“Our Covenant God Has Visibly Visited Us in the Person of Jesus Christ”
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord [Amen.]
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room
And heav’n and nature sing, And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.”
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
387:1)
Old Testament
Reading................................................................
Isaiah 52:7-10 (esp. 10)
The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all
the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Prologue: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us
rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps 118:24 ESV) because …
“Our Covenant God Has Visibly Visited Us in the Person of Jesus Christ.”
Many of you are familiar with the photographic artwork of Anne
Geddes. She’s popular for her attractively-staged pictures of infants that
often show bared baby bottoms staged in beautiful blossoms, fine fruits, or
various vegetables. Their fresh baby-flesh appearance makes you want to
scoop them up, snuggle them tightly, and marvel at God’s glorious creative
work.
Yesterday and this morning most, if not all, of you bared gifts
that you excitedly opened with anxious anticipation. Sadly, many of you
will soon toss some of them aside and forget them; toss them back to various
stores for credit, cash refund, or exchange; or toss them into the trash to
become someone else’s treasure or fodder for the landfill.
In the midst of all these and many other barings (some of which
are definitely sinful and unclean), let’s relax for a few minutes this
morning, catch our breath after the intense time of Advent’s pre-Christmas
preparations, and with joyful celebration notice the most wonderful baring
of all, the fact that Our Covenant God Has Visibly Visited Us in the Person
of Jesus Christ because ...
I. He Came to Reign. (7)
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes
salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Immanuel’s reign was not as a mighty king with soldiers riding in
on strong stallions ready to do battle. In fact, although His entrance was
hardly noticed, much less noticeable, it was certainly noteworthy! This was
King Jesus, Whom Isaiah foretold 600-700 years earlier. His reign was not
an earthly kingdom but a heavenly throne that announced victory over sin,
death, and Satan.
That’s why Isaiah encourages you to hear the message of good news!
After all, it’s the Gospel physically embodied and eloquently proclaimed!
It’s not a conditional grace and shaky peace that lead to uncertain
happiness. It’s the rough-hewn grace-filled feed trough that contains
perpetual peace and holy joy about which St. Paul wrote to the Philippians:
“Grace ... and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil
1:2 ESV) that consists of “... the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, [that] will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.” (Phil 4:7 ESV)
This Bringer-of-Peace is none other than Him about Whom Isaiah
wrote: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government
shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase
of his government and of peace there will be no end ... .” (Isa 9:6-7 ESV)
No wonder the angelic choir happily sang their joyful praise at the time of
Christ’s birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those
with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14 ESV) Saint Paul wrote to the Ephesians
about the newborn Jesus that, “… he himself is our peace, who has made us
both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by
abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in
himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might
reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the
hostility.” (Eph 2:14-16 ESV)
As we listen to that good news message we also hear the message of
salvation that King David nestled in the manger of his great penitential
Psalm 51: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation … .” (Ps 51:12 ESV) An
angel revealed that message to Joseph: “… you shall call his name Jesus, for
he will save his people from their sins.” (Matt 1:21 ESV) Another angel (or
the same one that spoke to Joseph) announced the message to the shepherds:
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ
the Lord.” (Luke 2:11 ESV) Aged Simeon declared: “… my eyes have seen your
salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples … .” (Luke
2:30 ESV) And St. Peter preached the message to rulers and elders of the
Jews: “… there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 ESV)
Furthermore, we sing that message in the first stanza of that familiar
justification hymn: “Salvation unto us has come By God’s free grace and
favor; Good works cannot avert our doom, They help and save us never. Faith
looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone; He is our one
Redeemer.” (Lutheran Service Book. Hymn 555:1)
The newborn King, Whose birth we once again formally celebrate
today, is the fullness of good news, the giver and substance of salvation,
and the One by Whom Our Covenant God Has Visibly Visited Us in the Person of
Jesus Christ not only to reign but also ...
II. He Came To Restore. (8)
The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for
joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.
Christmas offers a wonderful occasion to restore relationships
severed by time, distance, anger, or other causes. “It’s the most wonderful
time of the year ...” not just for sentimental musing but for repairing
broken ties between family members, friends, and other acquaintances.
However, the true substance of Christmas is about the Covenant-Child, Who
restored your relationship with God that you broke by your sinful rebellion.
The Baby in Bethlehem’s manger came to atone for your sins and, thereby,
repair your broken relationship with your Creator-God. As you contemplate
that great gift, hear the message with your ears … the message that a
familiar Christmas carol asks: “Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy, Do
you hear what I hear Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy? Do you hear
what I hear?”
The shepherds that first Christmas night heard the heavenly voice
of an angel tell them the message of Christ’s birth. They next heard the
angelic chorale sing a song of glorious praise to God. What else did they
hear? Maybe they heard whimpering and cooing as well as crying and
screaming. After all, this Baby is not only the divine Son of God, He is at
the same time the flesh-and-blood Son of Man.
Perhaps one or more of those same shepherds were present years
later at His painful crucifixion where they heard Him say things such as:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (St Matt 27:46 ESV & St Mark
15:34 ESV) and “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke
23:34 ESV) Maybe they were present later still at His glorious ascension
where they heard Him say, “... I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(St Matt 28:20 ESV)
Today you hear Him when you read and listen to His Holy Word. You
also hear Him when you repetitiously rehearse the divine service liturgy in
which He accuses you of your sins, announces absolute forgiveness, and
articulates His benediction-blessing all through the voice of the presiding
Pastor.
However, you don’t only hear His message with your ears, but you
see the blessed Baby with your eyes! That same familiar Christmas carol
asks: “Said the night wind to the little lamb, Do you see what I see Way up
in the sky, little lamb? Do you see what I see?” Look closely through your
eyes of faith this morning and see that tiny newborn King, with fresh new
skin, a cherubic smile, and baby-fat features. And look quickly, because
not too long from now you’ll see Him with His flesh ripped open, bruised
from beatings, profusely bleeding, a crown of thorns pounded into His skull,
nails driven mercilessly into His hands and feet, hanging on Calvary’s cross
bearing the burdensome load of your sins and dying for your salvation.
After all, the full significance of Christmas is realized only
when you look beyond December 25 to Good Friday and see the
blood-and-sweat-stained empty cross … and Easter Sunday and see the
angel-opened-and-guarded vacated tomb. By His agonizing death and
victorious resurrection Immanuel rescued, redeemed, and restored you to your
heavenly Father. Because He did so, you no longer fear death and the grave
knowing that eternal life in heaven’s mansions awaits you who by
Spirit-given faith cling to the manger’s Monarch, Whose humble birth is
formally celebrated today.
Yes, through Messiah’s incarnation Our Covenant God Has Visibly
Visited Us in the Person of Jesus Christ not only to reign and restore, but
also …
III. He Came To Revitalize. (9)
Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the
Lord has comforted his people … .
Batteries are the vital life-supply for many gifts that were
received. Although some of them keep going ... and going ... and going,
they will eventually wear out and die. If they’re standard batteries, you
simply throw them away ... discard them as the trash that they became. But,
if they’re rechargeable batteries you connect them to a recharger to
revitalize them, that is, give them new life.
God sent the Stable-Savior to give you secure salvation and new
life … to revitalize you. As He does so, your appropriate response along
with the shepherds is to shout joyful thanks for the Lord’s comfort as the
unknown composer of Psalm 95 directed: “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into
his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs
of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our
Maker!” (Ps 95:1-3, 6 ESV) Doctor Luke wrote: “And the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been
told them.” (St Luke 2:20 ESV)
The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians: “Now may our Lord Jesus
Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort
and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every
good work and word.” (2 Thess 2:16-17 ESV) In addition, the beloved popular
Advent hymn reflects Isaiah 40:1-8 as it proclaims: “‘Comfort, comfort, ye
My people, Speak ye peace,’ thus saith our God; ‘Comfort those who sit in
darkness, Mourning ‘neath their sorrows’ load. Speak ye to Jerusalem Of the
peace that waits for them; Tell her that her sins I cover And her warfare
now is over.” (Lutheran Service Book. Hymn 347:1)
Your response of joyful thanks is echoed by the words of that very
popular Christmas hymn that you just sang and that both celebrates Christ’s
birth and anticipates His final return: “Joy to the earth, the Savior
reigns! Let men their songs employ, While fields and floods, rocks, hills,
and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat
the sounding joy.” (Ibid. Hymn 387:2)
Joy permeates both your thanks for the Lord’s coming as well as
the divine service liturgy. In addition, you also shout joyful praise for
the Lord’s redemption! Our Synod Catechism tells us: “Christ voluntarily
humbled Himself in order to ‘redeem me, a lost and condemned person.’ He
has redeemed me ‘from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.’
Christ has redeemed me, ‘not with gold or silver, but with His holy,
precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.’” (Luther’s Small
Catechism with Explanation. Copyright © 1986, 1991 Concordia Publishing
House, St. Louis, MO. Pages 133f., 136.)
God’s angelic messenger delivered the announcement of joy that
stands at the foundation of Immanuel’s redemption, namely, “… I bring you
good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke
2:10-11 ESV) That declaration motivates you to shout joyful praise for the
Lord’s redemption today even as it did two millennia ago. For as the
shepherds saw with their physical eyes so also you see with your spiritual
eyes that Our Covenant God Has Visibly Visited Us in the Person of Jesus
Christ to reign, to restore, and to revitalize.
In conclusion, therefore, today’s Epistle Reading told you that
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the
prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he
appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature,
and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making
purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is
more excellent than theirs.” (Heb 1:1-4 ESV) And today’s Gospel Reading
revealed that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The
true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in
the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know
him. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his
glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:1, 4-5, 9, 14 ESV) All of that reflects Isaiah’s prophetic message
that …
“Our Covenant God Has Visibly Visited Us in the Person of Jesus Christ.”
Yes, God made Himself physically visible through the holy Christ
Child, “who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.” As
you formally celebrate His incarnation today and every day, may you become
more connected with Him by faithfully reading and hearing His Holy Word,
reflecting upon Holy Baptism, basking in Holy Absolution, and properly
partaking of His Holy Supper. For in those precious means of grace God
gives us His holy Christmas gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal
life.
After all, this newborn Baby in Bethlehem’s lowly animal shelter,
Whom the masses didn’t notice then, is none other than the holy Son of the
eternal majestic True God, Who bared Himself for you to notice now! He is
the living Word about whom the written Word testifies! He is the Light that
dispels the darkness of sin that would otherwise overcome and smother you!
He is Immanuel, our congregation’s identifying name that tells you that “God
is with you in human flesh”! He is your physically visible Covenant God,
Who came to reign over you with mercy and grace, restore you to your
heavenly Father, and revitalize you with the new life of faith that the Holy
Spirit gave you in your Baptism.
So, let’s join together with the angelic messengers above, the
shepherds keeping watch over their flocks below, and Christians throughout
the world, in coming to adore Him by praying: “Almighty God, grant that the
birth of Your only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free from the
bondage of sin … .”
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
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