Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; St Luke 2:1-14(15-20)
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Imagine Bethlehem the night our Lord was born. God is there. He is recognized by ox and donkey, praised by angelic choirs. The stars adjust themselves to look down. It looks like heaven.
Don’t be fooled. Salvation is not in heaven. It is on earth, where the Savior was born for us earthlings. Heaven is not some distant place. It is here, on earth. Do not think that you need to ascend to God, that you must conquer heaven by violence or works; sneak in or charm the Lord. Nor do you enact heaven here by your deeds. Heaven comes down. Unto you is born a Savior, on earth, here. He has descended. He has leaped down from heaven.
I behold a new and wondrous mystery! My ears resound to the shepherd’s song. The angels sing. My heart is stirred. A Savior is born - unto me! - in Bethlehem, on earth. The archangels blend their voices in harmony. The cherubim resound their joyful praise. The seraphim exalt His glory.
But the Savior is not born for them, to angels and archangels, in heaven. He does not come to save angels. He is born for me! He comes to save me! Here on earth. A Savior. My Savior.
And yours. Unto you. He is born unto all of you. To shepherds and priests, dentists and police, soldiers and salesmen, children and retirees. He is born unto the good and bad, frequent attenders and once-a-year-stoppers by, to the faithful and not-so-faithful. A Savior is born unto you and He is no respecter of persons. He does not check pedigrees or attendance records. He is not impressed by the person who gives generously. He is not offended by the one who gives nothing. He is born unto all. He is born unto you.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, trading us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age. This is the cause of this holy feast. The Christ-Mass. It is holy food for holy people. That is, for you. Do not think that you are not holy. You are holy for the Lord God has declared you to be holy in His Son. Do you believe this? Do you want to?
For the proper feast this night is not the ham or the rack of lamb, but the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The feast this night is nothing less than His Body and Blood given in bread and wine. God has a body. God has a soul. God is a Man, born unto us, that the hearts of men might be glad and free of sin and come back to their Creator without shame or terror, but in joy.
The Savior is born unto you in Bethlehem, the House of Bread, on earth. It is no coincidence that He lacked a crib and was placed instead into a feeding trough. He was born unto you to be bread: bread for beasts, bread for wolves, and bread for sheep. He comes in His body to feed you unto life, to slake your thirst, to satisfy your soul. He is put into a manger, not only because He is rejected by men and there is no room for Him in Bethlehem’s inns, but also because He gives Himself to you as food on earth.
And if this great cosmic event causes angels to sing for joy, how much more should you, unto whom the Savior is born, sing and praise God’s holy Name? The Shepherd come to gather sheep. So follow Him. Be gathered. Rejoice and be glad. Behold the Godhead on earth, in the manger, wrapping Himself in your sins as a Man, subjecting Himself to your death. He is born unto you, a Savior.
Do not ask how this accomplished. Do not ask how God can be in the manger and in heaven at the same time, how He can be God and Man. You might as well ask how God can be in heaven and be present on all the Christians altars of the world in His body and blood. Where God wills, the order of nature is overturned. It is His nature, His creation, and He turns it as He pleases.
What we call science is but a feeble attempt to discern the laws and rules we can observe. It is most useful and is blessed by God, but there are things we cannot observe and there are things we mistake. In Christ, the the finite holds the infinite: God is Man, not as we observe, but as He promises. So also do we fail to comprehend or observe how it is that He is Alpha and Omega, without beginning and without end.
This is His will, His promise, and His grace. He is God. He is Man. He is born unto you and He is your Savior. He had the power and the right. He descended. He took up your flesh to make Himself a sacrifice on your behalf. Then He hurled Himself, denied Himself the full and constant use of His divine rights and powers - for a time, as a Man - so that He might suffer in your place and die. All things move in obedience to the Lord. Even thorns, nails, and spears move in obedience to the Lord. So also do census takers, Roman crosses, and even virgin wombs. It is His will to be born unto you, to be your Savior on earth. If He wills to take up flesh, to be God and man at the same time without compromising either, so it is. A Savior is born. Humanity is rescued. Hell is undone. You receive a reward you did not earn and reap where you did not sow.
You are more blessed than the holy angels. You have more cause to sing. Least in the kingdom of heaven, you are greater even that John the unbending Baptist.
The heavenly scene in Bethlehem will not last. The angels only sing there once. The ox and donkey go back to ox and donkey ways. And then things turn quite hellish for Bethlehem. The satan Herod vents his rage toward the little town. Christ the Lord, the Savior is exiled and chased about the earth until hell moves its focus to Galilee, and then to Jerusalem, driving pigs off cliffs, sowing betrayal into the hearts of friends, and crucifying the Son of God, on earth. All of this happens on earth. The city of peace becomes the city of injustice and idolatry.
But the Savior will not shrink from His course on earth. He is not afraid, nor is He hesitant. He was born unto you for this. They do not take His life from Him; He lays it down to have you. He was born unto you for this. And out of the grave He will spring back to life, a Man, body and soul, the second person of the Godhead, the Deity, the Savior, who was born unto you, alive out of death, to redeem and save you on earth.
Unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
This is all our hope, all our life, and our salvation. Thus do we sing with angelic joy: “Glory be to God on high and on earth, peace, good will toward men.” Jesus is born for you. Jesus lives for you that you may live with Him.
Merry Christmas dear Christians.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Imagine Bethlehem the night our Lord was born. God is there. He is recognized by ox and donkey, praised by angelic choirs. The stars adjust themselves to look down. It looks like heaven.
Don’t be fooled. Salvation is not in heaven. It is on earth, where the Savior was born for us earthlings. Heaven is not some distant place. It is here, on earth. Do not think that you need to ascend to God, that you must conquer heaven by violence or works; sneak in or charm the Lord. Nor do you enact heaven here by your deeds. Heaven comes down. Unto you is born a Savior, on earth, here. He has descended. He has leaped down from heaven.
I behold a new and wondrous mystery! My ears resound to the shepherd’s song. The angels sing. My heart is stirred. A Savior is born - unto me! - in Bethlehem, on earth. The archangels blend their voices in harmony. The cherubim resound their joyful praise. The seraphim exalt His glory.
But the Savior is not born for them, to angels and archangels, in heaven. He does not come to save angels. He is born for me! He comes to save me! Here on earth. A Savior. My Savior.
And yours. Unto you. He is born unto all of you. To shepherds and priests, dentists and police, soldiers and salesmen, children and retirees. He is born unto the good and bad, frequent attenders and once-a-year-stoppers by, to the faithful and not-so-faithful. A Savior is born unto you and He is no respecter of persons. He does not check pedigrees or attendance records. He is not impressed by the person who gives generously. He is not offended by the one who gives nothing. He is born unto all. He is born unto you.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, trading us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age. This is the cause of this holy feast. The Christ-Mass. It is holy food for holy people. That is, for you. Do not think that you are not holy. You are holy for the Lord God has declared you to be holy in His Son. Do you believe this? Do you want to?
For the proper feast this night is not the ham or the rack of lamb, but the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The feast this night is nothing less than His Body and Blood given in bread and wine. God has a body. God has a soul. God is a Man, born unto us, that the hearts of men might be glad and free of sin and come back to their Creator without shame or terror, but in joy.
The Savior is born unto you in Bethlehem, the House of Bread, on earth. It is no coincidence that He lacked a crib and was placed instead into a feeding trough. He was born unto you to be bread: bread for beasts, bread for wolves, and bread for sheep. He comes in His body to feed you unto life, to slake your thirst, to satisfy your soul. He is put into a manger, not only because He is rejected by men and there is no room for Him in Bethlehem’s inns, but also because He gives Himself to you as food on earth.
And if this great cosmic event causes angels to sing for joy, how much more should you, unto whom the Savior is born, sing and praise God’s holy Name? The Shepherd come to gather sheep. So follow Him. Be gathered. Rejoice and be glad. Behold the Godhead on earth, in the manger, wrapping Himself in your sins as a Man, subjecting Himself to your death. He is born unto you, a Savior.
Do not ask how this accomplished. Do not ask how God can be in the manger and in heaven at the same time, how He can be God and Man. You might as well ask how God can be in heaven and be present on all the Christians altars of the world in His body and blood. Where God wills, the order of nature is overturned. It is His nature, His creation, and He turns it as He pleases.
What we call science is but a feeble attempt to discern the laws and rules we can observe. It is most useful and is blessed by God, but there are things we cannot observe and there are things we mistake. In Christ, the the finite holds the infinite: God is Man, not as we observe, but as He promises. So also do we fail to comprehend or observe how it is that He is Alpha and Omega, without beginning and without end.
This is His will, His promise, and His grace. He is God. He is Man. He is born unto you and He is your Savior. He had the power and the right. He descended. He took up your flesh to make Himself a sacrifice on your behalf. Then He hurled Himself, denied Himself the full and constant use of His divine rights and powers - for a time, as a Man - so that He might suffer in your place and die. All things move in obedience to the Lord. Even thorns, nails, and spears move in obedience to the Lord. So also do census takers, Roman crosses, and even virgin wombs. It is His will to be born unto you, to be your Savior on earth. If He wills to take up flesh, to be God and man at the same time without compromising either, so it is. A Savior is born. Humanity is rescued. Hell is undone. You receive a reward you did not earn and reap where you did not sow.
You are more blessed than the holy angels. You have more cause to sing. Least in the kingdom of heaven, you are greater even that John the unbending Baptist.
The heavenly scene in Bethlehem will not last. The angels only sing there once. The ox and donkey go back to ox and donkey ways. And then things turn quite hellish for Bethlehem. The satan Herod vents his rage toward the little town. Christ the Lord, the Savior is exiled and chased about the earth until hell moves its focus to Galilee, and then to Jerusalem, driving pigs off cliffs, sowing betrayal into the hearts of friends, and crucifying the Son of God, on earth. All of this happens on earth. The city of peace becomes the city of injustice and idolatry.
But the Savior will not shrink from His course on earth. He is not afraid, nor is He hesitant. He was born unto you for this. They do not take His life from Him; He lays it down to have you. He was born unto you for this. And out of the grave He will spring back to life, a Man, body and soul, the second person of the Godhead, the Deity, the Savior, who was born unto you, alive out of death, to redeem and save you on earth.
Unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
This is all our hope, all our life, and our salvation. Thus do we sing with angelic joy: “Glory be to God on high and on earth, peace, good will toward men.” Jesus is born for you. Jesus lives for you that you may live with Him.
Merry Christmas dear Christians.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
RSS Feed