Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. (Eph 1)
Jesus speaks to us, this Christmass Eve, from His holy Scripture and many hymns.
But, Pastor, why are we wasting our time with all these musty, Old Testament readings? This is not what Christmas is about. It’s about the nice, fluffy story of sweet, 8 lb 6oz. baby Jesus. So can we please hurry up so that we can get on with the evening?
Let me tell you; for the same reason we read the Old Testament, was Jesus born in the darkness. These Old Testament readings remind us of the state of our hearts at this moment and the state of the entirety of time in that moment. Even winter reminds us that we are in the darkness of our sin, which does not want God’s kingdom to come nor His Name to be hallowed.
Jesus was born into the sin and corruption of this world’s darkness to remind us why He came and who He came for. He is an infant now, but He does not stay this way. We have been praying for Christmas to come so that Jesus would step out of heaven to BEGIN His work. That work being His death and resurrection for the redemption and salvation of us sinners.
Braving spears, false piety, and corrupt justice systems, Jesus the Christ breaks into our world as a child. If a child can break through, what kind of watch is kept on us now? Not a good one. Sin, death, and the devil do not stop Jesus from entering the virgin’s womb and being born sinless, to die for sinners.
And it’s not just this one night, Christians. Jesus does not only come down this night to give us joy to the world, peace, comfort, hark the herald angels, mistletoe, and presents to pretty little girls. Jesus dwells with His people. He comes down to serve them Faith and forgiveness every Divine Service in which His Gospel is preached in its purity and His Body and Blood eaten and drunk according to it.
This is what Christmas is all about: God’s Divines Service. It’s about the fact that we don’t have to go on vacation to find Jesus. We don’t have to commune with nature to gain peace. We don’t have to get away from it all or know it all to gain enlightenment. Jesus puts Himself, along with all the things His Gospel promises, in a nice little box for us in a manger. And He’s as easy to find as a present under a tree.
Jesus is He Who crushes the serpent’s head. Jesus is He Who is offered instead of Isaac. Jesus is He Who breaks our darkness to increase our gladness. He is the wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the Prince of Peace. He is the Root of Jesse and our Judge and we are going to hear how He accomplishes this.
In the next set of readings is where we hear this. Jesus completes His work in humility and service, Divine Service, the exact opposite of what we would do if we had to save the world. In humility, He takes our sin as His own, forgiving us of it forever, dying on the cross. In service He comes down to wash us in Baptism, to speak to us in the Gospel, and to feed us all of these glorious and wonderful things in Body and Blood.
Jesus places Himself in a box so that you can find Him every time you look for Him. He is in His Church, as He promised, given for you for the forgiveness of your sins. He then dwells within you, constantly forgiving and bringing you to Life and to Light from death and darkness.
Jesus marches from the Old Testament and the darkness of prophesy and the manger, to the divine revelation and wisdom of the cross. He wraps Himself in Moses and the prophets, Bread and wine, to assure you that He really has come in this manner and that this is how He’s going to accomplish His work of saving you. In water, in Word, and in Body and Blood.
Jesus speaks to us, this Christmass Eve, from His holy Scripture and many hymns.
But, Pastor, why are we wasting our time with all these musty, Old Testament readings? This is not what Christmas is about. It’s about the nice, fluffy story of sweet, 8 lb 6oz. baby Jesus. So can we please hurry up so that we can get on with the evening?
Let me tell you; for the same reason we read the Old Testament, was Jesus born in the darkness. These Old Testament readings remind us of the state of our hearts at this moment and the state of the entirety of time in that moment. Even winter reminds us that we are in the darkness of our sin, which does not want God’s kingdom to come nor His Name to be hallowed.
Jesus was born into the sin and corruption of this world’s darkness to remind us why He came and who He came for. He is an infant now, but He does not stay this way. We have been praying for Christmas to come so that Jesus would step out of heaven to BEGIN His work. That work being His death and resurrection for the redemption and salvation of us sinners.
Braving spears, false piety, and corrupt justice systems, Jesus the Christ breaks into our world as a child. If a child can break through, what kind of watch is kept on us now? Not a good one. Sin, death, and the devil do not stop Jesus from entering the virgin’s womb and being born sinless, to die for sinners.
And it’s not just this one night, Christians. Jesus does not only come down this night to give us joy to the world, peace, comfort, hark the herald angels, mistletoe, and presents to pretty little girls. Jesus dwells with His people. He comes down to serve them Faith and forgiveness every Divine Service in which His Gospel is preached in its purity and His Body and Blood eaten and drunk according to it.
This is what Christmas is all about: God’s Divines Service. It’s about the fact that we don’t have to go on vacation to find Jesus. We don’t have to commune with nature to gain peace. We don’t have to get away from it all or know it all to gain enlightenment. Jesus puts Himself, along with all the things His Gospel promises, in a nice little box for us in a manger. And He’s as easy to find as a present under a tree.
Jesus is He Who crushes the serpent’s head. Jesus is He Who is offered instead of Isaac. Jesus is He Who breaks our darkness to increase our gladness. He is the wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the Prince of Peace. He is the Root of Jesse and our Judge and we are going to hear how He accomplishes this.
In the next set of readings is where we hear this. Jesus completes His work in humility and service, Divine Service, the exact opposite of what we would do if we had to save the world. In humility, He takes our sin as His own, forgiving us of it forever, dying on the cross. In service He comes down to wash us in Baptism, to speak to us in the Gospel, and to feed us all of these glorious and wonderful things in Body and Blood.
Jesus places Himself in a box so that you can find Him every time you look for Him. He is in His Church, as He promised, given for you for the forgiveness of your sins. He then dwells within you, constantly forgiving and bringing you to Life and to Light from death and darkness.
Jesus marches from the Old Testament and the darkness of prophesy and the manger, to the divine revelation and wisdom of the cross. He wraps Himself in Moses and the prophets, Bread and wine, to assure you that He really has come in this manner and that this is how He’s going to accomplish His work of saving you. In water, in Word, and in Body and Blood.
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