A sermon preached on Christmas Day: Isaiah 9:2-7, Titus 2:11-14 and Luke 2:1-20
Last week, Stormzy was facing competition for the number one slot in the Christmas charts; but that’s not why he’s in the headlines.
Instead his name is trending on Twitter because he will be reciting a reading from Luke’s Gospel on BBC one tonight, bringing Christmas Day to a close.
Stormzy has talked about his faith; he’s sung about being blinded by God’s grace; he invited crowds in Glastonbury to give God the glory.
In that sense, he isn’t a surprising choice; but it’s not universally popular.
How can a grime star recite words from Scripture?
He’s a voice from outside the traditional establishment who calls out racism; he engages critically with the music scene he’s part of; he’s a philanthropist who offers scholarships to enable young black students to study at Cambridge.
Perhaps then he is precisely the right person.
Someone who is honest about the darkness, the burdens and oppression; but who’s also glimpsed the light and joy of grace.
Perhaps Stormzy is precisely the person to share the good news of a world turned upside down.
A world turned upside down since the Son of God was born amidst poverty, oppression and need; born amidst the crowded, noisy town of Bethlehem; born in the frailty of our flesh, raising us up that we might share in glory.
Imagine the disdain, the first century Twitter feeds if you like, of knowing that a bunch of shepherds were the first to hear and proclaim the good news of Jesus’ birth.
Today we rejoice that unto us a child is born: authority rests on this little one; a speechless infant who is God with us; God who does not despise out human condition; but who rather loves us.
This little one is out mighty God; the prince of peace: the one who judges us not by wealth or status, but instead knows our restless hearts and all we most hope for and fear.
The heart of the good news we celebrate today is God is with us.
The Christ-child comes to set us free to love: to love ourselves; to love others; to love God.
This love is the main thing: it does not leave the world unchanged.
As Pope Francis said, God loves even those who make a complete mess of things: ‘if we think we’re unworthy, if your hands seem empty, if you think your heart is poor in love, this [day] night is for you. The grace of God has appeared, to shine forth in your life’.
It embraces us and makes demands of us; there are new levels of expectation and new possibilities.
Fear is turned to love; despair to hope; isolation to friendship; hurt to trust.
This love invites us to love with a compassionate commitment, making us zealous for good deeds, as Titus says.
God draws near to us each time we celebrate the Eucharist: as we receive the gift of bread, the nourishment of our bodies; as wine is poured out, joy for our souls; as we receive the grace of God’s blessing; and as we kneel before our crib, may we ponder the wonder of this birth.
Let us ponder love that makes us whole; and let us give all that we are, for those who live under the shadow of darkness.
What greater grace could God have made to dawn us than to make his only Son become one of us so that we might become children of God. In that way, Stomzy echos Augustine on this dazzling grace: ‘ask if this were merited; ask for its reason, for its justification, and see whether you will find any other answer but sheer grace’.
Let us ponder this love; give our whole hearts in response:
‘What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give him;
Give my heart.
