\u00a0Isaiah 9:2-7<\/strong><\/p>\n 2<\/sup><\/em>The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness \u2014 on them light has shined.\u00a0 3<\/sup>You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. 4<\/sup>For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5<\/sup>For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 6<\/sup>For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7<\/sup>His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore.\u00a0 The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.<\/em><\/p>\n Psalm 96<\/p>\n Titus 2:11-14<\/strong><\/p>\n 11<\/sup><\/em>For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12<\/sup>training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13<\/sup>while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.\u00a0 14<\/sup>He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.<\/em><\/p>\n Luke 2:1\u201420<\/strong><\/p>\n 1<\/sup><\/em>In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.\u00a0 2<\/sup>This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.\u00a0 3<\/sup>All went to their own towns to be registered.\u00a0 4<\/sup>Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.\u00a0 5<\/sup>He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.\u00a0 6<\/sup>While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.\u00a0 7<\/sup>And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8<\/sup>In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.\u00a0 9<\/sup>Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.\u00a0 10<\/sup>But the angel said to them, „Do not be afraid; for see \u2014 I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:\u00a0 11<\/sup>to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.\u00a0 12<\/sup>This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.“\u00a0 13<\/sup>And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14<\/sup>„Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!“\u00a0 15<\/sup>When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, „Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.“\u00a0 16<\/sup>So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.\u00a0 17<\/sup>When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; \u00a018<\/sup>and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.\u00a0 19<\/sup>But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.\u00a0 20<\/sup>The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.<\/em><\/p>\n Homily<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In recent weeks (during the season of Advent, but even before by a few weeks ), through songs and prayers, we have been praying a lot of „thanksgiving“ prayers: i.e., praying a lot in thanksgiving for the opportunities to do good that the good Lord has put in front of us. Saying prayers of thanksgiving for people not being damaged any worse than they were by hurricanes and storms.\u00a0 We have prayed in thanksgiving for disaster response teams. Some people have „prayed“ in thanksgiving with their own hands as muscles as they have worked on behalf of others who are suffering for a variety of reasons. We have prayed in thanksgiving for the Lord having blessed us with an abundance of resources, and opportunity to do good for others.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We have prayed that the Lord God, having come down from heaven to earth, might give peace where there are nations and regions in conflict. We have prayed for peace in our country, in cities and places that are rife with gun violence. \u00a0We have prayed for peace in Ukraine and Russia and that region of the world; peace to the hearts and minds of war-lords and terrorists anywhere. We\u2019ve asked God to come <\/em>to bring peace to our families and our homes, and to provide for victims of natural disaster, poverty, and others in need. At home and at church we pray for God to come down from heaven to help us and people we know in our personal lives (in the messes we make of them, or in the messes that other people make of them, sometimes with, sometimes without, our help<\/em>).<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We pray during this season: \u201cO come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom <\/em>captive Israel\u2026 O come, O come, thou Lord of might<\/em>\u2026 O come in cloud and majesty and awe; \u2026 disperse the gloomy clouds of night, deaths\u2019 dark shadows put to flight<\/em>;\u201d also we pray, \u201cSavior of the nations, Come!; show the glory of the Son\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We pray for the Lord to come \u2013 to come with power<\/em>, to help us, to bring in his glorious kingdom. And, indeed, the Lord and his kingdom come \u2026 but not as we ask for it, not as we wish for or expect it.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We hope<\/em> for the sky to be rent open, for flashing lights, for the almighty<\/em> power and might of the Lord to come to be on our side! And what we get \u2013 what we got<\/em>, approximately 2,000 years ago \u2013 is a meek little baby, born in a barn, lying in an animal feed-box (which, for those who do not know, that is what a manger<\/em> actually is: an \u201canimal feed-box\u201d).<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Did God not hear us<\/em>? Does he not respond? We ask God to \u201cCOME!, a warrior<\/em>!, with great power and might!!\u201d And what we get: a baby.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indeed, he hears us, and he comes. Yet, in his coming, he tells us: \u201cI am going to accomplish what you ask me to do, but I\u2019m going to do it in ways you <\/em>do not \u2013 did not \u2013 expect. The kingdom of God will, indeed<\/em>, break into your troubled world, to right wrongs, to accomplish your \u2013 and my \u2013 good purposes; but<\/em> I, says the Lord, am going to do it in small, subtle ways. I will not use flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, earthquakes, storms, or earth-shattering events. For my kingdom to break in, I will use you<\/em> \u2013 a meek, mere-mortal human being \u2013 using your<\/em> love, kindness, patience, and perseverance; and I will change you<\/em>, in order to use you, my servant, for my kingdom to break in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Furthermore, by the way the Lord chose to come to us 2,000-plus years ago \u2013 his first coming, that this Christmas Eve we remember and celebrate \u2013 in his first coming, he shows and informs us (if we can notice): In that manger in Bethlehem, in that animal feed-box, \u00a0there were splinters<\/em>; and even there \u2013 where the glory of God lay in a manger, radiating<\/em> the presence of God \u2013 even there it was cold and the darkness of night. You<\/em> will encounter the discomfort of splinters, the crudeness of the world, and worldly, earthly limitations. And there will even be the suffering of sickness, pain, and death. Yet<\/em>, by my coming into the world, says the Lord, by the coming of this child into the world, I \u2013 as God and human \u2013 shall overcome those earthly limitations, I shall even overcome death; eventually, love, kindness, patience, and forgiveness will prevail. These will eventually overcome any hardship you encounter; I, says the Lord, working through you<\/em>, through human means<\/em>, shall overcome the sadness and separation in the world.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That God did, indeed, respond to us, hear our prayers, and come to us, even in a way we did not expect; and that he did, as God and man, overcome the suffering and darkness of this world, even death on a cross. This is what we remember and celebrate this and every Christmas; and with our celebration of God becoming a human being, we remember also and rejoice that he promises to accomplish his purposes through us<\/em>!<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And now, in addition to a manger and a mother, in other ways quite ordinary, through simple human means: human food, bread and wine, God promises to make an appearance again, giving us the strength to persevere and to be his presence in the world: as we receive \u2013 and become \u2013 the presence of God by receiving into ourselves the Body and Blood of Christ.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.<\/p>\n The Rev. Andrew F. Weisner, Ph.D.,<\/strong> Christmas Eve | December 24 AD 2022 | Isaiah 9:2-7 | Andrew Weisner | \u00a0Isaiah 9:2-7 2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness \u2014 on them light has shined.\u00a0 3You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15332,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,52,22,2,845,157,853,108,110,647,636,638,3,109],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-15338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lukas","category-titus","category-jesaja","category-at","category-andrew-f-weisner","category-beitragende","category-bibel","category-current","category-engl","category-kapitel-02-chapter-02-titus","category-kapitel-02-chapter-02-lukas","category-kapitel-09-chapter-09-jesaja","category-nt","category-predigten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15338"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15339,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15338\/revisions\/15339"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15338"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=15338"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=15338"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=15338"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=15338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n
\nThe North American Lutheran Church (NALC)<\/strong>
\nAntioch Lutheran Church, Dallas, North Carolina<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"