All is Calm, All is Bright- Faithful and Fruitful”  Luke 2:1-7  12/20/09  Dr. Sloan at LMPC

Do you sleep in heavenly peace?  The number of people reporting sleep problems has increased 13% since 2001. In the past eight years, the number of Americans who sleep less than six hours a night jumped from 13% to 20%, and those who reported sleeping eight hours or more dropped from 38% to 28%.  Interestingly- there has been a 10% drop in those able to sleep at night in America, and that correlates with a 10% drop in those who no longer believe in the Prince of Peace.     
            Sleep is as important to your health as exercise and diet doctors say, but we are losing a lot of it.

There is not a lot of peace in our world.  In fact, there is war and rumors of war.  5,390 Americans have died in Iraq and Afghanistan and many more have been wounded.  There is hunger which takes away from peace.  Hunger is a problem in a recession and the number of hungry children has gone up in the past year from 14 to 17 million.  There is sickness that takes away peace.  Sickness reminds us that this life is not all there is- and that disturbs our peace.  H1N1 this year and AIDS (4 million will die from AIDS worldwide this year).   Our world needs the Prince of Peace to come and conquer our war, our hunger, our sickness.  There is so much to take away our complacency, our rest, our sleep. 

            When I read in Luke these words of the birth of Jesus Christ, my impression of his birth is not the same as the writer of Silent Night.  He said, “All is calm, all is bright.”  I think all was crazy, busy, and dark.  Bethlehem was a crazy, crowded, noisy place.  I don’t think Joseph and Mary would have even gotten a stable if she hadn’t been pregnant and about to give birth.  Every one who came to Bethlehem was claiming to be a descendant of a king. Talk about egos flying around.  There would be more ego-puffing than the U.S. Senate- especially among those who claim to be worthy of power but had no power.  All was definitely not calm.  Having a baby in a stable is calm?
            The angel came and said “Peace on earth goodwill towards men (others).”   In Jesus’ day there was a lot of reason to not have peace too.  The country was occupied by a foreign army- that did some pretty terrible things (like kill the babies of Bethlehem).  The average life expectancy was 27 and many babies died young.  There was no such thing as antibiotics so death and sickness were much more common.  Yet in the midst of all this was a baby who slept through it all, and didn’t care about the worries of the world.  When this baby grew up He said- look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field- they do not sow or reap they have no storeroom or barn yet God feeds them.  He calls us to seek peace and pursue it.  Because seeking peace in the end will lead you to the Prince of Peace.  Jesus did not come with an army, protest signs, or political organizational skills- and yet I would say the birth of this baby has changed the world for better more than any army, protestor or politician. 

            Yet, compared to our day, even that Bethlehem was calm.  Our own living rooms are not calm- there’s always some noise, some distraction to take away our sense of calm.  The ironic thing is we think our TVs and video games calm us, but they really bottle up a lot of things.  But in our own families- there is tremendous tension.  Today whose family is not facing tension?  The tension of the recession, and of  family-break-ups.  Having to go to four places instead of two because the family is split up.  Some of us are so used to it, but it would still be less-stressful.  In Bethlehem there was no room in the inn- the people were too busy to pay attention to the peace coming down to them.
            All is Bright.  I really wonder if all was bright then, and if all is bright today.  I think the image of the Silent Night writer was of Jesus and his halo glowing in the darkness.  I’ve even seen some paintings that had the cows with halos!  But there probably was no fire in that animal stall.  Usually you don’t light a fire in a barn full of hay and animals.  The animals get a bit spooked.  There may have been a few oil lamps, but it wasn’t too bright. One 55 watt bulb is equal to 50,000 candlepowers- or 50,000 standard candles.  They probably had three or four, and in December the nights are long and the days are short just like here.  In our world, there is more and more darkness.
            Yet there is a sense in which things were calm and bright.  Not physically but spiritually- you may not have been able to hear the calmness with your ears, but you caught the calmness in your soul.  It was a steadfast, loving calmness.  The brightness was because the light of the world came down to our dark world- the world living in the valley of the shadow of death.  You may not have been able to see the light, but the light was there- it was a spiritual illumination. 

            We have been talking this year in our church about two important themes of Jesus- being faithful and fruitful.  These have everything to do with being calm and being bright.  You know the story of Silent Night.  There had been a lot of snow in the mountains where the church was located, and a big crowd was expected at the Christmas Eve service.  But not too long before Christmas the organ broke and the repairman would not be there until after Christmas.  So Joseph Mohr, the pastor, and Franz Gruber, the local chorus teacher decided to write a song.  Mohr wrote the words and Gruber wrote the music for his guitar- which he played that Christmas Eve.  Silent Night, Holy Night- all is calm, all is bright.  

            ALL IS CALM- BE FAITHFUL- The calmness reminds us of the still fallen and falling snow.  Snow is a great covering- that makes things smooth.  It covers over trash, covers over rust, and covers over the mud and makes things smooth.   God’s faithfulness is like that.  He says though our sins be as red and deep as scarlet they will be as white as snow.  Snow has a way of stilling things, and making things quiet.  People and animals stay inside trying to get warm.  There is just a peace that seems to come when there is snow.  God came to calm us with His peace.  So many are worried about losing what they had, what they wanted, what they desired, that they have lost track of what is most important and cannot be taken away by the banks, the government, or anyone- we can only give it away to evil instead of giving it to God to find peace.   I believe the world would like for us to be noisy, to be loud, to be partying so much that we can’t sit down to think, or be still in our beds without passing out.  But one day, we will be forced to be calm, and we will have the opportunity to think about where we have been and where we are going for eternity.  All will be calm.  It is in peace that we find the Prince of Peace.  Seek peace and pursue it the Bible says.  Because when you are seeking peace, you will eventually find the lasting peace of the Prince of Peace himself.

            In the best selling book “90 Minutes in Heaven” Don Piper was almost killed in a car wreck and had to spend months in recovery.  Someone sent him a card that said “Be still and know that I am God.”  He didn’t take that too well.  His problem was that he didn’t want to be still, he wanted to be out doing stuff.  He thought of all the things he was missing and wanted to see or do.  But then he realized he was still physically, but not still spiritually.  There is a difference.  You can be sitting down, or lying down and not be at peace.

            ALL IS BRIGHT- BE FRUITFUL- We are bright as we let the light of the world radiate from us to the world- this is being Fruitful.  The angels shared the good news with the shepherd- in their brightness.  The shepherds told everyone about what they saw- they were multiplying the goodnews, they were being fruitful.  Anna, when finding baby Jesus in the temple, couldn’t help but talk about him to everyone she saw.  The wise men came to worship- and asked others where the child was- thinking surely they would know.  No matter what the government says- just be quiet and keep the news in your churches on Sunday mornings; No matter what the neighbors or relatives say- if Jesus Christ has changed you, you cannot help but saying, “I once was blind but now I see.” 

            I have often talked to adults who have been baptized late in their life.  They say one of the greatest changes is how they celebrate Christmas.  The day changes from a day of selfishness- what did I get, to a deep day of thankfulness to God for what He has given.  The Christian music is not background noise, but the words pierce our hearts like a sword. And the frosty the snowman and dashing through the imaginary snow songs sound so trivial.  The Christian symbols all around are not just decorations on the surface, but they are arrows pointing to the love of God come down. But above all= there is a deep inner joy and peace that comes thinking about the Prince of Peace who came for us.  Are you still living on the surface where the trivial noise is, or have you gone where the deep joy, the deep peace resides?  Are you able to rejoice in the calmness and brightness in God, or are you still looking for noise and darkness?   I invite you to seek and to know the Prince of Peace who gives us calmness and brightness.  

Prayer:

Lord, in a dark world, thank you that you have come to give us light.

Lord, in a world that lacks peace, thank you that you have come to offer a way to eternal and blessed peace.

Christ,  you were born in a stable, make our hearts a home for you.

Christ,  angels sang of you, put a song in our hearts this Christ.

Christ, shepherds and wise men came to see and worship you, grant in us a deep desire to seek and worship you.

Christ you came to give good news to the poor- help us to not keep good news to ourselves.

Christ you came to proclaim freedom to the captives- help us to proclaim the freedom you offer from sin.

Christ you came to give recovery of sight to the blind- help us to offer healing and helping hands to those hurting.

Christ, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace- come to us, abide with us.