Christmas 2024

                                                 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled IRS. 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.

What does Christmas mean to you? That’s a great question. I asked my Google AI, and it provided these answers. Christmas is a time to make memories with loved ones through dinner parties, coffee dates, or baking cookies. Other people say that this a time to appreciate what you have and to give gifts to others. Maybe it is a time for healing, renewed unity, and strength; or a time to bring peace into the world. For Christians, Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ as the incarnation, when God became human. Some say that Christmas is a time to remember Jesus’ arrival on Earth and to give thanks for the gift of love, hope, and joy that he brought.

That’s not bad for artificial intelligence. However, AI has its limits, and creativity is one of them. You won’t find any relation between Christmas and the IRS because I just created that myself. There you go, for this Christmas, I am giving you the IRS as a present. Happy?

Let’s break down what the acronym IRS can mean besides what we know it is. By the way, AI also tells me that there are 97 other meanings of IRS with the top ones being I’ll Return Shortly and Inherited Runners Scored. Today, it’s a way to remember Incarnation, Resurrection and Sanctification. Now, I will unwrap those words in that order.

Incarnation. When is the last time you thought about the Incarnation? Its roots are Latin. Incarnationem means the act of being made flesh. The word is composed of two smaller Latin words: in meaning the same in English, and caro meaning flesh. Incarnation is the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ.

The Incarnation of Jesus Christ is the mystery of the Word made Flesh. Martin Luther taught that a mystery is something we cannot explain or simply understand how something happens, but we take the truth at face value. We take at face value the mystery of a small thin wheat wafer and a tiny cup of wine as the true Body and Blood of Christ with, in and under the form of bread and wine.

2,000 years ago, when St. John wrote these six words into his Gospel, he may not have realized that the phrase would be crucial for understanding the birth of Jesus Christ. The words, “and the Word was made Flesh” (1:14), were so vital to Christianity that the Fathers of the Church incorporated them into the Nicene Creed, and we recite it every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. That Creed brings us to ponder how an all-powerful, all-knowing, eternal God could empty Himself into human flesh where He is a weak, finite baby capable of suffering, sickness and death.

If Christmas is a time when we remember Jesus’ birth, we must ask who Jesus is because historical figures pique people’s interest. Whether books were written about Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Washington, Lincoln or Mother Teresa, the ink and the paper would fill this church. Yet, the number of books, documentaries, paintings and sculptures of Jesus Christ far exceed any other historical figure. So, the Incarnation begs us to ask who Jesus was.

Jesus referred to himself as Son of Man, and one day asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” After saying that he was one of the prophets, Jesus pressed them. “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter’s answer set Jesus above all the prophets who were the adopted sons of God; it made Him the natural Son of God. This natural Divine Sonship was made known to Peter only by a special revelation. Flesh and blood did not reveal the true identity to Peter, only Jesus’ Father in heaven. Jesus assumed this important title, the Christ, and admitted that He is the Son of God in the real sense of the word. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior. Jesus is your Savior. Jesus is my Savior.

Now, we all have pictures of our loved ones hanging on our walls, sitting on our desks, posted on our social media pages and embedded in our phones. What about Jesus? Do you have a picture or painting of Jesus in your home? Have you hung a cross or better yet, a crucifix, on your wall?

In our home during the Christmas Season, we position a ceramic nativity set in a prominent place so that we can meditate on the Incarnation. That an almighty, awesome God would take on human flesh within the womb of the Virgin Mary for nine months, and be born as everyone of us is unfathomable. The nativity set helps us appreciate this mystery.

Resurrection. Let’s move on to the Resurrection. In four months, we will celebrate the most spectacular event not only in Jesus’ life, but also in history. How do we fathom the mystery of the Resurrection? The mystery of a man dead for three days raised to new life, eternal life? Again, as Luther said, we cannot understand or explain it, but we can accept it by faith and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Also hanging in our home is an original painting given to me by an artist, a Sister of Divine Providence, more than 30 years ago. It is a painting of the Crucified Christ. From a distance you see Christ hanging on His Cross. Step closer and you see Mother Mary and St. John the Beloved Disciple, flanking Him. Stand within a foot of the painting, and it reveals to your eyes a myriad of saints and angels surrounding His throne, His Cross. To speak of the Resurrection means that you must speak of Christ’s Crucifixion. The wood of the crib becomes the wood of the cross.

Last month, we remembered all those who died over the past year. For some, death is the end of life. Many people do not believe in an afterlife. For them, there is no hope or future; no punishment or hell; no heaven or an unmerited reward. There is nothing further in the mind or heart of the unbeliever. Sad, but true.

But for the believer, the Christian, the Resurrection means that you will be raised on the Last Day. On that Day, all the dead will be raised and all will be judged by the Glorious Christ. On that Day, all apparent contradictions will be perfectly and happily resolved. On that Day, your sufferings and trials will make sense, for God will make all things new.

Folks, the resurrection of the dead is one of the neglected portions of the Apostles’ Creed. Even though we recite this Creed often, we may miss out on the inexpressible, glorious hope which God promises us. Just as Christ has been raised from the dead, we too shall be raised to new life. That is Christ’s promise to you, and God does not break His promises. And finally, we move from Resurrection to Sanctification.

Sanctification. Martin Luther’s Large Catechism explains the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe that the Holy Spirit makes me holy by the Christian Church, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” In this life, we need the Church, through which our sins are forgiven for the sake of Jesus Christ. Daily contrition and repentance is necessary to start new, to start fresh. And so, every day we recall our sins and our Baptism. We ask God for forgiveness and accept His free gift of grace, the forgiveness of our sins.

Again, Luther in the Large Catechism: “We will come forth gloriously and arise in a new, eternal life of entire and perfect holiness.” Daily, we grow in sanctification, but still contend with sin. One day, our struggle against sin, death, and the power of the devil will be over. We will no longer fight against the infernal foe, but shall shine like the stars, at peace for all time.

On this Christmas Day, throughout this Christmas Season, and beyond the celebration of Epiphany, how do we live lives of sanctification? Well, we’re off to a good start. We are gathered here to worship our Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We are challenged, comforted and enthused by God’s Word; nourished and strengthened by Christ’s Body and Blood; forgiven of our sins.

In about thirty minutes, we will leave here to return to our homes and love our family members and neighbors by exchanging gifts and breaking bread. However, that feeling may last no longer than this sermon. The so-called “magic” of Christmas lasts no longer than the happy ending of a Hallmark movie. Before New Year’s Day, most of us are back to the old grind, personifying the Old Adam. So, what’s the solution?

Friends, there is no “solution.” There is only sanctification. There is only practice. Daily, you must submerge yourself in the Word longer than you immerse yourself in Wordle. Daily, you must truly forgive your spouse, your children, your parents and your neighbor because God has forgiven you. Daily you must go beyond being a believer; you must practice being a saint. Daily you must be more than a group or believers or simply a sole congregation; you must practice what you profess and be a communion of saints. Because God has sanctified each and every one of you, you must make Christmas today and every day for at least one person or many people by loving God and loving neighbor.

Nine days ago, Cindy and I did something that made a lot of people happy if only for a few minutes or an hour. We brought Maggie to church and then Cindy took her Christmas caroling. In comparison to hearing God’s Word and receiving Christ’s Body and Blood, Maggie’s presence does not compare, but for those residents at the Beaver Falls Personal Care Home, taking Maggie there made many people feel loved. Unfortunately, most of you do not have a Maggie, and you may not want to take your dog to a personal care home.

So, in the spirit of Martin Luther, who often railed about people’s bad behavior in his Christmas sermons before he reminded them of their daily duty to love God AND neighbor, let me conclude with this. When you love God and neighbor, you properly celebrate Christmas (Incarnation), Easter (Resurrection) and life (Sanctification) every day. That said, I pray that you enjoy not only a Merry Christmas, but also a Christ-filled life. Live Christmas daily, and may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.