The Human Thing

Walter Kerr, the famous New York Times Drama Critic, once wrote a review of a Musical Play in which he said that the composer’s inner-joy was eloquently reflected in his music. “One imagines that as he is walking down the Avenue, he is singing the street signs.”

Isn’t that delightful to hear as we gather here today to celebrate Christmas? And isn’t it delightful beyond words that Christmas calls forth the sweetest of songs from our hearts? For, the Christmas Message proclaims that we do indeed have something to sing about — and from the housetop.

We hear the Christmas angels singing, “Oh come with us, abide with us, Our Lord Immanuel.”

Immanuel: God with us. Whether or not that message of the angels compels us to go out and sing street signs, it remains, now and forever, a profound message of human hope, and warmth and dignity, and beauty. And it declares exactly what we have come to hear in this sanctuary at Christmas…