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John 1:1-5, 14, 16-17  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth … From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

A recent Facebook post said simply “Ruin Christmas with four words.” My immediate thought was “It can’t be done.”

Of course I knew what the poster meant. He or she was referring to ruining one’s celebration of Christmas. We do that all the time. And it doesn’t take much. It usually happens because we set our expectations too high and forget what Christmas is supposed to be all about. When people think Christmas is ruined it is because they leave Christ out of it.

I maintain that there is nothing we can do to ruin Christmas because Christmas is what God did for us. Out of His love, He came down here to be one of us. And it was so much more than just a baby born in a stable in Bethlehem. That was God with us, the promised Messiah, the one who would save us from our sin. It was all God’s doing, the Word became flesh, paid our debt, rescued us, and gives life eternal to those who trust in Him.

That can’t be ruined even if the tree gets knocked over, if grandma’s dish gets broken, if someone can’t make it home, or even if a loved one has died and is not with you this year. Yes, bad things can and will happen, even at Christmas. But that does not change what happened through the Word becoming flesh. You and I have received one blessing after another. First and foremost is that Jesus came and offered Himself to redeem us. In Him was life, and He gives that life to you.

Of the father’s love begotten Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega, He the Source, the Ending, He,
Of the things that are, that have been And that future years shall see
Evermore and evermore.

O that birth forever blessed When the Virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving, Bore the Savior of our race,
And the Babe, the World’s Redeemer, First revealed His sacred face,
Evermore and evermore.

O ye heights of heaven, adore Him; Angel hosts, His praises sing;
Powers, dominions, bow before Him And extol our God and King.
Let no tongue on earth be silent, Every voice in concert ring
Evermore and evermore.

(Lutheran Service Book #384 stanzas 1,2,4)

Matthew 1:18-25 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew’s Gospel records the announcement of the birth of our Lord and Savior to his earthly father. I try to imagine the state of mind of Joseph before the angel appeared to him. The purpose of a betrothal was to make sure the woman/wife was not pregnant before the marriage, and Joseph had learned that Mary was indeed with child. The sense of betrayal and humiliation he must have felt must have been overwhelming. How could she do this to him? He just wanted it all to go away. He would divorce her quietly.

It was then the angel came and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

I’m sure Joseph still had plenty of questions, but we are told that that Joseph believed the message God sent him through the angel and did what he was told. He gave this child entrusted to his care the name Jesus, the name that described what He would do: save His people from their sins. That is why He came.

Lord, give us the ability to be as accepting of Your Word of truth as Joseph was.

Jesus came, the heav’ns adoring, Came with peace from realms on high;
Jesus came for man’s redemption, Lowly came on earth to die;
Alleluia! Alleluia! Came in deep humility

Jesus comes again in mercy When our hearts are bowed with care;
Jesus comes again in answer To an earnest, heartfelt prayer;
Alleluia! Alleluia! Comes to save us from despair.

 Jesus comes to hearts rejoicing, Bringing news of sins forgiv’n;
Jesus comes in sounds of gladness, Leading souls redeemed to heav’n.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Now the gate of death is riv’n.

Jesus comes in joy and sorrow, Shares alike our hopes and fears;
Jesus comes, whate’er befalls us, Glads our hearts and dries our tears.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Cheering e’en our failing years.

Jesus comes on clouds triumphant When the heavens shall pass away;
Jesus comes again in glory. Let us, then, our homage pay,
Alleluia! ever singing Till the dawn of endless day.

(The Lutheran Hymnal #56)

Micah 5:2-4 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” ³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. ⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

The prophet Micah announces the place where the Messiah would be born, the city of David. This was the place from where God raised up an unlikely candidate – in the eyes of the world – the be the king under which Israel became the leading world power. And now God says He will do something similar in this little town.

Note the details and specifics that God shared through this spokesman:

• He would be from “of old”
• He would be the rightful ruler
• He will shepherd His flock
• He will have the strength of the Lord
• His greatness will reach the ends of the earth

From humble beginnings, His traveling parents unable to find overnight lodging, born in a stable, God entered this world in human form to be our Savior and earn our salvation.

O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light;
The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight.

How silently, how silently The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming, Yet in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him, still The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell
O Come to us, abide in us, Our Lord Immanuel!

Lutheran Service Book #361  stanzas 1,3,4

Malachi 3:1-3  “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness…

This promise from God’s prophet Malachi is not only to send a messenger to prepare the way for the Lord (John the Baptizer), but that the Lord Himself will indeed come. Jesus would be the “messenger of the covenant.”

The words that describe His coming sound a little harsh, calling Him a “refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.” But the prophet is simply foretelling that Jesus will be the one who offers us cleansing. Here is part of what Luther wrote about this passage.

“Christ is not merely the Purifier but also the purifying Agent. He is not only the Blacksmith but also the Fire; not only the Cleaner but also the Soap.”  (Luther’s Works, Volume 18, p. 410)

Jesus would be the one who accomplishes our cleansing by living without sin and offering Himself as the payment for your sin. Faith in Jesus, that takes hold of what He offers and gives freely, is the only way anyone can be acceptable in God’s sight.

As you probably know, Advent means “coming,” We await and invite Jesus to come to us as we prepare to celebrate His birth and anticipate His second coming. That is why so many Advent hymns start with the word “Come,” as does the one I share today. This was written by Charles Wesley in the 18^th Century. Charles and his brother John were the founders of the Methodist Church. Something else I want you to notice in this hymn is how many times the word “born” occurs in these two stanzas. Wesley was reminding us that His first coming was in human flesh, as one of us, that He might deliver us, set us free, and reign in our lives as our King.

Come, thou long-expected Jesus, Born to set thy people free;
From our fear and sin release us; Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth thou art,
Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver; Born a child and yet a king!
Born to reign in us forever, Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit Raise us to thy glorious throne!

(Lutheran Service Book #338)

I can remember as a child singing, “Lift Up Your Heads Ye Mighty Gates” and not having a clue what that meant. Do gates have heads? And if so, can they lift them up? What does this mean? This phrase comes from Psalm 24.

Psalm 24:7-10 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.  Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory.

Some think these words may have been spoken as the ark of the covenant was brought into the city, because the ark was the physical representation of God’s presence among His people. How can you properly welcome God coming into your town?

One meaning could be that the top of the gate opening, the beam or “header”, was not high enough for the Almighty in all His glory, so they were suggesting it had to be raised up for God to come into the city and dwell with them.

Others say the gates and doors are being personified, and the phrase is a metaphor for lifting up your head to recognize someone more important than you was coming on the scene.

The point is the same: We must recognize the God is supreme, that He is in control, and we should give Him our respect and worship. He is the King of Glory.

The same should be said of how we welcome His coming into the flesh. Think about that as you reflect on the words of this Advent hymn today.

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates! Behold the King of Glory waits;
The King of Kings is drawing near, The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring, Wherefore rejoice and gladly sing:
We praise Thee, Father, now, Creator wise art Thou!

A Helper just He comes to thee, His chariot is humility,
His kingly crown is holiness, His scepter, pity in distress.
The end of all our woe He brings, Wherefore the earth is glad and sings:
We praise Thee, Savior, now, Mighty in deed art Thou!

O blest the land, the city blest, Where Christ the Ruler is confessed!
O happy hearts and happy homes YTo whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless Sun of joy He is, Who bringeth pure delight and bliss.
We praise Thee, Spirit, now, Our Comforter art Thou!

Fling wide the portals of your heart; make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for Heaven’s employ, Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sovereign enter in And new and nobler life begin.
To Thee, O God, be praise For word and deed and grace!

Redeemer, come! I open wide My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!
Let me Thine inner presence feel, Thy grace and love in me reveal;
Thy Holy Spirit guide us on Until our glorious goal is won.
Eternal praise and fame We offer to Thy name.
(The Lutheran Hymnal #73)

Romans 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Cheryl and I spent the month of November in Frankfurt, Germany. While we were there, we received word that a friend of ours entered the presence of his Savior. He was a fellow pastor, a contemporary of our fathers. He faithfully served a congregation for 33 years in the town where we lived, six months longer than I served the members of Grace, Denison. He retired at the age of 65, and lived another 30 years after that!

He was a kind, gracious and gentle man who loved Jesus and shared Him with passion and compassion. He grew up in the Norwegian Lutheran Church, which became part of the American Lutheran Church in 1960 and then the ELCA in 1988. In our conversations, we found that our faith and understanding of Scripture were nearly identical. We shared the confidence that even though we are poor, miserable sinners, Jesus took our sins on Himself, paid the penalty with His innocent suffering and death, and gave us forgiveness and life that we did not deserve. This man was my brother in Christ.

Last week we were able to visit his wife. She taught in the elementary school that all three of our daughters attended. She and her husband had come to the hospital in Dallas to visit us right after my father died 33 years ago. While we did not see them often, they remained very special people in our lives.

As we were visiting and reminiscing, I shared a devotion with her, the passage above, and a prayer. She was very upbeat, smiling and spoke of her confidence that her dear husband with now with his Lord and she looked forward to joining him soon.

Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Well done, good and faithful servant.

The people that in darkness sat
A glorious light have seen;
The light has shined on them who long
In shades of death have been,
In shades of death have been.
(Lutheran Service Book #412, stanza 1)

Advent has been described as a time of waiting in darkness for the light to come. The hymn verse above reflects that sentiment. But we wait in hope, the certainty that the Light who came one is coming again. We wait to celebrate His first coming when He accomplished our redemption, and at the same time we should be alert and recognize the nearness of His return.

We find ourselves in the same position as that God’s chosen people in the Old Testament were in. They had been promised the Messiah, the one who would rescue them from sin and death, but they had to wait. As they waited, God continued to speak His promise through His spokesmen, the prophets.

Isaiah 60:1–3 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

The following are lyrics to a song I wrote for a children’s Christmas Program years ago, based on the passage above.

(Refrain)
Arise and Shine! Your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord rises upon you!
Arise and Shine! Your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord rises on you!

See, darkness covers the earth
Thick darkness covers all!
But the Lord rises on you
His glory has appeared. (Refrain)

Nations will come to your light
That’s bright as any dawn.
The Son has risen on you
So let men see that Light! (Refrain)

 The reason I included that song is the last line of the second verse: “So let men see that Light!” The followers of Jesus are Advent people. We still live in a world filled with darkness, be we have the Light of Christ in our lives, knowing we have forgiveness and life and salvation for His sake. This season is a great time to let the world around you see His Light in your life.