Luke 2:1–20

Christmas Day

Theme: Christ’s birth at Bethlehem

Adaptation of Luther’s Sermon

¹In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

²This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

³And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,

⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

⁶And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

¹⁰And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.

¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."

¹⁶And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

This is the narrative for the festival marking the birth of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, about which we want to preach. It is a good arrangement in the church year to commemorate the story in this way, especially since there is such power in it. It is the ground on which our Christian faith rests. This history is something we need to become acquainted with and learn very well, in order that we might know where to ground our Christian faith. Our Lord God’s power and might sustain this text over against Satan’s fury, so that under the terrible darkness of this world people may know the meaning of Christ’s birth, suffering, death, and resurrection.

This Gospel has two parts. The first has to do with the account itself and its meaning for today that Jesus Christ was born at Bethlehem. The second part is the message of the angels telling of its fruit and power, and how we are to profit from it. The narrative should be impressed upon our minds that we may know the article we confess in the Creed:

“I believe in jesus christ, born of the virgin mary.”

As Luke tells the story, he points out precisely at what time, what year, what place, and the manner of Christ’s birth. It was at Bethlehem, in Judea, at the time when the Roman Empire was at its zenith under its most notable emperor, Caesar Augustus, and when the first general census was taken. For this reason they journeyed from Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea. The time for Mary’s delivery came and she gave birth to her son, the Savior of the world, in a strange land, far away from home, and because the town was so crowded there was not even room in the inn.

From this account we learn that the Lord, immediately with his birth into the world, distinguishes sharply between his kingdom and the world’s. Christ indeed was born in Bethlehem, the very town which the prophet foretold he would come from, yet he is a stranger here. Another, namely, Caesar Augustus, is supreme king and ruler. For Christ, there is barely room in a stall and manger. He is born in a strange locality where he has no home, in cold winter and at night, in a place and a time when he is totally forsaken by everyone.

There in great lowliness, this noble Son and great King was born, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. These are signs and testimonies enough to show that the world cares not a hoot about him, but disdains him. By this same token, with his birth, this King demonstrates that he does not stand in awe of the world but would being a new way and kingdom.

To distinguish between these two kingdoms is a great art which very few people rightly master. What usually happens is that the rulers of this world want to rule over the church and contrariwise the spiritual leaders want to take over the town hall.

At all events Christ was born at Bethlehm, of a natural mother, in a manger and diapers, in a world where Caesar Ruled and governed. Similarly, there is no Christian on earth who has no need for the world. How then Christ’s and Caesar’s realms are to be distinguished as follows: Christ’ kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. Caesar’s realm is a worldly kingdom which directs and sets things in order, governs with law, conducts war, rules with the sword and so on. With such worldly things Christ has nothing to do, but his kingdom and office have to do with saving souls from sin and death.

For this reason he conducts himself over against the world as though he did not know it, and the world deals with him as though it does not know him. What should have happened is that the citizens of Jerusalem should have crept out to Bethlehem on their knees and welcomed their King, or at least the mayor of Bethlehem should have gone into the stable to offer him service and waited upon him. But no one came, neither from Jerusalem nor Bethlehem, none paid him heed. He is stuck away in a stable and for his part does not present himself as a King or Lord, but as a poor beggar who had come to earth to declare that he is no worldly king, nor does he have a physical realm, but that his kingdom belongs in another world and life.

Whoever would be a preacher or teacher or simply just a Christian, must recognize that people’s lives in the world belong under the governance of Caesar who has authority to direct things, put evildoers to death, make marriage laws, and the like. Christ, on the other hand, has and gives everlasting peace, eternal life, and salvation.

True it is that Christians live their lives here on earth, eat and drink in this world, just as Christ did. But Christians do this as pilgrims and strangers, as guests in a lodging place, as Christ also did. Christ has not come to earth in order to seize power from Caesar and teach him how to rule. But he uses the worldly realm and the manger until he has fulfilled the mission of which he had been sent.

In other words, a Christian’s end purpose is not his life on earth, to marry, eat, drink, be clothed, rejoice, buy and sell, but he pursues another goal which endures once this all ceases.

This distinction must be carefully noted: the goal of the political realm is peace on earth; the goal of the church is eternal peace, not nice homes, wealth, power, and honor. Let this be the goal and purpose for which the Christian realm strives and aims: to proclaim the treasure for troubled and anguished consciences which Christ has earned, namely, the forgiveness of sins and everlasting peace.

So much for the first part of the gospel.

The second part of this Gospel treats of the angel’s message which is the chief part of this Gospel and clearly shows that Christ’s kingdom is a much different realm than that of the world. For otherwise the high priests of Jerusalem, or other prominent people of Bethlehem, would have come and celebrated his birth. But it is the heavenly spirits, the holy angels of God, the princes who belong to that kingdom of heaven who come. By this they indicate that the kind of kingdom this King possesses is one over which neither Caesar Augustus nor Herod could rule, but only God himself could be King and Lord, in which only angels and sanctified people are.

Christ is the king of the heavens and the angels, and yet he lies here in the manger without jurisdiction over the manger but as a guest on the earth, having another, higher realm to govern, of which the angels preach.

Also it is made plain that those who belong to this King’s realm are those with troubled hearts and broken spirits. Those who strive after worldly rule, power and eminence do not belong to this kingdom. True, a Christian may be a worldly ruler, but he is so in obedience to God and out of Christian love, ruling in line with his calling and in service to the world, considering himself to be a servant in the house and a guest in the inn. Those, however, who seek after and contend for worldly power and lordship, do not belong in this King’s realm. Here belong the poor, needful people, for whom Christ came to earth. For that reason his kingdom is to be perceived as a kingdom for the terrified, sorrowful, wretched people.

The purpose for which the angels come in their dazzling and glorious brilliance, to the great fright of the shepherds, is to declare the truth that such wretched, sorrowful people are the only ones who come into this King’s realm. They do indeed live in this world’s realm, just as their King, Christ, uses the swaddling clothes, milk, and crib. But they do not contend for or seek after it. They keep their eyes on the eternal realm in which there is everlasting life. In this way it was demonstrated that this king was born for those who live in fear and trembling, and they alone belong in his kingdom. They are the ones to whom it should be preached, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.”

What is this joy? This joy would be proclaimed to all people, but only those whose consciences were stricken and hearts troubled would be receptive. Is not this a wonder that this joy would be dearest to those in whom the conscience was most disquieted? There, where fear and terror reigned, this glorious, precious, sweet joy was to come. The shepherds were witnesses to this brilliant light which overpowered the world’s darkness and yet they were terrified by it and feared greatly. Ought one really be terrified by joy and be fearful before such beautiful light?

Note this well, however, and never lose hold of it; the angel said that Christ, born at Bethlehem, is not a terror-filled cause for sorrow, but great, comforting joy, for which a terrified hearts wishes and yearns. The world rejoices when things are good and it has money and possessions, power, and glory. But a troubled, sorrowful heart craves nothing more than peace and comfort, to know that it has a gracious God. For that reason poor consciences need to be preached to as the angel here preaches: “Hear me, one and all, who are miserable and sorrowful in heart, for I bring you a joyful tiding.” You must not imagine that Christ is angry with you. For he did not come to earth and become man for that reason, that he might shove you into hell. Much less was he crucified and died for that purpose. Instead he came that you might have great joy in him. In short, there are no sour grapes with him.

This is the right explanation and understanding. If you wish to define Christ correctly and portray him truly, who and what he is, then note carefully how the angel distinguishes and portrays him, namely, that he is and is called, “Great Joy.” I personally learned this the hard way, for no one ever taught me anything else than that Christ was a stern judge who would pass judgment on me according to my deserts and works. I was used to thinking at all times, therefore, how I might produce good works that I might reconcile Christ my Judge. In no way could this be termed “Great joy,” and “Unto you is born this day a Savior,” but rather the preaching of hellfire. What was missing for me was that I could not name Christ rightly with the name the angel gave, “Great joy,” as he most surely also is: great, sweet, precious joy.

The devil, however; does not readily let us have this belief; but always wants good works added in and highlights the most terrifying stories of God’s wrath and judgment, tormenting and torturing them in order to melt them down with terrors.

For that reason a person must learn to keep Christ and all other works carefully separate. He must affirm: I know for a fact that God destroyed the world with the flood, reduced Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes with fire and brimstone. But for myself; however; there’s something else. I must remember that Christ is known by no other name than the one the angel gives, namely, “Great joy.” Here I see another picture; that of a virgin who sits in a darkened stable in Bethlehem with a dear, gracious child in her lap, whose name is “Great Joy.”

This is what the angel would want us to learn through this sermon, so that all sorrowful hearts and anxious consciences might recognize and grasp Christ according to his true picture. Where Christ puts on a sour face, there he drowns the world with the blood and cuts down kings and tyrants, but here he has no sour face, but friendly and loving, and is called “Great Joy.” For whose good? For all troubled hearts. This, then, is a golden text so that we might know how to comfort ourselves in time of sorrow and trial.

How is this great joy portrayed? The angel announces, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord.” Whoever has no fear and cross does not need this Savior. But those poor sinners who are in fear and angst are in need of him, for none can help them except this Savior, Christ the Lord, born this day in Bethlehem.

Therefore, we should take the angel at his word and not make a liar out of him. He gives Christ his right name. He is and is called the only Savior. Accordingly, wherever Christ is, in the manger or at God’s right hand, whether called Lord or Judge, he is at all time our Savior. Everything that he has done and will yet do has this significance and this purpose, that we might be saved. God grant us his grace that we may receive and ever hold fast to these things.

Amen.