Christmas Eve

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. Merry Christmas …  My focus is the Gospel of Luke, Chapter Two. … Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman!

Superman, my favorite superhero. I read Superman comic books, watched the TV series and the movies. Superman was born Kal-El on the alien planet Krypton to Jor-El and Lara. Rocketed to earth, found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, he was renamed Clark Kent. He grew up in Smallville, where he and his adoptive parents discovered his superhuman powers. Fortunately, for us, the Kents taught Clark to use these powers responsibly to help others and fight crime.

We want to know about people’s origins, even fictional ones. We inquire where this person was born, where he went to school and who his parents are. Aware that people want to know, parents proudly announce to the world the entry of son, daughter, niece, nephew and grandbabies. A few:

We joyfully announce the birth of Lauren Anne June 21^st at 5:15 p.m. 7 pounds, 4 ounces.

Our home has grown by two feet! David Jonas Peterson born on November 22^nd. Weight: 8 lb. 3 oz. Length: 17 inches.

Look who dropped in! Please share our joy at the arrival of our daughter Meredith Teresa, May 23^rd. 6 lb. 11 oz.16 inches.

Who will ever forget this one? The Duchess of Cambridge has been delivered of a son. 22^nd July 2013. Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm. The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.

The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight.

The announcement also named the medical staff who delivered the baby; the fact that he is third in the line of succession after His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge; and that a formal notice of the birth will be posted on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

What does all of this have to do with Luke narrating Caesar’s decree and the events in the life of Joseph and Mary? Well, just as proud parents and princes announce the birth of boys and girls, the angels announce the birth of the Savior in dramatic fashion, trumping any announcement by parents, princes or Caesar. Caesar? Were the ancient Christians comparing Jesus to Caesar? Yes. Archeologists discovered a proclamation in Turkey that dated back nine years before Jesus’ birth. The inscription says that it was good for the city to celebrate the evangelium, the “good news,” of the birth of Caesar Augustus, the savior of the world. Augustus was seen as the Son of God, since his father through adoption, Julius Caesar, had been deified. Some of the first instances of the term “good news” is used in relationship to Augustus, almost at the same time as the birth of Jesus.

Luke has angels announce the birth of Jesus as Son of God because He is the true Savior, the Son of God, one greater than the Caesar. With that, we turn to our text by examining first the message of the angels and then the response of the shepherds before discussing how we put our faith into action.

Who are the angels? In verse 9, the angel does not reveal his name, but given that the angel in 1:19 and 1:26 identifies himself as Gabriel, we can assume he is the same.

His message is, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Since fear was a common reaction to angelic appearances, a few words of reassurance and encouragement were given. Then the message - Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke used “today” at least 10 times. “Today” indicates a new era has begun and something urgent is happening at this very moment.

The titles applied to this baby include Savior, Messiah and Lord. He is the expected Messiah, but he is also Lord. Before this, the title Lord is applied only to God. The Jews did not view the Messiah as God. So, to announce that the expected one, the Messiah, is also Lord means that he is God.

The Jews were also expecting the Messiah to be a Savior who would deliver them from sickness and physical hardship. Instead, this announcement reveals the Savior would deliver them from sin and death. Humanity’s true Savior is not Caesar Augustus, but Jesus Christ.

The message continues. “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Some translations read “swaddling clothes.” Mothers swaddled or tightly wrapped infants for various reasons. The significance, however, is not that Mary wrapped Jesus, but the only other time we hear about Jesus wrapped in cloth is when Peter bent down to look into the tomb. “He saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.” Luke ties the birth of Jesus to His death and resurrection.

After that, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” We know this as “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” the first words of the Latin Vulgate translation and the root of the Church’s great liturgical hymn.

The words “on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” literally reads “To men (who are the object) of (God’s) benevolence” or “To men of benevolence.” There is debate on the exact meaning of this verse. Some commentators state that it means peace is assumed to all, while others state that peace is “only to those pleasing to God – the objects of his good pleasure.” The problem in determining the exact intention is that there is no comma in Greek and one does not know when to pause. Even if it means that God’s peace is extended to all people, Luke does not imply loose living is legitimate. More than any other New Testament writer, Luke issues the call of repentance.

If we tie the hymn, verse 14 to verse 20, we see, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” “Luke’s main point, which links God’s glory in the highest with peace on earth for the humble – those on whom His favor rests – would have been lost had the passage raised only the matter of Jesus’ identity.” Humbly born, Christ was a Savior for the humble, those with whom God was well pleased.

Now, what about the shepherds? Matthew says Magi were the first to the Christ, but Luke says there were shepherds. The shepherds live in the fields year-round protecting the flock reserved for temple sacrifice against thieves and predatory animals.

Shepherds echo David’s humble origins as a shepherd; and in keeping with Luke’s theme of poverty, the shepherds are lowly people. Shepherds also reflect Luke’s theme of joy in the face of God’s salvation breaking into humanity. God has saved you from your sins. That is reason enough to rejoice! … Are you smiling?

The shepherds could also be a stand-in for biblical Israel, since the Shepherd-Sheep image is a common metaphor to describe Israel’s relationship with God. However, in the first century shepherds were not highly regarded. They were not clean because they were with sheep all the time. So, depending on your point of view, the presence of shepherds is either very interesting or odd. But since Luke is always promoting the odd person out as the privileged one, it stands to reason that we’re supposed to see these shepherds as those privileged outsiders who acknowledge Jesus. That continues throughout the gospel. Tax collectors and prostitutes are favored. The people that you don’t think are worthy to be with Jesus really are.

Lastly, I see the shepherds as model believers. They are evangelists running to tell Joseph and Mary what was revealed to them. They are joyful apostles who just witnessed the Risen Lord’s birth, leaving that place praising and glorifying God. We are model believers, evangelists and apostles – believing, announcing and praising God.

So, there you have it – the message of the angels and the response of the shepherds. It’s like we removed the gift wrapping and opened the box, and saw what Luke gave the world – the most memorable birth announcement of Jesus through angelic choirs, and shepherds rejoiced heartily, glorifying and praising God! … But I would be remiss if I stopped there, wished you a Merry Christmas and dismissed you from this service. As I said, earlier, we would also discuss how we put our faith into action.

Friends, not only with the birth of Jesus did a new era begin. Not only did something urgent happen 2,000 years ago. Today, in our communities something urgent is happening at this very moment! A new era has begun.

Where is this happening? When did it begin? It’s happening here – in this church – and in your minds and hearts. You heard the Good News, the story of Jesus’ birth. You know the story of his birth maybe better than you know the story of your own. That’s great news! You know more about his origins than you know about your favorite superhero or superstar. That is wonderful news! You have received his peace. You have been granted salvation.

The shepherds glorified and praised God for all they heard and saw. What we hear and see each Sunday is greater than that – for they knew the Christ child, but we know the Christ man. The Christ child evoked jubilation. The Christ man accomplished salvation. Through his birth, the Christ child offers hope. Through the Paschal Mystery – His suffering, death and resurrection, the Christ man fulfilled that hope.

Through Christ, God accomplished our salvation and gave us Word and Sacrament as the means to remember that each Sunday. For that reason alone, should we not glorify and praise God? Should we not do that each day of our lives? Wouldn’t that be like celebrating Christmas every day? So, how do we put our faith into action and celebrate Christmas every day? The opportunities are endless – from a simple greeting of “God bless you,” to a response to a kind deed done unto you, “Thank you, and God bless you.” You can post inspirational Scripture passages online and refrain from liking politically correct or incorrect posts. Maybe the Holy Spirit is inspiring you to reach across the fence or across the ocean to someone in need of hope.

A couple of years ago, I read an article on the vanishing Christians in Iraq and Egypt. It began by telling the account of a group of neighbors who gather at a monastery founded in the fourth century. They unload baskets of food, and arrange themselves around a long table in a courtyard. A woman spreads out a tablecloth and put down a plate of food. “It’s a way of celebrating that we still exist,” she said. More people arrived—children, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and distant relations—members of one of the oldest Christian communities in the world who had not seen one another for three years.

It’s a way of celebrating that we still exist. Friends, how will we glorify and praise God as our fellow Christians are forced to flee their lands due to Christian persecution or a dismal future? Before the end of the week, the world will turn its eyes from Christmas and focus on 2021, how will we keep the Spirit of Christ alive in our hearts, minds, words and deeds?

I suggest that we thank God for the example of Christians who glorify and praise God simply because they exist amidst persecution and hopelessness, for when we do, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.