Good Shepherd Lutheran Church(elca)
Following Christ, Growing in Faith, Sharing God's Love
Christmas Eve Sermon
December 24, 2007
Luke 2:1-20
Yesterday, after morning worship services,
there was a get-together of college students
from Good Shepherd.
Good food.
Good company.
Good friends.
And, since I hadn’t finished my sermon for tonight,
I asked a group of them sitting around
what they would preach about
if they were preaching for Christmas Eve.
And there were a number of good ideas—
--the importance of family and friends
--the community of faith.
But the number one answer was this:
They would preach about Jesus.
It reminds me of the old story
of the pastor giving a children’s sermon.
And the pastor asked the children
if they could name the furry little animal,
with a long tail,
runs through your backyard,
eats nuts and makes a stash of them for winter.
And one little boy said,
“It really sounds like a squirrel,
but it must be Jesus,
because the answer is always Jesus.”
But as I thought about it more,
I thought—you know—
they’re right.
That’s why we come together tonight.
To talk about Jesus.
The baby born for us.
And if we miss that message,
we’re missing the story.
We need to hear about Jesus.
And so we hear the story from Luke’s Gospel.
The story of Joseph and Mary.
Going to Bethlehem for a census.
And while they are there—
--with no room at the inn—
--Mary gives birth in a stable—
--and lays Jesus in a manger.
And out in the fields
the shepherds hear the good news
from the angel chorus.
And they go and worship him.
And the wise men come from a distant land
and worship him.
And tonight we come,
and hear about the baby Jesus.
God loves us so much
that he came to live among us.
Live and die for us.
And we worship him.
Oh, come let us adore him.
Christ the Lord.
A number of years ago,
the mayor of Boston
wanted to know what it was really like
for the poor in his city.
So, for several days he let his beard grow.
Then, looking pretty shaggy,
he put on old, grubby clothes
and headed out to the poorest part of the city.
He found a cheap shelter
and begged for a night’s lodging.
They gave him an ax
and said he could split wood
for his bed and breakfast.
He wasn’t used to that kind of work.
And he was really struggling,
when a young man stepped forward and said:
“Mister, let me have the ax.
You obviously don’t know how to use it.”
The man took the ax,
and with swift, sure strokes
finished the whole woodpile.
The mayor was impressed
with the kindness of his new friend
and he said:
“Here’s my card.
Come to my office
and I’ll see that you get a job.”
The young man walked away,
shaking his head and mumbling:
“Poor old man.
He’s worse off than I thought.
“He thinks he’s the mayor of Boston.”
But the man’s curiosity was stronger than his doubt.
And a couple days later,
he made his way to city hall.
And he got the job.
Because when they ushered him into the mayor’s office,
he saw his friend,
and he really was seeing the mayor.
On this Christmas Eve,
we hear the story of God,
who cared enough for you and for me
to come into our midst—
--even in the midst of our sin—
--and be born for you
and for me.
we see a baby.
And when we see that baby,
we are really seeing God.
God comes and lives among us.
God comes “in the flesh”.
Immanuel—
God with us.
I read about two sisters,
both in their 80’s.
Living in North Dakota.
On a farm in North Dakota.
And as they were slowing down,
the farm was falling apart.
The chicken coop was falling down.
The barn was tilting way to one side.
The machinery was broken and rusted.
Their nephew came to visit one day from the city.
And he wanted to take a picture
of his aunts with the chicken coop
and the barn
and the rusty machinery
in the background.
And the aunts stood there,
straight and tall for the picture.
And the nephew took the picture
and sent them a copy.
And they loved that photograph,
and they decided to use it for their Christmas Card that year.
And at the top of that picture they put the words
“Merry Christmas”—in bold black letters.
And at the bottom of the picture, in bold black letters were the words:
“God is with us in our mess.”
Instead of worrying about their mess,
they gave thanks to God
for coming and being with them
right in the middle of it.
And that’s what Jesus does tonight—
--he comes to us right in the middle of our mess.
God doesn’t wait until we have it all figured out.
Because God would be waiting still.
“While we are yet sinners,
Christ died for us.”
Jesus comes to us
right in the middle of our mess.
Jesus says to you and to me:
When you are sick,
I’m there for you.
When you are alone,
When you feel guilty,
When you are dying,
Even when you turn away from me,
I’m still there for you,
calling you back,
loving you always.
When you feel pain,
I hurt with you.
When you feel joy,
I rejoice with you.
When you need a Savior,
and you do need a Savior,
I’m your Savior.
When you need God,
and you do need God,
I’m the way, the truth and the life.
Jesus was born for you.
Jesus lived for you.
Jesus died for you.
Jesus rose for you.
And Jesus is here with you now—
--giving and loving.
Jesus—
--Immanuel—
--God with us.
Always.
No matter how messy our life.
Tonight,
God is with you in a special way.
Loving you always.
With you always.
we remember the birth of a savior—
--of Christ the Lord.
Merry Christmas!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
