A Baby Changes Everything

"A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING"
Luke 2
Faith United
December 24, 2008


My first year out of seminary in 1993
was a terrible year
I was serving my first appointment
which consisted of three churches
all pretty far apart
My churches were mad at me because I wasn't living in their parsonage
so they were pretty unpleasant
from the very beginning
I wondered a lot why I even chose this profession!!
It was a very discouraging first year
One thing after another
it seemed like I was always putting out fires
dealing with unpleasant people all the time
But In the fall of that year,
I got pregnant (on purpose)
It didn't make the congregations any nicer
but every day I sensed that new life growing inside of me
and that gave me hope
It gave me reason to keep going, to keep trying
not for myself, but for the life inside of me

Many of you have heard the story
of how Sarah was supposed to be born AFTER we moved
to Tilden
but she decided to come early
and so Sarah was born three days before we moved
Now the people in Tilden were mad already
because we were bringing changes to their parish
right at the beginning
we were making their three-church charge
into a four -church charge and adding a UCC church to the mix
This was the Conference's idea,
but the churches didn't care whose idea it was
We heard they were angry

But you know,
we came into Tilden
with a three-day old baby
and somehow the people's anger was dissipated
There's something about a baby
Part of it, I was told later,
was that all the women of the parish were so impressed
that I was rugged enough to give birth
and move three days later
that they had to give me credit,
that I must be someone worth giving a chance to

There's something about a baby

All those angry parishioners who didn't want any changes
and some who threatened to leave the parish
many of them came to our house
bearing gifts of food and baby clothes
and even stayed to watch Sarah
so I could take a nap amidst the boxes
And in the weeks to come
church members signed up to take turns holding Sarah
during church while I preached
There's something about a baby…

The other day, I heard a woman talking about why so many bad things
happen around Christmas
Bad things are happening all the time, of course
but somehow it seems unjust when they happen
around Christmas

I went to see Kassidy Kenning in the hospital the other day
Kassidy is the newborn daughter of Tag and Sandy Kenning
and it was such a relief to just sit and look at the baby
while the wind was howling ungodly temperatures outside
and crazy people were storming Walmart
for the perfect gift
for a moment, all was calm, and all was bright

I remember in 2007, a hard year for our church
I remember the day I was with Sharon Gard
when she passed away
and a day later I was holding Brooke Sell
who had just entered the world
on the same day that Sharon left it
There's something about a baby …

Or the end of last year, when Chris and Adam Miller
announced that they were expecting
this news coming just a couple of weeks
after we lost Lee Boelter and Karen Trindle
By that time, we were all ready for a little new life…
Life and death, death and life,
what comes around goes around
and with God, it's not a straight line
that ends with death
but it's a circle, life and death and life again
all turning, changing, always renewing, always starting again…
There's just something about a baby …

It was a dark time, a hopeless time
people were in despair
they were afraid and anxious
always wondering what bad news would come that day
The government was unpredictable
never in touch with the needs of the people
as if they even cared about those people
and now this silly decree
this foolish order from the government
to count all the people in their jurisdiction
causing thousands of people to travel
overcrowding inns, causing unnecessary expense and stress
hardship on the poor
it was unjust and cruel for many
It was a dark time
a time of unrest
a time of violence and tension in the world
life was difficult for many
And so, it seemed, the whole world was on the road those days
for fear of being arrested if they didn't comply,
or worse,
because the authorities seemed to have no regard
for human life

It was a dark time
People were weary, hopeless, afraid
And then there was Mary and Joseph
coming into the overcrowded town of Bethlehem
nobody paying attention to them
they were just two more faces in a faceless crowd
Everybody was tense, rude, weary
Vying for the last room in the inn
No room for a pregnant woman and her husband
Sorry
Then the shepherds out in the field
who didn't have much of a life themselves
they just watched sheep
they lived with sheep, they ate with sheep
It was just another night for them
nothing special
they didn't have to travel
people knew where to find them….
They were away from the chaos in town
and they preferred it that way
they didn't go into town much at all anyway, ever
they were never welcome
people were always steering a wide circle around them
because they were pretty ripe
But then, it was out in the field,
away from the craziness in town
out in the darkness of the fields
where a strange man approached the shepherds
"do not be afraid," the angel said
as the shepherds raised their rods to fight off the stranger
"do not be afraid, I bring you great news, news of great joy!"

Joy was not something they experienced out there in the fields
Joy was not something they ever expected to experience
But they weren't so different than the townsfolk in that regard
Joy was a commodity then
Joy was not a regular part of their hard lives
Joy was rare, a fairy tale
"I bring you good news of great joy for all the people--"
and this stranger told them of a baby
a baby they'd want to meet
a baby born in a cave in town
amidst the animals, laying in a feeding trough
And then for a moment
the whole sky was filled with these angels, singing
singing so beautiful, it was unearthly
it was not human… it was beyond words
and the shepherds fell back
and stared, gaped at the sight…
And they went
they entered the chaos of town,
they followed their guts
and found the cave,
they apologetically entered the cave
shouting their story ahead of them,
"don't be afraid!" they said to Mary
who instinctively covered up her newborn child
and shielded him with her arms
"don't be afraid!" they said,
"but we gotta tell you something!"
and behind them, other curious townsfolk
had followed these guys to the cave
perhaps they'd been out looking for a drink
or just walking to think, to walk off the tension of the crowds
and they heard it
the good news
the wild story of the shepherds
and many of them moved forward,
cautiously, shyly
and saw him
There's just something about a baby…

The sight of the baby made them smile
Nobody even noticed the smell of cow manure
or the body odor of the shepherds
as they just looked upon the scrunched
but beautiful face of that little baby
born in the midst of the chaos and tension
born in the midst of the darkness and fears outside
Mary forgot to be self-conscious
about how she must have looked
or how exhausted and sore she must have felt
when she heard the crazy story of the shepherds
and watched the faces of the townspeople
who were out looking for a miracle
There's just something about a baby

A baby changes everything
a baby disrupts our lives
turns them topsy turvy
A baby born to a teenage unwed mother
is not always good news
it changes the future
often limits the future
it changes the relationships in a family
it causes some to turn away
and brings the stronger forward with unconditional love
Sometimes it makes for lifelong rejection

A teenage couple who were in love
are suddenly faced with an overwhelming responsibility
sometimes, all too often, they can't live up to it
A baby changes everything
There are couples who can't have babies
no matter how much they try,
something in their bodies betray them
and sometimes relationships are broken
because of the tension and disappointment
A baby changes everything

In a world of death and sickness
of ongoing war and economic uncertainty
in a world of family tensions
and enduring grief over many losses
In a world of lost jobs
and hospital stays and bills that don't get paid
Christmas still comes
families get together
some of them love it, some of them hate it
but we get together
and we come here
we turn out the lights and remember the darkness
all over the world
it's not hard to forget the darkness
because so many things keep reminding us
but for tonight, just for tonight
we willingly sit in the darkness
and we light our candles
and we use the light of each other's candles
to light our own
we help the little kids beside us light their flame
and we all sing into the darkness
"all is calm, all is bright…"

We do this no matter what shape we're in
we do this no matter what awaits us out there again
we do this whether our hearts are broken
or bursting with joy
We light the candle because we believe
that the darkness will not overcome this light
that no matter how dark it gets
there will always be the light of the candle,
the one that reminds us of Jesus
We sing, we hug, we give, we love,
we keep lighting candles
all because of this night
all because of one birth centuries ago
and we look into the face of the babies in our lives
and we smile
because there's just something about a baby
new life in the midst of death
new life in the midst of darkness
new life in the midst of broken hearts
A baby changes everything
it reminds us that we can always begin again
that we can keep praying for peace
while we hear the soundtracks of war
It's a baby that gives us hope tonight
a baby that will grow and blossom
whose light will only grow brighter and more brilliant
a baby who hears our prayers even now
and assures us the circle is not complete
until the Light of the world comes to stay forever
and the darkness will be vanquished
and the weapons of war will finally be put down
all because of this baby
we light our candles, knowing that we have entered the story now
and the story goes on
giving us our own parts to play
our own light to shine
stars in our eyes
and heavenly music sustaining our hearts
Sing tonight
for peace
for tonight, all is calm and all is bright
and will be again someday…. forever