Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
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1 Thess. 5:16-24
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John 1:6-8, 19-28
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Grace, mercy and
peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our text for today comes from the Old Testament Lesson just read,
especially these words, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall
exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of
righteousness.” Thus far our text.
It’s the most
wonderful time of the year! The
Christmas carols are playing on the radio.
Christmas shopping continues. Lights
are up on the houses, and we are all looking forward to spending Christmas time
with family and to having the day off from work. Christmas cookies are baking. And presents are awaiting their opening. It truly is the most wonderful time of year
isn’t it? Best of all, the Charlie Brown Christmas Special will be on shortly!
But here in
church, gathered with these people together, we have a much more somber
tone. We here today have a different
focus. Our church is decorated with blue
paraments to remind us of our sinful lives.
We have had reading focused on our sin, we have been looking honestly
and openly at the reason that Jesus had to come. For so often buried underneath all the
Merriness and Celebration is a deep truth.
It is for sin that Jesus comes.
Christmas comes around because we are poor miserable sinners. And sometimes it is this time of the year
that we feel it most.
For while we try
so hard to put on a happy and merry outward face, inside we feel lonely. Yes, family may be coming for Christmas, but
perhaps we don’t get along with all our family.
Perhaps a particular family member will not be at Christmas this year
because they are out of town, because they don’t speak with us, or even because
they may have passed away. It hurts, and
the Christmas season seems to just magnify and intensify the hurt and struggles
within our families. So Jesus must
come.
While we try to
put on the happy and merry outward face, inside we feel exhausted. For all those Christmas cookies take time to
make. In the midst of trying to get
everything done for work so we can take time off, we have to put up the tree,
hang the lights, clean the house put up the stockings and more. Preparing for Christmas celebrations in a
daunting task, one we must yearly face, only to undo all the work we have done
a short month or so later. The nights
are long, the air is cold, and the stress level is high. So Jesus must come.
The thing about
Christmas so often is that while we put on an outward show of joy and
happiness, that inside we are exhausted, tired, sorrowful sinners. Christmas feels like a month of obligations,
overspending, difficult travel and horrible weather. We can’t be happy just because we are
expected to be this time of the year. We
can’t always feel good about it being the season of Christmas. We don’t always want to bounce around singing
and laughing to Christmas Carols.
Sometimes, we just don’t have it in us.
Sometimes we are just tired and frustrated and saddened from our sin.
Our text today,
paints a picture of that. It speaks of
people whose heads are covered with ashes in mourning. It speaks of people whose home towns and
villages are destroyed. It paints a
picture of people who are bound and thrown in prison and forgotten. Our text today paints a picture of the people
from ancient Israel dealing with these things, just as it paints a picture of
you and me – bound in our sin. Facing
the prison of hell and damnation.
But our text doesn’t
just leave us in our holiday duldrums.
It doesn’t leave us alone facing all of these issues that come about
because of sin. Our text today gives us
hope. It speaks of someone who is
coming. It gives us joy in the midst of
our somberness. It tells us about a
rescuer who will come “to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the
year of the LORD’s favor. He comes to
comfort all who mourn; to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the
oil of gladness instead of mourning. He
comes to save you.
Jesus is
coming. And while this does force us to
look honestly at our sin, it also gives us joy.
For even as we know our sins, they cannot overcome us. Even as we know our own guilt and sadness, we
know that Christ has victory in his death.
Rejoice, for even today, you have hope.
You have promise, you have Jesus.
That’s why Jesus
is coming. That is why his Advent is
drawing near. Because he wants to save
you from all this baloney of the world.
He wants to bring you to be with him.
But he won’t do it magically from heaven. He won’t just tell you to be happy, as the
Christmas season seems to do. Instead
Jesus will come. He will be born of a
virgin. He will suffer and die under Pontius
Pilate. He will be nailed to a cross to
give you hope in times of mourning. To
give you peace in times of tumult. He
will rise again so that you may be certain that the same thing will happen to
you.
That’s what
Christmas is all about. For unto you
this day, is born in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the
Lord. Joy! Happiness!
Gloria in Excelsis, Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Jesus is coming to save. That’s what Christmas means.
You will notice
that today, on our advent wreath, we have lit a pink candle instead of the
normal Blue/Purple one. That’s because
today we remember that in the midst of our sin, we have joy in Jesus. In the midst of this world, we have
hope. Rejoice, Rejoice Immanuel is
coming. Even to you. Joy for you forever. Amen.
