Riu Riu Chiu

Sermon Delivered By

Reverend Nancy Bouchard

December 24, 2008

Riu Riu Chiu,

la guard ribera

Dios garde el lob

de nuestra cordera

The piece sung by our choir this evening is the source of my inspiration as I lead us into the Christmas hour The lyrics begin with the soft song of the nightingale Riu Riu Chiu.

Maybe you recall that the nightingale is a bird that nests on the ground, and so it is very vulnerable to predators but we are comforted in the song by the comparison that it is protected by the river bank, as is the lamb protected by God from the harm of the wolf.

In the darkness of long nights, iIn the cold of winter deep, when the mind and the heart and the spirit are seeking….Where is it you find what will protect you? Of what substance is the light, the strength, the hope That helps you to embrace the songs and gifts of your life, even as the wolf sits near?

This piece of music also parallels the Gospel Luke quite well. The symbolism of the lamb represents Mary mother of Jesus and Luke, of the four gospel writers has the most compassion and care for Mary as well as for children. His writings are more sympathetic and his profession as a physician confirms his intellect. As a writer and a follower of the Apostle Paul, Luke was a seeker, he was compassionate and thought to be the only non-Jewish gospel author. Biblical Scholars describe him as apocalyptic, one who saw the world divided in two eras, a period ruled by evil when actions were self serving, and the human condition chaotic.

Under the reign of Herod there had been no river bank of protection. Injustice, poverty, illness, insignificance of community, a disregarded for the value of good will were the culture. The idols were greed, exploitation and a dark shadow of human distress.

As the passages of Luke were read this evening, the messages lift up the beautiful song of the nightingale Mary, even as she lives in the midst of danger. When the angel Gabriel appears before Mary giving her news that will be life changing. We hear loudly her doubt, her fears, her questions. But she is assured, she is comforted, she is affirmed….She will not be alone, she will find protection! A loving God will be with her, the insight that she is worthy of favor gives her strength, the relationship with family, her cousin Elizabeth who will eventually give birth to John the Baptist and her future husband Joseph, who will be with her on the journey-each gives Mary the courage to be the lamb living beside the wolf And in time we hear her song of joy, “May it be me, as you have said.”

How is it you find the courage to sing your song

Of what substance is the light, the strength, the hope?

That helps you to embrace the gifts of your life,

Even as the wolf sits near? Riu, Riu, Chiu

I direct us again to the words of Luke,

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.”

It was the journey to Bethlehem, doubt and darkness a temptation to be fearful, but in time the road revealed the path to victory. It was not the glory of ease, it was the lessons of humility, wisdom, the brilliance that can light the dark night sky, the sacredness of new life, and the dream of peace on earth.

Have you journeyed along such a path? Today is the day to ask, “What is the song that brings the hope and unique spirit of Christmas into your heart?”

I offer the adapted wisdom of Rev. Francis Peabody:

Let the gracious spirit…of little children, knocking this day and every day at human hearts, enter our hearts and bless them. Give our hands strength , not to do great things, but to do small things graciously, Heal the wounds of misunderstanding, jealousy, or regret, that scar our hearts. And let the gentle air of the Christmas spirit touch our lives; as though the cold of winter were touched by the kindler breath of spring.

May you come to find this Christmas and in the year to come, that which units you with a song loud enough to overcome the distractions, soft enough to speak to the tenderness of life, beautiful enough to remind you of the gifts you offer the world, hope that protects you from the wolf…despair.

Blessed Be, Shalom, Om Namah Shivia, Amen