On Nicholas and Imagination . . .

      Look at you!  Everybody is looking nice but fidgeting.  What’s that mean?  Well, in the dark ages before the internet, my teachers would say we were acting like we had ants in our pants.  It sounds like a few moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas heard the same example.  Fidgeting means we just can’t stop moving.  We are too excited, to nervous, too worried, and we just have to move to get rid of that extra energy.  It’s an exciting day!  Christmas is tomorrow.  I know.  It’s an exciting day.  When you are a kid, it might be the best day of the year, although one or two of you might say the last day of school is the best day, right?  I’ll let you in on a little secret.  It’s a pretty good day, too, when you are a mom or dad.  Most of us love seeing our children excited and happy, so we get a kick out of watching our kids open presents.  What if you are a grandpa?  I figure it’s twice as good, since you still have kids and then grandkids opening gifts and squealing with laughter, but I’m not entirely sure, yet.  I'm old, but not THAT old.

     Thank you all for taking turns decorating the creche.  I know it is hard to use manners when we get excited, but y’all did a great job letting everyone have a turn.  So thank you for that.  Well, he’s checking his list twice.  True.  But I am going to assume y’all chose to use your manners because you are good kids and maybe try hard to be like Jesus rather than just because of a naughty list once a year.  Should we ask the parents and grandparents if I’m right?  NO!!!!  Hmmm. Now I am having second thoughts about that.  Fair enough, though.  I won't ask.

     Part of the reason I called you up here was to have you all help me with a sermon.  I know they call it a children’s homily or sermon in the Orders of Worship, but it has to be for everyone here or everyone gets fidgety.  That would be funny if we all moved like this!  It might be.  Maybe we will do that next year.  Maybe I’ll have you teach a Fortnite dance or something fun to the congregation.  But back to the homily, I invited you up to help me teach the adults and maybe learn something yourself.

     Now, before we get started, I need to make it clear that the ideas that follow may not be my own.  In fact, I’m launching from a sermon given by Bishop John a couple weeks ago, as he tried to inspire the clergy to do a good job over Christmas.  You mean you are cheating?  No, but that’s a great question.  As the adults are hearing on the news all the time, it is cheating when you do not give somebody credit for something they said.  But we gathered as clergy to celebrate the life of St. Nicholas, and the bishop preached about Nicholas.  His sermon kinda gave me the idea for this one, and I have told you he gave me the idea.  

     So, my first question is does anyone know who St. Nicholas was?  Sometimes that’s what people call Santa Claus.  That’s right.  But does anybody, except Katie & Abby and Hannah & Joshua, know much about Nicholas?  We talked about him this morning, so that’s why they are giggling and rasining their hands.  Nicholas was a bishop around 1700 years ago who is famous for a couple things.  One is about a fight.  A fight?!  Yes, a fight.  There was another bishop for a while, named Arius, who wanted the Church to teach that Jesus was not the Son of God or God.  He wanted the Church to teach that Jesus was just a normal human being.  Wow!  That’s craaazzy.  Well, remember it was a long time ago and people were still trying to figure our stuff you and I take for granted.  Anyway, most of the bishops kept saying that Jesus was one of the Three Persons in the Trinity, and Arius kept arguing that He was not.  Eventually, Nicholas is said to have gotten up and done one of two things: either he punched Arius in the nose or he hit him with his crozier.  What’s a crozier?  The crozier is the shepherds crook that bishops carry.  Those here a few weeks ago saw Bishop John, our bishop, carry his crozier when he visited.  Remember?  I bet he got in trouble.  I get yelled at when I punch my brother.  I bet he was in trouble.  Well, few people like it when people fight, especially parents when their kids fight; and I am certain Jesus is not proud of us when we fight in the Church.  But your parents may have seen memes about Nicholas punching heretics on their social media pages.  It’s kinda silly for us adults, thinking about a bishop punching another bishop, and so we laugh a bit.

     The other reason Nicholas is famous, though, is that he was a very generous bishop.  We have lots of stories in the early Church where Nicholas is said to have provided clothes and food to children whose parents did not have much money.  And we have stories of Nicholas even giving small toys or presents to children who didn’t have many.  That’s why he is Santa Claus!  Sorta, it’s a bit more complicated than you want to hear and I want to say tonight.  And, to be fair, Nicholas did lots of good things for adults, too.  I had a different lesson for you and the adults today, though.

     Bishop Nicholas, like us, was criticized by some people for his generosity.  If kids were hungry, why not give them more food?  If they needed clothes, why not more clothes instead of toys?  Sometimes people fuss at us here for giving lobster or shrimp or steaks to those whom we serve at Body & Soul.  Every now and again someone will fuss when we give away toys or bath salts or lotion or things like that, too.  They want us only to give people food because they think that’s all we are doing and all that God wants.  But we are trying to remind people how much God loves them, that He loves them so much He sent His Son, on this night a long time ago as a matter of fact, to show us.  It's part of why Ms. Nancy and Ms. Hilary decided to name it Body & Soul rather than Advent Food Pantry or something like that.  Oh, that's how it got its name.  Coll, they got to name it?!

     Why do we give kids toys and lotions and clothes, do you think, if we are running a food pantry for those who do not have enough food?  Surprises are nice!  True.  I’m sad when I don’t have nice things.  Me, too.  It’s like Christmas.  Why do you say that?  It’s just the best when we get gifts.  Ah, it makes you feel special or loved?  Yes!  Well, I understand what you mean, but we are all Christians, right?  We are all supposed to know that we are loved and created by Him, right?  So maybe our gift-giving reminds us of how God loves us?  Maybe?  Y’all sound unconvinced.  But that’s ok.  I hope you learn it as you grow because too many in the world around us do not feel loved and do not know that God loves them.  That’s part of what makes this night so special.  And Santa Claus.  And Santa Claus, yes.  We can’t forget him.

     But I think there’s another cool reason this gift giving night is popular, especially among kids.  What’s that?  Why?  When we read about St. Nicholas and the passages of the Bible associated with him, we read those passages where Jesus tells the adults they need to be childlike to become children of God and where Jesus tells His Apostles that the kingdom of God belongs to children.  Do y’all know those passages?  What’s that mean?  Wow!  That’s neat!  I am glad you asked.  Sometimes, we preachers will talk how we need to be like children and trust God the way children trust good parents.  Sometimes we preachers will tell people they need to be like children and do as they are told like good children.  Sometimes I do, but sometimes I don’t listen.  Sometimes I am playing games and just don’t hear.  I know.  It happens.  But do you know another way children are like God, a way we don’t talk about much?  No.  We are not strong.  No!  We are not that smart.  We are kinda creative, though.  Great answer!  You get the gold star tonight.

     Everybody knows God makes each one of us special, right?  The Church says that we are all made in the image of God.  Have you ever heard that term?  I have.  No. No.  We believe that God creates us to show others what He is like.  Most of us can think.  Most of us have bodies that are not unlike Jesus’.  Some of us can make people laugh.  Some of us have sympathetic ears and shoulders.  But that creative characteristic is another gift He gives us.  We call it imagination.  One of the ways you and I are made is that most of us are given good imaginations.  Now, who uses their imagination the best, children or adults?  Us!  Kids.  Often, that is true.  Why, do we think?  I see that’s a toughie.  Well, how about this?  When we are old, we adults have been taught what we can do, how we should do it, and why other ways do not work.  Do you all know all that?  No.  So what do you do?  We try lots of things and lots of ways.  That’s right, you use your imaginations to figure things out.  You explore, maybe pretending the trees in your back yard are a great forest.  You play with dolls or build things with legos or play video games you pretend are real, right?  Imaginations seem to be very important to God, and they seem to be used best by children.  Cool.

     Have you ever thought that your imagination was something given by God and important to Him?  No.  But think about tonight.  How amazing is God’s imagination?  Do you think adults might have imagined God becoming a human being?  Do you think adults might think to have the Babe be born outside Jerusalem or another city?  Do you think adults might have the imagination to use people like the shepherds or like you and me to tell people how much God loves them?  No!  Who would?  Kids!  Maybe Nicholas was onto something in his efforts to give toys to kids, in his work to give them an outlet for their imagination.  When do you practice using your imaginations the best?  At Christmas!  Tonight!  Maybe part of your work tomorrow, then, is to remind people of God’s imagination.  Maybe it’s your jobs to show your parents and grandparents just a little part of how imaginative God is?  Maybe it’s your job to set an example that they can better understand?  And all the while, as you are trying on new clothes or playing with new toys, you are joyful and excited as you do your work tomorrow, which is just how God tells us adults that’s how we should be at Church or serving others.  You know, God is so imaginative that he can use kids like you to teach adults like them and like me?  What do you think?  Cool!  Yeah!  Awesome!

     I know tonight and tomorrow will be crazy with excitement and fun and maybe good food.  Perhaps you will visit with family or they will visit with you.  But I want you all to remember when you settle into playing with whatever you play with or dressing up however you dress up that your imagination is a wonderful gift from God, that your imagination reminds the adults in your life of the creativity of God and the imaginations He gave them, too.  And maybe, if you really have heard what I said, as you grow and adults and teachers accidentally try to squash that characteristic in you as you grow to adulthood, you remember how important creativity and imagination is to God, and you determine to use that gift He gave each of you to share His love with those around you.  Who knows?  Maybe, if your imagination is really good, other kids might be sitting around a priest in 1700 years not talking about Nicholas, but about one of you!  How cool would that be!  Wow!  Whoa!

     Now, let’s get back to our parents and grandparents and celebrate the very best gift we will ever be given and the very best imagination we know—God’s!

 

In Christ’s Peace,

Brian†