Christmas Eve, 12/24/2019

Sermon on Luke 2:1-20, by Judson F. Merrell

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 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. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 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 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" 15 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." 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luk 2:1-20 NRSV)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Merry Christmas! What a wonderful evening it is. We are here gathered to celebrate the miracle that we know as the birth of the Savior. We come, to thank God through our Worship, our singing and our praying, praising God for sending his only Son into the world, so that we all might be saved. We come together this evening to celebrate the actions of our God in the world, the things that he has done, is doing, and will continue to do. In particular, we come together this evening, along with millions of other churches and individuals in the world, to celebrate the birth of the world’s Savior. It’s a familiar story, one that we all know, one that we hear year after year. Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem, to be registered for the census. While there, they find that the inn is full, and Mary is starting to go into labor. So they end up laying baby Jesus in a manger, because there was no other place. Angels appear to shepherds in the fields, who then head into Bethlehem to see if what the Lord had told them was true. When they see that it is, they tell everyone what had happened to them, and all around them were amazed. This is a story so familiar to us that we could all recite it pretty much by heart. But with that comes a danger. When we know the stories so well, when we can recite them, they tend to lose a little bit of the importance. But as we celebrate this night, we are reminded that when God sent his Son into the world, he did something of the utmost importance.

Jesus was born into this world at a time that was difficult for the Jews, one in which they had seen constant struggle since coming out of Egypt. To be in the Promised Land, they felt that there were

times when God was not on their side. They got angry at God, cursed God, and disobeyed God. And only after the fact, after looking at everything that was happening to them, did they realize that they were the ones messing up.

Enter Jesus into the picture. Enter BABY Jesus into the picture. How do you think those people felt? How would you feel if someone told you that the savior of the world was an innocent baby, born to a mom and dad out of wedlock? Enter the work of the Holy Spirit into the world. Through the work of the Shepherds, the Holy Spirit makes it known that the promise of God has been fulfilled, that the Messiah, the savior of the world, has been born. Tonight our message is the same, but the storytellers are different. We don’t have a bunch of shepherds to come to us to tell us what has happened so that we can be amazed. Instead we have 2000 years of history, passed down not just through writings such as the Bible, but passed down by word of mouth, from your grandparents to your parents, and then to your children and grandchildren. From there to your neighbors, your friends, to those you meet on the street, and those that are on your email list. It’s a familiar message, one that we can recite by heart. Our message though is not something that is just told though; it is a promise that is celebrated. Enter God into the world. In a world that has wars, famine, a lack of shelter and food, religions that worship false gods, and a society concerned more with themselves, enter God into the world. God is at work constantly in our lives, helping us to help others. Christmas is the season of giving, not to make ourselves feel good, but to help those in need. Enter God into the world, using us to be the hands and feet of Christ for others. Enter God into the world, using us to spread his love for everyone. Enter God into the world, with a new promise. This new promise is that the Messiah will return, and with the Messiah will be the kingdom of God, established on this earth forever. 2000 years ago one promise was fulfilled. That promise was that the Messiah would come. 2000 years ago the Messiah made us this new promise that he would return. On the eve of his birth, we gather to celebrate and worship, and to pray “Come, Lord Jesus.” Amen.

The Rev. Judson F. Merrell

E-Mail: judsonmerrell@bellsouth.net

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