The sermon for the midnight mass service on the 24th of December 2022. A traditional service taking place a 11:30 in the venerable Claire Wood, Archdeacon of Loughborough preached a sermon exploring the challenges of navigating Christmas and the different journeys we are all on this Christmas.

The readings she is reflecting on are:

Isaiah 9.2-7

Luke 2.1-14

A transcript of the recording:

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts 
be always acceptable to you, oh Lord 

Amen

Do be seated please!
So I’m smiling! I’m smiling, because I’ve made it to the third church across the diocese.
And I need to tell you, the sat nav has never been so well used. 

I want you to imagine, a hapless navigator, that’s what my husband calls me when we are out. He prefers to rely on his own, well let’s just say, orientation and navigation, leaving my somewhat belittled and lacking skills somewhere behind.

However, travelling is what you’ve done today is it not? 

You’ve made a choice to come here tonight, here because you wanted to make a pause in the Christmas period to come before God, to praise and worship Jesus. that’s what we are all about isn’t it tonight? 

And I say this because if you are not here, and this is the first time you have ever found yourself in such a place, feel welcomed, because at some point each one of us was new.

And it’s part of God’s great story that all participants, even the major players travel. And if you don’t believe me just think again about the reading from the gospel. 

We have been introduced to Mary and Joseph who have been displaced from their town by an order, by the governor Quirinius of Syria.

In being displaced, they find themselves about to have a child in Bethlehem. 

Now many of you and I have lived busy lives, is that true? How many of you have been busy this week?

One or two of you? 
Wrapping anything up? 
Last minute shopping? 
Sending cards? 
Making phone calls? 
Are you all done? 

If you’re not it’s a bit late.

But I say that because, often in our business in our lives, we forget the main part of the story. Imagine you’ve been travelling on a road and you haven’t booked anywhere to stay, for your wife who’s about to have a baby. How would that go?

Do you think it would go well? Or do you think it might have been a difficult moment for their relationship? 

Well we know it didn’t turn out as she’d hoped - because just like the quote from Dibley where they went no no no there’s no room at the inn, so it is recorded in our gospels, Mary about to have a baby, travelled a long distance with no where to rest. In fact like so many across Europe and in other places at the moment looking for refuge wherever they can find it. Giving birth to the Christ child and laying him in a manger. 

But traveling is also part of our own narrative again, for in this story we hear about the shepherds. 

When I was younger I never got to play Mary in the nativity. Have you all played parts in the nativity? 

My part was often the sheep occasionally the donkey, the nearest I got was an angel, never Mary. A hard story I know, I can feel the sympathy coming back.

But you see I’m like the shepherds, I need to be told, like you perhaps, what to do and where to go. And so you can imagine, these navigators, who look after their sheep, suddenly coming face to face with Gods heavenly host of angels, suddenly being told what to do.

Can you imagine it? 

Fearful, awesome, amazed. They’re obedient.

Obedient just like Mary and Joseph who obeyed the call to go to Bethlehem, so they are obedient to find the Christ child. 

But in their journey they don’t use a sat nav, they don’t use Waze, which I understand now avoids any traffic jam. They are told quite clearly their direction. They don’t need anyone beside them. 

They go as a group and find a baby and they’re recognise in that moment, where Gods gift of his son brings heaven and earth together the time and eternity caught, paused, changing the world. For their travel and their destination is just the beginning. 

Now of course we know that there is glory to God’s son and heaven and peace, but those words are the utterances of the new cathedral of peace being built, a peace of a cathedral which is for all eternity and to which we are welcomed. 

But sometimes in our business, in our travelling we are less occupied by life but more by what we shouldn’t be. 

Let me give you an example. 

Travelling here today I was worrying about the cost of fuel. It’s not a problem we are all worrying about it I’m sure. I’d looked at my petrol gage, I was preoccupied. But as I travelled my mind wandered. I passed a garage, stopped, went in, bought the fuel and drove on and then took the wrong turning. I just made it to my first church with 5 minutes to spare. 

You see in this moment, of God entering as a baby. The light of God comes in and the darkness is dispelled. We are given a new opportunity to know that Christ is the light for all times. We may never ever need to fear again. For he transformed the world eternity and gave us a place of hope. The light of the word. The world and the word combined together saving us for all times.

Now our destination, as my husband would say, is a forgone conclusion from the moment we’re born, we all know that we will die. But I always have this debate with him, and it was probably best shared, going back to the sat nav, with the voice I used to use. 

My Sat nav was Mr Burns from the Simpsons… any of you familiar with that? 

When we got to the end of the destination Mr Burns would utter ‘Release the hounds, Smithers!’

Which was great! Mission accomplished! I don’t think the destination that Christ coming to earth through Gods promise was that; hounds being released.More that it was about that destination that we will eventually meet as we journey. So journeying is part of God’s major plan.  

All of the travellers and participants we have heard about today were part of that weren’t they. All of them had as some would say as they write the plays for school and nativities, an action part. 

Though we too are travellers. We are here because Christ called us. We responded and as we respond he asks us to be participants.

You might have thought that you were just sitting in the pews today waiting for someone to speak, the choir to sing, the bread and wine to be distributed, but actually you’re not.

You’re not passive, you’re not immune you are participants in the present looking to the future. And as you look to the future and building on the cathedral of peace which Christ built, imagine your active part. For you have gifts just like the shepherds, just like the innkeeper and just like Mary and Jospeh. 

Your gifts might be different to mine, you might be the best navigators ever found, but you might also be great listeners when people are in need, amazing healers when people are sick, wonderful people who have the gifts of hospitality and generosity when those are in need. Indeed you might the person who is known to another as a person filled with the light of Christ. You see the light when it touched the earth in the presence of Christ in human form, was the light that touches each of us. For Christ resides in each of us and us in him.

Today, she says looking at her watch, is Christmas Day. 

I’m sorry if I’ve spoilt that for you but it is 3 minutes past 12. Today is the day when we remember the first Christmas but also look to the second, the second Christmas that is yet to come, knowing that as we travel towards it we are held in Gods love. 

There is hope for each of us and for the world , each of us a part to play.

Each of us time to pause and reflect. 

Imagine tomorrow, well later to day now, Imagine that when you are with friends and family, when you are on the phone when you are busy in the kitchen, when you are busy putting wrappings away. That is just a part of everyday God has given. 

You are blessed indeed. As each of us are, no matter how hard it seems. 

For his gift is not one unwrapped in paper. His gift is not one unwrapped in the business. His gift to each of us is the babe child Jesus, who came, lived amongst us and made for us a new world, a new hope and a wonderful chance to meet and know God in our daily lives. 

So as you go from here, may I wish you a very happy Christmas and a blessed New Year and may you travel well, with or without the sat nav and certainly not with the words of Smithers releasing the hounds.

Amen 

Watch the full service:

The service begins at 8.20

The readings begins at 23:10

And the sermon begins at 30:00