Dec. 25, 2015 – Christmas Text: Luke 2:19
Dear Friends in Christ,
Doesn’t it seem like Mary has gotten it all wrong? Isn’t Christmas – this glorious day – a time for celebration? And St. Luke tells us that “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” What a contrast. We live in a time when Christmas is an intense affair. The hype to shop for the perfect gift. The gatherings that are more numerous than other times of the year. But if we look to the first Christmas it was not an intense affair at all. In comparison to today it was quite calm and quiet.
You can’t blame people for wanting to make a buck. Ethel Merman belted it out a long time ago: “There’s no business like show business.” Show business is fine it it’s place but it has no business in God’s business. Christmas does have its entertainment and retail side but we have not come here today to be entertained. We are here on God’s business. And God’s business calls a halt to all the busy-ness of our hectic lives and this hectic season so that we might discover anew the good news of great joy that was proclaimed to shepherds on Bethlehem’s plain: “Today…a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) Let’s discover again . . .
“THE MYSTERY IN THE MANGER”
What did Mary “ponder” in her heart? Was she expecting extravagant gifts? Was she looking for a new donkey to travel back on to Nazareth? Surely, as a woman, she wanted a new pair of sandals. I mean you can never have too many of them, can you ladies? Maybe, being poor, she was hoping that the newborn would have some of the nice things in life.
Mary’s enchantment was not found in any of that. She pondered that which had been spoken by the angel of the Lord to the rugged shepherds concerning her baby boy, “Christ the Lord.”
As a parent we have all had that moment when we look down at our newborn in amazement and think of the blessing and joy and responsibility. Mary looks at her child – could it really be the Lord, the God of hosts, who feeds all creation, who opens up his hand to satisfy the desire of every living thing. Could he come so small in a virgin womb, be born a helpless infant boy, and be suckled at her breast? “Good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10), the angel had announced to the shepherds. This was no pipe dream or human speculation: these words were from the very mouth of God. Her firstborn Son was none other than the Messiah, the promised Redeemer, and God in human flesh and bone. Mary kept all these words and pondered them in her heart.
You and I can do no less this holy day. There is nothing we can do to add to the luster of this day. No musical interlude or mind-boggling light display can hold a candle to the simple wonder of a gracious God who loved the world so that He gave his only begotten Son. When we could not go to him, he has come to us wrapped in swaddling clothes. This is the mystery in the manger; God in diapers, here among us. God in a crib – and then some 30 years later, God on a cross, made to be sin for us that he might remove forever the curse of sin and the sting of death. This is Christmas.
We have experienced this over and over throughout the years, the glitz and glitter and the knick knacks around our house will be packed in our basement crawl space or our attic or our garage not to be seen until another Advent. The happy glow of this festive day is illusive and fleeting. But not this. Treasure in your heart the mystery of God made flesh for our salvation.
In faith, set aside the show business and get down to God’s business. Today the Christ child has been born. He comes wrapped in the swaddling clothes of the Word of His Gospel. He comes for every soul distressed and lonely and grieving. He comes for every wounded heart and mind. He comes for peace that passes all understanding, for forgiveness, for life, and our salvation. He comes for you and you and you this day. The mystery in the manger has been revealed – He is Christ the Lord! Merry Christmas!
Amen.