Us Lions

Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2: 1-20
December 24, 2018, Christmas Eve
First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL
Christina Berry


Our first reading today is from the prophet Isaiah, words of comfort and light that have illuminated the lives of people for more than two thousand years. The prophet sought to bring God’s message to a suffering people, people who were living amid the ravages of war. The prophet recalls the day of Midian, in which the Israelites triumphed, not because of their superior skill and strategy, but thanks only to the power and might of God. The God who shines light in the darkness is the God of Israel, who will bring us into the light.

Isaiah 9:2-7
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

We’ve spent the last four weeks in Narnia here at First Presbyterian.
Those of you who’ve been able to be here or follow along online
know that central to the story in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
is this symbolic lamppost at the entrance to Narnia,

A lamppost is an odd thing to find in the middle of a snowy wood.
But it plays an important role in the story,
guiding the Pevensie children to see which way to go.
helping them believe what they have seen,
and, eventually, pointing them toward home.

Tonight, we celebrate the coming of the world’s one true light,
the light of the world that shines even in the darkest night.
Like the unexpected lamppost in the woods,
Christ our light illumines our world.

The story in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is simple.
Four siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy,
find themselves in a magical land called Narnia,
where it is always winter, and never Christmas.

Narnia has been gripped with winter and fear
because of the White Witch, whose evil spell creates both cold and terror.
Edmund falls under her spell and betrays his sisters and brother.
He leaves a place of warmth and welcome and light
fleeing to the witch, who is even more fearful and greedy than he is.

Only the great lion Aslan, son of the Emperor beyond the Sea,
can save Edmund from death, and save Narnia from despair.
And Aslan is on the move.

When they are first told that Aslan is on the move,
the children are puzzled, trying to grasp just exactly who this Aslan is.

Susan asks, “Is he-quite safe?
I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"...
The answer comes back firmly: “Course he isn't safe. But he's good.”

The awe-inspiring Aslan, powerful, loving, and wise,
eventually gives his own life in exchange for Edmund’s.
But then, early in the morning, he is raised from the dead.

If the plot line sounds familiar, it is because C. S. Lewis, author of the Narnia Chronicles, was a committed Christian who wrote to reflect the Christian story in a way that would engage readers of all ages. In Aslan, the great lion, Lewis created a Christlike figure who would eventually save not only Edmund, but all of Narnia. The parallels are probably more obvious to Christians, but the message is a powerful story of redemption, hope and life.

In one of the final chapters of the book, there is a great battle looming.
As in Isaiah, we can hear the boots of the tramping warriors.

Aslan gathers the forces of good as they prepare
to break the rod of oppression and defeat the White Witch.
He commands the forces:

And now! 

Those who can’t keep up—that is, children, dwarfs, and small animals— 

must ride on the backs of those who can— 

that is, lions, centaurs, unicorns, horses, giants and eagles. 

Those who are good with their noses must come in front 

with us lions to smell out where the battle is. 

Look lively and sort yourselves. " 

And with a great deal of bustle and cheering they did. 

The most pleased of the lot was the other lion 

who kept running about everywhere pretending to be very busy 

but really in order to say to everyone he met. 

"Did you hear what he said? Us Lions. 

That means him and me. Us Lions. 

That’s what I like about Aslan. 

No side, no stand-off-ishness. 

Us Lions. That meant him and me." 

At least he went on saying this till Aslan had loaded him up 

with three dwarfs, one dryad, two rabbits, and a hedgehog. 

That steadied him a bit. 

Us lions. Him and me.
Tonight as we hear once again the story of the birth of Jesus,
we are invited to reflect anew on the miracle and mystery of Immanuel,
which means “God with us.”

The mystery of the incarnation, of God with us,
is that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh.

He was born to a humble human family, fully human and fully God.
This one who is called Wonderful Counselor starts out a tiny infant.
The one who is our Mighty God begins as we did, weak and helpless.
The one we call Everlasting Father will taste death, as do we all.
The one called the Prince of Peace comes into a warring world.

There are many faiths that that teach of re-incarnation –
humans dying returning to this life in new forms.
But only Christianity teaches about incarnation –
that God comes to us AS ONE OF US!

Jesus is not half human and half God,
nor is he only temporarily human and permanently God,
nor is he temporarily God and then permanently human.

The Nicene Creed, one of the ancient creeds of Christendom,
says Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father.

…For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.”

That’s the miracle and mystery of Christmas!
Jesus is one of us!

“Did you hear what he said?
Us Lions.
That means him and me.
Us Lions.”

God does not come masquerading as a human, in order to deceive us,
but God is born, fully human, in order to redeem us.
He is light from light, God and human.
He is the light that shines in the darkness.

Tonight this lamppost, and these candles, will call us back to that truth.
Let’s listen once again, and respond to the beautiful story of his birth.

Luke 2:1-20

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!”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.

When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.