Mt. Greenwood Ev. Lutheran Church

Your life today has eternal consequences.

Dear Christian Friends,

We all have mental images what the first Christmas looked like.  Many of these images are imprinted on our memories from the nativity sets that we have seen or on the pictures on Christmas cards or from children's pageants or television shows.  But most of those images are stylized and are not historically accurate.  We envision that the newborn baby in a manger has a halo and we usually have halos on his parents as well.  We visualize a little drummer boy playing his drum while the animals in the stable sway and keep the beat. Our manger scenes usually show the Wise Men arriving almost immediately after the birth and our Wise Men are royal kings with crowns and expensive robes. But all of these images are fiction and add-ons of the biblical story.  Having the Wise Men arrive at the stable is just a practical way of telling the story all at once.  Actually, the Wise Men did not arrive until at least 40 days after Christ was born and the visited “the house” where the family was staying.  

One other fiction associated with the Christmas story is that the angels which appeared to the shepherds were happy, gentle beings who are dressed in pastel loungewear, who wouldn't hurt a flea.  But the reality is that in the Bible, whenever an angel appeared, it was a fearsome and awesome sight.

Zechariah met an angel in the temple:

 “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.” (Lu 1:11-12 NIV)

Mary met an angel:

“The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.” (Lu 1:28-30 NIV)

And of course the angel spoke to the shepherds near Bethlehem.  In each case the angel says: “Don’t be afraid.”

That's why Luke's gospel states that the shepherds who saw the angels on Christmas night were filled with fear. Or, as the King James Translation puts it, they were "sore afraid." The appearance of these supernatural beings brought terror to the shepherds.  Accordingly, the first words out of the angel's mouth were "Fear not!" The angels had not come to frighten the shepherds but to bring them peace. That's why their song announced "peace to God's people on earth".  The greeting which God delivered at Christmas could be distilled into these two words, "Fear not".   Of all the ways in which God could have come to earth, the way in which he chose to come to us says to us, "Fear not."  He could have come as he did at Mt. Sinai, with awesome displays of smoke and lightning, earthquake and thunder.  God could have blazed the sky with his brilliant presence and blinding light.  But instead he chose to come to us by putting on flesh and being born as a tiny baby.  He came to us in a peaceful way in order that he might bring us his peace.  All so that we need hear “the fear not."  Christ brought that message of peace because his mission was not to destroy sinful humans, but to reconcile Himself to us.  Jesus would later declare:

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:17).  

Even before Jesus was born, the angel appeared to Joseph and instructed him: "You are to call his name Jesus [which means 'the Lord saves'], for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

On the night of Jesus' birth the angel announced to the shepherds,

Fear not! For I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all people. For unto you is born today in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).

That is why Jesus came—to be our Savior, to save his people from their sins. He didn't stay "away in a manger." He grew up to be a man.  And as a man he lived a perfect and sinless life.  You would think that living a sinless life would get Jesus many friends and much influence.  But it didn’t!.   Where it got him was nailed to a cross. Because a dark and fallen world couldn't stand such a great light.  Today's scripture reading describes it this way:

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (Joh 1:9-11)

Think of it—God coming in peace to make peace with his people. But they turned on him and killed Him. You might expect that this would mean the end of peace between God and humanity.  Yet it is precisely by Christ's death that God makes peace with us.  From a manger to a cross—that was his mission.  As the Christmas carol reminds us: "Nails, spear shall pierce him through, the cross be borne for me, for you."

Indeed, for you and for me the cross was borne to reconcile you and me to the Father.  In the birth of the Prince of Peace foretold by the prophet, we have peace with God.  More than that, we are adopted into God's eternal family.  the Apostle John writes in today's scripture:

But to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (w. 12-13).

Far from being alienated from God because of your sin, through Christ we are reconciled with him, made his children, and joined to his family.  The Apostle Paul writes:

 "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

The Christmas message of the angel to the shepherds was "Fear not!" The message to you this Christmas as well is

·        Fear not!  

·        Fear not your sin.

·        Fear not God's judgment.

·        Fear not even death.

·        Fear not!

For unto you is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. In Him there is peace, peace to God's people on earth.   Amen!

This sermon was delivered at Mt. Greenwood Lutheran Church. 
Your comments are invited to Lvician@hotmail.com

We offer authentic sacramental worship liturgically centered around Christ. We have an active Sunday School and Adult Classes that will reach out to you.

We provide liturgical worship with classical Christian music and preaching according to the proper distinction of Law and Gospel.

Christian Divine Worship has its roots in Israel’s liturgy.  Music and sacrifice are merged to express love to our Lord.  The Israelites brought sacrifices of animals and grain as offerings.  We bring ourselves as living sacrifices to the Lord God.  God, in turn, provides forgiveness and peace.  This forgiveness and peace is possible, because the Messiah shed His blood to pay for our sins.

Unfortunately some people view Christian worship as an escape from reality.  This could not be further from the truth!  Christian Worship should not be an escape from the world but worship should help you overcome the world.

Divine Worship does not reflect the changing cultures of the world or the whims and wishes of people.  Worship should reflect what God has revealed.  In the Book of Revelation, we find descriptions of heavenly worship.  These give us a prescription and pattern for worship here on earth.  If we pray: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we should be willing to worship in the way that God calls us to worship, not in some way that makes us feel good especially about ourselves.

Luther says that: the holy Christian people are recognized by public prayer, public praise and thanksgiving.  Where you see and hear the Lord’s prayer being prayed and the Psalms and other spiritual songs being used in public and in the true faith you may be sure that the people of God are present.