Christmas Eve 2008 Homily Prince of Peace

Christmas Eve 2008

Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:2-7

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. 3You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. 4For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 6For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.



Homily

Have you ever noticed how contagious stress and anxiety can be? Where are you Prince of Peace? We need you right now. Many of us are still catching our breath from our run on this thirty day hamster wheel; Thanksgiving to Christmas. I have to admit I found myself getting testy at the Mall, “Come on where I can park, ” excuse, let me pass. Folks walk so slow when they are talking to other. “People, make room I’m shoppin over here.”
I’m hosting Christmas dinner and man does this bachelor need to upgrade on kitchen supplies. Three minutes in the microwave is not going to cut it! Yes there is a lot time and energy in the preparation, but when we see everyone gathered and the smiles and laughter reveberating through the room there is a sense of peace and gratitude as we share at the table together.
In the midst of all this hustle and bustle, there are special moments when we catch a glimpse of what this season is about. People are not just a little friendlier. This is more than a couple notches above Minnesota nice. There are extra measures of compassion extended to people struggling to make ends meet. Knowing that there are people out there who care brings us a sense of peace in the midst of the storms that life can bring.
Take a minute, what is your most memorable Christmas experience? When did you experience the presence of the Prince of Peace in your life in a special way? ....God’s peace is something that comes to us in both personal and corporate ways.
In our self help, pop culture sometimes we want to psychologize this sense of Jesus as our Prince of Peace. We narrow the scope of the meaning to mean: “me, my family and circle of friends.” This is understandable this is the common worldview in Western Culture. Part of the Spirit of Christmas is to widen this circle to include people that do not attend our parties and dinners. To remember the people tonight who have low expectations of what Christmas will be like this year.
It’s great that AHP participates in the Angel Tree program. There are so many families tonight who do not have Mommy and Daddy with them for the holidays because they are incarcerated. In seminary, I was a volunteer chaplain at San Quentin. I sat with many fathers in support groups as they poured their hearts out. They held each other accountable. “How we are going to step up as to make sure our children do not end up where we are?” Our brothers and sisters in prison need us to help them keep their kids on the righteous path. Helping to lift some of the stigma of being a child of a prisoner is one cog in this wheel that needs to keep rolling. Today in America, we have 2.3 million people in prison. We have more people behind bars than we have folks working in the fields. We need to stem this tide. Families are broken and children at risk seem to be moths flying into the flame.
There are thousands of children this week who will receive gifts from their mom and dad night through the Angel tree ministry. Let’s pray that these gestures make an impression on these young hearts and minds of kids who are very vulnerable to following in the foot steps of their incarcerated parent. We hold on to hope for grace and redemption.
Tonight we also remember our men and women serving in the armed forces. Their families have an especially hard time on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The USO and impromptu visits by politicians are nice, but it’s not the same as being home with your family. We pray for the one hundred thousand plus families tonight who are making personal sacrifices. It meant a lot to me my first Christmas away from home in the Army. The military families come together in a special way. We are all in this together. The circle of peace is wide enough to include everyone.
When I think of widening our scope of what it means to celebrate our Prince of Peace, I remember the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. I know there have been many wars since then, but it’s hard for us to fathom how senseless WW 1 had become. The trenches were dug in, artillery shells and gas canisters were flying, and the machine guns were mowing people down left and right. Our brothers in arms were growing very weary and tired.
On Christmas eve 1914 in the Ypres region of Belguim the German troops began to decorate the trenches with trees and candles. An anonymous British soldier wrote:

This will be the most memorable Christmas I've ever spent or likely to spend: since about tea time yesterday I don't think theres been a shot fired on either side up to now. Last night turned a very clear frost moonlight night, so soon after dusk we had some decent fires going and had a few carols and songs. The Germans commenced by placing lights all along the edge of their trenches and coming over to us—wishing us a Happy Christmas etc. They also gave us a few songs etc. so we had quite a social party. Several of them can speak English very well so we had a few conversations. Some of our chaps went to over to their lines. I think theyve all come back bar one from 'E' Co. They no doubt kept him as a souvenir
The Brits must of have been taken back when they heard , “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” carry across the no man’s land. Then comes the song that seals the deal, Silent Night. As a sign of the truce, the white flag of Christmas, the German soldiers lifted up their tannebaums and walked across no man’s land to celebrate Christmas with their enemies. Tonight let us lay down our arms and worship our Prince of Peace.
In some areas, this truce lasted all the way to New Years. During this Pax Christi they helped each other bury their dead. In journals and letters, we learn that together they recited the 23rd Psalm as they mourned together their fallen comrades. They exchanged swigs from their flasks, chocolate bars and even enjoyed some competitive soccer matches. Can you imagine what our world be like if we could just send our Olympic teams to compete and who ever wins, wins! On 11 November 2008, the first official Truce memorial was unveiled in Frélinghien, France, the site of a Christmas Truce football game in 1914. 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Welch Fusiliers) played a football match with the German Panzergrenadier Battalion 371. The Germans won, 2-1
Well you know these guys were in a heap of trouble when the brass heard about this. The next Christmas, British commanders ordered specific bombardments to ensure that this truce and fraternization would not happen again. German and French troops intentionally aimed away from their targets, and only fired at precise times. One letter records how one shell got too close and the German troops shouted “Opps, sorry that was a mistake.”
The next Christmas Eve, when the church bells range in the Village of Vosges the shells and rifles grew quite again. This time it was the French and German troops who made their ways through the tunnel system to trade wine, cognac and cigarettes for black bread, biscuits and ham. Can you picture these men gathering together to celebrate Holy Communion?
Tonight we sing and worship our Prince of Peace. Along with our pilgrim’s gathering tonight in France to remember the Christmas Truce, we will sing Silent Night. I hope this carries new meaning for us. The Christmas bells are ringing. May the peace of Christ bring calm on this winter night. May our hearts and minds be warmed and transformed. Our Prince has come to bring us peace. Peace on earth goodwill to all. Amen