Loving God, we come to you this night in the midst of the busy-ness and the worries of life, seeking the gift of your peace.  Help us to strip away all of the things that get in our way in order to see our Saviour, lying in the manger, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    So... are you ready for Christmas?...  And how many times have you been asked that question in the past few weeks?...  It seems to me that this question is just one of the many assumptions people make about Christmas that are pretty much totally opposite to the actual birth of Jesus.  Of course, I know what people mean when they ask the question.  They mean things like, have you bought and wrapped all your gifts, and have you finished decorating, and have you done all your baking and planned Christmas dinner, and all of those sorts of things.  But all of those are just things that we have added on to Christmas.  When we strip away all of those things that we have told ourselves that we need to do, we discover a story in which nobody was prepared for what happened except for God.

    Mary and Joseph might have made some plans about how they would welcome their first son, but any plans were pretty much blown out of the water when they ended up traveling to Bethlehem.  And so Jesus was born, whether they were ready or not, and in the most unusual of circumstances.  The shepherds, too, were just going about their nightly routine when an angel suddenly appeared.  They hadn’t purchased concert tickets to hear the heavenly choir or gone out there to hear the latest motivational speaker.  The glory of God simply broke out among them, and all of a sudden they were the privileged recipients of “good news of great joy for all the people” (Lk. 2:10).

    It is this good news of great joy that seems to disappear in the midst of our busy-ness and preparations and even traditions.  After all, do we experience the birth of a Saviour as good news that fills us with joy?...  It is relatively easy once we know the historical situation and how shepherds were treated to see how it would have been amazing and joyful news for them.  The lowest of the low, chosen by God to receive the message from angels.  The birth of the Messiah, for those who had been waiting and longing for his coming for hundreds of years.  The birth of one who would challenge the Roman oppressors and who would bear the titles usually reserved for the Emperor (like Son of God, Saviour, and Lord!).

    However, for us, the coming of a Saviour is only good news if we believe that we need one.  The coming of the one who will be God with us is only good news if we have been longing for a closer connection with God.  The coming of the one who will exhibit the love of God for all people may not be experienced as good news if we are not among those who have been on the outside looking in.  For, if we are among those who figure that we are doing just fine without God, it will be very hard to hear this good news.

    The birth of Jesus is good news for those who know that they have sinned and who know that their sin has separated them from God.  His birth is good news for those who have felt as if God is absent and now know that God is here.  His birth is good news for all those who suffer or who mourn or who live on the margins, for Jesus will experience those same things and is with us as one who understands and who heals.  His birth is good news for all those who live in fear, for perfect love casts out fear.

    It is “good news of great joy for all the people” because Jesus will not simply conquer the Romans.  He will conquer the power of sin and death, reconciling us with God and with one another.  When we know that God is with us - when we know that we are forgiven - when we know that we have been given salvation and eternal life - that is good news of great joy!  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

The Nativity of Our Lord - Christmas Eve (NL 3)                Luke 2:1-14
December 24, 2016
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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