In The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies, a character named Yerko sees his first Nativity play and is enthralled by the story of Jesus’ birth. Later at a party, he enthuses about the gifts of the Magi, which he misinterprets as “gold, frank innocence and mirth.”
This phrase rings in my ears almost every Christmas. It’s the title of my all-time favourite Christmas sermon, written and delivered by my dad, Rev. Donald Bell, in which he references the Yerko scene. A retired United Church minister, Dad spent the last few years of his career moving among churches in contract and interim positions. So when Christmas Eve rolled around, he was apt to refresh “Gold, Frank Innocence and Mirth” and deliver it to a newly captivated congregation. Often I was among the worshippers in the pews.
And though I’ve rolled my eyes at the corniness of the title, I always look forward to this veritable ode to joy. It puts me into the Christmas spirit in the same way that others find bliss in The Night Before Christmas, The Nutcracker or the Nativity story itself.
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Christmas sermons are famously difficult to write. How do you say something new and relevant about a beloved old story? How do you meet the diverse expectations of the people in the pews? As Rev. Ross Bartlett of the Atlantic School of Theology puts it, “There are so many different emotions running riot. Some people are looking for the Christmas they imagine they had in happier days. Some just can’t wait for it to be over. Some are dreading it. What’s the preacher to do?”
What indeed? In this issue, we decided to put this question to the test with our first-ever Christmas sermon contest.
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Bartlett was one of our judges, along with Rev. Joni Sancken of the Vancouver School of Theology and Wing Yi Wong of Emmanuel College in the University of Toronto. All three are homileticians — experts in the art of preaching. And although they couldn’t hear the orators and had to rely on the sermons’ written form, they managed to judge 29 entries on the criteria of communication skill, creativity and Christmas context — the ability to deliver the Good News of the Gospel.
You’ll find our winning sermon, by Rev. Jason Meyers of Metropolitan United in Toronto, on page 20. “God’s Eternal Love Has a Face” is a deeply inspired message about seeing Christ in every person. You can watch a video of Meyers delivering his sermon and also read the homilies of our second-and third-place winners, Patti Rodgers of Bond Head United in Bradford, Ont., and Rev. Ryan Slifka of St. George’s United in Courtenay, B.C., at broadview.org/sermon-2024.
Thank you to our wonderful judges and to everyone who entered the contest. My dad was eager to submit his Christmas sermon, but I thought the ethics of the editor’s father potentially taking top prize were a bit tricky. Dad, your sermon is still tops in my heart. And may all of our winning sermons bring you gold, frank innocence and mirth.
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Jocelyn Bell is the editor and publisher of Broadview.
This story first appeared in Broadview’s December 2024 issue with the title “Ode to Joy.”
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Comments
John Ryerson says:
Bringing it home to family message, lovely Jocelyn. However, you did not mention Charlie Brown :)