A SCARLET RIBBON CHRISTMAS

Luke 4:14-19
I peeked in to say goodnight
When I heard my child in prayer,
"And for me some scarlet ribbons,
Scarlet ribbons for my hair."

(From "Scarlet Ribbons," music by Evelyn Danzig; lyrics by Jack Segal)




Such a simple request -- scarlet ribbons for her hair. That was the desire of her heart.  The desire of her father's heart was to be able to give her what she wanted, but it was impossible.  The stores were dark and locked tight; the shopkeepers  had all gone home.  A few hair ribbons were all she wanted, and he could do nothing about it.  He spent the night anticipating her disappointment, and his own heart ached at the thought.

Long before that holy night, that night divine when Christ was born, humanity's collective heart was breaking as they struggled in a fear-ridden and hopeless world, broken by hate, fear, selfishness, and all those things we call sin.

The people of Israel prayed for their hearts' desire.  They, in a world of darkened streets and locked doors, pined for the one whom God had promised them long ago:  he who was sent and authorized by God to proclaim the the good news to the poor and release to the captives.  The one who would restore sight to the blind and let the oppressed go free:  the Messiah who would come and declare the age of the Lord's favor.

The Lord's favor:  God's compassion and mercy for His creatures and creation that brings with it a profusion of love, joy, peace and hope.

The heart breaking thing was that many thought that if they followed the right rules and did all the right things, that they, based upon their human efforts alone, they could fulfill the desires of their hearts.  They couldn't, and their lives, their world continued to be a dark place of suffering and hopelessness.

"For us," humanity prayed, "A Savior."


And for us, what are our hearts' desires.  What is it that all the doing, all the busyness, all the accumulation, all the stuff, all the worldly things we grasped for that we still lack?

What are the areas of poverty in our lives?

• Is it loneliness?
• Do we lack a sense of our worthiness and value?
• Is it a lack of meaning and purpose?
• Like the father in the song, "Scarlet Ribbons, are we frustrated with the inability to make positive changes in our lives for our good and for the good of those we love?
• Do we feel powerless from the loss of our choices and our dignity?

What holds us captive, prevents us from finding peace and joy in our lives?

• Are there wounds, spiritual, emotional and physical, that need to be healed?
• Do we feel trapped in abusive, dysfunctional relationships and situations?
• Does alcohol, drugs, food or other addictions control our lives?

In what ways are we blinded?

• Does a poor self-image prevent us from seeing that each of us is a unique person, created in the image of God to be loved and to loved?
• With the barrage of media coverage, have we become desensitized to the suffering of others and overwhelmed to the point of not being able to see how we might bring about positive change within our personal spheres of influence?
• Has anxiety and busyness become the focus of our lives and thus blinded us to how God is working for our good?

What oppresses us, stops us in our tracks and prevents you and I from moving forward?

• Is it a continual sense of uncertainty and insecurity?
• Are we carrying burdens that are too heavy for us to bear alone?
• Does the present atmosphere of hate, fear and divisiveness rob us of hope for the future?
• Are there unresolved issues in our lives like unforgiveness or broken relationships that prevent you and I from experiencing joy in our living?

Then, tonight, bring them all to the manger.  Bring them to Jesus.

The desire of God the Father's heart is for us, all people everywhere, to experience that age of God's favor.  For God so unconditionally loves the world that He sent to us his Son, Jesus Christ, to take on human form so we can experience God's compassion and mercy in real, personal and relevant ways,  For Jesus, God born in human flesh in a stable, came into the world not to condemn us but that we would be able to live abundant lives filled with hope, joy, peace and love and have eternal life.

The shepherds found their hearts' desires at the manger on that holy night long ago.  They met the Savior the world had longed for.  The one that would be the fulfillment of God's promises and be the greatest expression of God's love for us.  

Christ proclaimed to the poor the good news that God is on our side.  He released people to live lives of  of hope, peace, joy and love.  He healed, mind, body and soul.

He stored sight, not just to the physically bind, but opened our eyes to who we truly are and what we can become, and he brought wholenessl.

He set the oppressed free from fear, sin and death.  He freed us to become the people God created us to be.

Jesus is the revelation of God's favor, the incarnation of the Lord's mercy and compassion for us.

And in a profusion of angels, glory and wonder, the shepherds said in their hearts of hearts, "Yes, for us, a Savior is born!

Through  the night, my heart was aching,

And just before the dawn was breaking,

I peeked in and on her bed.

In gay profusion lying there

Lovely ribbons, scarlet ribbons,

Scarlet ribbons for her hair.

       (From "Scarlet Ribbons," music by Evelyn Danzig; lyrics by Jack Segal)

Today, Jesus continues to come into the world, a gift of God's love for us, to meet us in the places of our deepest need in a profusion of ways that the world will tell us are impossible.  But with God, through Jesus Christ, all things are possible, even the fulfilling of the desires and yearnings of the human soul.

Tonight, this holy night, this night divine, we are invited to the manger to experience God's amazing love always active in our lives, that thing we call "grace."  Lets us meet Christ there, just as we are, with the desires of our hearts, and open our lives to him.  Let us proclaim, "Yes, for us, a Savior has come!"