The Wondrous Gift
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series VI, Cycle A
Object:
Phillips Brooks was an eloquent Episcopalian preacher in the nineteenth century, famed in his day for his great oratory, his outspoken calls for the abolition of slavery, and his support of Abraham Lincoln. After the War Between the States, Brooks took a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and found himself in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve where, after visiting the Field of the Shepherds, he attended the midnight service in the Church of the Nativity. It was a moving and memorable experience for him, and on his return to America, he recorded his impressions in the form of a hymn for the children of his Sunday school. It was set to music by his church organist, Lewis Redner. You know the words:
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep,
The silent stars go by.
Beautiful words, beautiful music.
How silently, how silently,
The wondrous Gift is giv'n;
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heav'n.
"Wondrous gift" ... a good description of what happened that night in Bethlehem. The gracious gift of a loving God, to be sure. For us who have heard the Christmas story over and over and over again, we are content to call the gift beautiful or marvelous or any number of other adjectives to reflect our happiness at God's goodness to us. But the dictionary defines "wondrous" as something "commanding wonder ... surprise." We have heard the story too many times to be surprised by it anymore, but put yourself in the position of the folks who first heard the tale. After all, for generations they had heard words like those from the prophet Isaiah that God would send a "shoot from the stump of Jesse," a Messiah, a Savior, a deliverer. And now God had done it. But the gift of that child is certainly not what anyone might have expected.
He was not born like a Messiah. Who could imagine such nonsense as a manger with animals and shepherds? To the people of old Israel, the least they might have expected would have been a birth in the home of the high priest surrounded by the most devout of the day. It would have been perfectly acceptable to have had the nativity in Caesar's palace surrounded by pomp and splendor. But among animals? Ridiculous.
As that baby grew, he neither looked nor acted like a Messiah. The people of old Judea were expecting someone to come along in a cloud of dust on a white horse with some ancient equivalent of "Hi-yo Silver!" They wanted a political and military leader who would free them from Rome. They wanted a mighty king.
Perhaps that is part of the magic of it all. God could have had the Messiah be born in Caesar's palace or in the home of the high priest. That baby could have grown into a powerful political figure who would lead his people to victory over the Legions of Rome. He could have died peacefully in bed at a ripe old age. What a tiresome story that would have been. But, after 2,000 years of telling, we never tire of hearing about the sheep and the manger and the star that shone over Bethlehem. We never tire of hearing of Jesus' humility and compassion. We never tire of hearing the story of his death and miraculous resurrection. God must get a great chuckle every year over this wonderful joke on humankind, we who are almost always impressed by outward appearances. The King of kings, cradled in a manger ... dying on a cross.
O holy child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in;
Be born in us today.
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep,
The silent stars go by.
Beautiful words, beautiful music.
How silently, how silently,
The wondrous Gift is giv'n;
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heav'n.
"Wondrous gift" ... a good description of what happened that night in Bethlehem. The gracious gift of a loving God, to be sure. For us who have heard the Christmas story over and over and over again, we are content to call the gift beautiful or marvelous or any number of other adjectives to reflect our happiness at God's goodness to us. But the dictionary defines "wondrous" as something "commanding wonder ... surprise." We have heard the story too many times to be surprised by it anymore, but put yourself in the position of the folks who first heard the tale. After all, for generations they had heard words like those from the prophet Isaiah that God would send a "shoot from the stump of Jesse," a Messiah, a Savior, a deliverer. And now God had done it. But the gift of that child is certainly not what anyone might have expected.
He was not born like a Messiah. Who could imagine such nonsense as a manger with animals and shepherds? To the people of old Israel, the least they might have expected would have been a birth in the home of the high priest surrounded by the most devout of the day. It would have been perfectly acceptable to have had the nativity in Caesar's palace surrounded by pomp and splendor. But among animals? Ridiculous.
As that baby grew, he neither looked nor acted like a Messiah. The people of old Judea were expecting someone to come along in a cloud of dust on a white horse with some ancient equivalent of "Hi-yo Silver!" They wanted a political and military leader who would free them from Rome. They wanted a mighty king.
Perhaps that is part of the magic of it all. God could have had the Messiah be born in Caesar's palace or in the home of the high priest. That baby could have grown into a powerful political figure who would lead his people to victory over the Legions of Rome. He could have died peacefully in bed at a ripe old age. What a tiresome story that would have been. But, after 2,000 years of telling, we never tire of hearing about the sheep and the manger and the star that shone over Bethlehem. We never tire of hearing of Jesus' humility and compassion. We never tire of hearing the story of his death and miraculous resurrection. God must get a great chuckle every year over this wonderful joke on humankind, we who are almost always impressed by outward appearances. The King of kings, cradled in a manger ... dying on a cross.
O holy child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in;
Be born in us today.
