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Luke 2:8-20
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God.” This is not merely a large heavenly choir. The angels that assemble to announce peace and joy to the shepherds make up the army of heaven. This “host” is God’s military force that wages war against the devil and carries out the will of God. A force that goes toe to toe with all the demons of hell on a regular basis is announcing peace and joy to mankind from heaven. Peace is announced because the King has been born. Whether the world will have Him or not, and it most certainly will not, He reigns and will bring peace and joy. He will have unconditional supremacy over all things. Yet it is not His glory or majesty that we are to seek. The shepherds are not told to go looking for this newborn king in large palaces or amidst the wealthy and powerful. They are to seek Him in a manger. It is His humility, not His glory, that is the mark of this King. The shepherd found Him in a wooden box. We seek Him ultimately on a wooden cross. Hanging there, crowned with thorns, Jesus Christ exercises His full authority as King to atone for the sins of the world and set all its inhabitants right with God. This makes our joy certain. The shepherds seek the king where they are told, in His humble abode, and they leave filled with joy because God’s promise has finally come true. The Savior is born. We can seek the King where He promises to be found in humility, in the pages of the Holy Scriptures. There we will read all that He has done for us, what He will do for us, and all that He wills us to do. We come away from the Scriptures overflowing with joy, because every word therein is true. Every syllable has been established and cannot be broken. Jesus is born to be your King, to reconcile you to God, to give you unending life. In Him there is peace and joy, so wear them on your sleeve.
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Luke 2:1-7
2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Jesus is born of the house and lineage of David. He, by all rights, should have been born in a palace, in the house of the king, with attendants and nurses and court physicians. Instead, he was swaddled and placed in a manger. There was no room for Him in the inn, yet He is the true king, not merely of Israel, but of the entire creation. Christmas is a time to recall our own lineage. As we gather with family, some of whom we have not seen since last Christmas, it is fitting that we should continue fitting together the pieces of our past. We go through the traditions that have been handed down, sometimes for many generations. We ask about our forefathers and listen to the stories of our ancestors. We remember who we are and where we come from, even if those truths are sometimes not to our liking. Christmas is also a time to recall our deeper and greater lineage. We walk into the church to worship, and we are participating in a tradition that is nearly eight times as old as the United States of America. We sing hymns that were written long before our grandfather was a twinkle in the eye of his father. We listen to the Word of God, that Saint John tells us is from before the very beginning. (John 1:1) The Scriptures are opened and read to us, and we hear the words, not only of God, but of our forefathers in the faith, the Apostles of Jesus Christ. Both Saint Paul and Saint John repeatedly refer to those receiving their letters, not only as children, but as their children. Timothy is not connected to Paul by any close blood relation, but he is called “my child.” (2 Timothy 1:2; 2:1) We should receive the Bible as the Word of God, certainly. But we should also receive it as letters written from loving fathers to their beloved children about the faith and hope that they were willing to die for, about the King in whose service they would gladly spend their lives. Christmas is a time to remember who you are. Even if you have no earthly father, God is your true Father and Jesus Christ, King of Creation, is your true Brother. You are called by grace and love into His Family, His Kingdom. You are of the House and Lineage of Christ. Luke 1:57-80
57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. 76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. 80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel. The hand of the Lord is with John to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. Already at his birth people are asking, “What manner of child shall this be!” The birth of John is the spark that spreads a wildfire of anticipation and repentance throughout Israel before Jesus begins His ministry. People are talking. The news is spreading. Something BIG is coming! That big thing is, of course, Jesus. But this is not just the birth of a special person. Zecharias prophesies that now will come a “knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins.” Preparing the way for Jesus means paving the way for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is truly “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” (John 1:29) just as John will later testify. John is God’s instrument to prepare the way for Jesus. Jesus is the long awaited one, God in the flesh, who will forgive our sin with His death and make it possible to “serve [God] without fear.” Something BIG is here. Not only are your sins forgiven in Jesus, wiped clean by His innocent blood, but you are given the opportunity to serve God without fear. You are free from the fear of enemies. God will protect you. You are free from the fear of God’s wrath. It has been appeased with the death of Jesus. You can labor with all the intensity and joy that John seemed to bring to his work of preparation know that the Lord approves of all that we do in His name. Another way to look at this is through the word “grace”. The name “John” means “God is gracious.” And in John, through him, God shows grace to His people. It is not merely that God has given us the gift of a savior, but that His entire disposition toward you and me has changed because of Jesus. Formerly we were the enemies of God. (Romans 5:5-6) Now we are His children. We have peace with God. (Romans 5:1) God has been gracious to you. He is gracious to you. He will continue to be gracious because John prepared the way, and Jesus walked in it. Luke 1:39-56
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. The meeting of Mary and Elisabeth-the meeting of Jesus and John!-sparks immense joy for everyone involved. At the greeting of Mary, John leaps in his mother’s womb. This preborn babe is drunk with joy. Elisabeth is filled to overflowing with the Holy Ghost as she bursts out in praise to God and blessing to Mary and Jesus. And Mary herself breaks into song, rejoicing in God her Saviour, recounting the blessing that God has brought to her. Mary sings to remember what God has done because God has remembered her. The Lord had regard for Mary and she will be remembered by all Christians in all generations as the most blessed of women. Only one woman in the history of the universe gets to be the Mother of God. Mary stays with her cousin for three months. One can imagine the two of them trying to put this genie of joy back in the bottle. Did they burst into song at any other time? Doing chores, visiting relatives, catching up on old times, were they once again filled with the Spirit of God and overflowing with joy? How could they not be? These two women stood at the edge of the end of all things and the beginning of all things. God was about to keep His promise that “he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.” Mary and Elisabeth could not contain themselves. Can you blame them? No. And I would not blame you (I hope you would not blame me) if you broke into songs of joy when you remembered the deeds of the other perborn infant, Jesus Christ. Mary and Elisabeth lived just before God fulfilled all His promises. We live after. All the more reason that we should follow their example, rejoice and sing. The fulfillment of those promises is poured out on us by the bucket full. Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Lamb of God was crucified! Christ the Redeemer is risen! Jesus Christ is Lord! May we be so filled with the Holy Ghost at the sound of this greeting that we sing as we remember, that we leap with joy, that we bless God who keeps His promises. Luke 1:26-38
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. We see what we think is “the impossible” and we lose it. We abandon all hope and fill the remaining cavity with despair. We see the disunity in our church or community or nation, we see the factions moving farther and farther apart, and we want to give up. We come across cultural chaos and think that there is just no way of bringing things back into order. We see death and destruction, war and rumors of war, and we want to throw up our hands and get down in our bunker. The impossible is not something that we mere mortals are capable of handling. And, of course, this is exactly right. You cannot handle the impossible. I will never heal a church or stop a war or properly order a civilization. Those things are beyond us. But they are not beyond God. “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” God sees the barren womb of Elisabeth, the impossibility of her conceiving a child in her old age, and He thinks nothing of it. The Lord opens the barren womb and Elisabeth conceives possibility. “And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.” The Lord looks down on the humble estate of a virgin, a woman who has never known a man, and creates within her the utmost impossibility. The power of the Highest overshadows her so that not only does the virgin conceive and bear a son, but that son is God-in-the-flesh who will die for the sins of the world (Matthew 1:21) and rise again to bring life and immortality to light. (II Timothy 1:10) “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.” We would hear these words and think, “Impossible!” Yet, Mary believes, and sets the example for us. All things are possible for God, therefore we should believe every Word He utters. Mary believes and becomes the mother of the One who will sit on “the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Jesus Christ, born despite the impossibility, lives and reigns to do the impossible. He rules the universe to reconcile you to God, to remove your sin, to adopt you into His kingdom, to raise the dead. He is, afterall, the God “who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17) Let it be for us according to His Word. Luke 1:5-25
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. This birth of John brings mirth to his parents and community. “Thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.” Children are naturally a source of joy for father and mother and the people around them. This is normal and good. But have you heard of D.I.N.K.’s? Dual-Income-No-Kids? DINKs are people who have a “partner”, someone they are living with in an intimate relationship, sometimes married, but sometimes not. And they are particularly proud of the fact that they have no children. Having no kids enables them to live a life of “freedom”, financial and otherwise. Their lives, however, are deprived of a source of delight that no amount of money or freedom can make up for. By depriving themselves of children, they deprive themselves of great joy. And for what? Money? Vacations? That is too high a cost. DINKs, or at least intentional DINKs, are dumb. (Certainly, there are those among us who are in the same place as Zecharias and Elisabeth in Luke 1, who have not been blessed with children. They recognize the joy that children can bring, but for His own reasons, God has withheld that joy from them. They are neither DINK’s, nor dumb, but those who rejoice at the gifts of God, even if they do not receive them.) The joy that John brings to his parents and community, however, is not merely natural, but supernatural. It is not worldly, but otherworldly. Israel, the people of God who are waiting for His kingdom, are filled with joy because John will prepare her to meet her Maker. John will call the people of Israel to repent, to turn from their sin by making confession and receiving baptism. He will warn them to watch for the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, that brood of vipers. All this preps the hearts of the people to welcome Jesus Christ, the Lamb of Godwho takes away the sins of the world. In your life, your pastor is your “John”. The entire goal of a Christian pastor’s ministry is that the people who hear him preach and teach would be ready to meet Jesus face to face, whether that be in their death or at His sudden return. Your pastor does the work that he does so that you can meet your Maker with a clean and confident heart. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection make all of this possible. He bears our sins on the cross so that we can be certain that confessing our sins will result in forgiveness and not condemnation. We can confidently repent, knowing that our Father will welcome us back. He rejoices in His children coming home. The birth of each child is a joyful reminder of the blessing that God bestows on fallen humanity through His gift of children. Whether they are our kids, or the progeny of others, we can rejoice that God works such wonders, both natural and supernatural. The First Day of Christmas
December 25, 2024 Matthew 1:18-25 8 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus. Tonight we remember the night that the world received Jesus, Emmanuel, “God with Us.” It is a night when the world was fundamentally changed for the better, when the world was given true joy. We live in a profoundly lonely society.That loneliness was made more obvious by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, but it was on the rise before the then. It is so bad that the United States Department of Health and Human Services has taken notice and issued a report. Typically, loneliness is brought on when we are isolated from other people. In our modern context, isolation can have several causes. Some are isolated by geographical distance. If you grew up and moved away from your hometown, your friends and family, your culture, then you have probably experienced loneliness. Speaking of culture, our cultural and political divide is growing in the United States. The right and left are increasingly unable to have intelligible conversations due to the fact that they are usually speaking two different languages. Social media seems to be exasperating this divide. That, too, leads to loneliness. Worse than all of this, however, is the isolation of humanity from its Creator. The initial separation of God from man was caused by mankind’s disobedience to the simple and self evident commands given by God. Originally there was no such isolation. No loneliness, just joy. God walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. They saw God face to face. (Genesis 3:8) Now things have changed drastically. Besides the original cause of this isolation, even people who call themselves Christians are increasingly separated from God and His people through a lack of worship and fellowship with a brick and mortar congregation. Christmas is the day when our isolation ends and our loneliness is put on notice. In the birth of Jesus Christ-really from His conception in His mother’s womb-God is among us. He walks and talks with His family, apostles, and disciples. As God walked with Adam and Eve, Jesus walked with Peter, James, and John. While we do not see Jesus walking and talking as the apostles did, He does promise to be with us always. (Matthew 28:20) He is Emmanuel, God-with-us, through His Word. In the Scriptures, God Himself is speaking to us. (Hebrews 1:1-2) Do you want to know the mind of God? Do you want to be close to Him? Read this Bible. Listen to your pastor preach. Sing the hymns. Wherever the Word of God is proclaimed, there is Jesus causing our cup to runneth over with rejoicing. I know. “Word & Sacrament” has become a cliché. But we dare not allow the truth of this to pass us by. In the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, Jesus Christ is present with us. Our isolation from God is undone. He reaches down with human and divine hands to claim us as a son of God in Baptism. God places His body and blood into our mouths for the forgiveness of our sins and our union with Him. The Word of God and the Sacraments are Emmanuel. Union with Christ brings union with His people. The fact that Mary was with child from the Holy Ghost compelled Joseph to go through with his wedding plans, to be united with Mary in holy matrimony. Knowing and experiencing the actual presence of God compels us to unite with His people too. We can forgive those who sin against us as we are forgiven. We can bear with one another as God has borne our burdens. We can go to church for worship and fellowship. Getting up on Sunday and heading to worship will not cure loneliness, at least not right away. But it does give true connection with God and other people. That is something you cannot get online. Your local congregation is a place that transcends cultural boundaries, languages, and even geography, for we worship with “angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.” There, most assuredly of all places, God is with us. (Matthew 18:20) May this knowledge fill your hearts with joy this Christmas season! |
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