Christmas Eve / Christmas Day
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series IX, Cycle B
Object:
Theme of the Day
Why the Incarnation matters!
Collect of the Day
A prayer of thanks to God for giving us the true light that shines on Christmas Eve. Petitions to God to have us walk in the light of Jesus' presence follow. Christology and a view of Sanctification as a spontaneous and free following of Christ are emphasized.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 96
* Hymn celebrating God's kingship.
* The song is said to be a new one (v. 1), most appropriate to celebrate the new thing God has done at Christmas.
* Honor is given to God (vv. 4-6).
* In ascribing to God all the glory due (vv. 7-8) we are reminded that we can boast of nothing, that it (and the holiday) are all about God.
* All nations and even the universe join this praise (vv. 7-13), an appropriate reminder of both the universal character of Christmas and the festival's relation to ecology.
* Reference to God judging the world with righteousness (v. 13) suggests the righteousness bestowed on the faithful through the Christ-event (see Second Lesson; Romans 3:21-26).
Sermon Text and Title
"How the Christmas Child Sets Us Free"
Isaiah 9:2-7
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To help parishioners understand how Christ sets the faithful free (by Justification apart from the law) and in what sense this freedom pertains to broader social consequences regarding overcoming oppression.
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* A prophecy of the historical Isaiah about the messianic king may have originally celebrated the accession of a Judean king.
* The new king is described as a great light for those who had been in darkness (v. 2). (This observation is readily applied to the Exiles after this portion of the book was combined with the later chapters. In that sense the prophecy has political relevance.)
* The new king will multiply the nation, increase its joy (v. 3).
* The rod of oppressors of the people is broken, much like Gideon conquered the Mideanites (vv. 4-5; Judges 7:23--8:3).
* Refers to a child born for us; reference is then made to the mighty God, an everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (v. 6). These titles were customarily coronation names given to Egyptian kings at their accession. Read as prophecy the verse could refer to the Christ Child who is identified with a loving God.
* This child is said to have authority to give endless peace, with justice and righteousness. He is identified with the Davidic line (v. 7).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* To examine Christology with reference to the freedom Christ provides. The sermon clarifies how He sets us free from the law and the implications of that for liberation from oppression by the injustices of society (Sanctification and Social Ethics).
* Commenting on Isaiah 9, Martin Luther claimed that "God is the God of none but the lowly, the oppressed, the groaning, and the sighing" (Luther's Works, Vol. 16, p. 102).
* He notes that the yoke lifted (v. 4), the most oppressive tyrant is the law (Luther's Works, Vol. 16, p. 98). He adds that to have Christ as our Father means that we are no longer under the law and the threat of judgment (Complete Sermons, Vol. 7, p. 251): "Christ is therefore called Prince of Peace because everything in His kingdom proceeds in goodness" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 7, p. 253).
* Elsewhere preaching on this lesson, Luther offered several profound points on the liberating implications of the Incarnation:
What the prophet Isaiah saw and wished to emphasize by these words is that the Christian church rests on Christ's shoulder and that a real Christian and true member of the church believes that he is carried on Christ's shoulder, that is, all his sins lie on Christ's shoulders.
(Complete Sermons, Vol. 7, pp. 226-227)
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* See the data concerning injustice in America in the analysis of the First Lesson for Advent 3.
* Also note the foreign conflicts in which the US is engaged, the imbalance in the military of lower social classes (since the Vietnam era over 75% of those who serve) and African Americans (comprising 22% of the armed services) serving, as well as the fact that according to the US Census 5.8% of all American married families are in poverty.
5. Gimmick
With exclamation announce, "The Baby in the manger set you and me free!" Our First Lesson explains how.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Christmas is for everyone. For the happy family. For the Barrys, agonizing over regrets about their children or anxious about their jobs and retirement. Christmas is also for Jose Martinez and Jennifer Jones, the working poor and welfare clients. They have several friends stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Note that the middle-class Barrys have no acquaintances fighting in the military. The all-volunteer army lets the poor fight for us.) All of these Americans (no, all human beings) need Christmas. They also need freedom.
* Our First Lesson does not immediately seem to be about Christmas. It is in its origins a song celebrating the enthronement of a new king in Judah.
* Great hope seems to have been conferred on this new king. He would be a great light to the nations (v. 2), would multiply the nation and increase its joy (v. 3), would break the oppressor's rod (v. 4), and give peace, justice, and righteousness (v. 7). Tall order for a king.
* But this king, said to be a child born to us, is said to be wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (v. 6)! These lofty titles were often bestowed on new kings in Egypt. Maybe the Judeans were titling their new king this way in order to say that their ruler was as good as the powerful Egyptians.
* However, those are the very titles we Christians say belong to another heir of David -- to our Jesus! The lesson tells us what He will do -- this Child, this king who is God. The Prince of Peace, the text says, will break the oppressor's rod (v. 4), be a light to the nations (v. 2), increase joy, and provide endless peace with justice and righteousness (v. 7). The Christ Child, the Christmas Child, will set the remorseful and fretful Barrys, the poor and oppressed Jose and Jennifer, and you and me free.
* What is the oppression and the bondage from which the Barrys, Jose, Jennifer, their friends, and others like us are free? Martin Luther once stated in connection with this lesson that the greatest oppressive rod from which we need liberation is the law (Luther's Works, Vol. 16, p. 98). The law does two things. It condemns our sin and keeps order (The Book of Concord [200 ed.], pp. 311-312). But unjust laws also oppress.
* Talk first about liberation from the proper functions of the law. The Christmas Child foretold in our lesson sets us free from remorse and frets by taking away the threats of punishment, by carrying us and our sinfulness on His shoulders until they are all taken away. (See Theological Insights for quotations and references.)
* In interpreting this passage we dare not forget how it ends. In verse 7 we are reminded that this Child about whom we sing will establish justice a kingdom with justice and righteousness. What does that mean? What is justice in Isaiah's meaning?
* Justice has to do with removing oppression (v. 4) and this is another dimension of the freedom this Christ king will bring. Martin Luther had it right when he said that this is a passage about "God as the God of none but the lowly, the oppressed…" (Luther's Works, Vol. 16, p. 102). An eminent Old Testament scholar (Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol. 2, p. 149; Ibid., Vol. 1, pp. 373-374) has noted that the concepts of justice and righteousness in the Old Testament have to do with the oppressed and the poor, with lifting them up, with getting them free of poverty and oppression.
* There are many in America, the Jennifers, the Joses, and their friends, who are trapped in cycles of poverty or recruited to fight our wars. Christmas is for them too! The promise of peace (v. 6) is for them, that they have no more of our wars to fight that profit us of the upper classes and our acquisition of more oil and foreign markets. This is the freedom that the Child prophesied in our lesson promises. And if we want to celebrate the birth of that Child, to join Jesus' ministry, we will take up this task of joining with the efforts of the poor to get freedom and equality.
* Martin Luther King Jr. had it right in describing the Jesus whose birth we celebrate. In a work published posthumously he wrote:
A voice out of Bethlehem two thousand years ago said that all men are equal. It said right would triumph. Jesus of Nazareth wrote no book; He owned no property to endow Him with influence. He had no friends in the courts of the powerful. But He changed the course of mankind with only the poor and the despised.
(A Testament of Hope, p. 328)
Will you join this army of the poor and despised who have joined Jesus in changing the world, in setting everybody free, not just from anxieties and personal sin, but from the oppression of poverty and exploitation? Then you really have caught the spirit of Christmas.
7. Wrap-Up
Ask parishioners in conclusion if they feel burdened by the past, by regrets, by sin. Remind them they are free. Wish them again Merry Christmas, with a reminder that Christmas is about the freedom the Christmas Baby has brought. But add the reminder that this is not just a spiritual freedom; that the Christmas Child, the Prince of Peace, brings a freedom in the form of justice, a freedom and peace which values the poor and oppressed and is impatient with their oppression. To join in that struggle is the true meaning of Christmas. Our lesson reminds us that Christmas is not about the presents or even that cute little baby in the manger. It is about the king who has come to shed light, to break oppression, to lift us and all our sins on His shoulders (as Luther says [Complete Sermons, Vol. 7, pp. 226-227]). From that perspective oppression in all its forms does not stand a chance!
Sermon Text and Title
"Salvation Is Yours!"
Titus 2:11-14
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To comfort hearers with the good news that they are saved (Justification by Grace) and with a picture of how their lives now look thanks to Jesus. Many of the themes of the Collect of the Day receive elaboration.
2. Exegesis
* One of the pastoral epistles, along with 1 and 2 Timothy, so named because of their concern with pastoral leadership.
* The book purports to be a letter of Paul to Titus, a Gentile colleague in ministry (Galatians 2:1-3).
* It is likely, though, that none of these epistles were written by Paul. They differ from the authentic letters of Paul in vocabulary, style, and in treatment of concepts like faith, law, and righteousness. They are characterized by more emphasis on good works, godliness, and church order. Many of the historical circumstances described in the pastoral epistles do not seem readily accommodated to Paul's ministry described in Acts. Thus they may not have been written until the second century. In that case this book may not have been written to Titus (and the Timothy letters not to the one who bears their name) but were intended as circular letters for a general audience.
* Though the other pastorals address ascetic Gnostics (1 Timothy 4:3, 7), Titus engages in debate more with Christian leaders still maintaining fidelity to Jewish traditions (1:10, 14).
* Titus' teachings closely parallel 1 Timothy. The book has three major sections: (1) Requirements of church leaders in face of false teachings (ch. 1); (2) Advice to leaders on the proper approach to different groups (ch. 2), along with a summary of expectations on the believers in view of grace (the lesson we consider); and (3) Further unfolding of the ethical program (ch. 3).
* The text moves from the grace of God and salvation given to all (vv. 11, 14) to a declaration that we have become a people of His own, zealous for good works (v. 14).
* The new life is described in terms of self-control and godliness, not caught up in worldly passions of the present age (v. 12). These are images compatible with Hellenistic moral philosophy and in some sense remain in dialogue with the Gnostic asceticism otherwise critiqued.
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* An examination of Justification as Intimate Union and what that entails for Sanctification.
* Christ giving Himself for us by grace makes us zealous for good works (v. 14).
* Preaching on this text, Martin Luther notes that it teaches us that Christ gave Himself to put away our impurity and to make us pure and righteous by cleansing our hearts. He can only be received with our hearts (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 135). The text also teaches, he claims, that without grace no good can come about (Ibid., p. 138). Our holiness is just filth and dung (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, p. 91). Even these insights about our need for grace are a work of grace (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 119). "We must then shelter ourselves under His [Christ's] wings and not fly afar in the security of our own faith, else we will soon be devoured by the hawk" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 163).
* The Reformer does a nice job with reference to the worldly lusts noted in the text (v. 12). Can we enjoy the Christmas gifts on Titus' grounds? Luther claims that the things of the world are God's good gifts -- it is only lusting after them, craving them, that must be denied (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 119). His advice is that we can enjoy them but not give into the temptations they pose: "To live right in this present world, mark you, is like living soberly in a saloon, chastely in a brothel, godly in a gaiety ball, uprightly in a den of murderers" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 129).
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* Consider recent statistics on worldly lusts in America for sex and wealth. Most recent available statistics show that 15% of wives and 25% of American husbands have engaged in extramarital affairs.
* Regarding our conspicuous-consumption addiction, by the end of 2007 the average credit card debt was $8,400 per household. The Federal Reserve reported that over 40% of households spend more than they earn.
5. Gimmick
In an excited, joyful tone announce: "You are saved! Merry Christmas!" Then ask the congregation what difference will it make next Monday.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* The lesson provides an answer to the question. The author reminds us of the good news that the grace of God has brought us all salvation (v. 11)! We are saved/justified by God's grace. But then something happens to you.
* Salvation by grace is a little like the story of Geraldine Jones, born in the projects in a tough neighborhood. She had a life of shifting back and forth from menial work to the unemployment line. Then she had the undeserved fortune of winning the state's multimillion-dollar lottery! As a result, never again would Geraldine need to worry about money. She had a lifetime income that would keep her in the upper class for life. And what did she do with this bounty? After buying a nice home in the suburbs (but less swanky than she could have afforded) and a car, she took a large percentage of her monthly winnings and donated them to charities serving her old neighborhood. In fact, not needing to work for a living any longer, she spent the rest of her life volunteering in the neighborhood. "I didn't deserve my blessings," she answers when asked why she does it.
* Geraldine illustrates how good works follow from justification, how grace does not make you lazy, how God's grace makes us zealous for good works (v. 14). Her story also illustrates our biblical author's claim that grace trains us to renounce worldly passions, trains us in living godly lives of self-control (v. 12). Geraldine was showered in wealth, with opportunity to follow all the worldly passions, and what does she do? She took the wealth to those in need in the nrighborhood.
* Our lesson (and Martin Luther's interpretation of it) reminds us that Geraldine's generosity, her commitment to her community and to self-control can only happen by the grace of God. These behaviors cannot be sustained without grace. Use Luther's quote (in Theological Insights) on the need to be sheltered under Christ's wings, lest we be devoured by hawks.
* It is not hard to be focused on Jesus, on the wings of God today. Keep celebrating Christmas every day, and you will not fly far from those wings of His. That is how Christmas will make a difference next Monday.
* Also keep in mind our Second Lesson's comment that God has made us a people of His own. That is why we are zealous for good works (v. 14). We are changed, God's people, always in His presence. It is only because God is meddling in our lives, has changed us, that we can have these lives of self-control and godliness free of worldly passions.
* Of course living this sort of life of self-control, free of worldly passions, is not a way of life to take for granted, especially not in our present context. In a world where sex without commitment is increasingly the norm, why be faithful? In a world where we spend all we can charge, why not be greedy? Martin Luther had it right. There is nothing wrong with Christians enjoying the good things in life. (Enjoy your Christmas festivities and gifts.) Living Christian, he claims, is like living soberly in a saloon, chastely in a whorehouse, and uprightly among criminals. (See quotation in Theological Insights.) That is what it's like to be a Christian. And we could not live that way without the grace of God, making us new people.
7. Wrap-Up
Note that at least three miracles transpire at Christmas. List them for parishioners: (1) God became human; (2) God forgives our sin and, though we don't deserve it, wants to save us all (we won the divine lottery); and (3) We have become people who can renounce the things of the world. If we continue the celebration of Christmas, all these miracles and the relevance of the day for the rest of our lives will become obvious.
Sermon Text and Title
"Living the Christian Story"
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To bring parishioners into the Christmas story, experiencing/perpetrating the rejection of Jesus in Bethlehem (to become aware of how we sin), to hear the angels' voices of praise with the shepherds, to walk in their shoes as despised, lowly people, and to reflect on what Jesus' birth means today regarding Justification, joy, and peace of mind.
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible concerning Acts and the Analysis of the Gospel for Advent 4)
* The account of Jesus' birth. Begins with the census called for by Emperor Augustus and with Joseph's and Mary's trip to Bethlehem (vv. 1-5). Questions have been raised if the census actually transpired, as Quirinius who is noted in the account was not the governor of Syria during King Herod's reign. It is also unlikely that spouses would have had to travel with their husbands for such a census unless the spouses owned property in Bethlehem.
* Mary bears her first-born son and lays him in a manger where there was no room in the inn (v. 6). It was common in Palestine for owners to reside with their animals.
* Revelation of the birth to shepherds and the angels' praising God and granting peace among those God favors (vv. 8-14). Reference to the child as "Christ" is an effective identification of Him as the Davidic messiah (v. 11).
* When the angels depart the shepherds proceed to Bethlehem, finding Mary, Joseph, and the child (vv. 15-17).
* All who heard the story are amazed. Mary is said to treasure these words and ponder them (vv. 18-19).
* The shepherds return, glorifying God (v. 20).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* To examine our sin and uptightness and how Christ (Justification by Grace) takes it away, as well as what the Christian life (Sanctification) and life in general (Providence) looks like in light of Christ's presence.
* John Calvin nicely explained the Incarnation, learning the lesson from the angels' songs to the shepherds:
When men hear this single word [the mercy of God], that God is reconciled to them, it not only raises up those who have fallen down, but restores those who were ruined, and recalls them from death to life.
(Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XVI/1, p. 115)
By calling it great joy, he shows us, not only that we ought, above all things, to rejoice in the salvation brought by Christ, but that this blessing is so great and boundless, as fully to compensate for all the pains, distresses, and anxieties of the present life.
(Ibid.)
* In a Christmas sermon on this text, Martin Luther nicely explained the implications of Christ's Nativity for the way we live (Sanctification):
If Christ has now thus become your own, and you have by such faith been cleansed through Him… it follows that you will do good works by doing to your neighbor as Christ has done to you.
(Complete Sermons, Vol. 1/1, p. 145)
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* Keep in mind the stress and despair some Americans experience at Christmas.
5. Gimmick
Come along with Jesus' family on the trip to Bethlehem. Tell the story, but do it in a way that has your hearers identify with the characters. Give them a "You Are There" presentation.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Explore with the congregation how it must have felt for the Holy Family to fail to find a place to stay in Bethlehem. Critique the American quest for wealth, all our concern about Christmas presents. Note how Martin Luther spoke of this issue, reflecting on why we should want to be wealthy and at ease in big houses when Jesus was born in a stable with no beds or bed pews (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, p. 136).
* We would do no better today welcoming Jesus, for we fail to welcome the poor in our towns to our homes (Complete Sermons, Vol. 1/1, p. 155).
* Sin and the mad quest for wealth is a reality in our lives. The shepherds in the fields did not have good jobs. Shepherding in first-century Israel was a poor man's job. They were practicing a largely despised occupation and were pretty much nobodies in their society. And yet they are the ones to whom God revealed His Son, the Savior, sending the angels to sing to them (Ibid., p. 154)! (The fact that the shepherds shared King David's pre-monarch vocation [1 Samuel 16:11] may have been relevant in God's plan to reveal Jesus to them, a way of linking with the Davidic heritage.)
* Hear the angels' song to them (as interpreted by Martin Luther): They sing of peace and goodwill (v. 14) for those who are tortured about our worth. Not only that, the peace they promise in singing is that their song diverts us from evil's domination of the earth (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, p. 111). Also note Calvin's points in Theological Insights.
* Martin Luther pointed out that if we could believe the Christmas story we could never harm another human being. For how could we harm or hate someone with a body like God (took on in the flesh) (Ibid., p. 113)? This appreciation of the human body is also a word of self-respect to those of us in despair about our self-worth.
* This appreciation of what we share in common as the message of Christmas was noted by the famous Anglo-American novelist Taylor Caldwell (known by many as Max Reiner). He claimed that its message is: "I am not alone at all… I was never alone at all… We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent." Christmas reminds us that we are not alone, no matter how bad and lonely things are, because evil does not dominate the world and we are all sharing the very body God took on!
* Let's consider what the encounter with Jesus did to the shepherds. They did not abandon their jobs and take up religious occupations. They went back to their jobs, but no doubt changed, as people who were not alone, who were committed to serving God in their jobs. Encounters with Jesus (Christmas) change you; you become someone who can't help but seek to do good. (Use the last Luther quote in Theological Insights.)
7. Wrap-Up
Bring your congregation back to the twenty-first century, but urge them not to leave the Christmas story behind. Remind them that living in that story will give self-worth, overcome the despair, as we see how valuable we are to God. It leads to a life of service and love for others, an appreciation of the poor and the "nobodies" in our communities. American President Calvin Coolidge had it right: "Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas." God's love for you and me, the story of Jesus, can keep that spirit alive in you next month -- next year.
Why the Incarnation matters!
Collect of the Day
A prayer of thanks to God for giving us the true light that shines on Christmas Eve. Petitions to God to have us walk in the light of Jesus' presence follow. Christology and a view of Sanctification as a spontaneous and free following of Christ are emphasized.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 96
* Hymn celebrating God's kingship.
* The song is said to be a new one (v. 1), most appropriate to celebrate the new thing God has done at Christmas.
* Honor is given to God (vv. 4-6).
* In ascribing to God all the glory due (vv. 7-8) we are reminded that we can boast of nothing, that it (and the holiday) are all about God.
* All nations and even the universe join this praise (vv. 7-13), an appropriate reminder of both the universal character of Christmas and the festival's relation to ecology.
* Reference to God judging the world with righteousness (v. 13) suggests the righteousness bestowed on the faithful through the Christ-event (see Second Lesson; Romans 3:21-26).
Sermon Text and Title
"How the Christmas Child Sets Us Free"
Isaiah 9:2-7
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To help parishioners understand how Christ sets the faithful free (by Justification apart from the law) and in what sense this freedom pertains to broader social consequences regarding overcoming oppression.
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* A prophecy of the historical Isaiah about the messianic king may have originally celebrated the accession of a Judean king.
* The new king is described as a great light for those who had been in darkness (v. 2). (This observation is readily applied to the Exiles after this portion of the book was combined with the later chapters. In that sense the prophecy has political relevance.)
* The new king will multiply the nation, increase its joy (v. 3).
* The rod of oppressors of the people is broken, much like Gideon conquered the Mideanites (vv. 4-5; Judges 7:23--8:3).
* Refers to a child born for us; reference is then made to the mighty God, an everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (v. 6). These titles were customarily coronation names given to Egyptian kings at their accession. Read as prophecy the verse could refer to the Christ Child who is identified with a loving God.
* This child is said to have authority to give endless peace, with justice and righteousness. He is identified with the Davidic line (v. 7).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* To examine Christology with reference to the freedom Christ provides. The sermon clarifies how He sets us free from the law and the implications of that for liberation from oppression by the injustices of society (Sanctification and Social Ethics).
* Commenting on Isaiah 9, Martin Luther claimed that "God is the God of none but the lowly, the oppressed, the groaning, and the sighing" (Luther's Works, Vol. 16, p. 102).
* He notes that the yoke lifted (v. 4), the most oppressive tyrant is the law (Luther's Works, Vol. 16, p. 98). He adds that to have Christ as our Father means that we are no longer under the law and the threat of judgment (Complete Sermons, Vol. 7, p. 251): "Christ is therefore called Prince of Peace because everything in His kingdom proceeds in goodness" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 7, p. 253).
* Elsewhere preaching on this lesson, Luther offered several profound points on the liberating implications of the Incarnation:
What the prophet Isaiah saw and wished to emphasize by these words is that the Christian church rests on Christ's shoulder and that a real Christian and true member of the church believes that he is carried on Christ's shoulder, that is, all his sins lie on Christ's shoulders.
(Complete Sermons, Vol. 7, pp. 226-227)
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* See the data concerning injustice in America in the analysis of the First Lesson for Advent 3.
* Also note the foreign conflicts in which the US is engaged, the imbalance in the military of lower social classes (since the Vietnam era over 75% of those who serve) and African Americans (comprising 22% of the armed services) serving, as well as the fact that according to the US Census 5.8% of all American married families are in poverty.
5. Gimmick
With exclamation announce, "The Baby in the manger set you and me free!" Our First Lesson explains how.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Christmas is for everyone. For the happy family. For the Barrys, agonizing over regrets about their children or anxious about their jobs and retirement. Christmas is also for Jose Martinez and Jennifer Jones, the working poor and welfare clients. They have several friends stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Note that the middle-class Barrys have no acquaintances fighting in the military. The all-volunteer army lets the poor fight for us.) All of these Americans (no, all human beings) need Christmas. They also need freedom.
* Our First Lesson does not immediately seem to be about Christmas. It is in its origins a song celebrating the enthronement of a new king in Judah.
* Great hope seems to have been conferred on this new king. He would be a great light to the nations (v. 2), would multiply the nation and increase its joy (v. 3), would break the oppressor's rod (v. 4), and give peace, justice, and righteousness (v. 7). Tall order for a king.
* But this king, said to be a child born to us, is said to be wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (v. 6)! These lofty titles were often bestowed on new kings in Egypt. Maybe the Judeans were titling their new king this way in order to say that their ruler was as good as the powerful Egyptians.
* However, those are the very titles we Christians say belong to another heir of David -- to our Jesus! The lesson tells us what He will do -- this Child, this king who is God. The Prince of Peace, the text says, will break the oppressor's rod (v. 4), be a light to the nations (v. 2), increase joy, and provide endless peace with justice and righteousness (v. 7). The Christ Child, the Christmas Child, will set the remorseful and fretful Barrys, the poor and oppressed Jose and Jennifer, and you and me free.
* What is the oppression and the bondage from which the Barrys, Jose, Jennifer, their friends, and others like us are free? Martin Luther once stated in connection with this lesson that the greatest oppressive rod from which we need liberation is the law (Luther's Works, Vol. 16, p. 98). The law does two things. It condemns our sin and keeps order (The Book of Concord [200 ed.], pp. 311-312). But unjust laws also oppress.
* Talk first about liberation from the proper functions of the law. The Christmas Child foretold in our lesson sets us free from remorse and frets by taking away the threats of punishment, by carrying us and our sinfulness on His shoulders until they are all taken away. (See Theological Insights for quotations and references.)
* In interpreting this passage we dare not forget how it ends. In verse 7 we are reminded that this Child about whom we sing will establish justice a kingdom with justice and righteousness. What does that mean? What is justice in Isaiah's meaning?
* Justice has to do with removing oppression (v. 4) and this is another dimension of the freedom this Christ king will bring. Martin Luther had it right when he said that this is a passage about "God as the God of none but the lowly, the oppressed…" (Luther's Works, Vol. 16, p. 102). An eminent Old Testament scholar (Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol. 2, p. 149; Ibid., Vol. 1, pp. 373-374) has noted that the concepts of justice and righteousness in the Old Testament have to do with the oppressed and the poor, with lifting them up, with getting them free of poverty and oppression.
* There are many in America, the Jennifers, the Joses, and their friends, who are trapped in cycles of poverty or recruited to fight our wars. Christmas is for them too! The promise of peace (v. 6) is for them, that they have no more of our wars to fight that profit us of the upper classes and our acquisition of more oil and foreign markets. This is the freedom that the Child prophesied in our lesson promises. And if we want to celebrate the birth of that Child, to join Jesus' ministry, we will take up this task of joining with the efforts of the poor to get freedom and equality.
* Martin Luther King Jr. had it right in describing the Jesus whose birth we celebrate. In a work published posthumously he wrote:
A voice out of Bethlehem two thousand years ago said that all men are equal. It said right would triumph. Jesus of Nazareth wrote no book; He owned no property to endow Him with influence. He had no friends in the courts of the powerful. But He changed the course of mankind with only the poor and the despised.
(A Testament of Hope, p. 328)
Will you join this army of the poor and despised who have joined Jesus in changing the world, in setting everybody free, not just from anxieties and personal sin, but from the oppression of poverty and exploitation? Then you really have caught the spirit of Christmas.
7. Wrap-Up
Ask parishioners in conclusion if they feel burdened by the past, by regrets, by sin. Remind them they are free. Wish them again Merry Christmas, with a reminder that Christmas is about the freedom the Christmas Baby has brought. But add the reminder that this is not just a spiritual freedom; that the Christmas Child, the Prince of Peace, brings a freedom in the form of justice, a freedom and peace which values the poor and oppressed and is impatient with their oppression. To join in that struggle is the true meaning of Christmas. Our lesson reminds us that Christmas is not about the presents or even that cute little baby in the manger. It is about the king who has come to shed light, to break oppression, to lift us and all our sins on His shoulders (as Luther says [Complete Sermons, Vol. 7, pp. 226-227]). From that perspective oppression in all its forms does not stand a chance!
Sermon Text and Title
"Salvation Is Yours!"
Titus 2:11-14
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To comfort hearers with the good news that they are saved (Justification by Grace) and with a picture of how their lives now look thanks to Jesus. Many of the themes of the Collect of the Day receive elaboration.
2. Exegesis
* One of the pastoral epistles, along with 1 and 2 Timothy, so named because of their concern with pastoral leadership.
* The book purports to be a letter of Paul to Titus, a Gentile colleague in ministry (Galatians 2:1-3).
* It is likely, though, that none of these epistles were written by Paul. They differ from the authentic letters of Paul in vocabulary, style, and in treatment of concepts like faith, law, and righteousness. They are characterized by more emphasis on good works, godliness, and church order. Many of the historical circumstances described in the pastoral epistles do not seem readily accommodated to Paul's ministry described in Acts. Thus they may not have been written until the second century. In that case this book may not have been written to Titus (and the Timothy letters not to the one who bears their name) but were intended as circular letters for a general audience.
* Though the other pastorals address ascetic Gnostics (1 Timothy 4:3, 7), Titus engages in debate more with Christian leaders still maintaining fidelity to Jewish traditions (1:10, 14).
* Titus' teachings closely parallel 1 Timothy. The book has three major sections: (1) Requirements of church leaders in face of false teachings (ch. 1); (2) Advice to leaders on the proper approach to different groups (ch. 2), along with a summary of expectations on the believers in view of grace (the lesson we consider); and (3) Further unfolding of the ethical program (ch. 3).
* The text moves from the grace of God and salvation given to all (vv. 11, 14) to a declaration that we have become a people of His own, zealous for good works (v. 14).
* The new life is described in terms of self-control and godliness, not caught up in worldly passions of the present age (v. 12). These are images compatible with Hellenistic moral philosophy and in some sense remain in dialogue with the Gnostic asceticism otherwise critiqued.
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* An examination of Justification as Intimate Union and what that entails for Sanctification.
* Christ giving Himself for us by grace makes us zealous for good works (v. 14).
* Preaching on this text, Martin Luther notes that it teaches us that Christ gave Himself to put away our impurity and to make us pure and righteous by cleansing our hearts. He can only be received with our hearts (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 135). The text also teaches, he claims, that without grace no good can come about (Ibid., p. 138). Our holiness is just filth and dung (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, p. 91). Even these insights about our need for grace are a work of grace (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 119). "We must then shelter ourselves under His [Christ's] wings and not fly afar in the security of our own faith, else we will soon be devoured by the hawk" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 163).
* The Reformer does a nice job with reference to the worldly lusts noted in the text (v. 12). Can we enjoy the Christmas gifts on Titus' grounds? Luther claims that the things of the world are God's good gifts -- it is only lusting after them, craving them, that must be denied (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 119). His advice is that we can enjoy them but not give into the temptations they pose: "To live right in this present world, mark you, is like living soberly in a saloon, chastely in a brothel, godly in a gaiety ball, uprightly in a den of murderers" (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 129).
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* Consider recent statistics on worldly lusts in America for sex and wealth. Most recent available statistics show that 15% of wives and 25% of American husbands have engaged in extramarital affairs.
* Regarding our conspicuous-consumption addiction, by the end of 2007 the average credit card debt was $8,400 per household. The Federal Reserve reported that over 40% of households spend more than they earn.
5. Gimmick
In an excited, joyful tone announce: "You are saved! Merry Christmas!" Then ask the congregation what difference will it make next Monday.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* The lesson provides an answer to the question. The author reminds us of the good news that the grace of God has brought us all salvation (v. 11)! We are saved/justified by God's grace. But then something happens to you.
* Salvation by grace is a little like the story of Geraldine Jones, born in the projects in a tough neighborhood. She had a life of shifting back and forth from menial work to the unemployment line. Then she had the undeserved fortune of winning the state's multimillion-dollar lottery! As a result, never again would Geraldine need to worry about money. She had a lifetime income that would keep her in the upper class for life. And what did she do with this bounty? After buying a nice home in the suburbs (but less swanky than she could have afforded) and a car, she took a large percentage of her monthly winnings and donated them to charities serving her old neighborhood. In fact, not needing to work for a living any longer, she spent the rest of her life volunteering in the neighborhood. "I didn't deserve my blessings," she answers when asked why she does it.
* Geraldine illustrates how good works follow from justification, how grace does not make you lazy, how God's grace makes us zealous for good works (v. 14). Her story also illustrates our biblical author's claim that grace trains us to renounce worldly passions, trains us in living godly lives of self-control (v. 12). Geraldine was showered in wealth, with opportunity to follow all the worldly passions, and what does she do? She took the wealth to those in need in the nrighborhood.
* Our lesson (and Martin Luther's interpretation of it) reminds us that Geraldine's generosity, her commitment to her community and to self-control can only happen by the grace of God. These behaviors cannot be sustained without grace. Use Luther's quote (in Theological Insights) on the need to be sheltered under Christ's wings, lest we be devoured by hawks.
* It is not hard to be focused on Jesus, on the wings of God today. Keep celebrating Christmas every day, and you will not fly far from those wings of His. That is how Christmas will make a difference next Monday.
* Also keep in mind our Second Lesson's comment that God has made us a people of His own. That is why we are zealous for good works (v. 14). We are changed, God's people, always in His presence. It is only because God is meddling in our lives, has changed us, that we can have these lives of self-control and godliness free of worldly passions.
* Of course living this sort of life of self-control, free of worldly passions, is not a way of life to take for granted, especially not in our present context. In a world where sex without commitment is increasingly the norm, why be faithful? In a world where we spend all we can charge, why not be greedy? Martin Luther had it right. There is nothing wrong with Christians enjoying the good things in life. (Enjoy your Christmas festivities and gifts.) Living Christian, he claims, is like living soberly in a saloon, chastely in a whorehouse, and uprightly among criminals. (See quotation in Theological Insights.) That is what it's like to be a Christian. And we could not live that way without the grace of God, making us new people.
7. Wrap-Up
Note that at least three miracles transpire at Christmas. List them for parishioners: (1) God became human; (2) God forgives our sin and, though we don't deserve it, wants to save us all (we won the divine lottery); and (3) We have become people who can renounce the things of the world. If we continue the celebration of Christmas, all these miracles and the relevance of the day for the rest of our lives will become obvious.
Sermon Text and Title
"Living the Christian Story"
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To bring parishioners into the Christmas story, experiencing/perpetrating the rejection of Jesus in Bethlehem (to become aware of how we sin), to hear the angels' voices of praise with the shepherds, to walk in their shoes as despised, lowly people, and to reflect on what Jesus' birth means today regarding Justification, joy, and peace of mind.
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible concerning Acts and the Analysis of the Gospel for Advent 4)
* The account of Jesus' birth. Begins with the census called for by Emperor Augustus and with Joseph's and Mary's trip to Bethlehem (vv. 1-5). Questions have been raised if the census actually transpired, as Quirinius who is noted in the account was not the governor of Syria during King Herod's reign. It is also unlikely that spouses would have had to travel with their husbands for such a census unless the spouses owned property in Bethlehem.
* Mary bears her first-born son and lays him in a manger where there was no room in the inn (v. 6). It was common in Palestine for owners to reside with their animals.
* Revelation of the birth to shepherds and the angels' praising God and granting peace among those God favors (vv. 8-14). Reference to the child as "Christ" is an effective identification of Him as the Davidic messiah (v. 11).
* When the angels depart the shepherds proceed to Bethlehem, finding Mary, Joseph, and the child (vv. 15-17).
* All who heard the story are amazed. Mary is said to treasure these words and ponder them (vv. 18-19).
* The shepherds return, glorifying God (v. 20).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* To examine our sin and uptightness and how Christ (Justification by Grace) takes it away, as well as what the Christian life (Sanctification) and life in general (Providence) looks like in light of Christ's presence.
* John Calvin nicely explained the Incarnation, learning the lesson from the angels' songs to the shepherds:
When men hear this single word [the mercy of God], that God is reconciled to them, it not only raises up those who have fallen down, but restores those who were ruined, and recalls them from death to life.
(Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XVI/1, p. 115)
By calling it great joy, he shows us, not only that we ought, above all things, to rejoice in the salvation brought by Christ, but that this blessing is so great and boundless, as fully to compensate for all the pains, distresses, and anxieties of the present life.
(Ibid.)
* In a Christmas sermon on this text, Martin Luther nicely explained the implications of Christ's Nativity for the way we live (Sanctification):
If Christ has now thus become your own, and you have by such faith been cleansed through Him… it follows that you will do good works by doing to your neighbor as Christ has done to you.
(Complete Sermons, Vol. 1/1, p. 145)
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* Keep in mind the stress and despair some Americans experience at Christmas.
5. Gimmick
Come along with Jesus' family on the trip to Bethlehem. Tell the story, but do it in a way that has your hearers identify with the characters. Give them a "You Are There" presentation.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Explore with the congregation how it must have felt for the Holy Family to fail to find a place to stay in Bethlehem. Critique the American quest for wealth, all our concern about Christmas presents. Note how Martin Luther spoke of this issue, reflecting on why we should want to be wealthy and at ease in big houses when Jesus was born in a stable with no beds or bed pews (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, p. 136).
* We would do no better today welcoming Jesus, for we fail to welcome the poor in our towns to our homes (Complete Sermons, Vol. 1/1, p. 155).
* Sin and the mad quest for wealth is a reality in our lives. The shepherds in the fields did not have good jobs. Shepherding in first-century Israel was a poor man's job. They were practicing a largely despised occupation and were pretty much nobodies in their society. And yet they are the ones to whom God revealed His Son, the Savior, sending the angels to sing to them (Ibid., p. 154)! (The fact that the shepherds shared King David's pre-monarch vocation [1 Samuel 16:11] may have been relevant in God's plan to reveal Jesus to them, a way of linking with the Davidic heritage.)
* Hear the angels' song to them (as interpreted by Martin Luther): They sing of peace and goodwill (v. 14) for those who are tortured about our worth. Not only that, the peace they promise in singing is that their song diverts us from evil's domination of the earth (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, p. 111). Also note Calvin's points in Theological Insights.
* Martin Luther pointed out that if we could believe the Christmas story we could never harm another human being. For how could we harm or hate someone with a body like God (took on in the flesh) (Ibid., p. 113)? This appreciation of the human body is also a word of self-respect to those of us in despair about our self-worth.
* This appreciation of what we share in common as the message of Christmas was noted by the famous Anglo-American novelist Taylor Caldwell (known by many as Max Reiner). He claimed that its message is: "I am not alone at all… I was never alone at all… We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent." Christmas reminds us that we are not alone, no matter how bad and lonely things are, because evil does not dominate the world and we are all sharing the very body God took on!
* Let's consider what the encounter with Jesus did to the shepherds. They did not abandon their jobs and take up religious occupations. They went back to their jobs, but no doubt changed, as people who were not alone, who were committed to serving God in their jobs. Encounters with Jesus (Christmas) change you; you become someone who can't help but seek to do good. (Use the last Luther quote in Theological Insights.)
7. Wrap-Up
Bring your congregation back to the twenty-first century, but urge them not to leave the Christmas story behind. Remind them that living in that story will give self-worth, overcome the despair, as we see how valuable we are to God. It leads to a life of service and love for others, an appreciation of the poor and the "nobodies" in our communities. American President Calvin Coolidge had it right: "Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas." God's love for you and me, the story of Jesus, can keep that spirit alive in you next month -- next year.
