/For the grace of God appeared--salvation to all humanity, disciplining
us, in order that we deny the godlessness and the worldly desires,
living sensibly and righteously and Godly, in the age now, expecting the
blessed hope and the glory of the great God and our Savior, Jesus
Christ; the One Who gave Himself on our behalf, in order that He may
ransom us from all lawlessness, and cleanse to Himself a chosen people,
zealous for good works. These things you say and you bring to light,
with all impressiveness; may no one despise you. /
A Great Light has shined on this world. No, I'm not talking about the
"star" that was followed into Bethlehem when Christ was born. It's a far
greater Light than that! For God Himself had done something He had never
done before. The Lord Himself broke into human history to bring
salvation down from heaven for all people! Previously, God had veiled
His bright & glorious face from His people. But once that first
Christmas came, God's Light shown to people down here on earth!
Oh, it's not what some people think. Portraits portray a "glow" around
pregnant Mary, and then around the head of the Christ child. There was
no "glow" so that folks would recognize God come in the flesh. Actually,
He looked like any other ordinary child. And the scene itself wasn't
particularly "glowing". It was in a barn of the day, amidst all the
fragrant "presents" that barnyard animals leave in their wake. Nothing
looked very glorious about the Redeemer's birth on this earth.
A Great Light was there nonetheless. The signs given to the Shepherds
didn't seem too enlightening. A baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a
feeding trough. Big whoop. The angels who announced the event looked
much more interesting than Jesus did. It surely didn't seem like a very
"enlightening" scene. Yet those shepherds were indeed "enlightened"!
They went from there glorifying and praising God for what had just
happened. Their eyes saw the Light which had dawned upon this dark world!
This Light which shined upon all mankind is the grace of God. It is
salvation in the flesh, for the Savior of all had just been born! When
those shepherds first gazed into the face of the baby Jesus, they
ignored the soiled diapers or the drool and blurp they saw. Their eyes
saw something much, much greater in that tiny infant. For there was the
glory of the great God now manifest on earth in a form that they could
see. No man before had gazed into God's face and lived. The shepherds did!
So just how does Christmas enlighten you? It's not about the warm glow
you feel being with family on a holiday. You can get that on the 4th of
July or on Thanksgiving. It's' not about the warm feeling you get
pondering the tough luck story of an expecting couple desperate for a
place to have their baby. Such heart-warming stories are a dime a dozen.
It's not about the presents you give or receive from people. The same
thing happens on birthdays, but it doesn't have anything to do with your
salvation.
The real enlightenment of Christmas is what God "brings to light" for
the very first time. God had had enough of sin, death and the tempter's
reign over mankind. So God broke into the history of this sin-sick world
and came down, Himself, as a baby boy! "None of them can fix this mess,"
He thought, "so I Myself will come and save them!" And that's just what
God did, taking upon Himself human flesh, not to "humanize" His Godness,
but to bring humanity into God for your salvation!
God came down as a baby boy for one mission--to ransom all people. He
didn't come down to be "cute" or become popular or famous. He didn't
come down to run for public office, or get the most followers on
Facebook. He came to live the godly life you and I haven't, because only
by living a godly life can eternal life be won. He earned it by His
perfect obedience to become your ransom price. Jesus then did the
unthinkable. This baby-now-grown had come down to die on a + for you.
Jesus came as God's grace incarnate, as God's salvation in human form.
Where God's grace is now for you, there Jesus is! His grace cleanses you
to be God's own in Baptism, and Jesus is there! His grace is there in
the ransom price of Jesus' body given, and His blood shed for you in the
Lord's Supper, and Jesus is there! When you hear those words of blessed
hope and glory in God your Savior as your sin is proclaimed "forgiven"
in Jesus' Name, Jesus is there too!
Yes a Great Light has dawned upon you! That light is your Savior Jesus
who first broke into this world's history some 2000 years ago. Rejoice
this Christmas that He keeps on coming down to enlighten you with His
grace for your salvation in His loving words & acts of Divine love. Amen!
John C. Drosendahl, Pastor
[email protected]
