange talking about this old city bar on Christmas Eve. The song has a child
come into the bar and convince the bartender to take all the cash that was in
the register and go outside and speak to the girl. After the discussion, he
calls for a cab and sends her home. She is no longer lost and trying to get
home. Now she has the ability to get home to her family. This child then
disappears. The impression is that the child is an angel.
These two stories tell us something
about God. God shows up in some of the most unexpected places. Jesus, the Son
of God, came to earth in the form of a baby, not as a grown up or a bolt of
lightning. God’s only son came to earth in human form. Not in a palace with
festivals, banquets, or with fine linens; Jesus came to earth in a stable and
wrapped in bands of cloth, with the animals as witnesses to this most sacred
and Holy moment. God’s messengers summoned the shepherds who were in the
fields; not the kings, rabbis, or religious leaders. The angels came to some of
the most unlikely people to call them to be witnesses to this Holy Birth.
We, too, can be included in the
unlikely people that the angels call to be witnesses to the moment. We all have
made mistakes in our lives. We have all fallen short of God’s glory at some
time in our lives. We are broken sinners living in a broken world. Yet the
angel of the Lord comes to us this night to call us all to be witnesses to the
birth of Jesus Christ who has come to save the world; to save you and me from
our brokenness. We are called to witness this Holy night with wonder, awe, and
thanksgiving and we are called to share this Good News just as the shepherds
shared what they saw with Mary.
Jesus’ birth is the bigger story of
how God loved a people so much that he sent his Son into the world to be among
us. It is the witness of God’s loving act of not wanting us to be alone or
separated from God. Jesus’ birth is God being compassionate and graceful to
show us and teach us about God’s never failing love. God teaches us to love and
forgive, to show mercy and grace for one another AND for ourselves. This is the
night we celebrate God’s love in the form of a child being born…the Son of God being
born into this world.
There are other times we see God in
this world as well. We have seen God come into the unusual places of the world.
God came into the world to help the people of the Phillipines after the
typhoon. God comes into the world when we rally around one another after
disasters to provide comfort and aid, after violent tragedies when we help
families and one another cope in the aftermath, when we welcome new little ones
into our families, and when we have to say goodbye to our loved ones. Two days
ago, I met a couple from Germany. The husband told me of the teacher who saved
his life in Germany by helping him flee the approaching Russian Army, never to
see his mother again. God was present in that place. We see God’s presence when
we as the body of Christ come together to help one another in our congregation,
in our community, and in our world.
Tonight we are a witness to the
birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. We have seen this child and know
that God is in the world. God’s word is now in us…it is in our heads and in our
hearts this night and every night. May God’s word be in our words and our
actions; may we share God’s love, hope and grace with others and may God use us
to bring God to some unlikely places. Thanks be to God: AMEN
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