Tidings of Great Joy: A Christmas Eve Meditation on Luke 1-2

And it came to pass in those days, 

that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus

 that all the world should be taxed.

(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, 

into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; 

(because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, 

the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, 

and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; 

because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, 

keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, 

and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: 

and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, 

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 

which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, 

which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; 

Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 And suddenly there was with the angel 

a multitude of the heavenly host

 praising God, and saying,

 Glory to God in the highest, 

and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Good tidings of great joy, is what the holy angels brought to the shepherds that first Christmas Eve, now nearly two millennia ago.  It was a message from the very throne room of Almighty God, King of the Universe, declared not by one great Archangel alone, but sung together in chorus with a countless heavenly choir.  What Gabriel spoke privately to the Blessed Virgin Mary at his first Annunciation to her nine months prior, the whole of heaven celebrates with the Advent of her Son that holy night.  That night, so long ago, the Word of the Lord’s promise uttered to our first parents in the misty dawn of time, was brought forth as the Incarnate Son of God.  This Child, whose human nature and soul was taken from His mother Mary, was also fully God, the timeless and eternally begotten of the Father, in unbreakable communion with the Holy Spirit, one Triune God unto all ages of ages the same.  This Child was not merely another human son, born under the inherited curse of original sin and death, but rather the immortal and infinite Lord God Almighty made flesh, that He might dwell among us, and save His people from their deadly curse.  This Child was the living sign of the holy and eternal, condescending to meet the lost and finite— this Child is the intersection of time and eternity, of humanity and God.

This Child, this Holy One, this Glory of Israel, this Light of the Gentiles, this One who reconciles in His own Person that which was rent asunder by human pride and demonic deception; this is the One of whom the angels sing.  The Eternal Word of God made present in time, the Promise of God fulfilled, the presence of God made manifest, and the love of God shining forth for all to see and believe:  this is the Child, Jesus.  He is the tiding of great joy to all nations, both the source and the summit of God’s good will toward men.  He is the great reunion of those divided, the restoration of those who were lost.  He is the Shepherd who has stood watch over His people from the beginning, and who has come to dwell among them, that He might save them from their ancient enemies of sin, death, hell, and the devil.  He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, descended from Adam, Abraham, and David, whose Kingdom shall have no end.  He is the High Priest of His people, and their last, most holy Sacrifice, as well.  He is the Prophet whom Moses said would come, in whose Word the people would trust and live forever.  He is the healing of the nations, restoring in Himself the fellowship broken not only between God and humanity, but between every tribe and tongue of men.  In Him is the Light which no darkness can overcome, which has become the light and life of men, forever shining forth in the abiding gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love.

Behold the Word of the Lord who comes again to you this Christmas Eve, who brings eternity into your present moment, piercing every cloud of gloom and darkness.  Behold Him who is your Savior, your Brother, and your King.  Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and your sins also, that you might be reconciled through Him to your Creator, and in Him reconciled to all His good creation.  Behold the babe, born of humble parentage, adored by Judean shepherds and oriental kings, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.  Behold the Child over whom His blessed mother Mary kept watch in wonder and awe, for whom His saintly guardian Joseph quietly provided, and to whom is given the Name above every name in heaven and on earth.  Behold the Lord Jesus Christ, who enters your dark and dangerous moment, that He might lead you into eternal light and life.  Hear Him as He calls to you, see Him as He comes to you, trust Him as He promises to keep you, and cling to Him as He embraces you— for in this Child of Bethlehem is the good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.  For unto to us is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  Amen.

Laboring in Hope: An Advent Meditation on Psalm 126

When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, 

we were like them that dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, 

and our tongue with singing: 

then said they among the heathen, 

The LORD hath done great things for them.

The LORD hath done great things for us; 

whereof we are glad.

Turn again our captivity, O LORD, 

as the streams in the south.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, 

shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, 

bringing his sheaves with him.

Our Advent readings for this week remind us that though our labors may be hard, they work toward a hopeful end.  Psalm 126 begins with the recognition that it is God who saves Israel from their captivity, and whose redemption provides the laughter and singing which emerge joyously from their lips.  God’s work of salvation even gives the nations around Israel the opportunity to reflect on the goodness He pours out on His people, and to praise God (either gladly or begrudgingly) for the great things He has done.  It closes with an encouragement to those who continue to labor in tears, that God’s salvation is coming for them as well, just as the harvest comes to those who labor to plant their fields.  Thus, both the one who basks in the presence of God’s salvation, and the one who labors while waiting for that fulfillment to come, give thanks to God with joy and singing for what He has done, and what He has promised to yet to do.

As Christians, we share in this ancient reflection upon God’s works— those He has done, those He is doing, and those He has promised to do in the future.  We remember that God has called the world into existence, continues to sustain it in our present moment, and to bring all things to completion at the end of time.  We remember that He promised to bring to us a Savior descended from our first parents, that He was incarnate of the blessed Virgin Mary, suffered, died, and rose again for our salvation, and has promised to come again at the end of the age.  We remember that God sent His Holy Spirit to speak through the Prophets and Apostles over the course of thousands of years, has left His Spirit with His people in every time and place to guide them into saving faith and repentance in His Word, and has promised to seal us together in His Spirit unto eternal life.  We remember that Christ told His disciples to take up their crosses and follow Him, that the eternal life of every Christian is hidden in the unending life of Jesus Christ, and that even as we die in this world we live forever in His grace, forgiveness, and mercy.  We remember that Jesus established His Church upon His Word and Spirit to the glory of God the Father, that He is present in His power and grace among His people in our age, and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, even to the end of time.  We are a people alive in the promises of God— those He has already fulfilled, those He is currently fulfilling, and those which He will yet fulfill.  Knowing the goodness and the promises of our saving God, we press on in every age, through every day, every struggle, toil, and burden, singing and laughing in the joy of our salvation in Christ alone.  Like the countless generations who have come before us and those yet to come, we rest, work, and rejoice in the faithfulness of our saving God.

To you, this Word comes again today.  Have the burdens of your life worn you down, and the sorrows of your time stolen your joy?  Remember the Lord who made you, who seeks you, who saves you, and who preserves your life in His grace forever more.  Remember Him who loved you before the world began, paid for your sins upon the Cross of Calvary, and rose again that you might have forgiveness, life, and salvation in His Name.  Remember as you pick up your cross to follow your saving Lord that He has already walked this path ahead of you, already broken down the gates of hell, conquered death and the devil, and given to you His victory over every dark and dreadful thing.  Remember that the love which sought and saves you, abides with you today, and shall abide with you all the days of eternity.  Leave behind the tears and weeping of hopeless despair, that the joyous song of faith may once more be upon your lips.  Hear your saving Lord as He calls to you from eternity and into your present moment, that you might turn, believe, and live.  Amen.

Prepare the Way: A Meditation on Mark 1

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, 

which shall prepare thy way before thee.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

John did baptize in the wilderness, 

and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, 

and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; 

and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, 

the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

Much of Advent focuses on preparation, as the Church looks forward to the coming of Jesus at Christmas.  Our readings allow us to step back in time with the people of God who waited expectantly for the long prophesied Messiah to come.  Adam and Eve, at the dawn of our human race, looked forward to the One who was promised to come, born of a woman, yet divine so that He might crush the devil who had taken them captive through sin and death.  Abraham, around 2000 BC, looked forward to the fulfilling of his calling that in his descendent all the nations of the earth would be blessed.  Moses, around 1500 BC, foretold of one who would arise like him, though greater than him, who would finally lead the people out of slavery, bondage, and death, as his Exodus from Egypt had prefigured.  King David wrote in his Psalms around 1000 BC, of his faith in the promise of a descendent who was promised to reign forever in perfect righteousness, saving His people from the wrath of their dreaded enemies.  Prophets like Isaiah, writing between 700 and 400 BC, wrote of the promised Messiah, miraculously born of a virgin, who would deliver not only the people of Israel, but restore the whole creation.  For thousands of years before Jesus came on that first Christmas, the people of God were preparing for Him to arrive.  Generation after generation was born, learned the Word of God’s Law and Promises from their previous generations, and handed them on to the next.

Which brings us to the time of John the Baptist, whose birth was only a few months earlier than Jesus’.  He was the one who was foretold who would announce and prepare the way of the Lord even as He was coming, preaching repentance and the forgiveness of sins for His sake.  He was rough, likely having grown up in the wilderness surrounding Jerusalem, as some have speculated with the eccentric Essene community (the one’s who likely buried many of the scrolls discovered at Qumran in the last century) due to the extreme age of his parent at his birth.  He wore the clothing of a desert ascetic, foregoing the softer fabrics which most people enjoyed, and wearing instead a rough garb made of camel har.  Rather than enjoying popular or savory food, he chose instead to eat locusts and wild honey.  He was not beholden to either the Pharisees or the Sadducees, not having studied in their respective schools or communities.  He was not a puppet of a political movement, neither aligned with the rebellious Jewish zealots, nor with King Herod and his court.  But what he was, he was called and made to be:  a voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, and make His way straight!

It is Jesus Himself who later tells us that there is no human being who had arisen greater than John the Baptist.  This odd and disturbing fellow, whose story we have only in fragments knit together between the four Gospels, Jesus declares to be greater than every prophet, king, and commander ever born before him, and yet least in the emerging Kingdom of God.  John did not start a political movement or religious sect, he didn’t have prestigious credentials or portraits of famous people hanging on his wall— for all we know, he might not have even had a wall to hang them on, other than the jail cell in which he was later imprisoned and beheaded.  But what John had was what he was given by God, and he faithfully used that gift of God’s prophetic Word to prepare people to meet Jesus.  He called people to repentance and the forgiveness of sins, to baptism, pointing them to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world— the One whom the great John the Baptist was unworthy even to untie His sandals.

And so, John’s message rings in the ears of the Church again this Sunday, as we remember the preparation which the people of God made before meeting Jesus in His Incarnation, and which we still need as we look forward to His second coming at the end of the age.  The call to repentance and the forgiveness of sins, the great herald of God’s eternal Law and Gospel, reminds us that we must meet God on His terms rather than our own.  He is the author of creation, by whose Word we live, and move, and have our being.  It is His Word which gives life, rescues from sin, death, and the devil, and leads His people into everlasting joy.  His Word made flesh in the very Son of God, Jesus Christ, proclaimed down through the ages, calls every soul to make straight the crooked and the perverse, to make level the corrupted and the convoluted, to make bright the dark and the foreboding.  His Word calls everyone to turn from their evil, and by faith to receive His grace of forgiveness which also gives new and everlasting life in Him.

Together as a world, as a nation, as a people, as a congregation, as a family, and as individuals, the Word of the Lord calls again today.  Hear His call to prepare your heart for His arrival in this coming celebration of Christmas, but also as He comes to meet you each dawning day, until that Last Day.  Hear John the Baptist’s call to faith and repentance, that your sins might be forgiven for Jesus’ sake, and that you might meet God as your Savior rather than your Judge.  Hear Him, believe, and live.  Amen.