December 24, 2016
[During the children’s sermon, the children direct a group of adults in telling the Christmas story.]
So – there you have it – the Christmas story with Mary and Joseph; and the baby and the manger; and shepherds and angels; and magi and even a star! It’s everything you need to know about the birth of Jesus.
Except for one question – why? Why was Jesus born? Why did God do this? Or, as Martin Luther says over and over again in the Small Catechism, “What does this mean for us?” What does it mean for you? What does it mean for me? What does it mean for everyone?
To answer this question, I’d like to turn – not to Luke nor to Matthew – but rather to the gospel of John. At the end of the service tonight, we’ll do a responsive reading from the opening lines of John’s gospel. But I want to go a few verses farther than we will read, to the very last verse of the opening section of John, verse 18:
No one has ever seen God; it is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
No one has ever seen God. We may get glimpses of God. We may see reflections of God. We may even witness the glory of God. But we don’t really see God.
Moses tried. He was bold enough to ask to see God. You see, Moses and God were tight. They were BFF. When Moses would go into the tent of meeting, he would talk to God in the way that good friends do.
So, when God told Moses it was time for him to leave the mountain and lead the people to the Promised Land, Moses agreed but asked a few favors of God – that God go with them – and God agreed – that God let Moses know how special he was – and God did so.
Then Moses decided to push the envelope just a little bit farther.
Moses said, “Please. Let me see your glory. Let me see your goodness. Let me see you.”
Finally God said, “I will pass by. You may see my glory. You may see my goodness. But you may not see me face to face, for no one – not even you, Moses, can see me face to face and live.”
So, God directed Moses to crouch down between two rocks. Then God put his hand over the place where Moses was to protect him, just in case he glanced up by accident and saw God’s face. Then God passed by. And Moses saw the back of God.
And, even though Moses only got a glimpse of the back of God’s robe as he passed by, it still had a profound effect. For when Moses went back down the mountain, he face shone so brightly, nobody could look at him.
So, no one – not even Moses – has seen God face to face. It is to protect God’s honor and mystery. But mostly it is for our protection. Our minds can’t handle a direct experience of God. God is not only mind-boggling; God is mind-blowing, in a literal way.
But then how on earth does God really connect with us? If no one has seen God, and if no one can see God and live, then how do we get to know God?
God tried many and various ways. There is, first and foremost, the Law, given through Moses. Then God sent judges and kings, as well. Then there are priests and prophets, too. But none of these quite did the trick.
Finally, God sent Jesus – Jesus the only Son – who is close to the Father’s heart. In Jesus, we see what God is really like, because Jesus is close to the heart of God. And Jesus came to draw us close to the heart of God. As we are drawn close to the Father’s heart, we are transformed. We are transformed by love.
I have always loved the Christmas carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” The last verse of the hymn goes like this:
O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in; be born in us today.
For this to happen, we need to believe that Jesus is not born in the pages of a book, even a book so deeply treasured and so often read as the Bible. We need to trust that he is not just born 2000 years ago. We need to believe that he is born in us, in each one of us – in our hearts. And we need to take that belief into our hearts and minds.
Jesus is born in us. Now, you may not be particularly anxious for that to happen. When you go looking around in your heart it is too messy for company – especially company like the Son of God. You might be happy to greet him at the door – like a group of Christmas carolers – but then send him on his way.
But think – where was Jesus born? It is perhaps the most significant part of Luke’s story of the birth of Jesus that he was in a manger. Although we don’t really know what the building was like – or even a cave, as I saw in Bethlehem, we can assume that there were animals around. And not just animals but the smell and dirt of animals and the things animals leave behind. And it’s not just the animals. There were people around. People who worked outside for a living weren’t used to taking regular baths. (I can easily imagine that Mary breathed a sigh of relief when the magi showed up with frankincense!)
So, if you are reluctant to let Jesus into your heart because it doesn’t seem proper enough, remember where he started out.
Then, if you are willing to take the risk and believe that Jesus is also born in you, try this simple exercise:
Once each day, look in the mirror and say to yourself, “I am a child of God. I am deeply loved by God. And God will use me to change the world.”
Do that every day for a month. You spent at least a month getting ready for Christmas. Why not spend at least a month living out what it means? Say to yourself every day, “I am a child of God. I am deeply loved by God. And God will use me to change the world.”
Then, after a month, see what happens. See if you don’t feel differently about yourself. See if you don’t feel differently about your life. See if you don’t feel differently about the world.
That is what God is doing in Jesus. God is sending Jesus so that we might become children of God. And just as Jesus embodied the love of God in the world, so we too will embody the love of God in the world.
As John says in his first letter, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should become children of God; and that is what we are.”
This is accomplished through Jesus – who is close to the Father’s heart.
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