By The Very Rev’d Marcus A. Kaiser, Dean & Rector
Some traditions and institutions have been around so long we think that they’ve been around forever. For example, it was thirty-two years ago that the irreverent cartoon The Simpsons first aired, and it has been an inextricable part of western culture ever since. The show is so much a part of our societal background that it even has had a thing or two to say about Christmas. In one holiday episode a few years ago, the nasal matriarch, Marge, silences a group of carolers, telling them that, “Christmas carols only have one verse!” She then admits, “Well, they may have more, but the second verse is where they get all weird and religiousy.”
For most of us, the carols we sing in this season are one of the highlights of Christmas. Music has a way of transporting us through time and gets worn into our bones with a familiar comfort. With respect to the Simpson family, this year I encourage you to do more than let these tunes play in the background like a music box. Pay attention to those 'weird and religiousy' second and third verses, for they contain some of the most profound truths humanity can proclaim. In this season, we don’t only sing about herald angels, we proclaim, “veiled in flesh the God-head see; hail the incarnate Deity!” We not only bid each other, “O come, all ye faithful,” but we proclaim that Jesus is “God from God, light from light eternal.”
And while we attend to these second verses, I invite you to linger just a bit past today. For the Church, Christmas has just begun. The world may now move on from Jingle Bells and Rudolph, but just like those second verses, it’s about to get all weird and religiousy here at St. Peter’s.
For most of Christian history, Christmas Day has been only the beginning, leading us through the twelve days to Epiphany where we celebrate the revelation of God to mankind. For us, this isn’t about a safe and distant child from whom we can so easily turn, but about a savior so committed that he chose to take on our flesh to save us from ourselves and from hell itself. In these days some come because the rituals and songs feel so comfortable, but we must ask ourselves–do we really believe what we sing or is it all just a sweet dream of a distant fairy tale?
My friends, no matter how sweet, how familiar, how safe this time in the church may feel, and I hope it is all those things, let us not forget the weird and religiousy–and wonderful–truth. God came to us from Heaven to save us, and it is for that reason that we can joyfully say, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Fr. Marcus+