On a cold January morning a man started to play the violin in L’Enfant Plaza a Washington DC metro station in the nucleus of federal Washington.  He played for 45 minutes during rush hour; 1,097 people passed by him, most of them on their way to work, many of them mid-level bureaucrats.  Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing.  He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to keep on schedule.  A minute later the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman who put the money in his case without stopping.  A few minutes later, a man leaned against the wall to listen, but then looked at his watch and clearly late for work started walking again.   The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy.  Despite his mother tugging him he stopped to look at the violinist but his mother persisted to make him continue to walk; his head turning all the while.  The scenario was repeated by several other children whose parents without exception forced them to move on. 

            In the 45 min only 7 people stopped for a while to listen, and 27 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace.  He collected $32.00 and when he finished playing silence took over…no one noticed…no one applauded… the music just stopped.  No big deal right, street performers are pretty common in places like this, but this was no common street performer this was Joshua Bell, a

            A video recording was made using a hidden camera and watching it at high speed the author of the article observed “Even at this accelerated pace, though, the fiddler’s movements remain fluid and graceful; he seems so apart from his audience—unseen, unheard, otherworldly—that you find yourself thinking that he’s not really there.  A ghost.  Only then do you see it: He is the one who is real.  They are the ghosts.  IF A GREAT MUSICIAN PLAYS GREAT MUSIC BUT NO ONE HEARS…WAS HE REALLY ANY GOOD?”  The answer of course is yes he is good, but the tragedy is that no one seems to notice or appreciate this gift they have been given, a free concert by a virtuoso. 

            In the city of Bethlehem a King appeared among the people looking for a place to stay, for someone to welcome him into their home, to be hospitable to him, but there was no room for him anywhere.  Not just any king but God in the flesh and there was no room in the inn, no room but in a stable among the animals.  Very few people even knew he was there, the local elite did not stop by to say hello, only some shepherds, those nomadic low life shepherds, and the only reason they came to worship the King was because some angles told them to.  If you stop to think about that first Christmas night as the Christ child lay in the manger, the picture of God’s grace being born into the world, but yet few even notice, you begin to wonder was it real.  If a savior comes to us but no one seems to care is he really a savior?  The Savior of the world, God in the flesh came to us, this great gift was right in front of them, and the majority of people just walked by and did not take notice. 

          The only thing that could be more tragic than people missing the miracle that night in Bethlehem is if we fail to realize and appreciate this night that the miracle begun that night.  Christ is present still.  How will we react to the Christ in our midst?  We have the opportunity to worship the King of kings this night but not only this night.  We expect that on Christmas Eve we will sing of “peace” on earth, along with the angels, but when the angels retreat into heaven we must not put away that vision for another year.  Our very God has been here to live among us and is with us still.   You may have come here tonight to hear a message about a smiling baby, gentle shepherds, adoring parents and lowing cattle; maybe some precious memories of childhood or a sentimental story about Christmases past, maybe a little something to bless all the gift-buying that we’ve done. After all, Christmas is supposed to make us feel good.  The problem is the story of Christmas isn’t really at its core about any of those things.  Christmas is about God coming to be with us, to redeem and sanctify a broken and sinful world.  Christmas is only the beginning of the story, so we may pause in

          The experiment conducted by The Washington Post and Joshua Bell was to see if out in the real world, outside the concert halls, people would recognize and appreciate the gift of

          The baby born in a manger, grew up preaching and embodying a message of the coming kingdom of God — God’s reign and rule on the earth, a kingdom that would bring justice and well-being to the whole world. He healed the sick, touched the untouchable, called people to share their wealth, and fed the hungry. He spent his time with outcasts, loved the unlovable, and washed the feet of his disciples like the lowliest servant.  How do we experience this good news?  We live in a place where we can spend our money on entertainment instead of wondering where our next meal is coming from. We have the luxury of looking at places like the Middle East,

I would like to share with you a poem by Ann Weems titled “THE CROSS IN THE MANGER” “If there is not cross in the manger, there is no Christmas.  If the Babe doesn’t become the Adult, there is no Bethlehem Star.  If there is no commitment in us, there are no Wise Men searching.  If we offer no cup of cold water, there is no gold, no frankincense, no myrrh.  If there is no praising God’s name, there are no angels singing.  If there is no spirit of alleluia, there are no shepherds watching.  If there is no standing up, no speaking out, no risk, there is no Herod, no flight into Egypt. If there is no room in our inn, then “Merry Christmas” mocks the Christ Child, and the Holy Family is just a holiday card, And God will loathe our feasts and festivals.  For if there is no reconciliation, we cannot call Christ “Prince of Peace.”  If there is no goodwill toward others, it can all be packed away in boxes for another year.  If there is no forgiveness in us, there is no cause for celebration.  If we cannot go now even unto

          To celebrate Christmas, then, is to celebrate hope; not the kind of hope that’s printed in Christmas cards but the kind of hope that challenges empires and changes lives. It’s not a hope that ignores the pain of the world in favor of looking forward to heavenly bliss. Instead, it’s about following Jesus in a mission that transforms this broken world the way Christ did and makes God’s kingdom a reality. It’s a call for us to be living and working as if God is on Caesar’s throne. The promise of God is that it will one day be so.

 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all .…”. Salvation is offered to rich and poor, native and foreigner, seeker and saint. Our task is to live out that salvation by doing and calling for the things that will make “Peace Be With You” not just a wish but an affirmation. Every time we serve the poor, fight injustice, speak for those who are voiceless, serve a meal to a hungry person, spend time in a prison teaching an inmate a new way of life, we make Christ’s birth a reality.  This great thing has happened among us, let us not now, not ever, fail to notice and just pass by.  May we instead behold it, God is with us now and always, but let us not stop at beholding, may we also live in a way that proclaims Jesus birth as more than a quaint story we dust off each year.  Amen.