Making Room For The Magic To Work

Isaiah 11:1-10   Matt3:1-12

Way back then, me and Diane Woodley were mad on Cliff Richard.

So when we heard that his new film “Summer Holiday” would be showing at the Worthing Plaza, my Grandma agreed to take me and Diane – in fact I think my Grandma was mad on him too.

When we got to the cinema there was a massive queue to get in. It stretched right round the block so much so that we couldn’t get in for the first showing so we waited patiently outside for two hours to be certain to catch the second in.

Every so often we’d hear the strains of the songs through the walls of the cinema – “Bachelor Boy” Put on your Dancin’ Shoes” and the infamous “We’re all goin’ on a Summer holiday” – you could hear the girls screaming and gasping from inside – out in the queue me and Diane sang along with the songs we knew.

It was like Cliff was actually in there, when the queue started to move towards the ticket office – the whole thing was more exciting than a couple of six year old children could stand.  It was brilliant.

I was sitting on a bus going home from work in the Christmas rush and a woman got on board with three very noisy children. I was sure it was Diane, after all these years. I wanted to go up to her, offer my seat and say – do you remember the day when you and me went to see “Summer Holiday”

I looked closely at Diane and thought better of it. She looked as if she’d be able to lay me out with a single blow.

Years on from that we were leafing through the Christmas films in the Radio Times and I put a big red tick next to “Summer Holiday”

“What on earth do you want to watch that for?” said Alison

“Because it’s brilliant” I replied.

We duly  watched it in silence for about a quarter of an hour. It was so boring and slow and silly.

There are things in our lives that seem so magical when we first encounter them but over the years they completely lose it.  The years change how we see things and people. That which had us tingling with excitement once, now seems all to mundane and dull.

As we become adults our expectation of encountering magic dwindles to almost nothing.

We stand on the edge of the Christmas story.

Zechariah has already been struck dumb.

John The Baptist is making his way into the wilderness to start baptising.

There is talk that a young girl who is expecting a baby has been visited by an angel.

Shepherds are applying for seasonal work and kings are packing their bags.

Prophetic words hidden away in the Old Testament now seem have their meaning coming to light.

  A census has been called for throughout Judea the results of which are unlikely to be lost by a Government department.

And in the place where he makes things in secret, Almighty God is crafting the brightest star you ever did see.

It’s the Belfry Carols tonight. I’ve received Christmas cards from the mayor of Reigate and the Church Commissioners.

 There are Christmas cards for everyone to deliver around the parish – please take a bundle away with you after the service and up in the parish office the photocopier is whirring day and night.

But what’s it all going to do to you this year?

Will the story be so familiar and will you be so exhausted, that the magic – if there is any, the magic of Christmas will simply pass you by.

Heaven forbid that this should happen to God’s people.

So what if we were to make a deal with each other here at St Matthew’s.

What if we were to make out that this was the first time we had ever heard the Christmas story. The first time we had ever heard about stables and innkeepers, the first time we had ever heard the truth that God has come down to earth as a tiny child for each of us and that this blows wide open the truth about him.

How could we capture a spirit like that by which the magic of Christmas could have us all on the edge of our seats.

Something that would make it worth queuing round the block for nine lessons and carols

I think it starts by taking John The Baptist seriously.

His message was that the people of his day clear a space for the arrival of the Messiah.

That if there is going to be any  magic  – you have to clear the stage of your life to give it room.

This is at the heart of the call to repentance.

This is at the heart of what we mean by Advent.

John The Baptist was not out to make us everyone feel bad – to realise how rotten we all are in comparison to the greatness of God – to make sure that the good times are kept safely in check.

Rather it’s to clear out the junk we’ve let accumulate – the stuff we’ve filled our lives with believing it to be magic when actually it’s not!

John the Baptist sees right through the Pharisees and Saducees as they come forward to present themselves for baptism because he can see that they do not have the slightest intention of creating this space – because they are all too important to themselves.     

They are people who are just going round in circles and want to draw others into their mad whirl of nothingness – whilst the cry from the prophet’s mouth is:

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”

Create some room then by your genuine repentance of that which just keeps on going round in circles and getting nowhere.

Then step over the threshold of the nativity story with all the wide eyes excitement of your children and grandchildren.

See yourself in Joseph – an honourable person by all accounts – who wanted to do the right thing but was not always sure what the right thing was.

See yourself in Mary – who began to understand that like us she was called to present the Son of God to the world.

See yourself as a shepherd someone whose low expectations of life were suddenly shattered into a million diamond shaped pieces as they went about their work at night.

See yourself as a king – surprised by the gifts you carry with you and even more surprised by your readiness to put them at the disposal of a tiny baby

See yourself as an animal in the manger – with nothing to say or do but stand and gaze.

Or See yourself as Herod – who wanted nothing to do with any of these wild imaginings because it might mean letting go of your own sense of self importance.

“Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” cried John The Baptist – not knowing the half of what we now know – about its shape, its content and its God given magic.

It may seem like a long time queuing – but the line’s beginning to move, it really is.

Don’t let’s go home – let’s cross the threshold – two weeks from today.

RH 9.12.07