Christmas

Two things you can never predict with precision are birth and death. It was a bitter cold January night when a young woman went into labor with her first child. She grabbed her minister husband, said, "It's time," and he replied, "Okay, but first we need to stop by the funeral home." He had a funeral service scheduled for 11:00 the next morning, and he knew they'd never be finished with the delivery in time.

The minister's wife was not amused. But she got him back by complaining that the car was too hot, and insisting that they drive all the way to the hospital, through the winter night, with the windows open.

This week we're dealing with the overlap of death and birth once again. Today we gather for a funeral service for ____________; tomorrow many of us will be in this same place to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Our emotions are mixed: we're feeling the shock and sadness of death, as well as the anticipation and joy of birth. As we think about life without ____________, grief threatens to overwhelm us but as we worship God for entering life as the Christ child, we are given new hope for days to come.

I can't help but think that this is how __________ would want us to feel. Never one to want too much attention directed toward himself, he would want us to be thinking about Jesus Christ on a day like this. Since so much of __________ life was devoted to pointing people to Christ, it seems fitting that as we thank God for __________, we also thank God for Jesus.

I was always impressed by the ways in which ____________ attempted to live out his commitment to Christ. While many people today put their careers ahead of all else, ____________ lived as though his true calling was to serve his family, his church, and his community. (Here thanksgivings are given for the deceased's character and forms of service.)

We give thanks today for ____________ life on earth, but we also give thanks that his life continues in God's heavenly kingdom. His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whose birth we are about to celebrate, has come again and received him into everlasting life. "Let not your hearts be troubled," said Jesus to his followers; "Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go and prepare a place for you?" Because ____________ did believe in God, and in his Son, Jesus has prepared a place for him, a place where he can be free of physical hardship and pain.

We can be thankful that unlike the disciple Thomas, ____________ did know the way to God's house. He believed that Jesus was "the way, and the truth, and the life," and that the way to the Father was through the Son. ____________ knew God because he knew Jesus Christ, and so much of what he said and did was an attempt to help others know God in Christ as well. He tried to show the love of Christ in his words and actions, love that is patient and kind, not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. ____________ tried to be a channel for this love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Because this love never ends, we can follow in ____________'s foot steps and attempt to be channels of love as well. We can trust the same Lord that he trusted, the Lord that walked with him through the valley of the shadow of death, and we can share Christ's love as we serve our families, churches, and communities. We will not be with ____________ until we see him, face to face, in God's kingdom, but until that time we can carry on his loving service.

____________ knew that both birth and death are important parts of Christian life. The beginning of life is joyful, but so is the transition to everlasting life with God. Everything we encounter as Christian -- even death -- should be illuminated by the light of resurrection. When we adore the babe of Bethlehem this Christmas, let's look for more than a beautiful child: let's look for Christ on the cross, and for our resurrected Lord. The baby born in our hearts again this week is the Son of God who leads us to eternal life.

Birth and death will go on forever, surprising us and shocking us. Funerals will overlap with deliveries, and loved ones will die during Christmas week. Fortunately, as Christians we can believe that birth and death both lead to new life, because our God is with us not only in life, but in death, and in life beyond death.

May the Lord of death and life bless you all as we celebrate the new life of Christ. This life is with us now, as we enjoy the Christmas season, and it is with ____________, as he enjoys everlasting life. Amen.