Saturday, December 20, 1997

New ordinand to preach first Christmas sermon

By LORETTA FULTON / Abilene Reporter-News

Dr. Richard Chaffin remembers being very, very nervous about preaching his first Christmas sermon.

The Rev. Kelly Schneider is sure that 35 years from now she'll remember the same thing.

Chaffin, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Cross Plains, will be preaching his 35th Christmas sermon at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve.

Schneider, who is being ordained to the priesthood at 10 o'clock this morning, will preach her very first Christmas sermon at St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 7 on the same night.

"I'm nervous and excited both," Schneider said.

Chaffin knows the feeling, but he has words of encouragement for Schneider.

"I can't even remember now what it was about," he said of his first Christmas sermon, preached at the Methodist church in Bayard, N.M. But it must have gone over well with the congregation.

"I stayed four years," Chaffin joked.

Chaffin, who was a student pastor at the time and not yet a seminarian, remembers that he even had to borrow an order of worship for the Christmas Eve service.

Schneider is a little farther along. She graduated in May from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin and was ordained a deacon in June. She has been rector at St. Mark's since August.

But still, this is the Christmas Eve sermon, possibly one of only two, including Easter, that many people will hear all year.

Both ministers see that as an opportunity and an encouraging sign, rather than cause for concern and dismay.

"I'm thankful they come," Chaffin said. "It shows there's some spark there."

Schneider agrees.

"It keeps that door of hope open," she said. "It would be wonderful if they would come all the time and be involved, but that seed is there -- all I can do is be there, available and welcoming."

Because of the structure of their worship services, both ministers said their sermon is but a small part of the overall experience. From her own past, Schneider said she remembers not so much the Christmas Eve sermon as the liturgy -- "which doesn't mean it lets you off the hook," she joked.

People who attend only a Christmas or Easter service are clinging to a faith that perhaps has grown stale, possibly hoping that this will be the experience that will rekindle the flame.

That all important message from the minister may be the very one they've been waiting a long time to hear.

"They want to take something home with them," Schneider said.

People attending Chaffin's church in Cross Plains will take home with them a message of Jesus, the Light of the World, befitting the candlelight service.

"I try to make the meaning of the birth of Christ come alive to them," he said.

Worshippers at St. Mark's will hear that Christmas is the story, that Jesus is God's gift to us.

By offering unconditional love and acceptance, "He is saying 'yes' to us in our humanity," Schneider said, "and people need to hear that."

Chaffin hopes that as the Christmas seasons pass, Schneider will have the same experience he has had over the years. Every year, Chaffin reads the Christmas story as if it were the first time. And he's never disappointed. Something new springs from the pages each time.

Chaffin's experience also has caused him to go through cycles in his thinking about how Christmas is celebrated in the United States. For a period of about 10 years, he preached against the commercialism that many believe has drowned out the true meaning of Christmas. But no more.

"As long as you keep it in perspective, I don't see anything wrong with it," Chaffin said.

In fact, he believes that giving and receiving gifts is very symbolic.

"It speaks well of the meaning of Christmas," he said.

But it's more than the gifts that brings out the Christmas spirit in Chaffin. It's the twikling lights, the hanging of the greens on the first Sunday in Advent, the lighting of candles in a darkened sanctuary, the rituals of the church, and the excitement and anticipation that captivates everyone's imagination.

"I have never lost my enthusiasm for Christmas," Chaffin said. "It's the most fun time of the year."

As a new minister, Schneider has some concerns that only time can take care of. Christmas Eve will be the first time she will preach to a different group. She is used to her own congregation and how they respond. Christmas Eve may bring people she has never seen before and may never see again.

Even though she is nervous, Schneider said she doesn't feel a great deal more pressure than on any Sunday.

"I feel like I have that same obligation every Sunday," she said.

The scariest part of the Christmas sermon, just like any other, "is me presuming that I can do that," she said.

That is a feeling that never should go away, Chaffin said. Even with his years of experience, Chaffin has the same apprehension as Schneider each time he preaches the word of God.

"I am nervous anytime I step into the pulpit," he said. "It's an awesome thing to me to get up and presume to speak God's word."

Both ministers will be speaking God's word on Christmas Eve. One will be a little more apprehensive than the other.

"I have no idea what to expect," Schneider said.

One thing she can expect is an unexpected gift from Chaffin.

"I'll be praying for her," he said.