Christmas Eve Year A
A Sermon based on Luke 2:1-20.
In the name of Jesus; amen.
Do not be afraid.
If there is a message for this night it is this: Do not be afraid.
It is the message of the angels who prepared those whose lives would be changed with the birth of the Messiah.
There was Zechariah, the Temple Priest who angels visit at the start of Luke’s gospel. “Do not be afraid Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.”
And Elizabeth who was barren, conceived.
When she was about 6 months pregnant the angel Gabriel visits her relative Mary with a similar message: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
And Mary who was unmarried and a virgin conceived,
Then tonight another angels appears with this message to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid; for see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Do not be afraid.
I can only assume that angels were quite terrifying if the first thing they had to say when they appeared to mortals was, “Do not be afraid.”
It should challenge our notions of angels, but then everything about this story of the birth of Jesus should challenge our notions about the divine.
The birth of Jesus is a story of contradictions: Women incapable of conceiving bear children. God becomes human. A king is placed in a manger. Good news is proclaimed to the lowliest first.
Having our notions about the world and the divine challenged is a terrifying thing. And so tonight the message of the angels is a message for us as well:
Do not be afraid.
This story does something to me every time I read it. Last night I watched a special on the History Channel called, “Christmas Unwrapped the History of Christmas.” I love these shows that mix expert opinion, scripture, reenactments, and images of artwork to explain a biblical concept. Their point is not necessarily to debunk the story, but to give new insight and to entertain.
They questioned the history of the story, when it happened, where it happened, and how it happened. Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem? Was there really a star that shone bright over the place where he lay?
Questioning the accuracy of scripture and our traditions associated with it can cause fear for many.
Was it really a virgin birth? Did it happen in the dead of winter or in the middle of the springtime?
The details are not as important as the truth of this story: God was born into the world and we are told, ‘Do not be afraid.”
On this night we are reminded that God came into the darkness, as John writes: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
Another contradiction for our lives: there is no darkness that cannot be overcome by the light that is Christ.
Some will try to extinguish it. When the baby grows up he will have enemies who will try to trick him and discredit him. They will even have him arrested and put to death, but his light will live and shine brighter in the resurrection.
And Satan and the world will try to extinguish the light in our lives. We will doubt and have sorrow. We will question and we will cry out: “I am afraid!”
Hear the voice of the angel say, “Do not be afraid.”
It is a message for us to hear, to hold, and to ponder in our hearts this night and all nights.
Jesus Christ has been born to dispel the darkness, to still all our fears, and to bring the immeasurable love of God into the world.
May you live fearlessly in light of God made flesh.
Amen and Merry Christmas.
A Sermon based on Luke 2:1-20.
In the name of Jesus; amen.
Do not be afraid.
If there is a message for this night it is this: Do not be afraid.
It is the message of the angels who prepared those whose lives would be changed with the birth of the Messiah.
There was Zechariah, the Temple Priest who angels visit at the start of Luke’s gospel. “Do not be afraid Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.”
And Elizabeth who was barren, conceived.
When she was about 6 months pregnant the angel Gabriel visits her relative Mary with a similar message: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
And Mary who was unmarried and a virgin conceived,
Then tonight another angels appears with this message to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid; for see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Do not be afraid.
I can only assume that angels were quite terrifying if the first thing they had to say when they appeared to mortals was, “Do not be afraid.”
It should challenge our notions of angels, but then everything about this story of the birth of Jesus should challenge our notions about the divine.
The birth of Jesus is a story of contradictions: Women incapable of conceiving bear children. God becomes human. A king is placed in a manger. Good news is proclaimed to the lowliest first.
Having our notions about the world and the divine challenged is a terrifying thing. And so tonight the message of the angels is a message for us as well:
Do not be afraid.
This story does something to me every time I read it. Last night I watched a special on the History Channel called, “Christmas Unwrapped the History of Christmas.” I love these shows that mix expert opinion, scripture, reenactments, and images of artwork to explain a biblical concept. Their point is not necessarily to debunk the story, but to give new insight and to entertain.
They questioned the history of the story, when it happened, where it happened, and how it happened. Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem? Was there really a star that shone bright over the place where he lay?
Questioning the accuracy of scripture and our traditions associated with it can cause fear for many.
Was it really a virgin birth? Did it happen in the dead of winter or in the middle of the springtime?
The details are not as important as the truth of this story: God was born into the world and we are told, ‘Do not be afraid.”
On this night we are reminded that God came into the darkness, as John writes: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
Another contradiction for our lives: there is no darkness that cannot be overcome by the light that is Christ.
Some will try to extinguish it. When the baby grows up he will have enemies who will try to trick him and discredit him. They will even have him arrested and put to death, but his light will live and shine brighter in the resurrection.
And Satan and the world will try to extinguish the light in our lives. We will doubt and have sorrow. We will question and we will cry out: “I am afraid!”
Hear the voice of the angel say, “Do not be afraid.”
It is a message for us to hear, to hold, and to ponder in our hearts this night and all nights.
Jesus Christ has been born to dispel the darkness, to still all our fears, and to bring the immeasurable love of God into the world.
May you live fearlessly in light of God made flesh.
Amen and Merry Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment