Sermon preached by The Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
Christmass Eve
Rick Warren, author of the best-sellers, The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, wrote another book a couple of years ago titled (guess what?) The Purpose of Christmas. In preparation for it he took a survey of Christmas shoppers, asking them, “What are you celebrating this Christmas?” These are some of the answers: “I’m celebrating that I made it through another year. I’m celebrating being home with my family. I got a Christmas bonus. My son is home from Iraq. The candidate I voted for got elected. I’m celebrating that I finished all my shopping.”
Taking a cue from Warren, I asked a few people what they were celebrating this Christmas. One person said, “The family being together.” Another said, “I just got home from Iraq.” Another said, “Surviving Christmas.” One grocery store clerk said, without any hesitation, “I’m celebrating the birth of Christ.”
Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it? Christmas is first of all a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Yet amidst all of the preparations, all of the commercialism, all of the political correctness, even for us Christians the obvious can get lost. One writer overheard the following: “My husband wanted to send Christmas cards this year with a picture of the nativity, but I wanted to send something more Christmassy!” What’s more Christmassy than the nativity? Even for Christians sometimes the obvious can get lost.
What really is it that we celebrate at Christmas? What are you and I celebrating tonight? The answer of course is found in the babe lying in the manger. And we can gain some insight into the meaning of his birth by listening to what the angel said to the shepherds when he appeared to them at night, as they were watching their flocks.
The first thing the angel said was, “Be not afraid.” Why would they be afraid of an angel? The pictures and statues we have of angels certainly wouldn’t inspire fear. Long, flowing robes, kindly expressions. What’s to fear? I suspect angels aren’t anything like we’ve imagined them. They are the messengers of Almighty God. They do battle for him. They are powerful creatures of the spirit world. To encounter an angel must be a terrifying experience akin to encountering God himself.
And whenever we encounter God, fear is a part of it, for God is holy, and there is so much in each of us that is not holy; so much in each of us that we have not put in subjection to the lordship of Christ. Our petty squabbles, our failure to be loving, our hypocrisy, our envy of those who are more fortunate than ourselves, our dishonesty in daily living—when confronted by God, or his messengers, all of these things come into focus. That’s part of what happens when a person has an experience in which her whole life flashes before her eyes. When God, in whom there is no darkness at all, shines his light on our life we see the many imperfections.
The angel knows that. And remember, he is appearing to shepherds, who are not paragons of virtue. So his first words are, “Be not afraid. I’m not here to bring judgment. In fact, I’m here to bring good news of great joy for all people.”
This news is for all people for all time. The Gospel is not just for some, but for all. Jesus is to be the Savior of the world, not just part of the world, with other saviors for other parts. What has happened in the city of David, Bethlehem, is totally unique in human history. The Creator of the universe, who is without beginning and without end, who is pure spirit, invisible, all-powerful, has taken flesh and is a little baby, lying in a manger. He can be seen, touched, held; his cries can be heard. He is completely dependent upon his mother and foster father.
“To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior.” This baby is your Savior and my Savior. He saves us from our sins, from everything in our lives that separates us from God and from others. He saves us from ourselves, from putting ourselves in the center of our lives, with everyone else, including God, on the periphery. He saves us from hell and from eternal death.
Yet, not only does Jesus save us from these things, but also, and more importantly, he saves us for a life that is full of meaning; in fact, life that can even and is even called eternal life, for it is life lived in the Spirit and devoted to serving Christ as Lord. He saves us for fulfilling his purpose for our lives. This is what St. Paul is talking about when he says to the Ephesians, “For we are his (God’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” He saves us for lives lived in loving service to him and to his people; for sacrificial love, love that will only be revealed in its wholeness on Good Friday, when we see this one who was born in Bethlehem die on a cross, stretching out his loving arms that all might be saved. “Be not afraid. For behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
What are you celebrating this Christmas? May your and my celebration truly be a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. It’s his birthday. What gift will you bring to the Christ child?