HAIL THE HEAVEN-BORN PRINCE OF PEACE

SERMON PREACHED BY FR. TONY NOBLE

CHRISTMAS MIDNIGHT MASS 2008

"Risen with healing in his wings! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!"

These words from the well-known carol "Hark the Herald Angels sing" are actually from the book of the prophet Malachi 4: 2. The author, Charles Wesley, has cleverly included them, to which he has added: ”Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace!”

Last week there was a news article about changing Christmas Carols in order to be politically correct. We are used to people saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" - but even the most normal Christian likes to sing the carols in the old familiar words. We are also getting used to Nativity Plays being banned in schools, and Christmas scenes and trees being banned in airports and other public buildings.

What was surprising about the news report was that it didn't come from a group of atheists, or other non-religious people - but from several Church of England clergy who wanted to change the Christmas Carols so that people would not be uncomfortable or led astray. One priest banned "O little town of Bethlehem" because it painted a false picture of the suffering Palestinians who live in Bethlehem today. Even more extraordinary, one priest wanted to stop all references to the Blessed Virgin Mary being, of all things, a Virgin!

I suppose we ought not to be surprised - amused perhaps, but not surprised. In many Churches tonight and tomorrow preachers will be referring to the stable and the manger, and rejoicing in the poverty of Jesus' birth, as a sign that Christ identifies with the poor, the disadvantaged, and the homeless. And those congregations will probably hear a sermon about world poverty, global warming, perhaps even politics. I'm sure if you wanted to hear that from this pulpit, you would be happy for me to wheel in a television so you could watch CNN!

Seriously, given what has happened this year, perhaps we can excuse such preachers. It has not been an easy year for many people - jobs have been lost, factories closed, homes foreclosed, and many of us are feeling the pinch. And so it is an easy temptation to focus on the poverty of Christ as providing either identification for us, or perhaps some hope in our economic and political gloom. Of course, this would be to assume that the poverty and smell of the stable were the whole point of Christmas.

In my previous parish in Australia, the community centre we ran used to see 100 people a day for food, for help with finding a place to live, or rent assistance, and a friendly place to spend the day.

December was always mad month as we gave away special Christmas hampers with ham and Christmas puddings, and such like. I think we probably distributed about 1,000 every December. The month would conclude before Christmas with a grand Christmas dinner for about 100 homeless people.

One year I was particularly satisfied with our Christian work (and who wouldn't be) when as the people were leaving, one of our regulars was humming "Hark the Herald Angels sing". I was delighted to find a bit of religion in our Christmas dinner. and I engaged him in conversation. I asked him what it was that he liked about the carol - was it the tune, the words, or the message? He replied that it was the lines: "Hail the Heaven-Born Peace of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness".

I was a bit surprised by this, and said: "What about the stable and the manger?" I figured that a man who lived in poor circumstances in one room in a boarding house for street people would feel that the stable was a wonderful message of God identifying with him. I still remember his reply: "If Jesus had to be born in a stable - what hope have I got?" Then he went off singing: "Hail the Heaven-Born Prince of Peace".

I realized that the circumstances of the birth of Jesus is not the point of the birth of Jesus - he could have conceivably been born in Herod's Palace, or in a nice home in Nazareth with his parents, or anywhere. The fact that it had to be in Bethlehem was purely a political situation.

The point of his birth is who is being born, and who Jesus is!

When we reflect on that as the essential message of Christmas, Christmas may seem a bit disappointing. Firstly it doesn't square with our childhood memories - those romantic Christmas scenes and the snow on the Christmas trees. But a more fundamental disappointment is that the scene at Bethlehem is so different to what was promised by the prophets in the Old Testament who foresaw the coming of the Messiah. Prophets like Isaiah said that the Messiah would come triumphantly as Prince of Peace, and he would be the Desire of Nations.

What we see is a couple of people, very tired, giving birth in a stable, entirely because of a governmental decree. Perhaps that does justify political sermons at Christmas - but it short-changes congregations who hear them. For the disappointment of Christmas is its greatness. Because there in the manger is something great, but hidden.

It is only because this baby Jesus is the heaven-born Prince of Peace that we can dare to hope for peace - even 2,000 years after Bethlehem.

For if this baby is the heaven-born Prince of Peace then we can believe that the world's future does not lie in wealth and economic security - and that may be a message of hope for us at the end of this year 2008.

As we face this new year, with real questions about the economy, global warming, wars and rumours of wars - the fact that this child born in such simple circumstances is the promised one of peace, then this heaven-born Prince of Peace can fulfill Isaiah's prophecy: "The people who walked in darkness, have seen a great light". Perhaps our world does walk in darkness at this time, and perhaps we look for blame - but what we should be looking for is the answer - not the cause. What we should be looking for is how we can grasp this heaven-born Prince of Peace, so that our lives may start the ball rolling.

"The people who walked in darkness, have seen a great light". Bethlehem doesn't just give us hope that salvation does not lie in wealth - it also can convince those who need love and acceptance that salvation doesn't lie either in fame or popularity. For if he is the heaven-born Prince of Peace, and the Sun of Righteousness, then He is salvation.

This is actually the message of the carol "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" for it doesn't just sing of "Peace on earth and Mercy mild", but "God and Sinners reconciled". Now that is the whole point of Christmas - we and God are reconciled. The hymn goes on to exclaim: "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the Incarnate Deity". But it's a bit hard to see Incarnate Deity in the stable with the cattle a-lowing! However, if it is true - it is the most tremendous thing.

God has done something unbelievable, unpredictable, un-politically correct, something amazing, something new. "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see". God has surprised us - and God has done a surprising thing for us!

That is why we genuflect during the Creed at the words: "And was Incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made Man". For it is the most amazing thing God could ever do for us. He who created this world becoming part of his creation, just like us - so that ultimately we can see what love looks like. And tonight love looks like a baby in a manger in an inn.

So my dear parishioners and friends, and visitors from near and far - as we come to celebrate this Midnight Mass we can have only one response: "Hail the Heaven-Born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness".