10 December 2023

Isaiah 40:1-5

Psalm 85:8-end;

2 Peter 3:8-12a

Mark 1:1-8

11 am

CHRISTINGLE SERMON

In the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Words from the Gospel:

“Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.”

One of the reasons I like John the Baptist is his unashamed eccentricity.  I may not be wearing camel’s hair and a leather belt, and I certainly won’t be eating locusts, but I’m prepared to share my eccentricity for the sake of the gospel.

To help me I have four volunteers from the choir to hold the sticks with sweets at the four corners of the quire. 

A Christingle

The orange – represents the world.  A world created by God and loved by God.  A circle represents eternity.  The New Testament reading says "that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.”

The red ribbon – symbolises the love and blood of Christ; that Christ died for everyone.  How do we respond?  In the words of Isaiah, We should “make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”  We are on God’s motorway inviting people to join us.  Be glad about it, because being miserable won’t bring in new people!

In 1971 Gavin Bryars recorded a homeless man singing the chorus of a gospel hymn.  He subsequently composed a 20-minute orchestral accompaniment, which is utterly haunting yet also life affirming.  The words are: “Jesus’ blood never failed me yet, never failed me yet.  Jesus’ blood never failed me yet; this one thing I know, for he loves me so.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmkC_leNM7M&list=RDFmkC_leNM7M&start_radio=1&rv=FmkC_leNM7M&t=143

The candle – Jesus said “I am the light of the world”.  The candle represents Jesus’ light shining in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness.

The cocktail sticks – the four points of a compass / the four ‘corners’ of the earth.  There is nowhere outside of God’s love.  They also represent the four seasons.  God is with us in all seasons of our lives, when we are feeling full of the joys of spring, or running out of energy in the hot summer sun.  This morning we have had a new pro chorister installed as well as licensing two Anna Friends, showing that we welcome people at all stages in life.

Fruits / sweets represent fruits of the earth, including us.  What makes us fruitful?  Which fruits should we be growing?  I like to think they represent the fruits of the spirit.  I spoke a couple of weeks ago about an Advent attitude of gratitude.  Which fruits should we grow to help us with that? 

I am wearing an old bracelet which looks like dolly mixtures.  Which fruits should we wear around our wrists?

The psalm has some suggestions:

“Mercy and truth are met together:

righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Truth shall flourish out of the earth...”

Imagine that!  Truth flourishing out of the earth!!!

I have added my own twist today.  The astute among you may have noticed that the dolly mixture sweets are the same colour as the Advent candles in our wreath – three purple and one pink.  The three purples represent the Sundays when we remember the Patriarchs, the Prophets, and John the Baptist; and the pink one is for Mary.

What fruitful messages do the Patriarchs, Prophets, John the Baptist, and the Mary have to say to us?  The Patriarchs laid the foundations of the faith, the prophets talked of the Messiah, John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, and Mary said yes to God and bore the saviour of the world.  These are fruitful messages.  What can we do for our faith?  I’ve stuffed an IKEA cushion inside my dress for my faith.  What are you going to do?!

The Children’s Society website tells the history of the Christingle.  They have used it for over 50 years, but it dates back much further to the Moravian Church in Germany.  It says, “At a children’s service in Marienborn in 1747, Bishop Johannes de Watteville looked for a simple way to explain the happiness that had come to people through Jesus, and created a symbol — the Christingle — to do this.”

A prophet speaks on behalf of God to the world.  A Christingle does that too.  Our task is to be Christingles – dressing up is optional - and to share the happiness that has come to us through Jesus and be his light bringing hope to people living in darkness.  Why?  Because Jesus’ blood never failed me yet.  Amen.

 Kitty Price, Cathedral Reader.