Sermon - Christmas Eve 2019 - Luke 2:1-20

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” And when the shepherds heard by the word of the angels what had just happened, they said: “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

 We are just like the Shepherds! It’s been announced to us that Christ is near with His cheer and never will He leave us! So we flock to and congregate in sanctuaries around the world to see this thing that has happened. We travel in haste so that we might find, with the shepherds, “the baby lying in a manger.” Truly I say to you, the reason we instinctively flock to sanctuaries around the world is because the manger where we find our Lord Jesus Christ is right here in this sanctuary.

So we sing to our Lord, “O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger is my Paradise at which my soul reclineth. For there, O Lord, doth lie the Word made flesh for us; here in Thy grace forth shineth.” The manger of Jesus Christ is our paradise where we recline. Because here in this manger, in this sanctuary, the Word made flesh for us is present. 

Here in this sanctuary, in this humble church, the Lord comes into our midst really and truly. Just as the Babe of Bethelehem, lying in a feeding trough, the One whom Joesph, Mary, and the shepherds worshipped, is true God, so does Jesus come to us this day. You don’t need to travel back in time and journey to the middle east. You don’t need to reminisce about bygone eras. You need only enter these halls to find that Jesus is lying in His manger right here today.

I know we all have family Christmas traditions. Many of these traditions are good and valuable, things we ought to pass down to our children and grandchildren. But we must also remember that those Christmas traditions at home are not Christmas itself. These traditions are but signs that point us to what Christmas is all about. 

We love sleeping in on Christmas Day and every Sunday, yet the bed we recline in at home is not the manger where Christ is present. God gives us our bed to point us to baptism, where every Christian is laid to rest with Christ, and newly awakened to live forever with Him. So get some rest tonight, enjoy your bed, but then awake and arise and remember that you’re baptized into Christ! Through baptism you’ve fallen asleep in Jesus, you’ve been washed and cleansed of your sins, forgiven and made alive in Christ! So return to the place of the font tomorrow morning, and every Sunday, to rejoice as Christians who have been awakened in baptism! 

We love kneeling at the foot of the Christmas tree, unwrapping our gifts. But remember that the Christmas tree isn’t the cross, but a reminder that your Savior bled and died on a tree for you. From His wounds on that cross, His blood covers you and forgives you. The gift of forgiveness is the great gift which every earthly gift signifies. So tomorrow morning, and every Sunday morning, don’t just kneel at the Christmas tree at home, but return to the real thing, return to the cross, return to the place where the gift of forgiveness is delivered to you: right here in this sanctuary with the words: I forgive you all of your sins.

We love to feast on Christmas, gorging ourselves with our plates piled high with food! Yet the food that we eat in our homes will always deplete and leave us hungry once again. Remember that the Christmas feast at home isn’t the true Feast of Christmas, instead it’s a reminder of the feast prepared for you here at this altar! From this altar Jesus feeds you His true body and blood given for you to eat and drink for the forgiveness of your sins. This food is food that lasts unto eternity! So don’t just fill your body with food tomorrow that will only last you a few hours until you’re hungry again, but come to church tomorrow morning, and every Sunday morning, to be filled with food that shall never perish, to be filled with the body and blood of Christ. For tomorrow is called the Christ Mass, afterall, the day set aside to receive Christ’s body and blood from His manger.

So you see, Jesus’ manger isn’t in Bethlehem, nor is it in your beds, nor at the Christmas trees, nor your dinner table. But Jesus’ manger is right here, this is Christmas, this is your paradise at which your soul reclines! Here you slumber and awaken with Christ through the waters of baptism. Here you kneel at the foot of the Cross and receive the gift of life. Here you feast upon the Word of God made flesh in the true body and blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar. 

So you’ve come to the right place! You’ve come with the Shepherds! You’ve come with the holy family! For here is the manger of Christ, dear Christian! Here is your paradise! See you tomorrow morning! Merry Christmas!