Sermon for the Children's Christmas Service,
On the Fourth Sunday in Advent
AMEN
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord
Jesus Christ! AMEN. In today's Gospel is St. Luke chapter one, where God's
angel Gabriel was sent to Mary, proclaiming to her all that God promised to
do for her on account of His mercy and grace. The angel's sermon to Mary
boils down to this: "Mary, your God will treat as He sees fit, according to
His mercy." At the end of the sermon, Mary responds as only a Christian
would wish to respond. Mary essentially says AMEN. Mary answered, "Behold I
am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your Word."
Dear Christian friends,
It might boil your blood a little bit to hear me say this, but I
must confess that I find it disconcerting, or perhaps misleading, to call
today's worship a "children's service." Please do not misunderstand me: By
no means is it a bad thing for the children of the Church to learn how to
speak the faith without fear, as they have done today. By all means, it is a
wonderful thing each year to see our children join together in this way,
reading to you the Scriptures and telling you about the birth of your
Christ.
Still, there is something mildly disturbing about all of this. I
guess the thing that bothers me most about an annual "children's service" is
the possible impression that the children of the Church do not have an
important place in worship during the rest of the year. Nothing could be
farther from the truth. The truth is that the role our children have played
in today's service is a minor and truly subservient role, especially when
you compare it to the role they play in worship during every other Sunday of
the Church year.
That may strike you as odd. Today the children have been in the
front of the Church and they have participated in the reading of the Holy
Scriptures of God. Certainly many people will think it an opportunity-even
an honor-to read and to speak in public worship. After all, the older and
more articulate children are given longer parts than their younger brothers
and sisters. Relatives and guests come to hear the children speak at the
"children's service" and we are delighted to welcome them all. Not many
people make special trips to church in order to see their nieces or their
grandsons sitting in a pew with everyone else.
Nevertheless, the children of our Church have today truly played
the most subservient and minor role-a lesser role than the one they play in
every other worship service during the year. When it comes to God's living
Word, hearing is far superior to speaking and receiving is considerably
better than giving. The ones who speak publicly in the Church are the
stewards and the slaves (1 Corinthians 4:1); the ones who listen and hear
and receive what is given are the beloved members of the Master's household.
This is what today's Gospel shows you. The angel Gabriel may
indeed be a mighty angel, but he is still an angel on a tether; an angel
with an assignment and a responsibility. Mary is the "favored one." Mary is
the one whom the angel serves. Mary is the one with whom God is well
pleased. Mary is the one to whom God gives the promised Savior. Today's
Gospel depicts a Christian worship service and Mary sits in the highest and
most important place, receiving what was promised to her by her God.
Today's Gospel shows that your Christian worship is not primarily
an activity, but your Christian worship is, in its main part, passivity. The
servant-angel speaks and the favored Mary listens. The servant-angel is
nothing more than a courier, delivering the good and gracious will of God to
Mary, telling her that forgiveness and salvation shall come to her in the
form of a firstborn Son. The servant-angel speaks only what he was commanded
to speak, and to this Mary simply adds her AMEN. Mary answered, "Behold I am
the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your Word." That's
Mary essentially saying AMEN.
As it happened for Mary, so it happens for you and for your
children. Your comparison to Mary is amazingly close:
· You, like Mary, are God's "favored ones" because you, like Mary,
have "found favor with God." This favor and high standing comes to you
because God your heavenly Father is gracious and compassionate toward you,
as He was toward Mary.
· You, like Mary, hear the divine promise of a Child named Jesus,
born to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
· Because all your sins are forgiven you, you, like Mary, now are
part of this Child's kingdom, of which "there will be no end."
· You, like Mary, also play your part in worship by saying your AMEN
to God's promises. Mary answered, "Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let
it be to me according to your Word," and you essentially say the same thing
with every AMEN you pray in our liturgy.
That is why I find it a bit disconcerting, perhaps misleading, to call today's
worship a "children's service." No, I am no suggesting we should no longer
have a children's service, especially at Christmas. I am merely attempting
to prevent you from overlooking the highly important role your children play
in worship along with you during every other liturgy of the year. AMEN is
truly the most powerful word in the Christian vocabulary. AMEN is the way
you and your children proclaim the power of God's promises to each other and
to those who have gathered here with you. AMEN is by no means a perfunctory
response written into a bulletin, but it is the voice of your faith. It is
the voice of your children's faith. AMEN makes every Sunday a children's
service.
The peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. AMEN.
___________________________________________________________________________
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