"Comfort and Joy"
Pastor Myers' Meditation from the
Christmas Service of Rememberance
at Turnbull Funeral Home
December 12, 2011
On December 21, 1930, the beloved pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was preaching to a German speaking congregation in Havana Cuba. Over 80 years later, and a world away, Dr. Bonhoeffer's words are no less meaningful for us this night.
"We all come with different personal feelings to the Christmas festival. One comes with pure joy as he looks forward to this day of rejoicing, of friendships renewed, and of love... Others look for a moment of peace under the Christmas tree, peace from the pressures of daily work... Others again approach Christmas with great apprehension. It will be no festival of joy to them. Personal sorrow is painful especially on this day for those whose loneliness is deepened at Christmastime... And despite it all, Christmas comes. Whether we wish it or not, whether we are sure or not, we must hear the words once again: Christ the Savior is here!"
Most of us gather, tonight, with these mixed emotions. Amidst the chaos of this season, we are here to take a moment, to pause and reflect, to give thanks and to grieve, to remember and to celebrate, to seek healing and find hope. In this season of Advent, we are here to prepare for a Christmas, and a lifetime, with only the memory of friends and loved ones. In the darkness of this night, and the darkness of our sorrow, we are straining to see the light, Jesus Christ, the light of the world, the source of our comfort and joy at Christmas.
For our time of reflection this night, I chose Psalm 126. A psalm of thanksgiving, remembering a time when God had come to the aid of God's people in the past, Psalm 126 becomes a prayer for help and blessing when the people of God find themselves, once again, in need of deliverance. Hear the words of the Psalmist:
"When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; in those days it was said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them.' The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes [again], O LORD, like the watercourses in the Neg'eb. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves."
While there are many questions related to the historical context of the Psalm, what seems clear is the healing power of remembrance. Something is tormenting the Psalmist. Whether it is the ordinary trials and sorrows of life, the death of a friend or the loss of a loved one, or whether the Psalmist's suffering is on a grander scale, perhaps even a national tragedy, is not clear. What is clear is the Psalmist identifies with those who grieve.
His imagery is poignant. The Psalmist is one who is sowing tears, as a farmer sows seed. His prayer is that from the seed tears he is sowing will come a harvest of joy. To some, such hope would seem foolish. But to the Psalmist, his hope is founded upon his knowledge, his faith, his remembrance, of what God has done before.
Remembering a day when God had acted to save God's people; a day when their dreams came true; their mouths were filled with laughter and their tongues with shouts of joy; the Psalmist lives in hope that God will act again. Like torrents of water bringing life to a dry and desolate desert, the Psalmist lives in hope God will come and bring an end to his weeping. The Psalmist's remembering God's power to save is the source of his healing and hope. Remembering God's power to save, the one who, this night, sows in tears, will one day reap with shouts of joy.
In my Advent Devotional readings on this Psalm, I came across the reflections of Talitha Arnold. Ms. Arnold writes:
"The psalm looks for signs of God's promise in dark and difficult times. It first finds them in the remembrance of things past, in the joy and the laughter the people knew when God brought them home from exile and even their neighbors acknowledged God's mighty deeds on their behalf.
But Psalm 126 is not an exercise in nostalgia. The remembrance of things past has a present purpose. Recalling God's deliverance long ago leads directly for God to use that same transforming power now."
My friends, many of you here this night are living through a season of grief. You, your families, and your friends, have sown fields of tears. The thought of rejoicing again one day, let alone at this Christmas time, is at best a dream. You may, yet, gather with family and friends to celebrate, but laughter and joy will not come easily. You may wonder if your hearts will ever be joyful again.
Would that my words could ease your sorrow or lessen your pain. Would that your memories were enough to sustain you through these days. Would your hearts were filled with only the love and laughter of those you have lost. Would that the acres of tears you have sown already have begun to bear a harvest of joy.
However, I doubt many of you are there this night. I imagine most are still bearing seed tears for sowing. For in this season of grief, it is not yet harvest time. There are yet fields to plant. But, perhaps, a few of you, yet, live in hope that like the Psalmist, you will know joy again. Perhaps, a few of you, yet, live in hope God will take away your sorrow and pain; bring healing to your hearts; and, restore your lives.
It is for each of you, those who live in hope and those wondering if they will ever have hope again, it is for each of you, looking for a miracle this Christmas that I share with you the beloved story of the birth of your Hope, your Joy, your Savior, Jesus Christ.
"In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. 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. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to be delivered 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."
(Luke 2:1-7)
As some of you know, Dr. Bonhoeffer died in a German prison only a matter of weeks before the Allied armies would free the camp. The first Christmas after his arrest, his fiancé, Maria von Wedemeyer, whom he would never see again, wrote these words to Dr. Bonhoeffer.
"And now Christmas is coming and you won't be there. We shall be apart, yes, but very close together. My thoughts will come to you and accompany you. We shall sing 'Friede auf Erden' [Peace on Earth] and pray together, but we shall sing 'Ehre sei Gott in der Hohe!' [Glory be to God on high] even louder. That is what I pray for you and for all of us, that the Savior may throw open the gates of heaven for us at darkest night on Christmas Eve, so that we can be joyful in spite of everything."
My friends, that is my prayer for you, and those you love, this night . "that our Savior may throw open the gates of heaven for you at darkest night on Christmas Eve and you can be joyful in spite of everything." May the Peace of God be with you this Christmas season.
See you in church!
Pastor Myers
revhaggis1@hotmail.com
