Throughout Advent, we heard a consistent theme from the prophets and the psalmist—a deep longing for a Messiah. Their words spanned hundreds of years.  But the message remained the same across all that time.  An intervention from God is coming--a Messiah who will deliver Israel from oppression and restore her to right relationship with Yahweh.

Luke gave us a beautiful backstory for Mary and Joseph. Through them, God will do something new. We walked with Mary to the home of Elizabeth…where they celebrated together…and waited for this new life to come.

Tonight, Luke shifted from this sense of longing to belonging. 

Before Mary placed Jesus in a manger, Luke placed the story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem…the ancestral home of Joseph’s people. Jesus belonged in this tribe—the descendants of David.

Once Jesus was born, the story shifted abruptly from Bethlehem to the countryside.  The very first people to learn of Jesus’ birth were shepherds. An angel appeared to them saying, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Jesus belonged to the shepherds.

The words of the angel are for us, too: Unto you, unto me, is born this night a savior, who is the Lord.  Jesus belongs to us, too.

The gift given this night is beyond words…beyond comprehension. God chose to give God’s self to the world.  In that moment, a new way of being in relationship with God opened for all creation….Not just a select group of people, or a select era of history. This gift is for all creation—across all time and place.

Through the child, redemption is possible—an invitation to participate in the body of Christ is given.

Last week, as I moved through bronchitis, I ate a lot of chicken noodle soup. When I’m not feeling well, it’s my go-to food. I can’t really explain why…but there’s something more to chicken noodle soup than just the noodles and the chicken. 

And there’s something more to longing and belonging than just the face value of those words.

Over the past few years, I’ve met a lot of visitors here—folks who moved away from Fort Worth long ago, but wanted me to hear their stories of belonging to St. Christopher’s. “I grew up at St. Chris….I was in the St. Christopher’s Campers…I was part of St. Christopher’s EYC…..one memorable gentleman told me, “St. Christopher’s EYC saved my life.”

Recently someone returned to St. Christopher’s after years of being away and said, “It feels like coming home.” 20, 30, 40 years after leaving St. Chris, the sense of belonging is still palpable.

When the body of Christ is functioning in a healthy way, belonging is much more than just a membership card. 

The early church in Corinth drifted away from that connectedness---and so Paul wrote to them saying, “In the Spirit we were all baptized into one body…..Now, he said, you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”[1]

Each of us brings spiritual gifts and talents that complement the gifts of the body. 

Some are noodles, some are chicken.

The Holy Spirit grafts our individual lives into this body of Christ…we become much more than the sum of our parts.

The sense of belonging we feel here is deep. It is rooted in our shared participation in the life and work of Christ. God’s presence within us is kindled…awakened as we do the work we’re called to do.

Tonight, our service will conclude with the hymn Silent Night. After the blessing, the house lights will be dimmed. Acolytes will light candles from the Christ candle and pass the light to those sitting on the aisle. As we sing Silent Night, each of passes the Light of Christ to the person next to us.

It is beautiful to watch the Light as it spreads among us…and to hear our voices …not as soloists…but as a choir. It is a living illustration of the body of Christ…and the impact we have in our world—not just as individuals, but as a community of faithful people…people who long for a better world, for justice and peace, for the realm of God in our life.

And it illustrates our belonging—for the Light we hold is eternal.  It is the Light of those who have gone before us, the Light of those we walk with tonight, and the Light of those we will leave behind one day.   

The Light lives within you….for the child in the manger is born unto you.

   [1] 1 Corinthians 12: 13; 27