Christmas Service
12-17-00
"Help
us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the
angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the Wise Men."
Robert
Louis Stevenson
CHRIST
is revealed only to a few witnesses, and that at dead of night. Further, while
God had at hand many of rank and high ability as witnesses, He puts them aside
and simply chooses shepherds, of little account with men, of no reckoning ... If
we desire to come to Christ, we must not be ashamed to follow those whom God
chose, from the sheep dung, to bring down the pride of the world.
John
Calvin, Commentary on Luke 2:8
A
Harmony of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Vol. I
The
word “pride” in the Bible points to those who would follow their egos at the
cost of their souls. In the
metaphysical tradition, we have a tradition of going within ourselves in prayer
and meditation to find that which is Divine, and then, taking that inner peace
out into our daily lives, we seek to find that which is Divine within one
another. This brings more peace to
the world than any political plan, for it brings peace first to the individual,
then to his or her family, next to the community and finally, rippling out into
the nation and our world.
MIDWINTER
SOLSTICE
CANDLELIGHTING
READINGS
Many
spiritual traditions celebrated a festival of light, generosity, and good humor
at this time of year. Today we will
light these candles and read these words in honor of the Birth of Christ and in
remembrance of those who have celebrated all that is sacred in the many
spiritual traditions that have come and gone.
There is a rich treasure of parables and myths to teach us about the
traditions of the Winter Solstice and of Christmas and today we share from some
of these. Let us learn from them
some part of the wisdom of the ages so that we will not forget to carry some
part of it within our hearts, and in our beings strive to remember these truths.
Minister
reads from Luke 2:1-20: Revised Standard Version
1
In
those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be
enrolled.
2
This
was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria.
3
And
all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.
4
And
Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the
city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and
lineage of David,
5
to
be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6
And
while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.
7
And
she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and
laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8
And
in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their
flock by night.
9
And
an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them, and they were filled with fear.
10
And
the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news
of a great joy which will come to all the people;
11
for
to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12
And
this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths
and lying in a manger."
13
And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God
and saying,
14
"Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is
pleased!"
15
When
the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which
the Lord has made known to us."
16
And
they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17
And
when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning
this child;
18
and
all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
19
But
Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20
And
the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and
seen, as it had been told them.
Let us not forget the example that Mary set for us in how she listened to the
message of the shepherds. Mary treasured the truth that the shepherds brought to
her about her son. She held this
Truth in her heart so that it would not be forgotten.
This, we can do for one another, when we remember that we are all the
beloved children of God, Divine in our nature, remembering for one another when
life is hard, when we experience weakness, we can know that someone remembers,
treasures the truth of our being. And
so, let us now, each of us remember these truths together.
[One
by one, congregants read the text below and light a single red candle on the
sanctuary’s candlelabra]
1.
HONORING THE FOUR DIRECTIONS
This
ritual comes to us from variety of Shamanic traditions:
Wind
from the West,
Fish
and bread;
Wind
from the North,
Cold
and flaying;
Wind
from the East,
Snow
on the hills;
Wind
from the South;
Fruit
on the trees.
A
Scottish Highland weather rhyme
2.
HONORING OUR MOTHERS
Holy
Holla, in the heavens,
A
snowy featherbed you’re shaking—
Bless
the earth with your white blanket
Moist
the mantle you are making
Holla
high above come riding,
Your
wagon rolls through winter weather;
Turn
away your face of terror,
Bless
us as we bide together.
Holy
Holla, here we gather,
Send
us skill in all our spinning,
Gnome
and fairies to help in housework;
Wealth
and health with your aid winning.
3.
HONORING THE CHILD
“Unto
us a child is given.”
We
honor the gift that children bring to our lives and remember this in the Luke
3:22, where upon the baptism of Jesus Christ a voice from heaven confirms:
“You
are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”
Let
us remember that we are all children of God, and as parents let us remember to
express our own pleasure with our own children!
4.
HONORING OUR ANCESTORS
On
this holy day
I
call out to the Ancestors
Of
my family, my tribe, my race.
And
I ask them to be present for this time,
And
I welcome them with kindness
And
this offering of food and drink,
That
they may bring a blessing
Into
this house and to all who dwell or visit here.
5.
HONORING THE PEACE OF THE CHRIST WITHIN
THE HURON
INDIAN CAROL—Wherein Deganawidah, the Peacemaker is portrayed as Jesus Christ:
Twas
in the moon of wintertime
When
all the birds had fled
That
might Gitchimanitou (GIT CHI MAN i TOO)
Sent
angel choirs instead,
Before
their light the stars grew dim
And
wandering hunters head the hymn:
Jesus
your king is born,
Jesus
is born,
In
exchelsis Gloria.
Within
a lodge of broken bark
The
tender babe was found,
A
ragged robe of rabbit skin
Enwrapped
his beauty round.
The
chiefs from far before him knelt
With
gifts of fox and beaver pelt.
O
children of the forest free,
O
sons of Manitou,
The
holy child of earth and heav’n
Is
born today for you.
Come
kneel before the radiant boy
Who
brings you beauty, peace, and joy.
6.
FOLLOWING THE STAR
From The Book of the Cave of Treasures, an ancient Gnostic text:
Now
it was two years before Christ was born that the star appeared to the Magi.
They saw the star in the firmament of heaven, and the brilliancy of its
appearance was brighter than that of every other star.
And within it was a maiden carrying a child, and a crown was set upon
his head. Now it is the custom of
the ancient kings, and the Magi of the Chaldeans, to consult the signs of the
Zodiac about all the affairs of their lives.
And when the Magi saw the star they were perturbed, and terrified, and
afraid, and the whole land of Persia was disturbed.
From
the Book of the Bee, another of the ancient Gnostic texts:
As
touching the nature of that star, whether it was a star in its nature, or in appearance
only, it is right to know that it was not as other starts, but a secret power
which appeared like a star; for all the others that are in the firmament and the
sun and the moon, perform their course from east to west.
This one, however, made its course from north to south, for Palestine
lies thus, over against Persia. This
star was not seen by them at night only, but also during the day, and at noon;
and it was seen in the time when the sun is particularly strong, because it was
not on of the stars…Sometimes it appeared, and sometimes it was hidden
entirely. It guided the Magi as far
as Palestine…This was not an ordinary movement of the stars, but a rational
power. Moreover, it had no fixed
path. It did not always remain in
the height of heaven, but sometimes it came down, and sometimes in mounted
up.”
7.
THE GREAT JOURNEY
After
they had read the signs that pointed to the great and miraculous event that was
about to occur, the Magi started to make all the various preparations that were
necessary for their momentous journey…
Straightaway,
according to what they had received from the which had been handed down to them
by their fathers and mothers, they left the East, and went up into the mountains
of Nodh…and they took from them gold, and myrrh and frankincense…the gold
was for a king, the myrrh for a physician and the frankincense for a priest, for
the Magi knew who He was, and that He was a king, and a physician, and a priest.
8.
THE AGE OF GOLD
The
following passages translated by Carl Jung, was written by the Christian writer
Epiphanius in the second century CE, to describes a celebration of the Winter
Solstice birth of the God Aeon to his mother, the Goddess, Kore, who herself is
the daughter of Demeter:
“They
stay up the whole night singing songs and playing the flute, offering these to
the images of the gods; and, when the revelries of the night are over, after
cock-crow, they go down with torches into a subterranean sanctuary and bring up
a carved wooden image, which is laid naked on a litter.
On its forehead it has the sign of the cross, in gold, and on both its
hands two other signs in the same shape, and two more on its knees; and the five
signs are all fashioned of gold. They
carry this carved image seven times around the middle of the temple precincts,
to the sound of flutes and tambourines and hymns, and after the procession they
carry it down again into the crypt. But if you ask them what this mysterious
performance means they answer: Today,
at this hour, the Kore, that is to say the virgin, has given birth to the Aeon.”
The
tradition of a God being born of a virgin in a Golden time of great beauty and
harmony is found in many of our spiritual traditions.
It stands in good stead for that which is possible within each of us. That we may rise above the petty concerns of earthbound life
and celebrate the birth of the divine within ourselves. That we may find what is good and honorable, that which is
Love’s truest expression within ourselves, and give birth to a new life, a new
possibility!
9.
THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM
(An
old Latin Carol)
Sing
of desert and forest
And
far distant places;
Sing
of all nations and sing of all races
Sing
of the light that now shines
On
all faces;
Cum
Virgine Maria
Sing
of the Ear of the World –
What
it heareth;
Sing
of the Heart of the World–
What
it feareth;
Sing
of the Soul of the World –
What
it bareth;
Cum
Virgine Maria
Sing
of this Maid who
Hath
born the Messiah;
Sing
of the purity, faith, and the fire
Which
burns in her heart for the Son and the Sire;
Haec
Virgine Maria.
[This
was followed by a guided meditation and then we joined hands and ended the
service with a closing Treatment, followed by a joyous Christmas Potluck!]
Emerson
Center for
