Christmas Day Service

Exordium

“…you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you (John 16:22).” These words from Jesus to His disciples come long after the Christmas account; they’re from the time when He is preparing them for His death and eventual ascension into heaven.

But the joy He’s talking about them needing and wanting is the same as the sort you seek on this Christmas morning. All of it is part of the same package. Like Jesus’ disciples, you sit here this morning with things on your mind. You want the joy that comes from having peace with God—knowing that you are His dear child, that He doesn’t hold your sins against you, that you don’t face an angry judgment. Settle yourself here, now, in God’s House. This is the place to have come to hear the soothing message.

But you sit this morning and wonder, could such salve be intended also for me? What about the secret sins—the burdens I’ve carried all these years, things about which I’ve never dared tell anyone else (but God knows); are you telling me, Pastor, that even those things are to be addressed in this soothing Christmas morning message? Yes, it’s true: the One Whose death and Resurrection will address every one of your sins is the One Who comes on this Christmas morning. God comes to be with you. He comes to be your Savior from sin and death. He comes that your heart might rejoice forevermore.

This is where the joy comes from, which we now sing in our festival hymn verse:

Hymn #142 “Rejoice, Rejoice, This Happy Morn”

Sermon

John 1:14-18

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. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)  For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

St. Paul says in our epistle lesson a thing that is so appropriate to say on a Christmas morning: the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men (maybe we should say that instead of, Merry Christmas!). The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Isaiah had prophesied it long before as recorded in our Old Testament lesson: the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.” In St. Matthew’s quoting of this passage, he adds that Immanuel is translated, God with us (1:23).

St. John is talking about it in our sermon text as well, though in a different way than we might be used to hearing. He isn’t giving a history lesson about a taxing that took place one time during the Roman Empire. He isn’t talking about Joseph and Mary making a long journey, with her just about ready to give birth to a child. He isn’t talking about swaddling clothes or a manger. Nothing about shepherds and their flocks, and angels bringing good tidings of great joy. Those things are in our Gospel lesson for today. They’re the things on the Christmas cards and ornaments. They’re all facts about Christmas, of course.

John’s is an alternate telling of the Christmas account in a way. While St. Luke’s -from our Gospel lesson- focuses entirely on what happens on this side of eternity—this side that takes place in time (where we wait; and at a certain moment, a child comes into the world), the origin of the Christmas account is before time. It is about the only Son from the Father—the eternal one.

John has already begun his gospel talking rather obscurely like this: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Then, he talks about everything having been made through Him (this Word), Him having life in Himself—the light of men. But John doesn’t really say, yet, who this Word is. Someone reading it who doesn’t know anything about Jesus or about the Bible might ask the question: Who is this Word Who was with God in the beginning?

Knowing what you know, John’s continuing conversation about John the Baptist coming to bear witness of [this] light gives a pretty good clue. We’ve been talking about that other John these last couple of weeks, the fiery preacher, the baptizer, the friend of the Bridegroom, the one who willingly, gladly recedes into the background in order that the Christ might increase and be seen by the world as the One to Whom people should go for forgiveness and salvation.

Our sermon text is the point in John’s conversation in which what has been happening in eternity breaks into this temporal world: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. It’s a magical moment. If we were seeing it in a movie, there might be a bright light out of the darkness that fills up the screen. There might be majestic music accompanying the moment. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. It’s an eternally-minded way of saying what can be said more temporally-minded like this: And [Mary] brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger.

But we aren’t talking about this this morning just because a child was born. Our joy in this season isn’t some mumbo jumbo about a new life symbolizing hope for a better world, or any such nonsense that someone might think simply upon seeing a baby on a Christmas card. The season isn’t about hope in general; it’s about a specific hope, a specific joy related to the coming of a specific child long-prophesied, long-promised.

St. John sets two things in contrast to each other in our text, namely Moses’ significance, and Christ’s significance. And it isn’t really about Moses specifically; it’s about what Moses represents. He was representing the same thing when he appeared with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration. The same point was being made in that whole account (in which Jesus, flanked by Moses and Elijah, became white as light to the terror of the three disciples—Matt. 17:1-8). Moses is the one who had gone up on Mt. Sinai to receive from God (and then present to the people) His Law. The Bible forever links him to God’s Commandments, His requirements for all people of all time. The people must be perfect under these requirements, or be apart from God. It’s that simple.

John is writing his Gospel in order to give joy to his readers; but the mention of the Law isn’t what ever brings joy. The Law is a fearful proposition for every person who would ever read John’s words. It is everyone’s guilty conscience. It is what condemns the selfish for his selfishness, the liar for his lies, the slanderer for his slander, the hater for his hatred, the adulterer for his adultery. The Law is what makes you squirm in your seat every time the preacher hits on just the sort of sin you’re most bothered by, the sort that makes you feel especially slimy, makes you feel apart from God. The Law doesn’t bring any joy. Moses (and more importantly, the Law he represents) isn’t the star of this text. He’s the one the star is compared to so we can see how great the star is.

To that point, John continues with these words: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. What the serpent had presented as the truth to our first parents hadn’t been the truth—that they could stand shoulder to shoulder with God if they disobeyed Him. The imagining in the nature of all of their offspring, that they can be good enough for God through the works of the Law isn’t the truth either. The righteousness of Jesus Christ given for them for forgiveness of sins and salvation is the truth. God’s grace to put the burden of all peoples’ guilt on His only Son so that He might pay their price, restoring them to God is the truth.

That Savior inviting you to His Table this morning, so that He might nourish you with the food that strengthens and comforts you as you wait for Him in this world is the truth. He gives His true body and blood along with the bread and wine so that you might have Him with you. You have in this Sacrament, the remission of sins that is promised in it, and the peace in that.

I greet you, then, this morning with the most joyous of Christmas Day greetings: the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. He has appeared also to you, so that all that kept you from God is removed. Your sins are forgiven. Eternal life is yours. The eternal Word became flesh for you. Amen.

Isaiah 7:10–14

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz,  “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.”

Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.

St. Luke 2:1-14

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”