Christmas Day 2018 Pr. Susan Allison-Hatch
Christmas Day, 2018 St. Michael and All Angels Church
Love Comes Down at Christmas
Love comes down at Christmas
In a most unusual place--
a rough stable
in a small village
in the distant reaches of the Roman Empire
Love comes down at Christmas
To a most unlikely pair--
A young girl
barely into her teens
pregnant and “Not Yet Married”
some might say “disgraced”
An older man
her betrothed
a carpenter by trade
eking out an existence by the work of his hands
family and friends and neighbors too urging him to ditch
that feckless girl
But Love comes down at Christmas
To that unlikely pair
far from home
turned out by friends and family
forced to find shelter for the night
desperate for a place to birth their child
Love comes down at Christmas
through a baby born to Mary
a baby like the babies many of you have born
a baby like we all once were
so very human and yet divine
Love so fragile, love so strong
Love, pure love, right there in the stable
But there’s more to the story for
Love comes out at Christmas too--
Shepherds in the fields hear a sound
An angels song sung just to them
Promising them a most special gift
A gift of joy, a gift of peace
All they need do is follow the star
Love still comes down at Christmas
(and throughout the year as well)
Love still comes down at Christmas
Even in our troubled world
Even in our messy lives
Here’s the best news of this day
The good news of great joy
The news of which the angels sing
Love doesn’t just come down to visit
Love comes down to stay.
Love comes down to dwell with us
With us in all our ragged ways
Love comes down to dwell with us
With us on our most miserable of days
And so we pause on this the holiest of days
To drink in the miracle of Christmas--
A baby—a most human baby—born in Bethlehem
Love come down at Christmas
And throughout the year as well
God with us—Emanuel.
Christmas Day, 2018 St. Michael and All Angels Church
Love Comes Down at Christmas
Love comes down at Christmas
In a most unusual place--
a rough stable
in a small village
in the distant reaches of the Roman Empire
Love comes down at Christmas
To a most unlikely pair--
A young girl
barely into her teens
pregnant and “Not Yet Married”
some might say “disgraced”
An older man
her betrothed
a carpenter by trade
eking out an existence by the work of his hands
family and friends and neighbors too urging him to ditch
that feckless girl
But Love comes down at Christmas
To that unlikely pair
far from home
turned out by friends and family
forced to find shelter for the night
desperate for a place to birth their child
Love comes down at Christmas
through a baby born to Mary
a baby like the babies many of you have born
a baby like we all once were
so very human and yet divine
Love so fragile, love so strong
Love, pure love, right there in the stable
But there’s more to the story for
Love comes out at Christmas too--
Shepherds in the fields hear a sound
An angels song sung just to them
Promising them a most special gift
A gift of joy, a gift of peace
All they need do is follow the star
Love still comes down at Christmas
(and throughout the year as well)
Love still comes down at Christmas
Even in our troubled world
Even in our messy lives
Here’s the best news of this day
The good news of great joy
The news of which the angels sing
Love doesn’t just come down to visit
Love comes down to stay.
Love comes down to dwell with us
With us in all our ragged ways
Love comes down to dwell with us
With us on our most miserable of days
And so we pause on this the holiest of days
To drink in the miracle of Christmas--
A baby—a most human baby—born in Bethlehem
Love come down at Christmas
And throughout the year as well
God with us—Emanuel.
RSS Feed
