"God Is In Our Midst" - Zephaniah 3:14-20 - December 17, 2000

In the movie, "Miracle on 34th Street", a man by the name of Kris Kringle is put on trial for insanity. Kringle believed himself to be Santa Claus but there were skeptics who thought he should be committed.

If you know the story you know that his attorney, Mr. Gailey, (played by John Payne), proved via the US Post Office that Kringle was in fact Santa Claus, because he received mail. Gailey got a lucky break, since it was some postal workers who decided to deliver mail addressed to "Santa Claus" to the court house.

But what really made the difference was the fact that Gailey believed in Kringle because of his generous and loving spirit. He loved people, people loved him, and many lives were changed because of his presence.

When we see Santa Claus do we really think God’s spirit of love is in our midst or do we just see a man in a red suit? I recently asked my Psychology students if they believed that Kris Kringle was insane. Most all answered that he was a kind, loving man, who believed in helping others. But one student said something very interesting. He said that Kris Kringle was not the least bit disturbed by being put on trial. In other words he was willing to allow himself to be publicly persecuted because he believed in himself and what he stood for.

Who of us is willing to be put on the stand for our faith? Are we willing to extend our love unconditionally to others in spite of going against the norm? Is our faith strong enough for us to do what is good and just although we may be criticized or even labeled insane?

When we truly believe that God is in our midst we live as though love only matters. We are confident that God is watching over us and wen are free to be our authentic selves. In the movie, although Mr. Gailey believed that Kris Kringle was Santa Claus, it almost cost him a relationship with his girl friend. It did in fact cost him his job since his firm told him he would lose his job if he defended Kringle.

The skit you witnessed this morning by our youth illustrated how easy it is to lose sight of what Christmas is all about. We get so wrapped up in ourselves, our traditions, the hoop lah of the season, that we forget about the loving spirit of God.

The prophet Zephaniah promised the people of his day that God was in their midst. But for the prophet God was a whole lot more. God promised to "take away our judgments," "eliminate our disasters," and "replace our shame." In other words the prophet tells us that the God in our midst forgives us and is ultimately concerned with the restoration of our souls.

The good news is we are a people who are redeemed. God is in our midst, forgiving us, blessing us, loving us and protecting us. As the prophet said, "He (God) will fight for us, only with love."

On Christmas Eve, in 1949, Herman and Elizabeth locked up their family store and returned home. They were dog tired. All their toys had been sold and virtually nothing was left in the store. Only one package remained in layaway but no one came to claim it.

On Christmas morning the family opened their gifts and Elizabeth then found herself alone in the kitchen doing dishes. It was snowing outside and the wind rattled the windows. Elizabeth thanked God she didn’t have to go and open up the store that day.

But, then something strange occurred. She felt a presence that kept saying to her, "Go to the store." It wouldn’t go away. There was no reason to open the store on Christmas Day but the message was persistent, "Go to the store, go to the store!"

Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer and she announced to Herman that she was going to the store. He was puzzled but she told him that there really wasn’t much to do since all the gifts had been opened and her husband and young son were busy doing their thing. Herman didn’t understood but finally relented and off to the store she went.

It was over a mile walk and the weather was harsh. She slipped and slid all the way. Why was she being summoned to the store? It seemed ridiculous. When she arrived at the store there were two little boys huddled together just outside the door. "Here she comes!" one boy said, "I told you she would come." They had been waiting since 9 am, the time the store normally opened.

The two little boys were half frozen. Elizabeth scolded them for being out in the cold. They were poorly dressed and neither had any gloves. "We’ve been waiting for you," the other boy said. "But why?" Elizabeth asked. "My little brother, Jimmy, didn’t get any Christmas so I want to buy some skates." He pulled some money out of his pocket and handed to her.

She opened the door and they went inside. She told them that everything had been sold and there were no toys left. But then she saw one lone package on the layaway shelf. She unwrapped it and opened it. It was a pair of skates. She tried them on little Jimmy and they fit perfectly.

Elizabeth told them to keep their money and go and buy some gloves. The two boys glowed with pure joy. The three of them then left the store. On the way out of the door Elizabeth asked them how they knew she would come. The older boy replied, "I knew you would come, because I asked God to send you." (From Waiting for Christmas, by Elizabeth English, Guidepost Magazine, 1983)

It wasn’t the miracle on 34th street for this took place on South Caldwell Street. God is in our midst on every street, in Zephaniah’s time, in 1949 and even today.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio