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Christmas Eve Pageant
December 24, 2005
Delivered by Reverend Sandra Stayner
Wait! Hang on a minute! There's someone missing from the story. Where's Santa Claus. Shouldn't he be here tonight? Isn't that who you're waiting for tonight?
Did you know that Santa Claus came to the manger as well as the shepherds and the wise men and all the wee angels?
Oh yes! They tell a story about that in Lapland, a place in the very far north of the world where the winters are nearly as dark as the night, and the men spend their time carving beautiful wooden objects by the light of the fire.
There was a man who lived there with his little dog. One night as he was carving a beautiful tiny seal, he looked up and saw a brilliant star shining in the Eastern sky, brighter than any he had ever seen before.
It was strange. As he watched the star, it seemed to be beckoning to him, inviting him to follow it. So he did! He damped down his fire, filled a sack with his wooden carvings and harnessed his reindeer to a sled.
With his dog at his side and the sack strapped on to the back of the sled he began to follow the brilliant star. It took him on a long, circuitous route, lasting many weeks. On the way he exchanged many of his little wooden carvings for lodging and an evening meal in some kind person's house. He kept following the star, until one day it seemed to shine even brighter than usual. It's light seemed to be pouring down, focused on a tiny shed in the middle of a town called Bethlehem.
He got very excited and jumped off his sled and ran down the hill, eager to see what was being lit up by the light of this strange star he had been following these long weeks. He made his way down windy streets, through crowds of people who filled the town until at last he came upon a tiny stable. Very quietly he pushed the heavy door to see what was inside. Imagine his surprise when he found two figures upon the straw with a tiny newborn baby bathed in golden light. The man felt so full of peace that he moved closer and knelt beside the baby. A radiance far brighter than the star above the stable shone from the sleeping child's face.
"You are blessed with a very special child" said the man to the parents. "This child will bring peace to all who kneel before him. I must honor him with a gift." And from his sack he took a tiny wooden reindeer. "It's all I have" he said. "I give it in thanks for finding you. I will never forget this night."
And then a miracle happened. From head to toe the man glowed with a great warmth and his rough clothing became thick and soft as it turned from blue to the richest, deepest red.
As he began his long journey home he no longer felt lonely or afraid. His heart was warmed from the love he had experienced from the little babe in the stable. Of course he never forgot that night. In fact, when he returned home to Lapland he went from camp to camp, telling everyone he met about the little baby lying in the manger whose love had touched his heart.
During the long dark nights he continued his wood carving by the light of the fire. But now he carved beautiful wooden toys for all the children he knew, in memory of the day he had met the child whose love he somehow knew would save the world.
Each year on Christmas Eve he still harnesses his reindeer, fills his sack with toys and sets off to deliver presents to every child he can find. And he loves to share the story of his journey to the stable and the warmth and peace that filled his heart as he knelt before the radiant child lying in a manger with any who will listen.
Not many people saw Santa Claus when he visited the Christ Child that first Christmas, but children all over the world continue to share the love of the baby Jesus as they give and receive gifts on Christmas day.
If we remember the story of Santa Claus in Lapland finding the baby Jesus in a manger in the hay, I think we will always remember what Christmas is really all about - the night that God came down the stairway of the stars to give himself to you and me in the tiny baby Jesus, to fill our hearts with the warmth and peace of his love, so that we might share that love with others.
So let us join the angels and the shepherds and the wise men who fell down and worshipped the baby Jesus in that tiny stall in Bethlehem, by singing all together, "Joy to the World."
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