THERE'S A CRACK IN EVERYTHING

      Years ago I read a story about a boy named Gunther. It was written by Edna Hong and I still remember it from time to time. Gunther was reared by his grandmother because his father was fighting in WW1 and his mother had deserted the family. It truth, he wasn't reared at all because his embarrassed grandmother kept him isolated in a bedroom. She was ashamed and, in time, she sent him to a place called Bethel (house of God)...which was a home where disabled kids were cared for in a loving environment. Gunther began to blossom right away. He made friends and began to talk for the first time. His best friend was a kid named Kirk, who had the bed next to him. When the Advent season arrived, Kirk told Gunther that he would be with his mom and dad in heaven come Christmas, and when Gunther objected, Kirk said, "No. No. I'm looking forward to it." Well, the pastor chose Kirk to light the Advent candle one Sunday (as a way of giving him special recognition)... but as he was approaching the candle, Kirk feel to the ground with a seizure and the candle that he was carrying bounced along the floor. Silence fell over the group... and Gunther couldn't stand it. "There's a crack in everything," he cried out. And in a loud voice, he asked anyone, everyone, and no one in particular, "What's so great about Christmas anyway?"
      For Gunther the answer was far from obvious. This was his first Advent ever and he wanted to know, "What's so great about Christmas?" Well, the kids at Bethel struggled to answer this question the best they could. One of the boys, who spoke in the language of numbers, said, "12/25. 12/25." Petra said, "Baby Jesus, Baby Jesus," and then an 8 year-old girl named, Leni, added, "Christmas is special because everything has a crack in it." Indeed, she has a point. It's true, isn't it? There is a crack in everything. Sometimes it's gaping, sometimes it's almost indiscernible, but it's there. People die, they move away. They disappoint us, we disappoint them. It's a broken world... but God specializes in repairing the holes in our souls, the cracks in our hearts, and the broken pieces that are strewn along our paths. We've seen that God loves to fix things that are broken, and at Christmas He came down, down, down to this place. He traded in a throne for a manger... to fill our cracks with love, restore our spirits, and close our wounds. There's a crack in everything. In you, in me, in the person sitting next to you, in the waitress at the restaurant, in uncle John and Aunt Betty, throughout this broken world. Cracks have been part of our journey through life. Some are decades old, some quite new. There are cracks in our relationships, in the thoughts we nurture, and within us... cracks that run through the core of who we are. There are cracks in our hearts- some created by others, some self-inflicted, and some just occurred with stress and aging. There are cracks in our family stories and in our broader communities, some of which are daunting. O yes, Gunther, there is a crack in everything! But that's the point of Christmas... when God was born in our midst... to fill the cracks that keep us from loving God, ourselves, and our neighbors,
       Back in Hong's story, the time for opening presents finally arrived. Gunther had never received a present before, but he soon discovered the joy of receiving. Monica got a doll, Manfred got a toy truck, and Gunther got a toy train. Toward the end of the event, Gunther and Kirk were sitting on the pastor's lap- one celebrating his first Christmas, the other his last- and Kirk suddenly said, "Good-bye Gunther." "Goodbye, Kirk," Gunther replied, "Say hi to your mom and dad." "I will,"Kirk noted, and then Gunther whispered to the pastor, "There's a crack in everything." "Indeed," the pastor replied... and as we gather in this sanctuary tonight, we add a strong "amen." There is a crack in everything. There is a pervasive darkness- a tension, a heaviness- that fills the air. Sometimes we get that "is-this-all-there-is" feeling and we begin to think that even the best of our diamonds and relationships are flawed. That's why Jesus came down to earth- to patch our wings so we could soar, to fill in the cracks that keep us from being whole, and to save us from our sins. Jesus came to forgive us so that we won't go around with a crack in our souls. He came to restore us so that we might be our best selves. He came to correct our vision so that we can see the image of God in every person... and he came to sharpen our minds so that we would understand that we're all in this together!
      If the world hadn't been shattered by our pride, greed, fears, and sins... maybe there wouldn't ever have been a Christmas. But truth is, we need to be patched up, our wounds need to be healed, and we need to be forgiven, perhaps more than anything else. Our Christmas gift is this: in Christ, we are saved, restored, and empowered... but there is also a little note attached to the gift which reads (in modern parlance) "pay it forward!" Share it! Shout it from the mountain tops! And make it your highest calling... to patch up others in his name. If you want to give someone a Christmas present... on any day of the year... learn their name, care enough to smile, take the time to listen to them, wipe away their tears, lighten their load, give them some food if they're hungry, your coat of they're cold, pick them up should they fall, let them know by word and deed that they are SOMEBODY in God's eyes, tell them that Jesus loves them, and tell them that, in Christ, you love them too. Believe that, in Christ, you're forgiven, accepted, loved, and empowered and you will be filled with abiding Christmas joy. Share the love and joy that you experience in Christ... and other people will surely see what's so great about Christmas! Amen.