January 8, 2023
Three different scenes.
Scene one, earlier this week on Monday night football after a getting hit, Buffalo Bills free safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and was rushed by ambulance to the hospital to save his life. Seeing this his teammates circled around their coach, dropped to their knees, joined hands, bowed heads, and did the only thing in that moment that really mattered. They prayed.
Scene two, after miles of travelling from a distant land led by a star they come to the place, a small animal shelter. They go inside and gather around the child and his mother. Then sensing God revealed in the child before them they present their gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Then kneeling before the child, they bow their heads and do in that moment the only thing that really matters. They pray in wonder and awe, thanking God for the miracle before them, a newborn infant whose life, death, and resurrection would change the world forever.
The third scene, like the magi who gathered around the Christ child, laying their gifts before him, so gathered around the Table of the Lord, we lay our gifts before him, the gifts of our very lives. It is here at the altar that we know where we belong and whom we belong to.
Then gathered here today around the Table of the Lord as the host is raised, kneeling in silence we do in that moment the only thing that really matters. We pray in wonder and awe thanking God for the miracle before us, His presence among us.
And as the presence of God was revealed to the magi in the infant child they knelt before, so the presence of Christ among us is revealed to us in the Eucharist we partake in, in the Word proclaimed, and in the community gathered.
And, as the magi left that day somehow changed, what if, like the magi, we were to leave here today somehow changed, sharing with the world the only thing that really matters, the love that we celebrate here?
And that is scene four. It is yet to come. As we go out into the world in which each of us walks, we share with others the love we celebrate here. We do it not so much by having to convince anybody of anything. We do it by witnessing to his love by how we care for one another, especially the poor, the forgotten, and hurting among us.
So, as an NFL team kneeling in prayer inspires each other, so inspired by each person here today we go out and live scene four sharing with the world what we receive here today. And as we commit to the spiritual practice of being here on a regular basis see how over time your life slowly changes. And maybe in ways that surprise even you.
Thought for the day: The eleventh commandment … Thou shall not take thy self too serously.
