Christmas Eve 2011

Christmas Eve 12/24/11 Text: Luke Title: Behold Your God! This weekend is a special time, for we have two days, today and Sunday, to worship the one who came to earth for you; our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a great time for the people of God to come together and worship him, so we can make a statement to the world, as to who is King of our lives. For the past four Sundays of Advent leading up to today we have been looking at what "God Incarnate" means. For those who might be here today who may not be familiar with the term “God Incarnate” it means “God in the flesh”. In other words “God Incarnate” is Jesus; Immanuel, God with us. During those four weeks of study we learned why God had to come himself to be one of us instead of sending an angel or a really good person like Saint Nicholas or Saint Jerome, or Saint Paul, or any other saintly person to accomplish what he wanted to do. We learned that God had to come himself because angels after God threw out of heaven those angels that revolted against him can no longer sin or die. We also found out that a human, no matter how saintly they were would not work either, for all humans are descendants of Adam and Eve and thus are horribly infected with sin and deserve God's wrath. An angel would not work. A descendent of Adam and Eve would not work. What could he do, for it had to be someone who could sin against God, if he chose to do so, while at the same time would not sin because he loved and trusted in God so much that he would willingly and gladly keep the Ten Commandments and who would always trust in God to care for him even in the midst of the most alluring temptations and circumstances. Humanly speaking God was in a dilemma. There was no angel or human that could do what God needed to be done, so that his beloved human creation could be restored to the relationship he originally created them to be in with him. He had to do something, so when the time was right, as we read earlier in the Gospel of Luke God came as one of us. We first see him; a baby in a manager. He who made and continues to sustain all of creation made himself lower than the angels he created. He became human dependent on the nourishment from his mother’s breast and the care and protection of her husband Joseph. God did not come in a flash of light and power, so that the world would know that the King of Kings had arrived. He announced his arrival in the cries of a newborn infant, hardly noticeable among the stink and sounds of the animals in the stable. Certainly his birth was not noticeable to the people of this busy city, as they went about their daily lives. No fancy garments, no nurse maids, no hoopla, none of that. In all honesty Mary and Joseph were probably the only ones that cared that he was born. God Incarnate arrived, as one of us and the path to our having peace with God was set in motion. Jesus, God Incarnate played at his mother's feet. He learned a trade, as all boys had to do. He learned God’s Word and exhibited great understanding of it even as a child. He was a remarkable man; this man, God Incarnate. He was God on earth even though he felt hunger, the sorrow of being despised and mocked by those he loved. This God Incarnate, Jesus felt the pain of the whip and nails as they bit into his flesh, all while being crushed under the weight of human sin; all for us. When you read of Jesus in God’s Holy Word you will see that Jesus, God Incarnate had the most magnificent hands, for while they were hands like our hands they were the hands of God on earth. He would touch lepers and they would become clean. His hands would hold little children and they were blessed. His hands would heal the sick, and drive out demons. His hands would comfort the sorrowing and raise the dead. His hands would distribute bread and wine, as he gave himself to us in remembrance of his death and resurrection. And then those magnificent hands who only showed mercy were in the end pierced by nails. And because God willingly became Jesus, God Incarnate, so that he could bleed and die in our place, he shows us that he alone is able to heal our hurts, forgive our sins, and defeat our death. It is no wonder God’s Word tells us that those things we trust in; our idols, our little gods that we so often chase after offer nothing but tragedy and sorrow in the end. What is really weird, is that deep down we know that the earthly things that we strive after and put our trust in are worthless in the end, yet we continue to chase after them looking for that perfect little god or gods that will fulfill our happiness. The problem with our relying on these gods for happiness and security is that any god who doesn’t suffer, who knows no agony, or does not die for you, is a false god in which there is no future and who wants to drag you into eternal separation from God. We praise God that he did become one of us and that he did suffer, was in great agony, and died for us, so that we can be restored to the relationship that God wants us to be in with him. That restoration came with a terrible price, yet he rose in glory, as he promised he would and showed himself to his disciples. The prophet Isaiah around 3,000 years ago told the people of Israel when they were without hope, “Behold your God!”, as he told them all that God had done and was going to do for them, giving them hope and comfort. Tonight I am saying to you who, as I am, are lost without Jesus’ redemptive act, “Behold your God!” who is able to comfort you in all your troubles of life. “Behold your God!” who is willing to give you twice the mercy for the sin you have done and will do. “Behold your God!” who is preparing the way for his coming, so that your hope in being with him in the new heaven and earth is sure. “Behold your God!” who is mighty and powerful, breaking and destroying those who are against him while being gentle, kind, and loving to those he calls his children. “Behold your God!” Jesus is not just some nice godly man he is God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the same God who while he appeared to his people of old in the form of fire, clouds, and smoke, now appears to us in the Word of God and the Sacraments. My dear fellow redeemed brothers and sisters in Christ it is time for us all to put away those things we try to make into substitutes for God, especially those “I can do it myself spirits” that we all rely on so much to get us through life, for no matter how strong you are, or how successful you might be in your relationships, or profession, or how good you are at making or saving money, or doing good things for people, you cannot make peace with God on your own. It is God’s work entirely, so as you head off this evening after the worship service for the Christmas festivities and family gatherings have fun, stay safe, and remember that Jesus, God Incarnate whose birth date we are celebrating is the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life that counts. There is simply no other way, truth, or life, no matter what others may tell you. He alone has done what you or anyone else cannot do. He has fulfilled the angels’ promise that they told the shepherds the night of his birth, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" You now have peace with God. Merry Christ-mass. Amen.