Loving God, on this holy night we look to you for all that is needed – especially faith, hope, and love.  Help our minds and hearts to rest in you, trusting you for our salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            For all of us, there are times when it is hard to hear the “good news of great joy” in this Christmas gospel.  For some of us, it might take imagining what it would be like to have the one thing that you have been longing for your entire life actually come to pass.

         At the time of Jesus’ birth, there were many people who had been longing for the coming of the Messiah.  They longed to be set free from their oppression under a foreign, occupying power.  They longed to have a king like David, who would allow them to live in peace and to worship God without fear.  They longed to have a godly king who would rule with justice and righteousness, and would care for the poor and the sick and the widows and orphans.  They longed for a ruler who could rightly be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).

         In a similar vein, those who lived in Isaiah’s time also longed for peace and for a king like David.  They lived in a time of war, and had endured a series of corrupt rulers.  They, too, longed for a messiah – which means “anointed one” – who would be faithful to God and would uphold justice and righteousness.  They longed to see some light in the darkness and the end of their oppression.  And today, in so many places around the world, people are longing for pretty much the same thing.

         But what about you?  What is it that you long for in December, 2023?  A quick internet search reveals some of the most common answers to this question – some of which are the same as the longings that have already been mentioned.  Both peace and freedom are things that people still long for today, regardless of where they live.  Many also long for both intimacy and community.  As you may have heard not so long ago, many people say that they are lonely.

         Other things that people long for include a sense of purpose and fulfillment, balance, confidence, and growth.  And then there is that ever-elusive thing called happiness, and some even long for more joy in their lives.  Now, some, of course, also long for more money, which seems qualitatively different from all of these other longings.  Perhaps that is because money is really a means to an end.  It can’t buy you love or happiness, but it certainly drags you down when you don’t have enough for the essentials!

         In the gospel that we heard this evening, those shepherds who first heard the angel’s message would have experienced it as “good news of great joy.”  This was, after all, the long-awaited Messiah, born in the city of David, the Lord, their Saviour.  No wonder they rushed to Bethlehem to see the baby in the manger, and ended up “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Lk. 2:20).

         As for our own deepest longings, what if they could be fulfilled through Jesus?  What if peace and joy and community and fulfillment are all available to those who put their faith in Jesus?  What if the Spirit of Jesus can lead us into balance and confidence, growth, and even happiness?  What if, because we are part of a community in Christ, nobody among us would lack the necessities of life?

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 (Lk. 2:10-11).

“Glory to God in the highest” (Lk. 2:14).  Amen.

The Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Eve)            Luke 2:1-20

December 24, 2023                                                Isaiah 9:2-7

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2023 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved