Christmas Sermon 2013

To be preached at St. John's Lancaster tonight, God willing.

Isaiah 9:6-7

"...unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.  The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." (Isaiah 9:6-7)

On this blessed day, we gather in this sacred place to proclaim the truth of this prophesy of Isaiah.  A child was born in Bethlehem of Judah.  He was given to all of us by our loving heavenly Father that we might be forgiven of our sins, be restored to fellowship with God, be transformed into the kind of people the Bible teaches us to be, and at the end of our physical lives- live forever.

The prophesy continues.  The authority and the absolute right to rule still belong to him.  The divine right of kingship is his by God's eternal decree, and his character, his aptitude, and his basic skill set demonstrate to us the truth of his vocation.  The wonder of his divinity, combined with the humanity of his incarnation, what the church fathers at the Council of Chalcedon called "truly God and truly man," demonstrates God's love for you and me, and enables us to experience and know both his character and his expectations for our attitudes and behavior.  "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

The wisdom of his words and his example, that "Holy Wisdom," qualify him as our greatest teacher, advisor, and guide.  He is in fact God incarnate, the second person of the holy and blessed Trinity, one with the everlasting Father, who shows us the way to peace. 

And today, in our hearts, that kingdom of peace flourishes and grows in direct proportion to our willingness to welcome and submit to his sovereign reign.  The decree of God insures us that this kingdom of peace will continue to grow in our hearts and in our relationships, whatever roadblocks Satan and his minions might establish.  There will be wars and rumors of wars.  Manipulation and coercion remain among us.  Heretics, well intentioned and otherwise, will redefine the clear teachings of Scripture and reject the wisdom and example of the historic faith received.  Human need will go unmet, and "the poor will be with us, always."  But for that man or woman who comes this night and welcomes Jesus into his or her heart, who realizes what it means to have his or her sins forgiven, and who embraces the new life that God the Father offers us through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, the light floods into the darkness and peace ensues.  That peace grows and his kingdom takes hold of our lives, and no cancer, or divorce, or uncertainty, or habit, or attitude, or situation can extinguish the light or take it away.  Discouragement, or even despair, might come for a time, but God's grace is sufficient in the end for us to find peace and purpose in the most difficult of times.

And as people so transformed by God's grace come together to receive grace in the manner he has decreed, namely in Word and Sacrament, there is the Church, instituted of God not to pass resolutions and advance human agendas, but to build up and unify the people of God; to support and enable that peacefulness and sense of mission which will proclaim the way of Jesus Christ to all peoples.

And at the end of the day, or perhaps I should say "of the age," King Jesus will come again to claim his patrimony and to finally and fully establish his kingdom.  "Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." (Philippians 2:10-11)  He will wipe away every tear from every eye,  and will do for us a new thing, (Revelation 21:4&5) and our peace, together with the peace of the world, will be forever and ever.

But how can this be?  There is so much pain and suffering and dysfunction, and sin and hatred and perversion in the world.  Well, I have it on good authority that "the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this."  What I cannot do, what I have failed to do, he can manage because he is God.  I have seen it in the little things of my life, and I believe that they are granted to encourage me to expect that he is working and will continue to work in the great things of life.  The moments of peace, the experiences of light in the darkness, the evidences of changed lives and guilt assuaged- these are "the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

Do you believe this night that the child we come to worship can bring you such peace?  Do you believe that "the zeal of the Lord of hosts" can bring order, and peace, and hope, and strength, and purpose to your situation?  Then stand and confess with me your acceptance of that faith we have received.  Bring your needs and current realities to God in prayer.  Ask him to forgive your sins.  Purpose to make restitution to those you have wronged.  And accept the grace, the transforming power, that God offers you through his church by humbly partaking of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in Holy Communion.  Make this Christmas the start of a new life, and experience afresh the endless opportunities that God has in store for you.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.