"A Christmas Story"

A Christmas Story told by The Rev. Keenan Kelsey
Noe Valley Ministry, Presbyterian Church (USA)
December 24, 2004

Matthew 1: 18-25

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah* took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. ²⁰ But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.' ²² All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³ 'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel', which means, 'God is with us.' ²⁴ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, ²⁵ but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son;* and he named him Jesus.

Luke 2: 1-14

¹ In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴ Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵ He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. ⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for see \0x2014 I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah,* the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.' ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,* praising God and saying, ¹⁴ 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!'

CHRISTMAS is a season of giving. But too many of us limit our inspirations and gifts to those contained in boxes with bright bows. We spend too much time shopping in catalogues and stores, and not enough time considering what a gift of time, or love, or imagination, or hope and promise, might look like.

In 1941, Hitler's armies were invading the city of Leningrad. The staff of the famous Hermitage Museum worked around the clock to load priceless paintings and sculptures onto three trains and move them to place of safety.

On July 1st, the director of the museum stood weeping at the station as the three trains prepared to leave for the Russian heartland. Not even the conductors knew the final, secret destination of those rail cars.

Hitler's forces soon surrounded the city in a massive blockade, trapping two and a half million people under appalling conditions of hunger and deprivation. Only two of the trains had managed to leave the station.

Knowing how important it was for the citizens of Leningrad to have some diversion, the museum staff kept their palatial building open to visitors. Only minor works remained on display, but the building itself was a work of art. Maybe as the beleaguered city dwellers walked through its half-empty halls, gazing at so many empty frames, they might remember what once had been, and would be led to hope for its return.

The day came when even the Hermitage building itself came to be at risk. Bombs falling nearby shattered the windows. Heavy snows drifted in, soaking the once elegant parquet floors. The museum staff enlisted Russian soldiers to shovel up the mixture of snow and glass, take it out bucket by bucket, and install new windows to protect the building.

There was no material way to thank the soldiers for what they'd done. But then, a longtime Hermitage guide, Pavel Dubchevski, had an idea. He offered to give the soldiers a highly unusual museum tour.

Dubchevski led the hollow-eyed, starving men, clad in their ragged uniforms, through the cavernous halls of the museum. So many picture frames hung empty on the walls, but the guide paused at each one, describing to the soldiers the painting that used to hang there. Later, the soldiers would recall that Dubchevski's descriptions were so vivid and powerful that they almost felt they could see the world-famous art treasures.

Pavel Dubchevski, the Hermitage Museum guide, was filling a role that day very much like that of a prophet. He brought his gifts of imagination to bear - and created for those who might otherwise be sunk in despair a vision of hope. Where there was only empty darkness, he painted on the canvass of starving dreams a prayer for a bright new day.

What kind of gift will you be giving at Christmas? What kind of eyes, what kind of heart, do you have that will recognize such gift when they are offered to you? God's gift at Christmas was indeed wrapped in a package, the package of a small and vulnerable baby. But the gift itself cannot be contained. This evening you will be given a small wrapped box at the end of the service. It is not for opening, it is for keeping, for reminding. Please read the scroll attached, and keep the box in your home year-round, to remind you of the gift of Christ, of Light, of Love.