Christmas Vigil: Is 62:1-5, Acts 13:16-17, 22-25, Mt 1:1-25 

Phyllis Martin, a schoolteacher in Columbus, Ohio, tells of the day when the storm clouds and strong gusts of wind came up suddenly over the Alpine Elementary School. The school public address system blared tornado warnings. It was too dangerous to send the children home. Instead, they were taken to the basement where the children lined against the walls and huddled together in fear. She said the teachers were worried, too.

To help ease the tension, the principal suggested a sing-along. But the voices were weak and unenthusiastic. One child after another began to cry. The children could not be consoled and were close to panic. Then one of the teachers, whose faith seemed equal to any emergency, whispered to the child closest to her, “Kathy, I know you are scared. I am too, but aren’t we forgetting something? There is a power greater than any storm. God will protect us. Just say to yourself, ‘God is with us,’ then pass the words on to the child next to you and tell her to pass it on.” Suddenly that dark and cold basement became a sacred place as each child in turn whispered around the room those powerful words, “God is with us,” “God is with us,” God is with us.” A sense of peace and courage and confidence settled over the group.

Phyllis Martin said, “I could hear the wind outside still blowing with such strength that it literally shook the building, but it did not seem to matter now. Inside the fears subsided and tears faded away when the all-clear signal came some time later, students and staff returned to the classrooms without the usual jostling and talking. Through the years I have remembered those calming words. In times of stress and trouble, I have been able again and again to find release from fear or tension by repeating those calming words: ‘God is with us!’ ‘God is with us!’” When we are frightened, we can claim that great Christmas promise. That’s number one.

 “GOD IS WITH US!” When we accept Christ into our lives, nothing, not even death, can separate us from God and His love. “God is with us!” Its what Christmas is about. God is with us, the great people of faith have always claimed that promise. Just think of it:

-- Moses caught between the Pharaoh and the deep Red Sea in a seemingly hopeless situation believed that God was with him and he went forward and trusted God to open a way and He did!

-- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went into the fiery furnace into a seemingly hopeless situation and they trusted God to be with them and He was!

-- Little David stood before Goliath. What chance could a small boy with a slingshot have against this giant of a warrior? But David believed that God was with him and it made all the difference!

The impact of that Christmas promise is incredible. When WE believe that, when WE accept that, when WE claim that promise it will absolutely change our life.

When we are frightened and when we are lonely, we can claim the Christmas promise of God’s presence with us.

We can claim the great Christmas promise when we are in sorrow. It seems like it would be easy to feel the presence of God when we are on top of the world and everything is going our way. But actually the reverse is true. God is never nearer to us than when we are hurting. There are two reasons for that. First, we are more open to God when we are in need; and second, God is like a loving parent who wants especially to be with His children when they are in pain. Being with us he wants to share his strength with us.

An 85-year-old woman with a large family had a crippling stroke. As a result, she was unable to speak, unable to walk, and unable to care for her basic needs. Reluctantly, her children placed her in the care of a nursing home. She was there for 5 years, mostly content. They had no indication that she even knew them when they came for visits. One Christmas season the family was gathered for their family Christmas celebration. They decided to reenact a tradition of their childhood and gather around the piano to sing carols.

After they had sung a couple of Christmas carols, one of the daughters suddenly said, “Let’s go get Mom.” Two family members drove to the nursing home and brought Mom back to the house. Swiftly they wheeled her to the piano and they began singing carols again. When they came to Silent Night, they could not believe what happened. Their mother, who had not spoken a word in 5 years, started singing Silent Night along with them. It was amazing.

The daughter telling the story described it like this: “mom was singing, too. Her voice was soft, but she was on key and she knew the words. Everybody was stunned, but they kept on singing. They smiled at her and she nodded. They sang other carols and she sang them all. It was a moment of incredible warmth and joy, blessing and almost magical beauty. Even when she couldn’t recognize the faces of her own children, even when she seemed incapable of laughter or tears the songs of Christmas faith were still alive deep within her spirit, well below the frost line of illness and loss the Christmas carols survived.”

Deep within her soul, the songs of Christmas faith were alive and well and somehow miraculously she was able, as the Christmas carol puts it, to “Repeat the sounding joy.”

The cause of Christian joy isn’t presents. The cause of Christian joy isn’t a trouble-free life. The cause of Christian joy is Jesus Christ, God-With-Us.

If God is in Jesus, if we believe that God was present in the sufferings and death of Christ, then we must believe that God is present with us in our suffering as well. Remember how Jesus answered the disciples? Who sinned, he was asked. "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him" (John 9:3). Somehow there is a purpose in what we are going through. Somehow God's mercy will be revealed. It may be beyond our grasp and understanding. He is wiser.

The liturgical season of Christmas is relatively brief, but it is an excellent time to make a Christmas resolution: live each day as if God is with you, because he is.

Tomorrow there will be gifts, meals, and joy, but there may also be dashed expectations, family tensions, or worries that didn’t take Christmas break. The key is to remember that Our Lord, Emmanuel, is with us. He is all we need.

We’re going to receive the Eucharist in a few minutes – God With Us. The Word became Flesh and made his dwelling among us. When we receive the Eucharist, we receive him. If we’re ready to receive him, after a good confession, he’s truly present in our souls. Let’s allow Jesus, the God with us be actively present in us at this Christmas and the coming New year.