Luke 2:10-12 (Christmas Eve)
St. John, Galveston 12/24/23
Rev. Alan Taylor

+ In Nomine Jesu +

Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

It was a place far removed from here, but on a night not unlike this one. Mary and Joseph had made their way to Bethlehem to be registered for the census that was ordered by Caesar Augustus. And, of course, while they there, Mary gave birth to her firstborn child, a Son. She wrapped Him up in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger. If we didn’t know who Mary was and who her Son was, the events of that night would have appeared quite ordinary, a night not unlike this one. But, with the birth of Mary’s Son, the ordinary turned to the extraordinary. God became man. The God who created the heavens and the earth, who holds all things together by the power of His might, became man, He became one of us.

The Good News had to be told. For the faithful of Israel, the child of Mary signified the coming of the Messianic Kingdom. At the same time, her Son’s birth marked the end of over 2,000 years of waiting and hoping. The King of kings and the Lord of lords had just been born in Bethlehem! It was news that had to be told! But, where, and to whom, should the Good News be proclaimed? To princes, or tetrarchs, or governors, or kings?

At the same time, in a field somewhere just outside of Bethlehem, there were some shepherds who were tending their flock. Now, as to shepherds, we really must learn to put away the “precious moments” image of them that may run through our minds. These were tuff men, men hardened by the demands of their calling. Men who had fought wild beasts in order to protect their flock. Men who had seen it all, so to speak.

God chose them to be the first to receive the message of the birth of the Messiah, the King of kings. Angels declared the message to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were afraid! They were afraid! It’s a bit of a universal description of mankind, isn’t it? The angels who spoke to the shepherds though wasted no time in proclaiming what the birth of this child meant to the shepherds and to everyone else in the world. “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

An ordinary night, the ordinary little town of Bethlehem, some ordinary shepherds and an extraordinary little child. God became man to save the world, to save YOU from sin and death. The central truth of this night is that Jesus’ birth can never be separated from His passion, that is, from His cross and death. As we have often sung…

“Why lies He in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding?
God Christian, fear; for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be born for me, for you;
Hail, hail the Word made flesh, 
The babe, the son of Mary!”

Yes, the child born to you this night, God in human flesh, became the man who was crucified for you on Good Friday. And so, it was God who died for you, who brought you life and salvation, whose coming into the world stood behind the words of the angels who spoke to the shepherds that night. “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” I wish you all a blessed and Christ filled Christmas.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +