"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the King, behold, Magi from the East arrived in Jerusalem, saying.: `where is the one, who has been born King of the Judeans? For we have seen His star in the East, and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:1-2)

By the Grace of God, we gather once again to celebrate the Birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and I believe that a tired old world was never more glad to greet this Unique Event in the life of the world. When we think of it, we most surely can identify with the difficulties the Wise men had, traveling on their camels all the way from Persia to Bethlehem.

They must have encountered many difficulties, just like we all do in life. However, all their travails were forgotten, when they knelt before the Holy Child to offer the Gifts they had brought to Holy Infant.

In a comparable manner, this Unique Day of Christmas overshadows people's problems, and does mould people's souls, even if it is, just for a day or two. We all become part of a inspiring spirit, which is strongly felt on Christmas Day. Somehow, just one touch of Christmas, seems to make the world our kin.

So often people are inhuman one to another. It seems that people live for themselves far too much, and only occasionally do they stop to think of their fellow human. We tend to forget, that we are all humans, made of the same flesh and blood,--- warmed by the same sun, ---chilled by the same frost, --- hurt by the same wounds, --- subject to the same temptations,— grieved by the same sorrows, and cheered by the same joys.

We all belong to the one human family. We are sons and daughters of God, and He is, the Father of us all.

The Lord's central teaching was "love one another, as I have loved you." Uohn 15:12). So, in this central admonition, we sense the peace, so necessary in our life. I would prayl that peace comes to our home and to every soul. As the Angelic voices were heard rejoicing on that most blessed night in Bethlehem, "peace on earth, good will toward men," it behooves us to chime in with them, for

this sorely needed peace in our personal life, in our homes, in society and surely in the world.

Perhaps some may ask, how can a person have peace within one's self, when his or her life is so full of anxiety and perplexity? For an answer to this, I would strongly suggest, that one must seriously think again of the Newborn Babe of Bethlehem,--- born on Christmas Day. He knew, as we can never know, the stress and strain of his human life; --- its selfishness, --- its sinfulness, ---its ignorance and weakness;--- and He felt, as we all can never feel, the throb of human agony and misery.

Yet, through it all, He had this peace. He moved quietly through what looked like failure, seeking to accomplish the will of God, and resting His spirit in the love of God, so that, in that dark hour before He suffered, He could bequeath His rich legacy of peace to all humankind.

So it is, that whatever our personal outward circumstances are, we can have peace in our hearts, when we permit God to reign in our hearts and our decisions.

We may be as sure of God, as was Christ Himself. Sure of God's power to protect us; sure of His Hand to guide us; sure of His presence to go with us.

Christmas reminds us, that we are not to think of God only as Above and around us, but God with us, who was called Emmanuel, that is, "God with us." Through the world Saving Event of Christmas,

we have God's abiding presence, and his continual thought, and care for us.

What a blessing would come to our anxious world, if the warmth of good will was spread everywhere, as also the promise of true peace. That is precisely the message of the Angels', singing over Bethlehem about 2000 years ago: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men", and so, it must always be. Without good will, there can never be peace on earth.

We must never be so foolish, as to suppose, that a mere truce in human malice can bring peace, because it cannot. Peace can only come, when we have made proper room for it, in our noisy and crowded lives. Peace can come, only when we bury, and dispose all hatred and suspicion, --- and prejudice, --- ancient feuds, and grudges, ---and jealousies, and fears.

We can never hope to do this, unless we renew our spirit to conform in God's ways, and make this new spirit the veritable possession of our hearts.

Let us then, open our hearts and lives to the true spirit of Christmas, and pray to God, that this spirit will bring good will and peace to ourselves and to the world.

I conclude this short sermon with an incident, which I clipped many years ago, regarding a small segment of the life of Cecil B. DeMille, the immortal giant among Directors and Movie producers, who gave us the Classic film titled: "The King of Kings."

His crew was on location doing the scene of the Crucifixion. The Director of renown had recruited a motley crowd for the mob scene, who were to shout "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"

He had gone into the dives of the City, and picked life's defeated people to act as the soldiers, believing, that the faces of those, who crucified Christ, should show the defeat and the lines, that life can leave upon someone, who holds goodness in utter contempt.

They were filming the Crucifixion scene on the day before Christmas in the Hollywood studio. DeMille wrote in his story the following: "Here we were, on a bare ugly hill with three crosses telling of His death, when in reality it was the eve of His Birthday." Having said this, unexpectedly, and on the spur of the moment, DeMille, who very rarely said anything during the filming of a picture, called for silence, and stepped out in front of the crowd and said:

"In honor of Christ the King, we will take five minutes for meditation and prayer." This was shocking for those present.

Here and there, across the faces, he saw cynical smiles. Immediately he thought to himself: "They will just move around during the five minutes to get a drink, or take a smoke, and pitch in small talk." But, DeMille stood before them, bowed his head and closed his eyes. Then, from the motley crew, he heard several voices softly singing the Christmas Carol, "It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old...."

The Carol wasn't known to all, but slowly more voices joined in. When DeMille looked up, even though they were singing the Christmas Carol, he found them kneeling before the three crosses on the hillside. On some of those rough defeated faces, he saw tears of remembrance, making their way.

The hard-bitten Hollywood Producer said, that it was the greatest moment of his life, and that it revealed to him once again, the Lordship of the Christ. "Three crosses on a hillside, -- a motley crew, -- a Christmas Carol, --- and the kneeling before Jesus Christ, the Lord and King."

I'm sure that this episode surprised and touched you, as it did me, when I saved the clipping so many years ago. I ask you, is it not the blessing of Divine Providence to have inspired the immortal Producer, so as to spontaneously shock, but yet inspire, those, who were involved in the film?

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Last modified: 19 May, 2011 11:15:27 AM