Loving God, you revealed your glory to humble shepherds and led them to praise and worship you for the birth of your Son. As we gather together this evening, reveal yourself also to us by the power of your Holy Spirit, strengthening us in our faith, and filling us with your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lee Strobel, a reporter who worked for the Chicago Tribune, writes about his encounter with a family named the Delgados (Lee Strobel, The Case for Christmas: Zondervan, 2005, pp. 7-9). The Delgados had been burned out of their "roach-infested tenement" in Chicago and were now living in a tiny two-bedroom apartment. Mr. Strobel had gone to visit 60 year-old Perfecta and her two granddaughters. He was working on a series of articles about some of the neediest people in Chicago. He tells about how the Delgados had, quite literally, next to nothing: Nothing on the walls. No furniture. No rugs. Just a small kitchen table and a handful of rice. Perfecta's granddaughters had one short-sleeved dress each, and one sweater that they shared between them. (And this was for the winter in Chicago!) Yet, Perfecta talked happily and confidently about her faith in Jesus. She radiated peace and hope, with no hint of despair or self-pity. Strobel writes about how ironic the whole situation was. He says:

Here was a family that had nothing but faith and yet seemed happy, while I had everything I needed materially but lacked faith - and inside I felt as empty and barren as their apartment (p. 8).

After Strobel's article about the family appeared in the paper, many people responded with furniture and food and clothing, and even a Christmas tree with wrapped presents to go underneath it. It was a real shock when Strobel went back to visit this family on Christmas Eve and saw the overflowing abundance that now filled their apartment. However, as shocked as he was by how great the response had been, he was even more shocked to find that the Delgados were preparing to give away much of what had been given to them. Perfecta explained: "Our neighbors are still in need. We cannot have plenty while they have nothing. This is what Jesus would want us to do" (p. 8). Perfecta added that the generosity of people had been wonderful and that it all was a gift from God. However, she added, "it is not his greatest gift. No, we celebrate that tomorrow. That is Jesus" (p. 9).

An atheist at the time, Strobel was very moved by what he saw in the Delgados. He writes:

They had peace despite poverty, while I had anxiety despite plenty; they knew the joy of generosity, while I only knew the loneliness of ambition; they looked heavenward for hope, while I only looked out for myself; they experienced the wonder of the spiritual while I was shackled to the shallowness of the material - and something made me long for what they had. Or, more accurately, for the One they knew (p. 9).

This longing eventually led Lee Strobel to embark upon an investigation similar to what he might do as a journalist. He asks about the authenticity and accuracy of the gospels. He asks about the archeological evidence. He asks about whether Jesus fulfilled the attributes of God or not. He asks if Jesus matched the identity of the promised Messiah. After asking all of these questions and more, Strobel concludes that, yes, there is reason to believe in Jesus - the Messiah - the Son of God.

However, the child in the manger - in spite of how wondrous his birth is and how important it is to Perfecta and to others to celebrate his coming into this world - in spite of this, the child in the manger is not the clincher for Strobel. The clincher is the resurrection of Jesus and the eyewitnesses of the resurrection who are willing to go to prison or even to death in order to proclaim its truth. In Strobel's estimation, people would not do this if they knew the resurrection to be false or a myth. They would only put their lives on the line if they knew without a doubt that Jesus had risen from the dead. And so Strobel went from being an atheist to a Christian and continues to write about the evidence and the arguments that led him to faith in Jesus Christ as his Saviour.

Just as Perfecta had known Jesus to be God's greatest gift, so Lee Strobel came to know him as well. The shepherds so many years before had heard the angel's message and heard the angels singing and had gone to see the child lying in the manger at Bethlehem. This experience led the shepherds to glorify and praise God and to share the news with everybody whom they met along the way (Lk. 2:8-20). When Mr. Strobel came to faith, there were no angels singing and there was no heavenly light. There was just the example of people like Perfecta, his own reasoned investigation, and the constant work of the Holy Spirit.

For us, too, each person here would have a different story about their faith and about how they came to know that Jesus is the Son of God, our Saviour. May the Holy Spirit continue to work in each one of us this night, filling our hearts with faith and hope as we celebrate the wonder of God's love. After all, how else can we describe the Creator of the Universe humbling himself to be born a tiny child - coming among us in order to redeem you and me? It is a wonder, and it is God's love at work. Amen.

The Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Eve) Luke 2:1-20
December 24, 2005
St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore
? 2005 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved