Unto You This Day is Born a Savior

Luke 2:1-20 On this holy night that we set aside to remember our Savior’s birth as the Babe of Bethlehem we see God’s wisdom guiding the course of history so that his Son would perfectly fulfill all the prophecies that were made about him and we are comforted that God still rules this world for the sake of our eternal salvation. 

We hear the angel’s good news that because of Jesus things are right between us and God and that we have peace with him because our sins are forgiven. 

And like the Shepherds, we feel the Spirit’s call to share that Good News with the world, giving our life meaning and purpose.  These are the gifts of the ChristChild.  Luke writes that:

…there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 

            You can read about Caesar Augustus and Cyrenius and Herod in history books.  You can visit Bethlehem and Nazareth and Galilee.  When Luke wrote the biography of our Lord’s life in his Gospel- and the history of the early Christian church in the Book of Acts- he took great pains to show that the story of our salvation happened in real places and times and people. 

What God the Holy Spirit wants us to know is that the story of our Lord’s birth is not myth or fable—but fact and history.  Paul says that when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Every moment of history.  All of the technological innovations.  The rise and fall of nations-- and the plans of great men—God carefully worked together so that his promise of salvation was fulfilled with the birth of his Son in Bethlehem.  It is through faith in him we are adopted into God’s family.  Luke writes that while Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem:

…she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

            The Savior of the world that God had promised took on the human flesh of a particular person in a particular place in a particular moment in time: a baby named Jesus, born in Bethlehem, while Caesar Augustus ruled the Roman Empire.

Jesus’ birth was the pivotal moment—and he the pivotal person-- in all of human history.  What the world had been hoping for—praying for—searching for --was accomplished one dark night two thousand years ago as the Savior of the world was born –in- a –shelter- for- animals. 

You would think that such a momentous event would be marked by opulence and luxury—but it was not—it was cloaked in the deepest humility.

The humble nature of our Lord’s birth:  his peasant mother—a rough manger for a crib—surrounded by barnyard animals—puts flesh and bone on the words of our Lord—that he came not to be served—but to serve—and to give his life as a ransom for men.

The manner of his birth reveals that he did not count equality with God something to be held onto—but made himself nothing—taking on the form of servant so that we could become the sons and daughters of God.

His birth in our flesh—his death in our place—and his glorious resurrection has reconciled us to God.  Those are the good tidings of great joy for all people that the angels proclaimed to the shepherds on the night of our Savior’s birth.  Luke wrote that:

…the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 

            Already in these first moments of Jesus’ earthly life the reconciling, redeeming work that Jesus came to do was on full display. 

The angels of heaven tell the Good News of a Savior—to lowly men—and all of heaven rejoiced to see that great chasm of sin and death that separated us from God was bridged by the perfect, holy life of Jesus.

            It was not an accident that the Good News of our Lord’s birth was first proclaimed to lowly shepherds.  In that day and time they were the least among men-- and in their lowliness --they are representative of us all. 

We may have all kinds of pretenses—we may regard ourselves as a cut above everyone else—we may look down upon others—but who we truly are-- is who we are in God’s sight.  And God says that, by nature, we are his enemies—by nature we are unworthy of the least of his many gifts—by nature we are the dust of the earth and to the dust we will one day return.

And yet, God condescends to bestow upon the lowliest- the greatest gift of all—the gift of his Son Jesus—and in the angel’s announcement of this world-changing event we are promised that this gift of God’s Son is for us too.

No longer do we have to stand before God guilt-ridden and ashamed—no longer does his great glory reveal only our lowliness—but the sign of a baby lying in a manger reveals peace now exists between us and God.  Luke writes that:

…there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The Father’s saving plan was accomplished-- and just as the multitude of the heavenly host rejoiced that Christmas morning, knowing that the restoration of the world had begun—so do the heavenly hosts still rejoice with singing each time a sinner is restored to their heavenly Father through faith in his Son. 

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will towards men were not just the words to the heavenly anthem sung by the angels at our Lord’s birth-- but they revealed God’s gracious attitude towards man on account of his Son.

God’s true glory is not the shaking of mountains and the roaring of the sea and the fire and lightening of Sinai.  God’s true glory is the newborn baby of Bethlehem and the dying man of Calvary and because of him we really do have peace with God that passes all understanding. 

Every bit of the precious gift of salvation that is given to us in Jesus, God intends be shared with others.  St. Luke writes that the shepherds:

…came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

God has never promised an ongoing heavenly choir that will proclaim the greatness of his love to every time and place.  That night’s recital was a singular event seen by only a few lowly shepherds. 

And yet the message of that heavenly choir is a message meant by God to continue to ring out throughout the world.  It is a message that he has entrusted to us to share with others.

Each Lord’s Day we are invited to do just as the shepherds did—to come and see.  We come into the presence of the Lord and we hear his voice as his Word is preached.  In Holy Absolution we receive the gift of forgiveness that he came to bring.  In Holy Communion we kneel in his presence as he comes to us in bread and wine just as surely as the shepherds kneeled at Jesus’ manger.  We worship him as they did. 

But we do not remain here in the glow of candles while so many around us remain in darkness.  Instead, we go out into the world just like the shepherds did, bearing the Good News that there is grace and peace for all people on account of Jesus.

The Lord has made this Good News known to us and he has entrusted us with the mission to make it known to the world.  And so our worship of Jesus—which is real and deeply personal, is never an end unto itself because God’s love in Christ is not just for a few folks—but for the world.  Luke writes that Mary:

…pondered [all these things] in her heart.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen…

            As it was for Mary and the shepherds, so it is for us tonight.  The gift that God has given in his Son Jesus Christ is for each and every one of us.  It is intensely personal.  We know our own sins that need forgiving.  We know our own worries that need comforting.  We know our own burdens that need lifting.  Just like Mary, we ponder in our hearts what Good News it is for us that Christ is born and glorify and praise God for his mercy.

But our individual faith in God’s Son always draws us into a worshiping, witnessing community of believers just like the shepherds—glorifying and praising God for Jesus and sharing that Good News with the world. 

May God grant that this Christmas season will be an opportunity for us to be renewed in our own faith—but also re-committed to the church and her mission in the world.  Amen.

Blessed Among Women

Luke 1:39-56 Four thousand years ago, God graciously chose a man named Abraham through whom he would bless the world.  God promised Abraham that he would become a great nation—that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars—and that through one special Child from his family all the world would be blessed.

God made these promises when Abraham and his wife Sarah had no children—and still they didn’t.  Periodically God would renew his covenant with them—but still no child-- until they became very old people. 

It was at this point in their lives—when there could be no doubt but that it was a God of might who acted in their lives—that Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac, whose son Jacob had twelve sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel—and they became a great nation just as God had promised.

Over the centuries God maintained his covenant with Abraham and renewed his promise to bless the world through his one special Offspring. 

Periodically God would send prophets who would tell more about him:  the place of his birth—that his mother would be a virgin—that he would suffer and die for the sins of the world and rise again.  Hundreds of prophecies made over hundreds of years—each of them a brushstroke in the portrait of Abraham’s Offspring.

Two thousand years ago in the hill country surrounding Jerusalem there lived another elderly couple named Zechariah and Elizabeth.  They were pious, devout believers and they too were childless.  But God graciously sent the angel Gabriel to tell them that he would do what was humanly impossible—that in their old age they would have a son in who would bring joy to many for he was promised messenger of the Messiah who would prepare his way into the hearts of his people.

At that same time, in a town called Nazareth, there lived a young woman named Mary who was engaged to be married.  Before that marriage was consummated, the same angel appeared to her with a startling announcement—that she too had been graciously chosen by God to bear his Son.  Luke writes:

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.

            By God’s grace, at Zechariah’s house, an elderly pregnant woman met a pregnant virgin.  But as amazing and wonderful as are God’s mighty and miraculous works in giving babies to these two women and Sarah before them—what God did spirituallyin their lives and in the lives of their children—was even greater.

When the words of Mary reached Elizabeth’s ear, little John leaped for joy in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and made one of the first confessions of faith in Jesus.  She confessed that Mary was the mother of her Lord:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Thirty years later Jesus would breathe on his disciples and give them the Holy Spirit.  But already on that day—in Jesus’ presence within the womb of his mother-- the Holy Spirit was given through Mary’s greeting and Elizabeth confessed with her words and John confessed with hisdeeds --their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

As miraculous as those two babies were—as mighty a work of God as they were--the spiritual miracle accomplished that day of God working faith in human hearts, causing them to believe in Jesus—was just as great.  And so it is in our life too.

Through simple water and the promise of God, our heavenly Father rescues us from sin, death, and the power of the devil in Holy Baptism and adopts us as his children and gives us the Holy Spirit. 

Through the promise of Jesus to be with us always, our Lord gives us his body and blood in Holy Communion --feeding us with his own life to sustain our life in him. 

Through the preaching of his Word and the Good News of forgiveness, God awakens faith in our heart and fills us with his Spirit.

These mighty works of God are accomplished in those whom the Bible says are spiritually blind by nature—deaf to the voice of God—and dead in sins and trespasses! 

It is his gracious, mighty work alone that we are able to:  join our voices with Elizabeth-- and be filled with the fruit of the Spirit like John--and confess that the One born of the Virgin Mary is our Savior and Lord. 

Because of this Spirit-worked faith, we can add our praises to that of Mary as she thanks God for the mighty things he has done for her.  She said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.  For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 

It is a helpful reminder for all of those within Christendom who would lift up Mary almost to the place of Christ—that Mary herselfmagnifies the Lord- and rejoices that he is her Savior from sin- and counts herself his humble servant. 

But it is also precisely because of her great faith that Mary serves as an example for all Christians to follow for she shows us what faith in Jesus looks like.

First of all, Mary knew and rejoiced in the Good News that God is her Savior.  There is nothing in her confession of faith that indicates in the least way that she has done anything worthy of the great things the Lord has done for her.  It is all by his gracious gift of a Son that she is saved-- and she exalts God’s holy name for his mercy. 

That we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is not a Lutheran peculiarity or reformation innovation from the ancient catholic faith.  It’s not an idea you find only in the Pauline epistles.  It is the story of our salvation that goes back all the way to the beginning—God reaching out to those who do not deserve his notice—to do for them what they cannot do for themselves:  save them from sin and death.

All generations call the Mother of our Lord:  the Blessed Virgin Mary-- and rightfully so-- for out of all the women who have ever lived she was the one graciously chosen by God to be the mother of the Savior of the world. 

But that judgment of “blessedness” is also spoken over us too because we believe in Jesus Christ.  And it will be spoken about us forever in the courts of heaven.  The Bible says about those in heaven:  blessed are those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

Secondly, Mary reminds us that the Lord is both mighty and merciful.  She says:

His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

The powers of sin, death, and the devil are no match for Jesus much less the earthly forces of those who stand opposed to his people.  He is the God who orders and upholds the universe.  He is the God who kills and makes alive.  He is the God who rules all things.  He is strong and mighty and powerful to save!

But we are also reminded that he is merciful.  He exalts those of humble estate; fills the hungry with good things, and the rich he sends away empty.  When we are struck to the heart in the knowledge of our sins—the Lord lifts us up and forgives us and calls us his children.  When we hunger for the good things that are ours as God’s children Jesus promises to fill our deepest needs—giving us peace and hope and joy.  When we are confronted by enemies more powerful than ourselves, the Lord comes to our rescue, promising to deliver us from evil.

We can be confident that he will keep these promises he makes to us because he is the God of kept promises.  Mary concludes her song in the way that we began our meditation—by calling to mind the Lord’s faithfulness to the covenant he made with Abraham to save the world through his offspring.  She says that the Lord:

…has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” 

Two thousand years separated Abraham and Mary—two thousand years separate Mary from us—but from generation to generation the Lord keeps his promises and shows his mighty and mercy-- and we can count on that very thing in our lives too.

From the day that Adam and Eve sinned and brought death into the world, the story of our salvation is the story of the Mighty One who has done great things for us, acting in human history in powerful ways, to reconcile us to himself through his Son Jesus Christ.  

That Good News cannot help but bring forth from our lips a song of praise just like it did for Mary:  the mighty one has done great things for me and holy is his name!  Amen.

The Mighty One Who Saves

Zephaniah 3:14-20 Every Lutheran pastor wants to make sure that the Law is preached in such a way that even the most upright person recognizes the futility of trusting in their own righteousness for salvation and the Gospel is preached in such a way that even the worst of sinners knows that they are loved and forgiven by God. 

This way of preaching the Law and the Gospel is not a Lutheran peculiarity—it is the way God speaks to us in the Bible.  In the first two chapters of Zephaniah we hear some of the strongest Law in the whole Bible.  Through the prophet Zephaniah God says: 

“I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth.”  “I will bring distress on mankind so that their blood will be poured out like dust…  Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of wrath…” 

Zephaniah spoke about the judgment to befall Judah at the hands of the Babylonians but his message was universal—applying to people in every place and time because the judgment upon Judah—as terrible as it would be—was still only a picture, a sign—of what would befall the whole world on the great and terrible Day of the Lord.

And so why was there this unrelentingly harsh message of judgment and condemnation from Zephaniah?  It was because of Judah’s sin and the sin of all people.  That is important for us to recognize.  The charges that Zephaniah brought against them were not just their sins-- but condemned all people.  God said:

“You have turned back from following me…you do not seek my face or inquire of me.”  “You listen to no voice and accept no correction.”   

These words of judgment and law are spoken to us too.  We have not always followed the Lord as we should.  We have not always sought his will first before our own.  We do not always offer our plans to him in prayer and seek his direction.  We have adopted many of the ways of the unbelieving world around us.  When we hear the preaching of the Law, we do not always amend our lives in any meaningful or lasting way. 

And that is a very dangerous place to be spiritually! The great tragedy of what happened to Judah was that right up until the day the Babylonians appeared outside the walls of Jerusalem they kept on saying of God’s judgment:  it will never happen to us. 

But it did—and it will.  The flood of Noah’s day- and the fall of Jerusalem in Zephaniah’s day- and the destruction of the temple in the apostles’ day (as terrible as they were)--were still merely signs of what will happen to the whole world and all people on the Last Day.

That is the message of God’s Law in Zephaniah and it is meant for all people in every place and time—including us here tonight.  But what is also meant for every person in every place and time is God’s Good News of the Gospel. 

The people who heard Zephaniah preach these words of the Law must have thought that there was no hope for them such was the fierceness of God’s judgment upon their sin.  At times we feel as if there is no hope when we fall again and again to some sin

But the Lord is a God of love who does not desire to see a single person separated from him and so he has made a way to escape his wrath.  That Gospel message of the Mighty One who saves is what we hear tonight.  God says:

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. 

            God did not promise to relent from his judgment like some modern parent who is lax in their discipline.  What he promised to do was to personally take it away and clear away our enemies. 

Judah had to look forward to that in faith-- but we know and believe it as an accomplished fact of history.

The righteous judgment of God fell upon Jesus.  Taking our place at the cross, God’s righteous verdict of “guilty” was pronounced upon him and he suffered the wrath of God that we deserve.  His blood has cleared away the enemies of our sins and his resurrection has cleared away the power of death and the devil over our lives. 

What better reason can there be to sing and shout and rejoice and exult with all our heart for what God has done for us in his Son?  For not only have our enemies been destroyed, but a right relationship between us and God has been accomplished so that now:  The King of Israel, the Lord, is in our midst; we shall never again fear evil. 

The fellowship that God intended between himself and us—has been restored.  God the Father is with us wherever we go:   into the hospital bed or nursing home or dorm room.  God the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  And God the Son speaks to us in his Word and makes himself present to us with his body and blood under bread and wine.

Because the Triune God is with us—we never again have to fear evil.  When we face physical evil such as sickness or drought the Lord promises that he will cause all things to work for the good of those who love him. 

When we face personal evil in the form of the devil and his angels the Lord promises that the One who dwells in us is greater by far than he who is in the world. 

And when we face the moral evil of our own sins the Lord promises that we have an advocate in Jesus who has atoned for our sins and for the sins of the world and so he remembers our sin no more.

This Good News of God’s deliverance changes everything for us—not just eternally—but in our daily lives here and now.  The Gospel sets us free and empowers us to serve. God says:  “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 

            When the Law shows our sins, we may be tempted to throw up our hands in defeat and quit.  But the Gospel Good News of Jesus is not only forgiveness—it is the power to fill up our hands with good works that serve God and our neighbor. 

The biblical picture of one redeemed by the Messiah is someone who is busily and joyfully engaged in the lives of those around them:  caring for the poor and sick—loving those in their family and church—reaching out to those who do not yet know what God has done for the world in Christ. 

That’s the rich, active life of a child of God who is loved by their heavenly Father.  He says that he rejoices over us with gladness; quiets us by his love; and exults over us with loud singing.   

In those dark days when Zephaniah preached, just imagine what it meant to the know that (1) God was with them—even as they were carried off into exile—that (2) there was God-pleasing work for them to do even though they would be far from home—(3) that God loved them and rejoiced over them even as he loved and rejoiced over his own Son.

These words are Good News for us too!  We live in dark days.  Judgment Day is closer now than ever.  But we have nothing to fear because we are children of the heavenly Father and he rejoices over us like the father of the prodigal son who was glad to have his boy back home—and loves us with an everlasting love no matter what happens to us in this life—and exults over us with singing until the day we stand in his presence and join our voice to that of the heavenly choir.  God says:

I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach.  Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors.  And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.  At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.

            The lives of God’s people in Zephaniah’s day may be far removed from us in space and time—but they are remarkably similar. 

Christians throughout the world—and more and more in our own country—suffer the reproach of their fellow citizens and outright oppression from unbelievers.  We are not immune from the effects of living in a broken world.  We suffer the same hardships and illnesses as everyone else.  There is more and more distance between ourselves and a godless culture.

But this valley of sorrow and death will not endure forever!  Our Lord’s return in glory will be a day of judgment and punishment for those who have not trusted in the Lord and have oppressed his people.  But it will also be a glad day of deliverance for his children when God will gather us together at his right hand to bring us into our heavenly home. 

On that day, everything that we have lost in this broken world and everything that we have forsaken for Christ will be restored to us.  And the tears and sorrows of this life will fade away before the unending joys of heaven and the new life we will live in the presence of the Mighty One who has saved us.  Amen.