First Parish Cohasset

“Star Light”

A Christmas Eve Homily by Rev. Dr. Jan Carlsson-Bull
First Parish Unitarian Universalist
Cohasset, MA
December 24, 2009

Christmas has always been a magical time for me—not always an easy time, but always a magical time. I’m remembering a December when I was barely old enough to read. My excitement was already stirring as our home filled with the sites and scents of Christmas. Then a story arrived in the mail. Like some holiday surprise, it was all but hidden in one of the magazines to which my parents subscribed. When I spotted a different kind of illustration on the cover, I was curious. I tucked myself into a corner of our sofa, opened it up, and came upon the story of “The Littlest Angel.”

Now the birth stories that I read from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew have nothing to say about a little angel. Perhaps it’s enough that Luke even mentioned angels and Matthew told of wise men and a star. This other story stretched the magic.

It starts off with the sad tale of a small boy who became an angel. Its author, Charles Tazewell, never wrote that the boy had died; he simply began talking about a little angel, who was newly arrived in heaven and not at all happy to be there. He was gloomy and grumpy and completely uncooperative. Throughout heaven, he quickly became known as “The Littlest Angel,” because he arrived there when he was just four and a half years old….way too young for such a place, but there he was.

You would think he would be grateful to be in such a glorious space; but he just stomped around, teary-eyed and making it clear that he was not impressed. Nor was the big angel who stood at the entrance impressed with him, but she had to let him in because Heaven is for everyone. Somehow he had made it through the gates with a favorite toy, a whistle. Once inside, he took it from a secret pocket in a fold of his robe and blew it so hard that all the other angels covered their ears in fright. He didn’t even look like an angel. His tiny halo was tarnished, and when he ran recklessly through the clouds, he barely managed to keep it atop his small cherubic head. When he tried to fly, all the other angels held their breath, for he would shut his eyes tightly and count to a hundred before hurling himself into the clouds. He was simply terrified, so he forgot to move his wings.

Clearly our littlest angel needed some talking to about heavenly behavior. So the Welcoming Angel took his plump little hand in hers and walked him over to the Angel of Understanding. Suddenly he felt a lot more comfortable, and he took a long deep breath, as he tucked his robe in and glanced up to see a smile take shape on the face of the Angel of Understanding. “So you’re the one who’s been causing such mischief!” he said. “Come here; tell me all about it.” With a quick flap of his wings, our Littlest Angel found himself on a soft lap of understanding.

“You don’t know,” he whimpered. “You don’t know how hard it is for a little boy who suddenly becomes an angel. There’s nothing to do here. There aren’t many kids for me to play with. All the swings are this gross gold. There are no ballgames. You just don’t understand!”

But the Understanding Angel did understand. He smiled warmly as he remembered another little boy of long ago. Then, like a heavenly Santa Claus, he asked the Littlest Angel what would make him happy here. The Littlest Angel wrinkled his brow and thought for a long time. Then he whispered into his elder’s ear.

After this visit, everyone wondered at the change that had come over the Littlest Angel. He skipped about. He said “Please” and “Thank you.” He even whistled more like a flute and less like an angry policeman. And he flew with a newfound ease that matched the grace of any angel in Heaven.

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Years passed, hundreds of years, and it came to the time that another little boy was to be born. The birthplace of this other child was in a town called Bethlehem. The Littlest Angel knew this was a big event, because the finest angelic voices were chosen for the choir that would be sent to sing that night to shepherds on a hillside, telling them about this new little boy. What could he do? What could he give to this newborn child who was so special that he had his very own choir announcing his arrival? His voice hadn’t earned him a place in the choir. He couldn’t even write a carol for them to sing. And he had no fine toys to give to the new baby. What could he possibly do?

Just as Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph in a shabby old barn behind an inn in Bethlehem, a very worried looking little angel showed up with a small box tucked in his hands. It wasn’t a fancy box; in fact it was quite plain, but inside it were all the things that he thought another Child of God might enjoy. It was a box that he treasured from his own few years on earth. When he had received it not so long ago from the Angel of Understanding, it had made him so happy.

Shuffling forward, the littlest angel placed his box next to the manger. Then he backed up, for he saw all the other gifts lying there, gifts of such rare beauty and magnificence that his looked shabby by comparison. “Oh no!” he thought. Maybe there was time to take it back. Maybe there was time to think up something else. But it was too late! The Hand of the Heavenly Host moved across all the gifts gathered at the manger. As it touched upon the gift of the Littlest Angel, it paused. The Littlest Angel was in tears, he was so embarrassed.

As his gift was opened, everyone present saw for themselves what he had chosen for the newborn babe. There was a butterfly with wings that were pure gold, a butterfly that he had caught one day on the hillside above his home. There was a robin’s egg, a sky-blue robin’s egg that had fallen from the nest of a tree he had climbed. And there were two stones that glowed in the moonlight, stones that he and his friends had played with, making up all kinds of games that he had been sure this new child would figure out for himself. Finally, there was a raggedy tooth-marked strap, once worn as a collar by his dog, who had died just as the littlest angel had lived, with utter enthusiasm.

How had he possibly thought his gift was so wonderful? Why had he thought that the baby Jesus would treasure his choices? He cried and cried. Everyone at the manger grew silent, embarrassed for him.

Then suddenly, a voice rose among them and filled the earth and all of heaven, and everyone there heard the words:

“Of all the gifts of all the angels, I find that this small box pleases me most. Its contents are of the earth and of children, and this newborn babe is a child of the earth. These are exactly the things he will come to know and love and cherish. I accept this gift in the name of the Child, Jesus, born this night in Bethlehem!”

Suddenly the shabby old box began to glow. It became a brilliant flame, and the flame rose and grew bright as it soared into the heavens. The Littlest Angel watched with amazement as he saw the flame become a Star. Yet it was only he who saw it rise and watched it take its place, because everyone else was blinded by its brilliance. There it shone in the night sky over the manger of Bethlehem. Its light was so radiant that it was reflected down through the centuries into the hearts of all humankind.

Who knew that the simple gift of the Littlest Angel had turned into the shining star of Bethlehem?

Lest we wonder if this is a story for children only, consider that it was written in 1939 and first heard by children and their parents on a radio show and not even issued as a story in print until 1946. The fathers and mothers of those years knew well the treasure of youth who cherished their childhoods and loved life and left far too soon. Of course, of course they would understand that from the hopeful heart of a child newly arrived in heaven and a child newly arrived on earth springs a common language, a language of butterflies and robin eggs and stones for skipping and dogs for hugging and stars for shining.

May the gifts that we give rise from the child in us. May the gifts that we receive find the child in us on this magical night. Amen.

Sources:

The Gospel According to Matthew and The Gospel According to Luke, in The Bible (Revised Standard Version).

The Littlest Angel Book Review, http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Littlest-Angel-by-Charles-Tazewell-Book-Review.

Tom Longden, “Charles Tazewell: Famous Iowans,” DesMoinesRegister.com,

Charles Tazewell, illustrated by Katherine Evans, The Littlest Angel, Grossett and Dunlap, New York, 1946.

The purpose of the Welcoming Congregation Committee (WCC) is to provide First Parish’s members and friends with programming and opportunities that will help us better understand Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender (GLBT) issues. Our mission is to foster an environment at First Parish that is truly welcoming and non-homophobic.

Due to the snow storm, services have been canceled for this morning – December, 20th 2009

There will be no religious education and no church services, please check back this afternoon for an update on the Concert Series planned for today.

Hope everyone stays warm and safe and gets to have some fun in the snow!

First Parish Unitarian Universalist Cohasset

E-mail Update – December 15, 2009

Christmas at First Parish will brim during the days ahead!   On Friday, come by the Parish House anytime between 10 AM and noon.   Come share your favorite story of Christmas, and bring along a few cookies to share with all who assemble.  I’ll have coffee and tea and warm cider waiting.

On Saturday, join us at the Parish House at 3:45, warmly clad and flashlights in hand, for our Annual Caroling on the Common.

On Sunday, we’ll gather in the Meeting House for “A Holiday Service of All Ages.”    Our choir will sing Bach’s cantata, Wachet Auf! Our children will perform a Christmas pageant.   Sylvia Berry, forte pianist who performed here in October, will play the organ.   I’ll offer a Christmas homily.

On Sunday afternoon, the a cappella group, Cappella Clausura, will perform “Gloria: A Renaissance Christmas Pageant,” in the Meeting House.

On Christmas Eve at 8 PM, we’ll gather in the Meeting House for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.

Tonight, many of us will honor the fifth night of Hanukkah, lifting the shamash, the servant candle, to kindle five candles commemorating the legendary miracle of temple oil that burned far beyond expectation.

Amid these holidays of light, may our spirits be renewed with hope and peace and love.

Love and Hope, Peace and Shalom for each and all of you—

Jan

Good news spreads on the Guatemala Trip of our Common Hope Vision Team!

Check out the illustrated stories of our First Parish UU Common Hope Vision Team hard at work in Guatemala this past October.  Two stories are now up on the Common Hope website.   Visit www.commonhope.org/volunteernetwork and enjoy!

Events for this week and more include:

Tuesday, December 15

11:30 AM – Staff Holiday Lunch

7:00 PM – Parish Committee – Atkinson Room

Deadline for January newsletter

Wednesday, December 16

9:15 AM – Circle Ministry (group led by Polly Cowen & Linda Daignault) and meeting this month on the 2^nd & 3^rd Wednesdays)

7:00 PM – Circle Ministry (group led by Jane Goedecke & Lisa Marder and meeting this month on the 1^st & 3^rd Wednesdays)

Thursday, December 17

7:55 PM – Choir Rehearsal – Meeting House

Friday, December 18

10:00 AM – noon – Christmas Stories with your minister – Atkinson Room

Come share your favorite Christmas story.  Just bring your story ready to tell (no longer than 15 minutes please), and half a dozen cookies to share.   Coffee and tea and warm cider will be waiting.

Saturday, December 19

3:45 PM – Caroling on the Common

Caroling on the Common calls us once again to gather at the Parish House with family, friends, and neighbors and go out onto the Common and sing familiar carols that warm our hearts and raise community spirits.  Everyone is welcome to join in this community happening for all ages.   You don’t need a great voice.  Carols will be familiar and simple, and there will be song books for everyone.   We’ll gather between 3:45 and 4 PM at the Parish House.  Be sure to bring flashlights. We’ll then carol around the duck pond and at 4:45 return to the Parish House for hot cocoa, cider, and cookies.   Cookie donations are most welcome!   Again this year, there’s one more item to remember, please—socks, two or three pairs of new white cotton socks in men’s and women’s sizes.   The socks that we gather will warm the feet of our neighbors at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless.

Sunday, December 20

8:00 AM – Circle Ministry (group led by Joan Kovach & Susan Meikleham and meeting on the 1^st & 3rd Sundays)

8:00 AM – Circle Ministry (group led by Bill Baird & John Kornet and meeting this month on the 1st & 3^rd Sundays)

9:45 AM – Childcare for our youngest in the Parish House.  All other children will participate in the holiday service in the Meeting House.

10:00 AM – “A Holiday Service for All Ages”

The music of J.S. Bach sounds from our choir, who will sing the Bach cantata, Wachet Auf. Our children will present a holiday pageant, “The Stable Where Jesus Was Born,” based on the book by Rhonda Gowler Greene.   Sylvia Berry, who performed for a Meeting House concert this October, will play Baroque Christmas music on the organ, and Jan will offer a Christmas homily.   Come, as we celebrate Christmas for all ages.

Everyone is invited for refreshments and fellowship in the Parish House right after worship and RE classes.

4:00 PM – First Parish Concert Series – Cappella Clausura

“Gloria: A Renaissance Christmas Pageant”

This is a concert for all ages, for friends and family and neighbors too.   Cappella Clausura has drawn rave reviews for their splendid a cappella performances.   “Gloria” recreates the story of Christmas and features dancers, costumes, and giant puppets!  Tickets are available at the door and are $15/adult and $5 for children under 12.  Admission is free if you can volunteer. Simply contact Allegra at allegra.martin@gmail.com.

Christmas Eve:

8 PM – Christmas Eve Candlelight Service – The Meeting House

What else?

Poinsettias for the Holidays—for the Meeting House & You

It is still possible to ensure that we have poinsettias on our holiday chancel by contributing one.   You can do so in honor or in memory of a loved one or simply in celebration of the season, by sending a check for $15 payable to First Parish UU-Cohasset and earmarked “poinsettias.”   Send or deliver to the attention of Sandy Bailey, Parish Administrator.    After our Christmas Eve service, enjoy the same poinsettia that has given beauty to our Meeting House in your own home or bring it to someone whose holiday might be brighter because of your gift given again!

“A Welsh Christmas,” performed by The Unicorn Singers and the Broad Cove Chorale, resounded with delight and raised funds for Wellspring

This much-loved concert last Sunday afternoon played to a full Meeting House and, with the Saturday concert at House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Hingham, netted $3,901 for the Diane Edson Fund benefitting Wellspring, the multi-service agency serving the needs of so many among us going through tough times.   Bravo to all who sang, to all who attended, and to all who contributed!

Christmas is a full time, but not everyone is full.

Please remember The Cohasset Food Pantry!

As we consider our holiday purchases, let’s remember that many of our neighbors and perhaps some among our own congregation are going through hard times.  The Cohasset Food Pantry continues its ministry to hungry neighbors on the South Shore.  Our Outreach Committee reminds us that we can help keep its shelves full by filling those baskets in the Meeting House and at the entrance to the Parish House.   Items especially needed are posted in the entrance to the Parish House.

For more information on activities at First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Cohasset, refer to our December newsletter, The Common, and to our website at www.firstparishcohasset.org.

May your holidays shine!

“Hearth and Home”

A sermon by Rev. Dr. Jan Carlsson-Bull
First Parish Unitarian Universalist
Cohasset, MA
December 13, 2009

At no other season does the mere mention of “home” evoke such intense feeling as it does during these holidays. Tree lights twinkling through a window, kindled menorahs casting their glow through another window just down the street, and the magic of singular candles glowing through every window of so many homes. One imagines doors opening and some warm smiling love of a person so glad to see us, welcoming us into the inside of where those candles flicker, into the inside where firelight beckons and seasonal aromas stretch memories into longing.

Hearth and home, heart and hearth call us into a state of sublime belonging. “Home,” writes Dwight Young,

“…is much more than a building or a piece of ground. It’s an emotion, a deep-rooted sense of welcome and permanence and belonging. ….Some people have a home from childhood; others spend a lifetime looking for it.”

Home is the truest form of sanctuary. Its locale lies somewhere between the reality of your front door and the farthest limits of our sorrowful imagining.

The irony of the holidays upon us—Christmas and Hanukkah—lies in the delicate balance each evokes between home and homelessness.

Take Hanukkah, for example. It all stemmed from an imperial edict almost two centuries before the Common Era. Alexander the Great had cast his imperial arm across the Near East; in the spirit of imperial behavior, Antiochus Epiphanes, the Hellenistic ruler of the Syrian outpost, forbade upon penalty of death the practice of all local religions, Judaism among them. To seal the deal, the sacred temple in Jerusalem was defiled by pagan rites.

The story goes that over three years time a band of insurgent brothers known as the Maccabees resisted and triumphed. The year was 169 BCE. It took another three years to prepare the temple for re-dedication. While the historic specifics weave around a celebrated miracle of light, the legend endures that there was only enough oil for a single day, yet the oil that was kindled burned for eight long days—a miracle of light! The spiritually homeless were at long last at home.

As for Christmas, so appealing is the manger scene, that we quickly forget. We forget that Jesus’ parents entered the stable as a last resort on a night when so many sought shelter, all occasioned by an unwelcome edict. As we read in the Gospel According to Luke:

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augusts that all the world should be enrolled…And all went to enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house of lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary his betrothed, who was with child.” (Luke 2:1, 3-5)

The Gospel According to Matthew tells the story of the wise men, led by a star to the newborn babe, summoned by Herod to find the child and report back, arriving at the manger, then warned in a dream to avoid Herod. Joseph also dreamt. He dreamt of an angel warning him to take his young family and flee to Egypt, and from Egypt to Israel, where they settled in Nazareth, the town from which Joseph and Mary had first set forth on their legendary journey. (Matthew 2:1-23)
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The realities of these holidays are rife with oppression and resistance and fear and flight. Yet there is a pervasive peace that hovers, the peace of hope that there is a space that is sacred. Perhaps that space is a temple newly dedicated. Perhaps that space is the respite of a hay-strewn barn. Perhaps that space is the renewal of spirit that comes with a legend of light lasting beyond expectation. Perhaps that space is the renewal of hope that comes with a child holding in the fullness of his being the power to transform us all with a gospel of love, the only means by which any of us might know the grace of hearth and home.

So tell me, what are your hopes at this time? What do you long for? Where do you find hearth and home?

Sources:

The Gospel According to Matthew and The Gospel According to Luke, in The Bible (Revised Standard Version).

Dwight Young, “Be It Ever So Humble,” Preservation, The Magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, November-December 2004, http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2004/november-december/nd04backpage.html.