Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7; Luke 1:26-35, 38;
Luke 2:1, 3-7; Luke 2:8-16; John 1:1-14
In the Name of the Father and of the
+ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Of the many good, wonderful, and
miraculous things we celebrate at Christmas – the Incarnation of God and the
Virgin Birth, Peace between God and man, a spirit of reconciliation, peace,
joy, and good will between men and women of every creed, race, and clan – one
good, wonderful, and miraculous thing that often gets overlooked is God’s
Divine Providence, His guiding and directing of all things toward His own holy,
good, and wise ends.
For example, consider only the events of
which you have heard this morning from God’s Holy Word. First, there was
Isaiah’s prophecy, spoken to the people of Judah nearly seven-hundred years
before Jesus’ birth. Isaiah prophesied to a people who were continually
vacillating between faithfulness and idolatry. Isaiah warned that God’s
holiness could not bear with sin and that His righteousness could not permit
sin to go unpunished, therefore His judgment was coming. But, Isaiah also
showered Judah with the beautiful and comforting Gospel of God’s compassion,
mercy, and love, foreshadowing His sending of the Messiah born of a virgin who
would be a Light to those walking in the darkness of sin and death, a Great
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.
Then you heard of the fulfillment of
Isaiah’s prophecy, nearly seven-hundred years later, in the Archangel Gabriel’s
announcement to a young Judean virgin named Mary. Gabriel announced to Mary
that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, and that He would be given the
throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob forever, just as Isaiah had
prophesied.
Luke’s Gospel also records for us how
God utilizes even earthly governments and human laws, institutions, and
machinations, both good and bad, to accomplish His good and holy will. This
time, through the Prophet Micah who prophesied, “But you, O Bethlehem
Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall
come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from
of old, from ancient days.” In fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy, Joseph and
Mary, great with child, found themselves in Bethlehem for a census ordered by
Caesar. The fact that the city was crowded with people from all over Judea
registering for the census made it so that Mary delivered her son in lowly and humble conditions, likely in a common room in the home of Joseph and Mary's kinfolk, laying Him in a manger, a feeding
trough for animals. In God’s wisdom and providence, even these seemingly
insignificant elements were in fulfillment of prophecy of the kind of King His
Son would be: mild, humble, selfless, and sacrificial.
In like manner, the fulfillment of the
Messianic prophecy was proclaimed first, not to the Pharisees, the Sadducees,
and the Sanhedrin, the religious leadership of Israel, not to Herod or Pilate
or Caesar, and not to those of wealth, power, or great reputation, but the
proclamation of the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy, the proclamation of
the Gospel, was given first to those of low estate, to poor and humble shepherds
keeping watch over their flocks by night. Even still today, the chief
responsibility of Christ’s undershepherds, His pastors, is to proclaim the
Gospel and to guard and keep His sheep in the darkness of this world’s night of
sin and death.
And then, in our final reading from the
Gospel of John, you hear that this was God’s will and design before man’s fall
into sin, before the creation of man, indeed, before the foundation of the
world. John’s Words “In the beginning…” take you back, well, to the
beginning of God’s revealed Word, to Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth….” John proclaims to you that the Word of
God was with God in the beginning, and that, in fact, the Word of God was
God, and that all things that God has made have been made by the
speaking of His life-giving and creative Word. What we celebrate at
Christmas, especially, is what John proclaims in the last verse of today’s
reading: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His
glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
At Christmas, we must remember that,
though we may see darkness and sin and suffering and death all around us,
though wars and rumors of wars dominate the headlines, though natural disasters
destroy lives, homes, and livelihoods, though diseases take the lives of those
we love, and though even children are not spared the horror of evil at the
hands of broken, corrupted, and sinful men, we must remember that God is in
control, before sin, before man, before the foundation of the world, and that
He has worked, and He is working, and will continue to work all things, even
the bad things, the horrible things, and the evil things, for the good of those
who love Him, whom He has called in His Son, His Messiah, our Savior, His Word
made flesh, Jesus Christ.
At Christmas, we remember that God did
not turn a cold shoulder in judgment against His rebellious creation, but He
did the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the impossible, and the miraculous – He
penetrated His fallen and broken creation and became one of His creatures,
being born of the flesh of a woman in weakness, lowliness, and poverty that He
might be everything His holiness and righteousness required for you, in your
place, as your substitute, that He might bear in His own flesh the necessary
wage of sin, death, and shed His own holy and innocent blood to wash away your
guilt, that He might be at peace with you, and you with Him, and live in His
holy and righteous presence in holy communion with Him – flesh of His flesh,
bone of His bone – evermore and evermore. This Peace is God’s gift to you at
Christmas, and every day of the year, every day and year of your lives.
Remember and treasure His Word, His Gift, and enjoy His Peace and live His
Love, every day of the year.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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