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“A STABLE
MIRACLE FOR AN UNSTABLE WORLD”
CHRISTMAS EVE MEDITATION
When I was a little boy I was always fascinated when the choir stood up to sing in church. It wasn’t just the fact that I loved music. What really fascinated me was the curtain behind the
pulpit. You see every now and then while the choir sang a hand would appear from behind the curtain. You didn’t see it every week and when you did see it, it was only for a second. Now you’re
probably going to laugh, but I always thought that God was behind that curtain directing the choir.
It was my own little miracle. It was a miracle that reassured me that God was very real and that God was
very near.
Today of course, I know that the hand behind the curtain actually belonged to our choir director Mr. Milton. Still, that memory helps me understand why Christmas is so special.
You see, God wasn’t behind the curtain, but God was in that dark and dingy stable. That’s where our mighty and merciful God, our wise and wonderful God came to dwell among us full
of grace and truth. It’s a miracle that reassures us that God is very real
and God is very near.
Now some people don’t believe in miracles. They’ll tell you that behind every miracle you’ll
find a logical explanation. Or they’ll tell you that a miracle is nothing more than coincidence. Not me though. The
child in me still knows that God is very real and that God is very near.
How else can you explain what happened to a minister many years ago in Brooklyn? Shortly after he arrived at the church the minister realized that the sanctuary which was in really bad shape. So,
he got some volunteers together and they went to work. Their goal was to finish the sanctuary in time for Christmas Eve, and
things were looking good until a terrible storm hit a couple days before Christmas. Unfortunately, the roof leaked, and that
caused a large chunk of plaster to fall from the wall behind the pulpit. Since there wasn’t enough time to repair the
damage, the minister didn’t know what to do until he noticed a small flea market while driving home. When the minister
went into the store he saw a beautiful tablecloth with a gold cross embroidered on it. So, he bought it and brought it back
to the church. Before he went into the church, however, he noticed an elderly
woman waiting for a bus. Since the next bus wasn’t due for some time, the minister invited the woman to come in out
of the cold while she waited. The woman thanked him for the offer and settled into a pew while he went to work. As soon as
he was finished, the elderly woman stood up and said, “Pastor, where did you get that tablecloth?” She then asked
him to check the lower right hand corner to see if the tablecloth had a monogram on it. When the pastor read the letters,
the elderly woman told him that her husband had given the tablecloth to her as a gift 35 years ago when they lived in Vienna. She lost track of the tablecloth and her husband, however, when the Nazis came to power. When things started to get
bad her husband put her on a train for Switzerland with a promise to join her as soon as he could. That was the last time she saw him. After
hearing the story, the minister offered to return the tablecloth to her, but the
woman insisted that he keep it for
the church. The minister thanked her and then showed his appreciation by driving her home. Now that in itself would be a wonderful
story, but there’s more. A few days later, after the Christmas Eve service, an old man stopped to talk to the minister
on his way out of the church. “It’s strange,” he said in a
softly accented voice. “Many years ago my wife – God rest her –
and I owned such a cloth. At our home in Vienna.” The minister was stunned
and immediately took the elderly man to the woman’s home. That’s
where the husband and wife shared a tearful and touching reunion on Christmas Eve.
(Rev. Howard C Shade, Nyack New
York pp.69-72 Christmas Miracles)
God wasn’t behind the curtain,
but God was in that stable. That’s why the child in me loves Christmas. It a miracle that whispers to us the Good News
that the angels sang that night to the shepherds. “For unto you is born in the city of David
a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” It’s a stable miracle that reassures
us that in this unstable world, that God is very real and that God is very near. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes
Christmas – Eve 2004
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