The Nativity of our Lord Christmas Day 2010

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: John 1:14
Theme: “Dwelling Among Us”

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

No wonder the angels sang “Glory to God in the highest!”1 God is as good as His word. In popular expression it means that someone can be trusted. It means we can count on them to carry out what they’ve said. With God we can be even more certain. The Good News of prophecy has become the final word of personhood. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”2 Jesus Christ, an infant in a manger embodies the fullness of the Godhead.

The beginning of John’s gospel is laden with the imagery of salvation. All the superlative themes are addressed: Light and darkness, sin and grace, life and death. John intends nothing less than to address the deepest of mysteries; to explain to the world the resolution to the quandary of the universe. The answers lie in the Word-made-flesh. Though symbolic in their meaning and comprehensive in their reach, these terms through which existence is characterized speak to concrete realities. The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, pure divine spirit, assuming human flesh in the manhood of Jesus of Nazareth; this is not an epic myth. God administers His rule through the crucified and risen Christ. This is the bedrock of our faith. John is a witness to these things.

God chooses to restore His creation in this manner. It’s not our place to query why. Why in this manner? We can never penetrate the mind of God beyond what He reveals to us in Scripture. Apart from the Scripture we can know nothing of God’s saving grace at all. This is because of the darkness of sin. Jon describes the situation this way, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”3 Dear friends, Christmas means that our lives are no longer dominated by the futility of temporal things. We are no longer trapped in the emptiness of our fleeting mortality. It’s a message the world desperately needs to hear.

People are searching for something to live for. They despair of any reason to exist. They find nothing worthwhile to put their hand to. Yes, they carry on from day to day but without purpose. How many seriously grapple with the question of what motivates them each day? How many are trapped in the drudgery of just making ends meet? So they chase riches and pleasures. They become absorbed in the hedonism and consumerism this world has to offer. Often times this ends in addiction, depression, and despair. Yes, the unbeliever can be quite proud and satisfied with himself. He can be full of self-confidence. He can value the ethical aspects of Christianity and even participate in its public celebrations. But the unbeliever knows not who he is, because he knows not or believes not what will become of him.
But don’t think for a moment that such indulgence cannot be pursued under the guise of respectability. Christians are not immune. Yes, it’s often the so-called ‘responsible’ people who are the most self-indulged. Our hearts are naturally drawn to these temptations. We dare not ever paint a picture of those with ungodly appetites that excludes ourselves. Christmas is never about polishing our own halos. If we use it as an opportunity to reassure ourselves that we’re doing the right things to stay in God’s favour in spite of our unrepentance, then we’re not truly here to worship Him, but to pacify our consciences. Christ comes for sinners. Period!
He wipes the slate clean. He gives us a new identity. The Scripture says, “To those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”4 Jesus says, “Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”5

If this truth cannot motivate you, inspire you, and energize you, even as it crushes you, humbles you, and chastens you, then your trust is not in the Offspring of Abraham and your hope is not in the Son of David. Then the Saviour born in Bethlehem is not really for you a Redeemer. He may be an object of intrigue or admiration. He may be feared as a Sovereign and Judge. He may even be acknowledged in time of crisis. But if He is not finally your sole hope and trust; then He is not your God. This Jesus, who entered through the Virgin’s womb, sojourned in a manger, hung from a cross; this living, breathing, flesh and blood man-He is the God who halts death and rescues from every foe. The Holy Spirit points you to this Bearer of Immortality with greater illumination than the brilliance by which the star led the Magi to the Child. Christian joy begins and ends here. It looks for nothing further.

Now that is not to say that you must conjure up an artificial joy and pretend to be filled with the Spirit’s inspiration. The joy of a Christian is often a quiet peace of mind and a spirit of contentment. These blessings come to rule the life of a Christian, which in all outward respects seems very ordinary. But it is in fact the picture of a pilgrim traversing a hostile land. This yoke of morality is heavy. This burden of sin’s corruption is draining. Daily spiritual sustenance is required to face it. God provides it through His word and sacraments and within Christ’s body, the church. Christ has made His dwelling among us. Here He dwells in bread and wine giving us His flesh and blood. He packs this sacrament with the promise of forgiveness and strength for the soul.

Dear friends, Christmas celebrations are still largely tolerated and even participated in by the wider society. But beyond this, attitudes are changing. When the world challenges us with the question of why we serve the God we do, when it ridicules such a ‘waste of time’, where do we turn? We remember that we are baptized! When our health collapses, our plans fail, and our livelihoods teeter on the brink-even over Christmas- we need not wonder whether our faith is strong enough. We remember Him who went from weakness to strength- for us. We remember that we are baptized into His name. When death itself is at the door we have confidence that it cannot win the final victory because Christ has mastered it. He is as good as His Word. The Child of Bethlehem is the King of the heavenly Jerusalem. He has made His dwelling among us and He shall reign forever and ever! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +

Nativity of our Lord
Christmas Day
25 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Luke 2:4
2 John 1:14
3 John 1:5
4 John 1:12
5 John 4:24