Les Patins de Hockey

Luke 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

What is the BEST thing about Christmas?  No, not Jesus, but to be fair, that IS the answer to 99% of questions asked in church!  What’s the Best thing about Christmas?  Friends and family?  No.  Friends and only select members of the family?  No.  But maybe closer.  Food, lights, music, tree?  Nope.  You clearly need help.  Bishop… what is… the best thing about Christmas?  (THE PRESENTS!)  That is correct!  The best thing about Christmas is the presents!  Do you remember the best present you ever got?  Mine came one Christmas, way back in the days when phones were all attached to the wall with wires.  

The summer before that Christmas, my family had moved from Florida to New Jersey and my parents had bought a house on a little lake.  The guys in the neighborhood talked non-stop about playing hockey.  They couldn’t wait until the lake froze over.  It was so hard to wait they played street hockey every day in anticipation.  My new friends had me so excited about ice hockey I couldn’t wait either!  There was one problem.  This Florida kid had no “patins de hockey.”  Those were the words on the side of every unattainable box of hockey skates in the sporting goods store.  All I wanted for Christmas was Les Patins de hockey!  

That year the lake froze MONTHS before Christmas… maybe it was really weeks… okay, maybe days… but a torturing time none the less!  No amount of hinting or begging would get me my hoped-for Patins de Hockey early.  In fact, my mom made a point of saying she had no idea if that would even BE one of my presents!  Each day was torture!  But then… it came.  Christmas Eve!  The night we opened family presents… BUT ONLY after church, after the Swedish Julbord dinner, and AFTER my sister and I had cleaned the kitchen!   

FINALLY, we opened our presents but NOT ONE of my presents that night was Patins de Hockey!  I went to bed in a near total panic.  BUT… there was one last hope.  That’s right… Santa.  Santa might still come through with Patins de Hockey where my cruel parents had utterly failed.  Morning came and there beside the fire were presents, wrapped in the paper only Santa used.  Of course my sister and I couldn’t just dive in like maniacs.  We had to wait for mom and dad to wake up… SLOWLY.  Then to make coffee… SLOWLY.  THEN to gather by SLOWLY.  Finally I picked the most promising looking box and peeled the paper off one end.  There under the wrapping I saw the words slowly reveiled… Patins de Hockey.  Santa had come through.  

So at that point what did I do?  I just put them in the box, taped it up and stuck them in a attic with the rest of Christmas, right?  Heck NO I didn’t!  I put them on and skated!  I skated on that lake.  I skated in hockey leagues.  I even skated as Bananas the Bear, the mascot of the University of Maine between periods of a college hockey game!  I unwrapped and put that gift to use like no other gift, before or since!  And THAT my friends, is this Christmas sermon’s take home message.  

We’ve each been given this incredible gift called LIFE and on Christmas we are given the additional gift of the ONE who shows us how to live this life… not as a day to day slog but with joy filled abundance!  That way of living this life is called the Jesus Way!  It’s not a dogma… although sometimes dogma can help.  It’s not a particular denomination or church… although community always helps.  It’s not something you get with a magic conversion or a particular prayer.  Nope. 

The Jesus Way is a way to live this life using Jesus’ life as a model.  The Jesus way is a life lived in kindness, compassion, generosity, and love.  A life with good, healthy boundaries and always speaking the truth, even when the truth is hard for people to hear.  It’s a life lived caring for all of our neighbors no matter who they are, what they look like, or who they love.  It’s a life lived feeding the hungry, healing the sick… Seeing… really SEEING those people around us who are considered by the world to be the least, and the lost.  It’s a life of being the voice of those who have no voice and lifting them into the life of dignity and abundance that God created all of us to live.  

The best thing about Christmas IS the presents!  Particularly the gift of LIFE and the Christ child who shows us how to live the heck out of this life we've been given!  So this Christmas, don’t pack the life you’ve been given away with all the other Christmas stuff.  This year, keep this life you’ve been given out and give a go live the heck out of it the Jesus Way… with compassion, generosity, care for your neighbor and love for everyone you meet.  Live this next year THAT way… the Jesus Way… no matter what might be happening all around you… live it like Jesus showed us to live it and what you’ll find, is that each day you live that way it will feel like Christmas all over again.  Amen.