[Is. 9:2-7; Lk. 2:1-14]
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Why are you here?
Why have you come to this place this morning?
What compelled you to get up on a Tuesday morning, travel to this building, and find a reasonably comfortable seat among others who have gone through exactly the same motions to get here?
Why are we all here this morning?
No need to answer the question right now.
Christmas.
Christ’s Mass.
Cristemasse or Cristesmesse.
A religious celebration, with at its centre a Jewish religious figure.
Christ’ Mass.
Jesus Christ is the centre of our celebration here this morning.
There’s of course nothing wrong with a party and food and drinks, there’s nothing wrong
with gifts and decorations, with getting together and spending time with loved ones. There’s nothing wrong with a little Christmas fun.
But Jesus Christ’s the reason for our Christmas joy!
Christ is our reason for our worship here today.
Christ is our Christmas.
The prophet Isaiah explains it so well in the ode he composed all those centuries ago: about the great light, the increase of joy, the broken rod, the messenger
Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Light shining in the darkness.
Good conquering evil.
Hope overcoming despair, and faith chasing away fear.
Love and grace, endless love and endless grace.
All these aren’t just wishful thinking.
The fact that after two thousand years we’re still celebrating the birth of a Jewish baby boy, that we’re still celebrating the birth of the Messiah, the Christ means that it wasn’t just make-belief, that it isn’t just a metaphor, it isn’t just wishful thinking.
Something happened, the baby was born and it changed the World: it changed the history of the World, it changed the way we as human beings should view the World and Creation, it changed the road the World was on, still is on.
Everything changed.
Everything is changing.
Even if very often it doesn’t feel like it, the World has become a different place since God took on flesh and dwelled among us; the living, incarnated Word of God, and we have beheld and still behold his glory.
The World, we ourselves were returned to our original state from when we were in the
Garden of Eden, to our place of holiness and wholeness and wholesomeness.
And yes, sometimes it really doesn’t feel like it. Very often people can be envious and vicious and murderous even. And then it certainly feels as if nothing has changed.
Christmas assures us that it has!
Things are different now!
Christmas.
Christ’s Mass.
God promised us a Saviour.
To us a promise is usually not as strong, not as binding as an oath or a contract.
But God’s promise is!
God’s promise is also not only a thing of the past, but also for the present and the future as well.
Martin Luther, the German reformer, in a Christmas sermon of his own (1521) said:
“[The angel] does not simply say, Christ is born, but to you he is born, neither does he say, I bring glad tidings, but to you I bring glad tidings of great joy. Furthermore, this joy was not to remain in Christ, but it shall be to all the people. For this purpose Christ willed to be born, that through him we might be born anew.”
Luther goes on to point out that Isaiah too emphasised this:
“To us, to us, to us is born, and to us is given this child.”
It’s very personal, very individual.
But, it’s not individualistic!
We can claim Christ, we cannot own him!
This “to you” means a very intimate and one-on-one relationship, a one-on-one redemption, within the greater whole, within Creation, within the Church, as part of that community of faith where we celebrate Christmas.
Christ’s Mass.
The celebration belongs to him, we’re all his guests.
Christ was born, so we can be born anew, so we can be born to others.
How does that happen?
The zeal of the lord will do this, Isaiah tells us (9:7), the Lord’s own zeal, his own will, his own efforts.
Not ours.
We humans aren’t in charge, and that’s a very good thing.
We would just end up making the wrong decisions again, spoiling Creation, hurting each other, turning away from God, from life, from love.
We would just end up making a mess of things...again.
No, its a very positive thing that God has our salvation under control, so we can put our time and energy in serving our neighbour, in welcoming the stranger, in being Christmas to others.
Faith to God, love to our neighbours.
Twenty years after the sermon mentioned earlier, Luther was preaching again on Christmas Day (1543):
“There are many of you who think to yourselves: ‘If only I had been there! How quick I would have been to help the baby!’
Why don’t you do it now? You have Christ in your neighbour. You ought to serve your neighbour, for what you do to your neighbour in need you do to the Lord Christ himself.”
To you is born.
To you is given.
So, why are you, we here this morning?
What made you leave your comfy warm bed, get dressed and drive or walk to this warm-ish church building?
Cristemasse or Cristesmesse.
Christ’s Mass.
Christmas.
Lo! star-led chieftains,
Magi, Christ adoring,
offer him incense, gold and myrrh;
we to the Christ child
bring our heart’s oblations;
O come, let is adore him, (x3)
Christ the Lord.
Child, for us sinners
poor and in a manger,
fain we embrace thee, with love and awe;
who would not love thee,
loving us so dearly?
O come, let is adore him, (x3)
Christ the Lord.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.