Christmas Eve

Luke 2:1-14 & Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 - Christmas Eve - December 24, 2013           
His Name Shall Be Called Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined…

…⁶ For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

The world walks in darkness.  People behave like fools when they can’t see where they’re going.  And so there’s no real surprise that the world seeks enlightenment where there is no light, and wisdom where there is no knowledge.  People think that if one is powerful, and if he can persuade the multitudes to behave and think as he tells them to, that this is the determining factor of what is true and good.  Oh, people deny this as they claim to seek justice and equality and all sorts of virtues.  They’ll walk according to their inner lights, but in the end, might always makes right.  The multitudes are invariably impressed by power.  They think they have control of their hearts, they think they know where their progress is taking them.  But their hearts are fickle and predictable, and the end result is always deeper and deeper darkness. 

Power can be seen all over the world as influential characters sway popular opinion, and as authoritative figures impose their will on the masses.  These two forces usually go hand-in-hand.  Just think, for example, of the homosexualist agenda that has in the past couple decades gained so much momentum.  Who would have thought even when I was a young boy that it would get to this?  That’s power!  Hardly, though, can we think of anything darker and more damaging to the soul than slavery to sexual perversion.  But enough celebrities speak in favor of it, and enough judges spout their opinions about it and the next thing you know, what was once universally regarded as shameful is now defended tooth and nail — even against the kindest and most thoughtful attempts to rebuke it.  True Christian concern for sinners who need to repent and find mercy in Christ is now mocked and condemned as hate speech.  So-called progress is power all right — it is the power of darkness. 

Brothers and sisters, the world walks in darkness.  It always has.  But God is not like the world.  He stands in light.  He stands in his own light.  He is light.  And it is he who orders all the affairs of this world.  Now that’s something to consider, especially when it looks like things must be way out of his control.  But consider the affairs of this world. 

2000 years ago, Caesar Augustus reigned over the mighty Roman Empire, which was steeped more deeply in sexual perversion and idolatry than even our own American empire.  Caesar regarded himself as a god – others did too.  People worship power, remember; they always have.  He had power.  He made a decree and the world obeyed. The word for decree in Greek is dogma.  You know that word.  Dogma. It’s usually seen in a negative light because it smacks of religious inflexibility and intolerance.  But the world has its dogma too.  And when these dogmas are uttered, like in the case of Caesar, or Hollywood, the world bends.  And woe to you if you oppose!  What an impressive feat this was for Caesar Augustus.  What a massive movement of people he caused.  He decrees and all bow to his dogma.  He speaks and the world listens to his command. 

All people under his reign travelled to the home of their fathers in order to be counted and taxed.  But in these events that seemed to exalt Caesar’s dominion and influence, God took note of all people born – dead, forgotten, and yet to come. By Caesar’s decree, which he took to be very important, God caused a humble virgin in whose womb rested the almighty and eternal God to travel with her husband to their ancestral town, the city of David.  The world that sat in darkness saw Caesar being obeyed.  But God was there ordering all things according to his wisdom so that Christ might be obedient in our place.  Caesar would have had no power at all had it not been given to him by God who desired Jesus to be born in Bethlehem.

Isn’t it funny that Augustus thought this dogma of his was so important?  But who would even remember the decree of Caesar Augustus were it not for the Christmas story we Christians listen to every year?  Rome has long since fallen and all the coins with Caesar’s inscription are prized as mere curiosities of history.  And who even remembers who Quirinius was?  But through this otherwise forgotten decree of ancient history, God provided that his ancient promise would be kept — that the Savior would one day be born in Bethlehem. 

In the city of David, when all the world dwelling under the dark shadow of death thought that the biggest thing going on was the decree of Caesar Augustus, God had a bigger thing going on.  He sent his Son as the Light of the world. 

It seems like some pretty big things are going on today – things that undermine the influence of the Church, things that are meant to hurt us.  But do not fear.  God cares about history.  He cares what happens from millennium to millennium.  He cares what happens from year to year.  He cares about Rome, Persia, China, and about America.  He cares about your day-to-day as mundane and soiled with sin as it might be.  And just as he ordered events in Roman Palestine 2000 years ago to facilitate the birth of Christ in the city of David, so also he orders the affairs of our fallen world today to facilitate the coming of Christ to you. 

But proof of God’s loving concern for us is not found in the decrees of the world’s movers and shakers, or in the “progress” that people like to brag about and impose on others.  No, proof of God’s care is found in the fact that, in spite of all this and even in the midst of it, and even through it, God sent his Son, and that he continues in the same conditions to send his Son through the message of the gospel today. 

Yes, God could have spoken his Word, and all the earth would have bent and crumbled.  But instead, he sent his Word to take on human flesh and blood to have mercy on the very kind of unbelief and self-righteousness that makes us so angry in this world today.  He has mercy on that!  That is where the light shines.  In the darkness.  And this is good, because he therefore has mercy on you.  See yourselves in the shepherds: 

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.” 

Of course they were.  They were in darkness.  Their eyes had adjusted to darkness.  How much more so does the eye of the soul adjust itself to its own sin — so that the world outside of us looks so sinful and so damnable until we begin to make ourselves the standard of true light and purity?  And as surely as your eyes are burned by the midnight turning-on of the lights while you’re trying to sleep, so also the shepherds had no idea how dark it was until the bright glory of the Lord almighty shone around them!  In this way these shepherds learned to be afraid of God.  It was not only their eyes that stung.  They were sinners.  And in an instant they knew it like never before.  They realized what darkness was in their own hearts.  We must realize this too.  There is no sin that the world defends, that God’s word condemns, that grosses us out, that does not also have its source within each one of us.  In order to know the light of God’s grace, we must know that we are sitting with the rest of the world in the land of the shadow of death.  The world is dark because of what proceeds from our hearts.  By the brightness of the law, we must learn with the shepherds to be sorely afraid of what it reveals in us. 

But to the shepherds the angeL also gave a decree.  Not a decree like Caesar to gather here and there to be taxed.  But a gracious decree that directed them to where God would take upon himself what humanity owed.  He dogmatically spoke what they needed to hear – and we need to hear it too:

“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

The glory that terrifies you – yes, and you were right to be afraid – the glory that the law reflects – is the very glory of God who now rests at his mother’s breast – for you.  This is good news.  He comes not to condemn.  He comes to turn your fear into joy, to take the sin and darkness of all mankind into himself.  He comes to obey the very demands that make you afraid, or embarrassed, or unworthy to come to God, because you have disobeyed.  But he takes your unworthiness upon himself.  He takes your reason to be afraid away.  He suffers in your place, because he is your Savior.

We do not find our acceptance from God, our special status with him, by looking at how dark it is out there and how light it is in here.  No, the law is intended to even that out.  Instead we go to the same place that the angel directed the shepherds.  It’s where he directs all people – including those who continue to sit in darkness.  It is where Jesus is.  Only the good news of Jesus’ birth can adjust our eyes from darkness to light so that we see clearly.  

The shepherds received a sign:

You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”  

So also, we are given a sign.  We are pointed outside of ourselves.  We are pointed to where Christ comes to us in humility in his word and sacraments.  We are pointed to where it appears that God is helpless to really address the real problems of the world.   But by the gospel decree that enlightens our hearts, we know that true power is found right here where God takes our sins away and the sins of the whole world wandering in the darkness of sin.  It is where the Word made flesh makes his home in our hearts as surely as he once made his cradle in a manger. 

And that is why the angels taught us to sing as we do:

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

God’s glory on high is found here below where he makes peace with sinners by shedding his blood on the cross.  And he shows us his favor today where he continues to rule our hearts and consciences with the forgiveness of our sins. 

This is what makes Jesus our Everlasting Father.  It is the same thing that makes him our Prince of Peace.  Isaiah says that the Child born to us will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  To call Jesus Everlasting Father is not to confuse him with the first person of the Trinity, who sent his Son to be our Savior.  Rather, it is to say that it is Jesus who orders and governs all things to work for our best.  And how?  By bringing us peace – peace with the Father who is reconciled to us through the blood he shed.  And this is true no matter what the world says.  We do not come to know the Father by ascending to where he is above – by escaping this world, but by seeking where Jesus is below – right here were we are.  As Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.”  And we know where to see him. 

In the same way we do not find God’s glory by ascending on high (Glory to God in the highest).  No, we find it here below where he gives sinners peace with God (And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!).  Jesus is our Prince of Peace.  Where his gospel is heard, divine light continues to shine into the darkness of the world – into the darkness of our hearts.  This is why we celebrate Christmas.  

God joins us in our helplessness to change the world let alone our own hearts, and so in him we find the true Light who brings lasting joy to all men.  Christ joins us in our darkness and guilt, and so we find a good conscience forever before God in heaven.  Amen.