Joy and Pain at Christmastime

So much of the music that we heard on the radio or in the stores during December bounces along without much thought, but there is one carol with more depth of feeling and observation than most.

Coventry Carol, now about 500 years old; we hear it occasionally during the season.

It is bittersweet both in melody and in text.

Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child,

Bye, bye, lully, lullay.

Lullay, thou little tiny Child,

Bye, bye, lully, lullay.

O sisters too, how may we do,

For to preserve this day

This poor youngling for whom we do sing

Bye, bye, lully, lullay.

Herod, the king, in his raging,

Charged he hath this day

His men of might, in his own sight,

All young children to slay.

That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!

And ever mourn and sigh,

For thy parting neither say nor sing,

Bye, bye, lully, lullay.

The first stanza is a lullaby of joy at the birth of a child, any child, and the Christ child too.

But then the subsequent stanzas are laments, anguish at the death of the children in Herod's murderous rage.

Both feelings, both truths belong together at Christmas.

Joy and pain were together at that first Christmas, and they are here together today as well.

On the joy side:

--there are all the conversations that everyone here has been sharing in the hours and days recently.

--the sisters sat down with me the other afternoon and laughed as they recounted the joys of growing up together, working together, mother coaching them together in softball, grandparents working with them on the farm, the animals, the pets, the strays, the work, the play, and so many other things.

--they mentioned especially the support and encouragement they received from their church and community during those hard years after their father died and mom was determined to keep the family together and successful.

--those are the kinds of things that sustain a family, that give it a vision of how its members relate to one another, and what is truly important.

--and then most especially, there is the promise of Our Lord Jesus which he made at Holy Baptism, the promise to hold onto Carol and each of the baptized, no matter what happens.

With that in hand, we face any foe.

But on the pain side:

--even though Carol was in declining health, it is still a profound sadness when death finally does come.

--then there are the many decisions that have had to be made

--there is the heartache that goes on and on after today, even when the rest of the world gets busy with other things.

The true situation is that the joy and the pain are in conflict in Carol's children and all others who mourn this day.

The question is: which side is stronger?

Which side shall prevail?

Does death win, or does life in the promise of Christ Jesus have the last word?

In the whole story of Jesus and the wise men versus King Herod, it is Christ Jesus who emerges finally victorious in the resurrection, and Herod dies in his anger.

Life in the hand of God is the last word, for Jesus and for us.

We hear in the Gospel of John that he goes to prepare a place for us, and since he is risen from death, a promise that he makes, he can keep!

The prophet Isaiah saw that God has this power, that if he is God, nothing can finally stand in his way, not even death.

There really are only two choices: either God wins, or death wins.

Because of Jesus, we can bet our lives on God winning.

How then shall we live?

II Peter advises: Wait for what God has promised, and as you wait for that Day, do your best to be pure and faultless in God's sight, and be at peace with him.

And we can live at peace today, not because we're so happy...the grief of losing Carol is too much for that...

But we can live at peace today because we trust the faithfulness of God and the truth of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ at Baptism that he will hold onto Carol and to us, forever.

This year, and for years to come, there will be sadness at Christmastime in many households.

That is one kind of reality.

But there is another reality: a joy that shines through the heartache and looks for God to keep his Word, and finally to make all things right

That joy shall get the last word. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.