Matthew 1:18-25 * Christmas Day 2004 *
Pastor Leyrer
See in yonder manger low, born for us on earth below
See the gentle Lamb appears, promised from eternal years
Hail the ever blessed morn; Hail redemption’s happy dawn;
Sing through all
Dear Friends of and in our Newborn King,
“This is how the
birth of Jesus Christ came about.”
In this simple, straightforward prose – a brief ten words in English – Matthew lays before us an event of such enormity and magnitude that no amount of words can properly describe it.
Yet, some will relegate the birth of Christ to mere history.
I recently heard a snatch of talk radio. The discussion had to do with the government giving its workers off for Christmas and the whole matter of separation between church and state. A listener called in and said that in the late 1800’s our nation made Christmas a federal holiday, but on the purely secular grounds of recognizing the impact a philosopher named Jesus had on western civilization. I did a little research but couldn’t verify the truthfulness of such rationale. Regardless, who would disagree? The fact that the world has made the birth of Christ the very dividing line of time – referencing events as either taking place before or after Him – would be a sufficient measure of His stature.
Yes, the birth of Christ is the very centerpiece of world history. But we know that it is far more than that. It is the fulfillment of a long standing promise made by God. And it is the hinge upon which the door to eternal salvation opens.
Think about what’s just been said. The centerpiece of history. The dividing line of time as we know it. The fulfillment of a divine promise. The hinge upon which the door to heaven opens. Those are some credentials. And not a single one is an overstatement. In fact, overstating the importance and significance of this day is not even possible.
It is highly unlikely that any of us present are hearing this for the first time. Sad to say, sometimes that can actually work against us, meaning our familiarity with the Christmas story may initially dull the impact of hearing it again. But not for long. It takes only the slightest reflection to put the edges back on the mystery and meaning of this wonderful day.
One of the ancient yet contemporary great Advent hymns of the Church begins with the familiar words: “O come, o come Emmanuel.” This is the plea of God’s people as they waited and watched for the promise of a Savior to be fulfilled. Today the waiting is over. Today, with the economic opening words of Matthew, “This is how the birth of Jesus came about,” we mark
THE ARRIVAL
1. God became one of us
2. So we might become one with
Him
A beloved Christmas hymn asks the essential question of this
day: What Child is this? Obviously, He is no ordinary baby. Although many children throughout the ages
have been born in humble surroundings, none were heralded at birth as this child
was.
When this child was born night turned to day because the sky
was lit up with angels. When this child
was born shepherds uncharacteristically left behind their flocks – and possibly
their jobs – to adore Him. Sometime
later, when this child was born wise men came from that general vicinity
Scripture simply refers to as “the East” to bring Him expensive gifts and
worship Him.
Why? Because this child is God. In the words of our text, He is Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” Toward the end of the Book of Revelation the Apostle John hears the voice of God say, “Now the dwelling of God is with men,” but there he is talking about heaven. On Christmas we are talking about earth. And on Christmas “the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
Which means today we are once again joyfully confronted with the fact that God broke into our space and time. As another Christmas hymn puts it: “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate deity, pleased as man with man to dwell; Jesus our Immanuel.”
Or as early Christians put it when they very carefully
formulated and crafted the words of the Nicene Creed: “God of
God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, of one being
with the Father. Through Him all things
were made. For us men and for our
salvation He came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the
Virgin Mary and was made man…”
Who is Jesus Christ? The world may say that He was a philosopher or a teacher or a great man who has had considerable influence on the world. The truth is far more incredible. He is that unique individual who is both true God and true man. He is God incarnate; that is, God become flesh. He is Immanuel: “God with us.” This is the mystery of Christmas. God became man in the person of Jesus Christ.
But this isn’t the only mystery of Christmas. Equally mysterious – in the sense of being unable to comprehend – is why He came.
Somewhere along the line you may have come across these words. I believe I first saw them on a Christmas card. They pretty well summarize the what and why of Jesus Christ:
If our need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.
If our need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.
If our need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness, So God sent us a Savior.
That’s why Jesus came to this planet: to be our Savior. In our text the angel gave Joseph this information and instruction concerning what was about to transpire: “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.”
The reason we need a Savior is because you and I were born differently than Jesus. Of us it cannot be said that we were conceived by the Holy Spirit. The Bible and an exhaustive amount of empirical evidence tell us that we bear the sin of our ancestors Adam and Eve. Despite a full scale attempt by the world to deny it or recategorize it or rationalize it or minimize it or sanitize it, the Bible says we are sinful by nature… dead in our trespasses and sins… doomed to an eternity in hell. All because of our inability to live the perfect life God demands.
But our gracious God countered. And this was His plan: Immanuel. The incarnation. The Word became flesh. To fully grasp this is clearly beyond us. C.S. Lewis made the statement that “if you really want to get the hang of the incarnation, think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.” Perhaps that’s the best we can do to. God condescended to become one of us in the person of baby Jesus.
And that was just the beginning of the plan. The baby we marvel at this morning grew up to be a man who for every second of every day of every one of His 33 years among us lived a sinless life as our substitute. Jesus grew up and voluntarily replaced the timber of the manger with the timber of a cross, there to suffer and die as the substitutionary sacrifice for your sins and mine. Three days later He rose triumphant from the grave to signify to the world and us that His mission of redemption was complete and satisfactory.
And there’s still more. The baby who became a man who is our Savior is our ever-living Lord. He now rules the world in His truth and grace. He is the ever-living Prince of Peace. Each day He showers us with the peace of forgiveness. Each day He provides us with the peace of knowing that He’ll never leave us or forsake us. Each day He provides us with the peace of His abiding presence and the assurance that even though we may have troubles on earth, the day is coming when there will never again be any mourning or crying or pain, because the old order of things will pass away.
And we are encouraged because now we live our lives in the shadow of the eternity that awaits us.
That’s why He came. To redeem us. He became one of us to live with us so that we might live in peace now and eventually with Him forever. And it all began with His arrival in history today.
I’ve never been to
Within that church is the grotto or cave of the nativity. From early on this is the place that has been considered to be the stable site where Mary and Joseph took shelter because there was no room in the inn. From my understanding two entrances lead to the cave, which is a rectangular space of approximately 10 by 35 feet.
There on the floor of the cave, surrounded by low hanging lamps and censers, is a silver star that marks the spot where Christ was born. Circling the star is this Latin inscription: “Hic de Maria Virgine Jesus Christus Natus est.” Which means: Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary.
Jesus Christ was indeed born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. This is a historical fact marked by an inscription. But Jesus is more than just a historical figure. He is our Savior. He is Immanuel…
And as we gather to celebrate this blessed event, every Christian heart also bears an inscription: Here Jesus Christ is born anew each Christmas. So regardless of how many times we have heard the Christmas account, let us rejoice, “For unto us is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord.” Amen.