+ Christmas Day – December
25th, 2017 +
Series B: Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-12; John 1:1-18
Redeemer Lutheran, HB
“A Christmas Sequel”
In 1937, fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s
The Hobbit longed for a sequel to
this beloved tale of adventure; their hopes were later fulfilled when The Lord of the Rings was published in
1954.
When movie goers went to the theaters
in 1977 to watch Star Wars for the
first time, they left wanting more epic space battles, lightsaber duels, and lovable
characters. They wanted a sequel. And they got it when the Empire struck back
in 1980.
More recently, in the summer of
1999, Harry Potter fans lined up and camped out waiting for the sequel, The Chamber of Secrets, to hit the
shelves at their local bookstores.
When a good story or movie ends,
we find ourselves wanting more. And when a good story ends in tragedy, we long
for redemption and a happy ending. We long for a sequel; and not only for our
favorite stories, but for ourselves, our family and friends; in this sinful
world of sin, despair, and death, we long for rescue, consolation, and life.
The great joy of Christmas is
that the wait is over. As one Christmas carol declares: the hopes and fears of
all the years are met in thee tonight. The eternal Word of the Father became
flesh and dwelt among us. Christ is born to redeem and rescue you, to restore
creation.
In the hills of Judea, the angels
publish the Good News: Unto you is born
this day, in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And like
excited fan boys running to a comic book store for a new release, they make
haste to Bethlehem, to the manger, to find the baby wrapped in swaddling
clothes. Christ is born for you.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Christmas is the unexpected sequel
that we, and all creation, have been longing for ever since our human story was
marked by tragedy, sin, and death in the Garden.
But we are not alone in our
longing…
Adam and Eve longed for the day
when a Child would be born of a woman to crush the serpent, turn back the curse
of sin, and rescue from death.
Noah longed for true rest in a
new creation that would no longer be subject to flood and famine, wickedness
and wrath.
Abraham longed for the promised
Offspring that would come from his family to bless all people. Jacob longed to see heaven reach
down to earth just as he had in his dream.
Moses longed for YHWH’s promised
prophet who would be like him, only greater.
David longed his descendant and
Lord who would establish an everlasting Kingdom.
Isaiah and the prophets longed
for the long-expected Savior they proclaimed; the One who would bare his holy
arm before all nations that all might see His salvation; the One who would
bring comfort, restoration, and redemption to all people.
Creation too, longs and groans
with eager expectation for our redemption and the new creation.
Jesus’ birth for us God’s answer
to our greatest need. Christmas is the sequel to Genesis 3.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
In many and various ways, God
spoke to his people of old by the prophets. But now in these last days, he has
spoken to us by his Son.
God’s New Creation begins in Bethlehem,
where the Lord of all Creation became a creature to save all creation. The
thorns are in retreat, while fields, and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy. The animals surrounding this infant King reigning from
his throne of straw in the stable have as much right to be there as the angels.
In Jesus’ birth, the second Adam
has come to trample the serpent under foot and become the curse of sin for us; Noah’s
rest and ours is won as Jesus rests in the manger, upon the cross, and in the grave
for us; God’s own Son becomes our brother to set us free and make us children
of God, heirs of his promise; Christ comes down from heaven to earth, to upon
to lift you in his death on the cross; the prophet greater than Moses both
speaks God’s Word and is the Word made flesh for you; David’s son and David’s
Lord establishes his throne in the crib and the cross to bring you into his
kingdom that has no end; Isaiah and all the prophets’ words are fulfilled – the
Lord bares his holy arm in the manger and upon the cross for you; the Lord of
Creation, who feeds the ravens when they call, feeds us with the Bread of Life
in his holy body and blood.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
At long last, the wait is over;
the sequel has arrived. The Word became
flesh.
Jesus’s birth is the unexpected
happy ending we didn’t ask for, earn, or deserve; but he comes by grace and
changes the ending of our story forever. In Jesus’ birth, life, and death we
have more than we could have ever imagined. In Jesus’ birth, we hear, receive,
and rejoice in the never-ending story of God’s love for us.
For…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
A blessed Christmas to each of
you…
In the Name of the Father and of
the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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