“Holiday Interruptions”
Luke 1:26-38
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 21 December, 2008
Fourth Sunday of Advent
----
 ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
All the creatures were stirring -- even the mouse!
There’d been parties and baking and gifts wrapped with care
Even some scripture -- look, Angel Gabriel there!
The children, they listened, to a story known well
The household was cozy, the holidays swell
When out from the street there seeped in such a sadness
They all ran to the window: “What is this madness?!”
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to objects below
When what to their wondering eyes should appear
But a man, clearly homeless, huddled in fear
He was dressed all in rags, from his head to his foot
And his clothes were all tarnished with dirt and with soot
His every belonging was tied up in a bag
His household had made for his shoulders to sag
He had a sadness about him -- seemed heartbroken, really
It was Christmas Eve, after all, wonder what he is feeling
To be on the street, without home, in the cold
It’s enough to make anybody feel old
And as for that family, what on earth were they thinking?
“He’s homeless and dirty -- surely he must be drinking!
How dare this sad soul bring interruption so rude
To our festivities now -- out there begging for food!
It’s Christmas -- time to talk about Jesus and Mary
This man on the street -- he’s just downright scary!”
The man began walking away, as if he had heard them
So they went back to their story -- the manger in Bethlehem
But they heard him say softly as he walked out of sight
“Jesus was homeless too on that first Christmas night.”
Here we are, just a few days before Christmas, and I feel a bit like a chicken with my head cut off. I’ve been really busy, and I’m behind on everything -- Christmas cards, gift-buying, decorating. A lot of people I’ve talked to are running late this year. I don’t know if it’s the economy, or the fact that Thanksgiving was late, or what. All I know is that life is hectic.
Everything is hectic and festive all at once. All I really want to do this morning is sing a Christmas carol or two and daydream about the Angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she is going to have a baby. All I want to do tonight is sit in my warm house and write the last of my Christmas cards while listening to Christmas music. I just want to think about my loved ones -- most of whom are safe and warm in their own houses -- and imagine the Virgin Mary feeling happy and excited that God chose her. Instead, I am lifting up prayers for the homeless this morning, and tonight I plan to go out in the cold to the Homeless Persons Memorial Service at the Inner Harbor.
It seems like a rude interruption. Why are we bringing this up now?! Why do we have to talk about homelessness the Sunday before Christmas? Why couldn’t this wait until, you know, drab January or something?
The reason this can’t wait is because homelessness doesn’t end just because it’s Christmas. And homelessness certainly doesn’t end just because it’s wet and cold outside. The Homeless Persons Memorial Service is held tonight, in part, because it is the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice. Most of us can barely begin to imagine what it is like to be on streets, alone, in the middle of the night, night after night. It’s dark and it’s cold and it’s lonely and it’s frightening. But nearly 8,000 people in Maryland are homeless. As many as 3.5 million people in the United States experience homelessness in a given year (and the number tends to increase during economic crises).
Homelessness is an interruption. It is an interruption in the realm of God for which we strive. It is an interruption in the otherwise productive lives of human beings. It is an interruption in the care of people who could find happiness and health if they had a home and effective resources. And God has every right to interrupt the lives of those of us who have a home, if such interruption will get us to reach out to those who are desperately in need.
God has a habit of interrupting humankind for good reasons. Indeed, one such interruption came to a young girl named Mary about two thousand years ago. She was going about her business -- a young girl, probably around the age of 13 or 14, preparing for her marriage to a man named Joseph. This was not a good time to get pregnant. This was not a good time for any big interruption -- she had a lot on her plate already. But God had other plans for her. When God sent the Angel Gabriel to announce what God had planned for Mary, God changed the course of Mary’s life, and the course of history. Would any of us begrudge God that interruption, knowing what we know now?
During what remains of this “holiday season” let us welcome the meaningful interruptions that come our way. By taking time out from our festivities tonight to focus on a solemn reality in our city, we will be witnessing to the Truth of the Gospel. By allowing a young child to interrupt our busyness with her childlike wonder, we will be opening our hearts to the mystery of this season. By leaving the party early and going home to read the timeless Bible story, we will be reminding ourselves of the birth of One who turned the world upside down and made it right. May God open our hearts to such holy interruptions.
Now let us pray.
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