Our Christmas Eve Message - Christmas Is About

Christ came in simplicity. His mother was a young woman who'd found favor with the Lord. He was born in a stable and laid in a manger. He was first praised by shepherds. The light entered a dark world without brass bands or fanfare. Sligo Presbyterian Church celebrated the simplicity of this event wat a traditional Christmas Eve Candle Light Service on Sunday, December 24, 7:00 p.m. 

Below are a recording and the text of the message Pastor Rudiger offered. You can stream our regular Sunday morning services going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m. (EST)

Well, here we are, at the end of what most of us consider the Christmas Season. And even though as we’ve moved from Black Friday to this evening, we’ve been surrounded by imagines of gentle snow falling on rolling hills and we’ve been singing about “peace on earth,” let’s get real, for most of us, getting through the last month or so has been anything but gentle and peaceful. I’ll tell you, speaking for myself, I feel like there have been times when chestnuts weren’t the only things being roasted on an open fire and that my biggest source of stress wasn’t Jack Frost nipping at my nose. Just like it is every year, Christmas is more like a marathon than a sleigh ride. I mean, good night nurse, presents had to be bought. Cookies had to be baked (at least, in my case, eaten). And halls had to be decked. In other words, there was an awful lot to get done before Christmas. And I don’t know about y’all but as the time got shorter, the pressure go bigger. My goodness, for a lot of folks, that’s Christmas in a chestnut shell. But here’s the problem. Even though this is pretty much the way it always is, all  the hustle and bustle can become so great that it can block out everything else, leaving us more tired than jolly and more distracted than focused on what Christmas is about.

But you know something, that’s no longer the case this evening. I mean, all those things that we had to do a week ago either have been done or won’t be done, at least not this year. And so right now, we can all take a collective breath, relax just a little bit and sort of refocus our attention on something that’s really simple but also incredibly profound. You see, right now we can simply remember what Christmas is all about. You know, I can’t think of a better expression of this than in what Linus said to Charlie Brown when he felt overwhelmed by the combination of a chaotic pageant rehearsal, an over enthusiastic dog,  and a truly pathetic tree sitting on a piano. 

Now, for Linus, that was the meaning of Christmas. And it can be the same for us as well. 

You see, Christmas really is about joy, and I’m talking about a kind of joy that’s intense and exuberant and unrestrained. It was something the angel believed that the shepherds would experience when they understood the cosmic significance of an extremely simple birth. And it’s something that I believe we can feel when we trust that, in spite of all the problems and pain through which we’re struggling, the destiny of the universe is resting in hands far more powerful and far more loving than our own. In fact, it’s in the hands of the one who was “wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Now, this is something I think we need to remember, because Christmas is about joy.

Just like it’s also about peace, “on earth peace, good will toward men.”  Now that’s what the heavenly host said. Of course, this kind of peace is a whole lot more than just a lack of conflict. No, what Jesus Christ brought into the world involves a spirit that sort of ties everything together. It’s seen when all the essential elements are joined and working as a single unit for something greater than any of the individual parts. As a matter of fact, it represents a sense of wholeness that can enable us to reach out toward all those around us without the kind of rancor and hostility and enmity that’s become part of our world now-a-days.You see, the birth of Christ brought to us the possibility of genuine compassion and cooperation and love, because Christmas is also about peace.

I’m telling you, right here and right now, we can put aside the buying and the baking and the decking. And we can look past the presents and the cookies and the halls. And even if we don’t have chestnuts roasting or Jack Frost nipping or, of course, sleighs riding, we can still relax and think about what Linus said to Charlie Brown and remember the joy and the peace, because that’s what Christmas is about.