Christmas Eve

I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. If you are a Christian, you confess these words from the Apostles’ Creed. Every conception and birth is a miracle, but there is always a human mother and father. In the long history of the world, how many times was a man brought into being without a human father? Twice. The first was Adam, whose father was God. The Bible calls Jesus the second Adam. These are the only two men in history who did not have a human father. But, of course, Jesus is more than man. He is also God.

St. Matthew tells us that the birth of Jesus took place in this way: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:18). People often say that Jesus was born out of wedlock to an unmarried mother. This is not true. In the Jewish culture, betrothal was marriage. The religious ceremony was held, the papers were signed, the couple became man and wife. And then the new wife went home to pack her things, while her husband prepared their new home. Joseph and Mary were already married, but while Joseph was eagerly preparing to bring his bride home, he found out that she was pregnant.

Imagine his hurt and betrayal and anger! A lesser man would have acted out in rage and publicly denounced his unfaithful wife, condemning her to be stoned to death, according to the law of Moses. But Joseph, though heartbroken, was a kind man and resolved to divorce Mary quietly. Notice that the word here is “divorce”—not “break off the engagement.” They were legally married, only they had not yet come together.

But the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph saying, “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1:20). When a man discovers that his wife is pregnant without his help, it’s almost always the result of sin and lust and unfaithfulness. But the angel says, “This conception is different. It is holy. It is pure. It is without sin. It is from the Holy Spirit. In fact, this child will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21).

Here is the entire purpose of Jesus’ life and ministry, summed up in one sentence, “He will save his people from their sins.” Let me ask you a question? Are you one of his people? Are you one of Jesus’s people? If so, you are confessing that you are a sinner who needs saving. This is the heart and center of the Christmas message. This is what the story is all about.

There is, so to speak, the ugly side of Christmas, the part of the story that is dark and uncomfortable. Yes, Christmas is also beautiful. We sing, “What child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet While shepherds watch are keeping?” But that’s not the whole story. The hymn continues, “Nails, spear shall piece Him through, The cross be borne for me, for you.” What do nails and spear have to do with Christmas? Everything! This is how that child will save his people from their sins.

We are in danger of forgetting this today. The world is so caught up with the celebrating, that there is hardly any room for remembering why we celebrate. But Jesus was not conceived by the Holy Spirit just so that we could have a cozy Christmas dinner with our families. He was not born of the virgin Mary only in order to bring a little cheer into our lives. No. He entered our world in order to save us from the consequences of our own sin, to rescue us from certain death, and to give us a future other than eternal damnation. This is the message of Christmas.

Someone once said to me, “Christmas is all about family.” No, it’s not. Christmas is not all about family, and nostalgia, and holiday cheer. Jesus did not need to be born, to live, suffer, and die in order for families to celebrate a holiday together. You don’t need Jesus to eat cake, light candles, and watch It’s a Wonderful Life. You need Jesus in order to become part of God’s family. You need Jesus to do battle on your behalf against our enemy, the devil. You need Jesus to bear your sin, to die in your place, and to rise again as the first man to enter eternal glory.

Christmas is not about pretending that the world is full of light and cheer. It’s not. The world is black and dark with sin and growing worse every year. We don’t pretend otherwise. But into this great darkness, the Light of the world has shined. This is the message of Christmas. God has entered our broken world. He has joined his future to ours. He has seen the suffering of his children, and has had compassion upon us.

On this darkest of nights, the Creator enters his Creation in order to restore it. The King of kings comes to serve his subjects. God becomes man so that he too might suffer and die. Immanuel. God with us. God joining us. God for us. God walking alongside us in this valley of tears. God entering into our suffering, bearing our shame, carrying our sins, dying our death. God descending to earth, in order to raise us up to heaven. This is Christmas!

Jesus was born for one purpose: to bear our sin and shame. He began this task at the moment of his conception. Even as the other women whispered knowingly about the circumstances of Mary’s untimely pregnancy, our Lord had already begun his mission. He would bear in his own body all of our stigma and shame, sickness, suffering, and death. Can you imagine how heavy his footsteps were as he climbed the final hill to Calvary, carrying every sin that had even been or ever would be committed? His name is Jesus, which means God will save—and he has!

Pastors sometimes exhort their people, “Let’s put Christ back in Christmas.” Let me tell you: You can’t put Christ back into Christmas. God put Jesus into Christmas and nobody can take him out. When the eternal Son became a man, he did so for all eternity. Nobody helped with Jesus’ conception and incarnation. This was God’s doing. And no man can undo what God has done. Jesus has joined us for all eternity. He is and always will be Emmanuel, God with us. We have no power to take Jesus out or put him back into Christmas. He is Christmas, and without him there is nothing. We don’t make Christmas; we only recognize what God has done and rejoice in his glorious work.

So celebrate Christmas this year with glad hearts. Celebrate with your family around the dinner table. Eat cake, light candles, and watch It’s a Wonderful Life. But remember why we celebrate. The Light of the world has entered our darkness. The holy child conceived without sin has borne our sin and guilt. By becoming man, our God has made us part of his family. This is Christmas. Emmanuel, God with us forever. Amen.

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