Isaiah 9:2–7

December 24 2008 Christmas Eve Sermon

²2 1 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. ³You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. ⁴For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. ⁵For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. ⁶For 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. ⁷Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

In Johnson County, Texas, a young boy in a Sunday School class was asked to name the place where Jesus was born. Blurting out all the ancient cities he knew, he guessed Athens, then Carthage. When he was told that the right answer was Palestine, he said, "I knew it was in East Texas somewhere." Perhaps the boy was not far from wrong. The Child born once in Bethlehem of Judea is closer to East Texas than we might think. He is not far from east Illinois either. He is not far from us at Emmanuel either.

Jesus is not merely "away in a manger," but He is "here in our Church." As we have seen throughout Advent, the Church becomes the cradle in which the Lord Jesus condescends to be present. Christ, who is so little that He could be nestled at the breast of His mother, Mary, invites us to receive Him in His littleness on the lap of our mother the Church. Heaven is come down to the manger. And Christ's manger is here: the church. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes: the water and bread and wine of the Sacraments.

A child is born. How simply Isaiah puts it. A birth announcement is one of the simplest announcements we humans know how to make. What proud father does not say, "We have a baby!"

Mary had a baby. Heaven came down into the darkness. As simple as it is to say that a child is born, we must recognize who this particular Child is. This is God from God, as the Nicene Creed says (see also Isaiah 9:6). He is no ordinary child.

A great light has been seen. The Christ Child brings light where once there was only darkness. Those who walk in darkness walk in pain and suffering as they trip over obstacles and run into walls. People in darkness walk in ignorance of the path before them. Only light brings true wisdom, because it accompanies the One who is wisdom in the flesh—Christ, the great Light. Christ is not merely a great luminary, but He is the very source of light (compare Genesis 1:3 and 1:16). He provides light where there is nothing shining.

Some years ago, while visiting Siberia in the summer, a pastor was shocked to find the sun piercing his sleep at four in the morning. Like a laser beam, the sun cut into his fifth-story, east-facing, curtain-less room. That first day, he had no choice but to rise in homage to the new light that erupted in the Siberian summer sky.

When the true Light was born under the darkened sky, the stars were overwhelmed by the arrival of the true Light that "enlightens everyone" (John 1:9). Christ, the Light of the world, overcame the darkness and brought true joy. Because the Light came and abolished the darkness, joy has been poured out on the people who walked in the darkness.

In the birth of this Child, the ancient oppression has been broken. The victory of the Child is swift, shocking, and complete, just as in the day of Midian. In a battle that predated the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, Gideon's three hundred men stunned the Midianites with a crushing defeat. Here the weakness of the few defeats the power of the many as "the Lord [gave] the host of Midian into their hand" (Judges 7:15). This same "weakness" clothes the Child born of Mary, but Jesus is strong to save His people from their sin.

The Son is given, but He is not merely handed over. He is given to us! In older editions of Martin Luther's commentary on this passage, printers often placed the words "to us" or "for us" in capital letters. They wanted to emphasize as boldly as they could that the work of Christ to save the world was not some abstract theological concept or philosophical idea. Christ was given not just generally, but TO US. How strange that the God who made us and who possesses us gave Himself to us, to sinners! God acts for us by giving Himself to us.

We receive divine Wisdom through this Child. We receive this wisdom as we receive Him through the Word and Sacraments. The Word has been given to us, and in that giving the Word Incarnate gives Himself to us. Thus the baby born of the virgin in Bethlehem is ever reborn among us through the Word. Notice the power of God's word. Here's the interesting thing: The speaking of God actually conveys to us what he says. God's Word does not merely tell us about Christ. It does not merely relate the lovely story of a child born in hapless circumstances so we may be delighted or filled with nostalgia. No, the Lord gives His Son to us in the Word. The story of Christ's birth actually makes Christ present to us. When God's Word tells us of Christ, it is conveying Christ to us, here and now. God's Word is ever a creating Word, unlike human words or speech. God's Word actually does what it says. We become overwhelmingly sure of God's presence here because He speaks His presence among us (Matthew 28:20); this is such wonderful fulfillment of His divine purpose to be a God... for us. The sacramental action of the Lord's Supper is for us. From the "manger" of our altar, the Child serves us with His own body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

Despite the ethereal optimism of the hymn when it says, "no crying He makes," we must confess that Jesus was a squalling child, suckling at His mother's breast. He needed His diapers changed just as we did. Mary's Child bears our nature, so we might bear His immortality. The Son given to Mary is God. Her Son is the Father's Son. The God-man dwells among us, "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Even the ancient witness of Isaiah is decisive about who the Messiah will be. By flesh He would be the son of David, but He also would be the Son of God.

Like a father is to his children, so our God in Christ is compassionate to those whom He has made and redeemed in blood. He is zealous for His children (Psalm 103:13). And His zeal brings God in Christ to live with us here as we draw near the cradle of His Word. The Prince of Peace comes from the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12ff.) and will occupy an eternal throne. Through Him peace is granted to those who know their sin. To them God says that because they are justified by faith in Christ, they have peace with Him (Romans 5:1). This peace is not wishful thinking or faint hope, as it is among humans. This peace is a reality that our Prince of Peace defines in His own person. Jesus is peace; therefore we have peace (John 14:27; 16:33).

In the reredos behind the high altar of the Lutheran Cathedral in Copenhagen, Denmark, stands Bertel Thorvaldsen's statue Christus. It beckons worshipers to "come closer." At Christmas the world heard God call, "Come closer." In the Sacrament of the Altar, Christ calls, "Come closer." The Word invites us to the manger of the Church where Christ is laid. Be near us, Lord Jesus!

Amen.