Last year on Christmas, I had no parish, I was needed nowhere, it seemed, no place. And so I volunteered to take Christmas services at a local homeless shelter in San Francisco, I was the perfect choice - and the reason? No one else was available. And so they were glad to see me! There was no church available for me, so I was glad to see them! But what a sorry lot we were. They and I. All of us together, all unemployed, with nowhere to go. Nowhere else, that is nowhere better! Or so we might have appeared - men with no options - so we would have appeared, to all but the Baby, to all but our God, newly come among us out of boundless love.

The congregation I see before me tonight is so very different. That Service in that Shelter was not Solemn Midnight Mass at St. Mary's. That night, there, they said they knew "Silent Night", but no one knew more than the first two words, no one knew the tune, and no one could sing. But sing it we did. And it was a holy night, and a precious moment, but . . . different from what you will hear tonight from our glorious choir, closer to the choirs of angels and the whole Heavenly Host than were those men who had no work, could find no home, no other place to stay, but who had found cheap wine. But we sang on then, and we will sing tonight, and listen in reverence and awe and gratitude to the music here. Seeing these glorious and careful decorations, not walls with obscene graffiti and walls stained with human despair and disregard. Last year was . . . different.

Or was it, I wonder. I do wonder. We are more prosperous, more secure, we are more loved possibly, more comfortable certainly, while we may live alone, we are not abandoned, we have gathered together, not been tossed way on the same heap or into the same bare room. While we doubtless have our own problems, our issues, our fears or anxieties to we are secure, not wandering and exposed, hopeful, not hopeless. Whatever our worries and fears, we have more than just despair and terror. We are different. In a way. But we, like them, are in desperate need - need for Savior who will redeem us, save us, bring us and those we love and those we know and all our world, peace and goodwill, comfort and joy. We are all equally dependent upon God, counting on him, lost without him, all of us fully and finally, and forever homeless and hopeless, if we do not have this night, this Birth, this baby, this boy, this God and his salvation. The Bishop's Christmas message to his priests was: "Enjoy and treasure, and then preach and proclaim the Glory of Christmas. But spend one moment yourself, brief, and not overdone, but one quick quiet, serious moment, thinking, pondering, wondering in reverent awe and holy fear - what if this night had not been, what if there had been no birth no Savior, no Christmas."

I did wonder for a moment. Imagine. Just think what if . . . but don't think long, don't dwell there, on that, because it did happen, it is true, unto us a Child is born, a Son is been given to us, and to our children, and to all who were, and are to come - a Savior, which is Christ the Lord, born this night in the City of David.

Fittingly and well did we begin this Mass, us and all like us in our Church, wherever they are and wherever and whenever they have lived, we began as all begin and every have and ever will, God, you made this holy night shine.

"O Come, let us adore him, come let us adore him, Christ the Lord." We already joined the angels, for this first time in our Mass for a month, joined them in singing: "Glory be to God on High! And on earth, peace." Let us now join the shepherds and say together: "Let us see this thing that has happened" . . . has happened. This night. This Holy Night, so many different ideas about Christmas, but what if there had been no Christmas at all - imagine the darkness of this December night - no hope even for us, no way out, no way off the street, only the grave, the endless eternal grave waiting now nearer, one winter closer.

We had a reason, didn't we, for that Collect for Christmas Night - Oh God, you made this holy night shine.