Scenes of Christmas is thematic for the little gallery below: Pic #1 is the event of the angel's announcement to the shepherds in the field of the night of Jesus' birth along with the angelic choir singing of God's peace proffered to all mankind; Pic #2 shows Luther and his family singing of Christmas, possibly one he himself wrote, "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come"; Pic #3 shows Luther and his family around the Christmas tree with his friend, the reformer Phillip Melancthon; Pic #4 is "Madonna and Child and Chalice" by Eric Gill (1929) showing that this Baby of Mary took on human form (God Incarnate) to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world (hence the chalice); and, poinsettias traditionally showing the star (shape of the flower) as rising, and the color reminding us of Jesus' blood. This brings me to this morning's address:
Christmas Day 2019 “The Word of the Father Born to You!”
Luke 2:8-14 NKJV 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 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, goodwill toward men!”
Luke 2:8-14 NKJV 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 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, goodwill toward men!”
Dear Christian friends: Scripture tells us that the shepherds in the fields were terrified at the sight of the Christmas angel. The glory of the Lord shone around them and they were rightly terrified because they were sinners deserving only God’s wrath and judgment. When confronted with the purity and holy radiance of God's presence we would also have been greatly afraid, for as it is written “without holiness no one can see God.”
Yes, it is true that our God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24) and nothing, absolutely nothing, can stand before Him that is not perfect and holy! This is what the blessed shepherds knew, and this was their cause for fear. But the angel immediately gave them these words, “Do not be afraid!” You now have a Savior, God Himself, in the flesh, who has become your Elder Brother and great Friend. The Lord Jesus, who by His incarnation, is the One who has come to deliver you from the fear of sin, death and hell. It is Matthew who records the meaning of the name of Jesus: Matthew 1:20-21, tells us “an angel of the Lord appeared to him (Joseph) in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.’” Therefore, the very name JESUS means “Savior.”
Do you, this Christmas morning, doubt that the tiny Babe of Bethlehem is the Savior who came down from heaven? Then go to the Holy Gospels and see the divine assurance written for your salvation. How, for your sake, God worked within history to put it in the mind of the greatest living ruler, Caesar Augustus, to decree a census for the taxation of the whole world just so that the prophecies of old could have fulfillment in this Baby born in Bethlehem of the lineage of David. We are privileged to see how God sets in motion events to help us comprehend this great event of Jesus’ birth. For the Savior is God Himself as well as true man, born of the virgin in order to save us from our sins. Jesus is Immanuel, meaning that He is literally God with us.
The angel’s message includes the words, “Is born this day.” The Savior of the world was born a certain day in history, a certain place in time. He was born into poverty, even though by His divine nature He is the Ruler and Creator of all things. He assumed His human flesh from the lowly Virgin Mary, a simple virgin who submitted to the will of the Lord. Mary and her husband, Joseph, were not materially wealthy. No, Jesus was laid in a manger, a simple feeding trough for animals. If Joseph were rich, he would have used his influence in order to shelter the pregnant virgin appropriately. But even eight days later Jesus was presented in the temple to be circumcised according to the law. And the offering for the purification of Mary was two pigeons after her childbirth – two pigeons and not the year-old lamb of Leviticus 12:6-8. It wasn't until the twelfth day, according to tradition, that the wise men came and offered their very expensive gifts to the new-born King, the Day of Epiphany commonly known as the Gentiles’ Christmas.
Our Savior had to have a lowly birth, otherwise if He came in all His glory and majesty we would have had to cry for the mountains to fall on us to hide us from His great glory. But now, God has been born, the Word incarnate, God made man has been manifested. Our God took on human flesh in order to identify with and die for His creation. What great love God has shown to us and what greater love would He show later when He takes our sins with His body to that old rugged cross of Mount Calvary. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!”
The phrase, “This day”, points to a specific day in history when the Savior took upon Himself human flesh, born of the Virgin. “This day” points objectively to the day that Salvation appeared to mankind in human form; that is the essence of the Gospel, and that is Good News! Your Savior was born on that first Christmas Day in Bethlehem. But “This day” includes not only the day of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem but also the day of resurrection in every believer’s heart for which this message is directed. This is the second birth, the “born-again” or literally, “born from above” experience that makes a Christian like unto His Lord, Jesus Christ. This is what Charles Wesley had written about in the tune later composed by Felix Mendelssohn, a 19th Century Jew who converted to Lutheranism, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” In the third verse he writes, “Mild He leaves His throne on high, Born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth; Born to give them second birth!”
That was the day when salvation was found lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling cloths. Years later that same Baby would say to a tax collector named Zacchaeus, “Today salvation is come to your house.” And this Christmas morning you gather here to worship the Christ who comes “this day” again into your hearts. I recall the days of my youth, the large decorated church, the choirs, the instrumental ensembles with the resplendent pipe organ, and the friendly crowds. But those days of old can never compare to “this day,” for the true beauty is not found in the beautiful church buildings, the well-tuned choirs, or marvelous assembles; the true beauty is not found in the stained glassed windows or the robes that the ministers wear. No, indeed. But the true beauty is found in believing in Him alone who saw you and me, worthless sinners, and was born this day for us!
The wondrous act of salvation has always been in the Incarnate Word, the Word of the Father made flesh. The wondrous act of salvation is the very act of saving sinners through the New Covenant in the forgiveness of sins. Salvation has been revealed in the appearance of the very Son of God. As the Psalmist says (79:8-9), “O, remember not the former iniquities against us; let Thy tender mercies go speedily before us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy name; and deliver us and purge away our sins, for Thy name’s sake.” And that name’s sake was and is forever Christ Jesus by whom we own the name, Christian. That is why the prophet Habakkuk, 3:18, speaks, “Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
The angel’s message also states, “To you.” “To you, sinful man!” If we heard that correctly with the ears of faith, we would have reason for rejoicing, yet we should realize that those two words, “To you,” depend on your possessing God’s promise of forgiveness and salvation by faith. The fact that you are a sinner gives you great reason to rejoice in the Good News that Christ is the friend of sinners and came to earth in order to atone for the sins of the world and, especially to offer you salvation.
Athanasius wrote in his treatise, “On the Incarnation”:
“You must understand why it is that the Word of the Father, so great and so high, has been made manifest in bodily form. He has not assumed a body as proper to His own nature, far from it, for as the Word He is without body. He has been manifested in a human body for this reason only, out of love and goodness of His Father, for the salvation of us men.”
“You must understand why it is that the Word of the Father, so great and so high, has been made manifest in bodily form. He has not assumed a body as proper to His own nature, far from it, for as the Word He is without body. He has been manifested in a human body for this reason only, out of love and goodness of His Father, for the salvation of us men.”
St. John explicitly says that the Word became flesh. In that phrase alone resides how one views man and creation. St. Athanasius, is his treatise on the Incarnation, presented a two-fold purpose of the Incarnation: Putting away death from us, renewing us again; and, Being unseen and invisible, manifest and makes Himself known by His works to be The Word of the Father, Ruler and King of the Universe.
Therefore, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” In other words, God says to us, Behold! here is my Son; He is My Word to you that guarantees the healing of your wounds, for He alone lasts forever and is forever! As Revelation 21:4 assures us, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
Friend, you have a claim on this Christ child. You were given just as much a right to have this Jesus as our own as did Ste. Mary, St. Joseph, St. Paul and St. Peter – or any other great saint that had ever lived. As John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold! the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Are you not in this world? The last time I looked you were. Therefore, John the Baptist here is saying that you are made God’s heavenly child, born a second birth because of that one birth of that heavenly Child, Jesus the Christ. Jesus is yours! Jesus is mine! He was born of Mary and is born to you; born to be your Elder Brother and your Savior. To you He is born, not to the angels who rejoice for your sakes, but to you…personally.
Firmly hold on to this great possession otherwise this birth in Bethlehem is nothing more than another mere Christmas decoration to be displayed outdoors before the world to pass by and say, “Isn’t that nice.” Resolve, therefore, to possess this Word of God, the Babe of Bethlehem, to be your own, who was born to you. Amen
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