Our Finest Gift
A Sermon of The Rev. Dr. David A. Killian, Rector
All Saints Parish
Brookline, Massachusetts
Christmas Eve
December 24, 2004
Text: Luke 2: 1-20
I
"Our finest gifts, we bring, bar-rump-pa-pa-bump," "We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar," "Gifts" -- did you notice how many Christmas songs are about gifts and giving. Christmas is, par excellence, the season of giving, and even in the commercialization and consumerism of this season, this message still comes through. Christ is the time that we give not only presents -- but we give of ourselves. And so, tonight I want to talk about three stories of giving which have touched me this Christmas season, the stories of Maurice, Jeff, and Barnaby.
First, Maurice, who is an ambulance driver here in Boston. Here is the story, as told to me by Renato Dantas, our sexton here at All Saints. Renato and his wife were expecting a baby and about two months ago, when she was eight months pregnant she was driving her car to do some errands and she was hit by another car. An ambulance was called to the scene of the accident and she was taken to the hospital. She and her baby were OK and a month ago, Renato and his wife were the proud parents of a healthy baby girl, who they names Isabelle. Renato was showing me the pictures of Isabelle and she is beautiful and he recounted how happy he was and how he looks at these pictures several times a day -- and no matter what might be difficult in work or going wrong -- that all he has to do is look at Isabelle's picture and he feels good again. He then told me about his talk with Maurice, the ambulance driver, after he had driven his wife to the hospital. Maurice reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of his newborn daughter -- and said that whenever he gets upset and wants to curse or swear and someone or do some other bad thing, he looks at this picture and it reminds him of who he is and who he wants to be -- and he doesn't curse someone out or do some other bad thing. His child is a gift to him, who manages to touch his soul, and to change his life. And his gift back to us is kindness, generosity, and doing his work with a glad spirit.
II
My second story is about Jeff, who I read about in a story in the Boston Globe by Brian McGrory in last week. A year ago, Jeff showed up one day to volunteer at the Home for Little Wanderers. He joined the other volunteers in setting up the toy room for the annual gift drive for needy kids. He moved tables and set up bulky partitions without complaint. Then he returned a few days later and a few days after that and kept coming back right through Christmas week. Always this guy had new ideas of how to organize the gymnasium where people and companies dropped off Christmas presents for several thousand kids over the holiday season. He would help sort and organize the donations. And he had a certain affability about him.
"He was just a very reliable, enthusiastic volunteer," says Sarah Attie, a manager at the Home for Little Wanderers. "Most people did four-hour shifts, but he'd come and stay longer. He'd always say, 'Do you need me to stick around?'"
Jeff was so good that the word to spread to the director of the Home for Little Wanderers. Some one suggested that perhaps the Home should hire Jeff because they assumed that he could use the job. He had told his fellow volunteers that he used to work for the Christmas Tree Shops; most assumed that he had lost his job stocking shelves. After the Christmas season was over, they didn't see Jeff for a few months. Then he showed up again at the Home for Little Wanderers, this time with a check for $175,000 to help them build a home for kids in crisis in Plymouth. It ends up, Jeff Bilezikian wasn't a shelf stocker at the Christmas Tree Shops at all. He was part of the ownership family, the Bilezikians, who had sold the chain to Bed, Bath and Beyond for $200 million last year.
His contributions didn't end year. This fall Jeff contributed ideas about making the aisles wider, organizing the times that people can drop off gifts, and decorating the place better. The past couple of weeks he was back in the toy room volunteering his time a couple of days a week, including manning the reception desk, wearing a sticker that said Elf Jeff, where he was checking in volunteers and helping donors lug boxes of toys from their cars in the frigid parking lot outside.
III
My third story is about Barnaby, a juggler, whose tale comes by way of Anatole France. Barnaby lived in the Middle Ages and was quite a successful juggler in his youth, traveling from village to village and entertaining young and old alike and giving people much enjoyment and happiness. Now he was old and poor and his life seemed to coming to an end. He arrived at a monastery church right before the Christmas season and was helping out with menial tasks in the kitchen in exchange for room and board. There was a custom in that area that people who present a fine gift to the Christ child on Christmas Eve. The monk who was choir director was writing a new anthem that would be sung that night. A monk who was a painter was preparing a beautiful painting of the Madonna and child. A monk who was a silver maker was crafting a new chalice. Another talented monk was decorating the church with garlands. Everybody, it seemed, had something fine to offer except Barnaby. What could he do? When the church was still empty before the service, he walked forward to the crèche and said the himself, "I will offer the gift of what I can do best, I will juggle." And Barnaby came forward and he tossed the balls again in the air -- as he had done in his youth. Two of the monks were watching -- and it seemed that at that moment the church became illuminated with a great light. And to them it seemed that Mary and the child were smiling. Barnaby was his finest gift, not gold frankincense and myrrh, but the gift of his talent, creativity and his heart.
What is the gift that you and I will give? And why will we give it? Let us give our talent, our creativity, and our sincerity of heart to serve others -- whether as a ambulance driver, a volunteer, a generous donor and benefactor, or a juggler. And, and as we give, may be conscious of the great gift that God has given to each of us, the gift of becoming one with us, the gift of being born into our midst tonight, the Son of God, the King of Kings, Emmanuel.
Amen.