The text for our meditation on God’s Holy Word this Christmas Eve is the Gospel lesson appointed for the Day. I bring you grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. St. Luke writes:
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 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:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
You can read about Caesar Augustus and Cyrenius and Herod in history books. If you take a trip to the Middle East you can visit Bethlehem and Nazareth and Galilee. As Luke wrote the biography of our Lord’s life in his Gospel and the history of the early Christian church in the Book of Acts he took the greatest pains to carefully set the story of our salvation in concrete places and times and people. And so we know when and where it was that Mary traveled to Bethlehem to give birth to the Savior of the world a little over 2,000 years ago.
But tonight I want to begin our meditation on the Christmas story by traveling back in time 4,000 years before Mary to a different time and place (though no less real) and the story of a different woman—a woman named Eve.
Every mother has—at the very center of her heart—hopes and dreams for her children. From the deepest center of her being she is lovingly committed to her children’s spiritual and material welfare. And so reflect with me just for a moment what it must have been like for Eve to discover that-- not only had her sin destroyed her relationship with God and with her husband—but that the consequences of her sin would reverberate down through history to each and every one of her children-- in broken-ness and heartache and finally death. With her sin, she had destroyed a world and none of us can imagine what an unbearable, crushing burden that was for her.
But it was in that very moment—when the consequences of what she had done—began to dawn upon her—that God came to her rescue. He assured her that all was not lost—that one of her daughters would bear a Son—who would rescue her children from the consequences of her sin—who would destroy Satan and undo the havoc he had brought upon mankind. Truly, God promised, Eve would be the mother of all the living because one of her daughters would bear the One who is in himself, light and life.
That was the first Gospel promise that God made—and then he re-affirmed and renewed it again and again for the next four thousand years down to the moment where Luke tells of its fulfillment: AND IT CAME TO PASS. If we heard nothing else of the Christmas story—no angels from heaven—no adoring shepherds—no worshiping kings—eternity would not be enough to thank God for those words that fulfill a promise made four thousand years before: IT CAME TO PASS.
Every moment of history. Every technological innovation. The rise and fall of nations-- and the plans of great men—God had carefully worked together so that his promise of salvation was fulfilled --AND IT CAME TO PASS that when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that might receive adoption as sons. As mankind had begun—as sons and daughters of God—as God created them to be--so mankind would become once again through God’s Son who was born in Bethlehem. St. Luke writes:
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 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.
Our Lord’s birth is the pivotal moment—and he the pivotal person-- in all of human history. God’s saving plan took on the human flesh of a particular person in a particular place in a particular moment in time. What the world had been hoping for—praying for—searching for --was accomplished one dark night two thousand years ago –in- a –shelter- for- animals. You would think that such a moment would be marked by opulence and luxury—but it was not—it was cloaked in the deepest humility.
The humble nature of our Lord’s birth: his peasant mother—a rough manger for a crib—surrounded by barnyard animals—is not recorded by Luke to elicit our sympathy—but rather (from the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly life) to put flesh and bone on the words of our Lord—that he came not to be served—but to serve—and to give his life as a ransom of men—that he did not count equality with God something to be held onto—but made himself nothing—taking on the form of servant—entering into the world to die upon the cross and reconcile God and man—joining them together once again by his birth in our flesh—his atoning death upon the cross—and his glorious resurrection. St. Luke writes:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Already in these first moments of Jesus’ earthly life you can clearly see the reconciling work that he had come to do and still accomplishes in the world today. God’s angelic messengers tell the Good news of a Savior—to lowly men—and all of heaven rejoices to see that great chasm of sin and death that separates God and man bridged by the perfect, holy life of Jesus.
It is not an accident that the Good News of our Lord’s birth was first proclaimed to lowly shepherds. In that day and time they represented the least among men-- and in their lowliness they are representative of us all.
We may have all kinds of sinful pretenses—we may regard ourselves as a cut above everyone else—we may look down upon others—but who we truly are-- is who we are in God’s sight. And he says that, by nature, we are his enemies—by nature we are unworthy of the least of his many gifts—by nature we are the dust of the earth and to the dust we will return.
And yet God condescends to bestow upon the lowliest- the greatest gift of all—the gift of a Son—and in the angel’s announcement of this world-changing event (first to shepherds) we are promised that this gift of God’s Son—is a gift, even for us poor sinners present here tonight.
No longer do we have to stand before God in fear and shame—no longer does his great glory reveal only our lowliness—but the Gospel that is still proclaimed by God’s messengers assures us that the glad tidings of great joy that rang forth from the angels are for all people—even for us—and there is no longer any need to cower in fear-- because the gift of God’s Son has reconciled us to the Father and made us his children.
The Father’s saving plan is accomplished-- and just as the multitude of the heavenly host rejoiced that Christmas morning, knowing that the restoration of the world had begun—so do the heavenly hosts still rejoice with singing each time a lowly sinner is restored to God through faith in his Son.
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will towards men were not just the words to the heavenly anthem sung by the angels at our Lord’s birth-- but they were the reality that Jesus accomplished.
God’s true glory is not the shaking of mountains and the roaring of the sea and the fire and lightening of Sinai—God’s true glory is the newborn baby of Bethlehem and the dying man of Calvary. And good will towards men really is God’s gracious attitude towards us on account of his Son-- and we really do have peace with him that passes all understanding.
Every bit of the precious gift of salvation that is given to us in Jesus, God intends be shared with others. St. Luke writes:
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. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
God has never promised an ongoing heavenly choir that will proclaim the greatness of his love to every time and place. That was a singular event seen by only a few lowly shepherds. And yet the message of that heavenly choir is a message that is meant by God to continue to ring out throughout the world. It is a message that he has entrusted to us to share with others.
Each Lord’s Day we are invited to do just as the shepherds did—to come and see. We come into the presence of the Lord and we hear his voice. In Holy Absolution we receive the gift of forgiveness that he came to bring. In Holy Communion we stand in his presence as he comes to us in bread and wine just as surely as the shepherds stood by Jesus’ manger. We worship him as they did.
But we do not remain here, self-satisfied that we have received the gifts of the Christ-Child while so many in the world around us remain in darkness. Instead, we go out into the world just like the shepherds did, bearing the Good News that there is peace on earth and God is favorably disposed towards all people on account of his Son Jesus.
The Lord has made this Good News known to us and he has entrusted us with the mission to make it known to the world. And so our worship of Jesus—which is real and deeply personal, is never an end unto itself—always has a missionary focus because God’s love in Christ is not just for a few—but for the world. Luke writes:
Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
As it was for Mary and the shepherds, so it still is for the church today. The gift that God has given in his Son Jesus Christ is for each and every one of us. It is intensely personal. We know our own sins that need forgiving. We know our own worries that need comforting. We know our own burdens that need lifting. Just like Mary-- tonight we ponder in our hearts what Good News it is for us that Christ is born.
But our individual faith in God’s Son always draws us into a worshiping, witnessing community of believers just like the shepherds—glorifying and praising God for Jesus and sharing that Good News with the world. May God grant that this Christmas season will be an opportunity for us to be renewed in our own faith—but also re-committed to the church and her mission in the world. Amen.
And now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
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