Christmas Day Homilies
Rev. Greg Ward
Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North
December 25th, 2005

Solstice

Solstice is one of our oldest winter celebrations of civilization, dating back some 30,000 years ago. For ancient peoples, the winter solstice was an awesome, mysterious, and powerful phenomenon.

It was marked by people who noticed the decline of the sun against the horizon.  This had to do with two things: First, the axis of the earth is pointed away from the sun at a 23.5 degree angle.  Second, as the earth rotates around the sun it spends half the year with the northern hemisphere closer to the sun and half the year with the southern hemisphere closer. 

Which hemisphere are we in?  So when the southern hemisphere is closer to the sun, what season is it there?   And what season is it here?

As the sun got lower and lower, and it got colder and colder, the people were worried that the sun would fall out of the sky.   They noticed that the migratory birds had flown away.  They noticed that many of the animals disappeared into hibernation.  That the vegetation was dormant.  It became harder to find food and stay warm.  The imagined that all these things were because the god of the sun was leaving and taking all the warmth, animals and food with him. 

Since their survival depended upon the sun, these people tried to coax the light to return. A twelve day festival was created where fires and candles were lit to give the waning sun renewed power and vigor.  The people of each village would prepare for this festival by spending the autumn searching for a log big enough to burn all twelve days.  Once selected it was decorated with sprays of fir, evergreen, holly or ivy.  A piece of the previous year’s log was used to light new Yule log.  Once the ashes were cold they were gathered into powerful amulets, or scattered throughout the garden and fields to ensure fertility and bounty in the coming year. 

This was known as the time of Yule.  Or Yule-tide.  The rites of this festival were practiced in different ways depending on the area.  According to Norse traditions, the Valkyrie looked for souls to bring to Valhalla during Yule. Norwegians abstained from hunting or fishing for the twelve days during Yule as a way of letting the weary world rest and to hasten the revived sun's appearance.  In Russia it was traditional to toss grain upon the doorways where carolers visited as a way of keeping the house from want throughout the rest of the winter.

The most significant Yule tradition to persist over the centuries is the Christmas tree. Christmas trees are thought to have evolved from the rite of symbolically selecting and harvesting a "sacred tree," a practice found in many ancient cultures. Evergreens and firs were sacred to early peoples, including the ancient Greeks, Celts, and Germans because they remained green while other trees lost their leaves and appeared dead during the winter months. Their mysterious survival and vigor seemed to signify a life force within which carried with it the hope of renewed life.  It’s interesting to note that the German word for Christmas tree is not Kristenbaum, or Christmas tree, but Tannenbaum, or sacred tree.

Christmas wreaths have a similar story.   Traditionally made of evergreens, holly, and ivy, the wreath's circle symbolizes the wheel of the year and the completion of another cycle. Like evergreens, holly was believed to contain a mysterious life force because it bore berries in the middle of winter.

Mistletoe was considered sacred by Druid cultures for the same reason.  They called mistletoe "all-heal" because they felt the berries gave it the power to stay alive.  For similar reasons, they felt it promotes good-will.  Kissing under the mistletoe was believed to carry the promise that your love would be healthy.  Legend has it that enemies meeting under the mistletoe cast their weapons aside, greeted each other amicably, and honored a temporary truce.

So, we see that solstice, like the other festivals, was created for people who felt they were being left behind.  Who felt cast away, forgotten or shut out.  They were attempting to create a renewal of warmth, of prosperity and of peace.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a festival celebrated within the Jewish community.  It continues for eight days and nights.  The festival starts on 25th day of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (which, this year, begins tonight). In Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" means "dedication."

The holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after the defeat of the Greek occupation.

The story of that memorable struggle begins some 2200 years ago in the land of Judea (now known as Israel).  It was a time when there were mostly Jews in the holy city of Jerusalem even though it was ruled by the Persian forces of Alexander the Great.  But since this was a peaceful rule where the Jews were protected from attack and were allowed to practice their religion as they wished all was well.  

But eventually the land came under the rule of the Greeks who were not so generous with religious freedom.  And this was even more true in 168 BCE when the land came under the rule of Antiochus IV.  Antiochus despised Judaism, thinking everyone should worship the Greek gods as he and his people did.  More and more pressure was put on the Jews for them to comply.

Statues of Greek Gods were placed around the city - one right outside the entrance to the holy Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.  Guards were allowed in the temple and even taunted the priests.

A man named Mattathias was a prominent Jewish priest in the temple at the time.  He was ordered by a Greek soldier one day to bow to the statue of Zeus outside the Temple.  Mattathias refused.  But another frightened Jew did fall to his knees and bow.  Mattathias considered this a betrayal of the faith.  He grabbed the sword from the soldier and killed both the Jew and the guard.

This meant war and Mattathias fled with a group of Jews into the hills where they could hide and strategize.  This group of Jews became known as the Maccabees (which meant ‘the hammerers’).  They continued to practice their faith in the hills, telling the sacred stories, teaching the young the Jewish practices and battling the Greek forces.

Meanwhile, the Greek army tightened its grip on the land.  They completely overtook the temple, desecrated all the Jewish holy areas.  They spilled the sacred oil used to light the religious candles inside and even let pigs inside which was against Jewish custom.

Battles were fought back and forth between the Maccabees and the Greek soldiers.  Mattathias eventually died but his son, Judah took his place in leading the Jewish people.  Many great battles ensued.  Though the Maccabees numbered only 3,000 against 20,000 Greek soldiers they used their bravery, their cunning and their faith to survive and chip away at the Greek forces. 

After several years of this, Antiochus realized the Jews were not going to surrender.  In 165 BCE, he admitted defeat.  The Greek army backed away, giving the Jews their land and freedom back. 

The Maccabees rejoiced, and Jewish people from all over the land came to join them.  They reclaimed the temple but were discouraged to find it so desecrated.  They cleaned for months and tried to re-create the sacred place where they once worshipped.  In the restoration, they found one of the old vials of holy oil to light the menorah.  The menorah was sacred to the Jews and was to be lit at all times. 
 
They lit the menorah while the priests set out to consecrate new oil.  It took them eight days to do this.  When they finished they saw that the Menorah was still burning bright, even though the oil they had found was supposed to only be enough for one night.  It lasted eight.  They considered this a blessing from God.

This is Hanukkah.  It is remembered as a time of great struggle.  It commemorates a people who were, like Mary and Joseph, cast out of their home.  Who held faith they would survive and return.  That hope and light and peace would prevail.  It was their perseverance toward these that we commemorate today.

Christmas

Christmas is a word that comes from the Old English.  It translates as Christos – Masse, which means the mass (or festival) for Christ.  It is a celebration that enjoyed by both individual families and entire communities.  It is one of the most important days in the Christian religion. 

Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ.  Christ, in Greek, is prounounced Christos and means ‘messiah’ or ‘annointed one.’  The story, from the bible says that the holy spirit, given by God and announced by an angel was placed in Mary’s womb, though she was unmarried.  The angel said that she would have a boy and that she should name him Jesus.  Joseph, Mary’s fiancé, thought about this for a long time.  He decided that the child was, indeed, a gift from God and that he would remain loyal to his promise to care for her – and the soon to be born baby – and take them with him as he was called to be in Bethlehem for the census.

They set out from their village of Nazareth and traveled through the desert.  The trip was long and difficult – especially for Mary for she was to give birth at any minute.  But when they arrived in the city of Bethlehem, there was no room at the inn.  They checked in other places all around the city, but because they had little money and because there were many people in town for the census, they could not find a place that would welcome them. 

Finally, an inn-keeper, seeing Mary’s condition, took mercy upon them.  Although he could not give them a room, he made room in the stalls outside the inn where he kept the animals.  He made a comfortable place in the hay for Mary and that is where she gave birth.  When the baby came, it was a boy, just like angle predicted.  And they named him Jesus.  They wrapped him in swaddling clothes and lay him in a small drinking trough as his crib. 

The story says that angels who announced the coming of Jesus to Mary and Joseph, also announced his coming to shepherds in the field and to Kings and wise men.  These people followed a star to find the place where Mary and Joseph and the baby had traveled. 

It is said that they arrived shortly after he was born and they praised him and offered him gifts.  They believed that he brought great hope to the world.  They believed that he would be who the prophets predicted would come – the person born in such poverty and darkness would be the one to bring riches and light to the world. 

As Unitarian Universalists, we are encouraged to believe what it is that helps us find hope, offer love and make sense of the world.  But whatever we believe about this story we know these things for sure:

1. that Jesus was born to poor parents, who were kind and good and tried their best to keep him safe and give him a chance. 
2. That Jesus’ parents were not welcome when they got to Bethlehem.  In fact, many believe that they left their home in Nazareth because upon finding out Mary was pregnant before she was married, she was not welcome there.  However we look at it, they were outsiders. 
3. That Jesus grew up to be someone who could see the good in someone, even if others couldn’t see it.  That he probably learned this from his parents who had great courage to do what they did – seeing the light in their lives during a very dark time.

Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a holiday for many countries descended from the English commonwealths.  Despite its name, it is not a day in which people are paired off and hit each other until one falls.   Nor is it a day for people to return unwanted Christmas presents. While the exact origins of the holiday are obscure, we know that its origin likely dates back to England’s Middle Ages.  Despite it’s long history, it is practiced still in many countries around the world – most notably, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Some historians say the holiday developed because the domestic servants were required to work on Christmas Day, tending to their duties such as cooks or maids so that the Lords and Ladies of the manor could enjoy their Christmas celebration.  But since servants also observed Christmas, they were given the following day off to travel to their families and enjoy their own holiday.  Thus, Boxing Day is observed on December 26th.  As the servants prepare to leave to visit their families, it is the practice that their employers present them with boxes.  These boxes contain appreciation for their services – usuall money, food, small gifts or tokens. 

This tradition extended to even those whose services contributed to the larger estates.  During the late 18th century, Owners of the manor would "box up" their leftover food, or sometimes gifts and distribute them the day after Christmas to tenants who lived and worked on their lands.

This tradition of giving money still continues today. It is customary for householders to give small gifts or monetary tips to regular visiting trades people (the milkman, paper boy, pet sitters, etc.).  This is also the tradition from which many workers enjoy receiving Christmas bonuses.

Like Christmas, Boxing Day is also a national holiday in England.  Some believe the name goes back more than 800 years ago, when alms boxes were placed at the back of every church to collect money for the poor. Traditionally, it is on this day that the alms box at every English church is opened and the contents are distributed to the poor.

Perhaps this would also explain the connection to St. Stephen's Day which shares the same day as boxing day.  St. Stephen lived in Rome and was one of the seven original deacons of the Christian Church.  He was ordained by the Apostles to care for widows and the poor.  H was a tireless and successful preacher and worker.  But he lived at a time when many people were unfavorable to Christians.  St. Stephen was abducted and stoned to death by a mob. As he died, he begged God not to punish his killers.

It is likely that this St. Stephen became confused with another St Stephen, who came from Sweden. St Stephen of Sweden is the patron saint of horses. And this might explain why Boxing Day was long associated with outdoor sports, especially horse racing and hunting – especially fox hunting. But with the popularity of fox hunting declining, Boxing Day has more recently been observed as a holiday where families travel to meet together if they spent Christmas Day at their own home. Many watch sports and enjoy board games.

But at it’s heart, it is important to remember Boxing day as a day that remembered the poor and the less fortunate.  Those who could not afford the luxury of their own celebrations while those they worked for – if they had work – determined their future.  For this reason, boxing day honors and commemorates those on the margins of society, looking in, wanting hope, seeking peace.

Copyright Wardswords, 2005