The Earth Shall See
Salvation (Isaiah 52:7-10)
Christmas Eve, December
24, 2016, 5:00PM
Good news!
Break forth into singing!
At the return of the Lord, sing and
shout for joy!
All the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God! Among the
other sentiments we share on this night, a reading from Isaiah sets the
spiritual mood. In celebrating the birth
of Jesus, we recite the arrival of God’s salvation plan. The prophet Isaiah bellows words that echo
across history, and we Christians believe there is unique meaning in this Old
Testament prophet’s expression, and that meaning is found in Jesus. “God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life.” Or as Isaiah says,
“All the ends of the earth shall see salvation.” All need it because we are
lost in sin, and God loves us and thus sent Jesus for all of us.
We sing of our salvation in our
Christmas songs. We also retell the
story when we sing these songs.
When we sing (tune of ‘O Little Town of
Bethlehem’), for Christ is born of Mary,
and gathered all above, while mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of
wond’ring love, we are singing Luke’s story. Luke’s telling of Jesus’ birth is the point
of view that gives us angels and mangers and shepherds. In Luke’s Gospel, the Father of John the
Baptist, Zechariah, meets an angel. An
angel appears to Mary. Joseph and Mary
make the periled journey from Galilee, headed south but also climbing over
mountains, thus headed “up” to Bethlehem.
Upon arrival, they find crowded inns and end up, probably in a family
home, which included a feed trough for animals, the manger. This is in Luke.
Matthew tells of dreams. Joseph dreams. The wise men had dreams. There is none of this dreaming in Luke. Matthew tells of the visitors following the
star and a flight to Egypt. Wise men,
Joseph, dreams, Herod – that’s all Matthew.
Mark skips the birth stories altogether. He begins his gospel with Jesus’
baptism.
John, on the other hand, goes back, way back
before even Genesis. John says, that “in
the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us.” However, after John gives that
cosmic perspective, he too skips ahead to Jesus and John the Baptist and the
recruitment of disciples.
Of the four gospels, Luke provides
most of the imagery we envision at Christmas and sing in our songs. Matthew definitely finds his way into our
Christmas songbook. We three kings of orient are.
Bearing gifts we traverse afar.
That’s Matthew and there are others from Matthew. But most of the Christmas hymns tell Luke’s
story. Including the ones we’ve sung
tonight.
The
First Noel, the angels did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they
lay. That’s Luke.
Away
in a manger, no crib for his bed. The
little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.
Again, Luke. We sing the second
chapter of Luke more than any other passage in scripture, except maybe the
Psalms. I find it beautiful. To me these are some of the most familiar,
comforting, and meaningful worship songs we have. People will refer them as ‘Christmas carols,’
and that’s not bad thing. I have no
problem with that wording. But I don’t
talk about that way.
To me, Away
in a Manger is a worship song. Be near
me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay. Close
by me forever, and love me I pray.
In difficult times, I pray that prayer.
God, please be with me. Guide me
through this. Help me with the struggles
I face and the obstacles to be overcome.
I love that Luke’s moving storytelling has inspired songs so familiar,
we can sing them by heart. In doing so,
we tell the story Isaiah prophesied – the joyous proclamation of salvation in
the coming of Jesus.
I have to mention that my wife gave me a Christmas
warning. She said, “Listen. I’ve had enough of the heavy sermons. They’re good, but, it is Christmas. I need baby Jesus. I need Mary and Joseph. I need a manger. I need to hear about peace and joy.” I have been so instructed, and not just by her. Years ago, before I even started in ministry,
I was exploring the idea of being a pastor.
So, I visited a seminaries across the east, including the Candler School
of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.
There, I sat in on the preaching class.
The professor told her students, would-be pastors, “When you’re
preaching at Easter, talk about the resurrection. Don’t try to get too creative. At Easter, talk about the empty tomb. When you’re preaching on Christmas Eve,
mention Bethlehem and baby Jesus.”
Tonight, I have tried to abide by that professor’s
instruction and more importantly, my wife’s direct admonition. This is the night we celebrate Jesus’
birth. This is the night we rejoice and
thank God for Jesus’ coming. On this
night, we read Isaiah’s words – “Break forth together into singing you ruins of
Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted His people; he has redeemed Jerusalem”
(52:9). And when we read Isaiah 52, we
link his promise with the fulfillment in the coming of Jesus. It all comes together.
As it does, telling moves into confessing. “To know the risen Lord is not only to give
an account of something that happened in the past. It is an interior knowing that transforms the
knower.”[i]
Church historian Robert Louis Wilken observed that
2nd century Christians felt that only by believing in God and
following Jesus could they understand God.
Their theology proceeded from their belief before it was worked out in
their intellect. When they attempted to
explain Christianity, it was never simply an academic exercise in which they
developed their theology. Origin,
Tertullian, Augustine – their theology was a product of their personal faith. In some cases, they died for their
confessions of faith in Jesus and were glad to do so.
The word martyr actually means witness. Once we decide to follow Jesus, the story
becomes our story, and every example of Christian witness comes in the first
person. Beyond sharing information, our
telling of the great drama of scripture is our confession what God has done in our
lives.
This night, I have tried to recite the story of
Jesus’ birth. Through our favorite,
familiar songs, we have rehearsed the story we know so well. Even non-church people have some familiarity
with it. We have read the
scriptures. I have spoken of Joseph and
Mary and the manger.
Now, in order for this to be true proclamation,
more than mere quaint narrating, I have to be a witness. I have to tell what I have experienced in my
own life. I have to bear my soul because
for me Christmas Eve is more than tradition, more than habit, and more than a
necessary task of being a church leader.
Christmas Eve worship is a part of my life as a follower of Jesus. Apart from God, my life makes no sense.
The coming of the Lord in human flesh, Jesus of
Nazareth, is the coming of salvation.
And I stand before you as a man who needs, or who needed, to be
saved. I won’t give a line item
accounting of my sins. There are too
many – and at the same time, there are none.
I know I have lived of life in which I made mistakes that absolutely cut
me off from God. I know that.
Yet, I do not dwell on it because this Savior
whose birth we rejoice has saved me. I
have confessed those sins and Jesus has nailed my sins to the cross. That’s where my sins and my death are. I stand in joy that only grows deeper and
richer over time because with each passing year, I grow in my relationship with
God in Jesus Christ. This is not my
accomplishment. I am not bragging. I am testifying. I am singing and dancing. I thrilled.
The life I have in the Lord is a gift God gives and then renews all the
time. The joy that grows is something
God is growing in me as a gift to me.
God offers that gift to all. In
addition to testifying, singing, and dancing, I am inviting you.
The birth of Jesus, the birth of my salvation, is
the birth of yours too. Christmas marks
God’s announcement. All who know they
are sinners can turn to Jesus, be forgiven and be adopted as sons and daughters
of God. If you have never given your
life to Christ and received His grace, you can do so tonight. You can come talk to me afterward and
together, we’ll pray for your heart to be opened and the Holy Spirit of God to
come in. Jesus’ birthday can be the day
you are born again.
Then, the story of it will be your story – the
memory of your new life. When you share
that story, you are right there with the angels and the shepherds. Whatever baggage has weighed down your soul
is lifted by God’s love as God makes you new.
And like me, for you, telling the story is no longer narrating. It is confessing. You become the martyr – the witness – who
testifies that the Lord is good and that in Jesus His Kingdom has come.
I titled this Christmas Eve message “The Earth
Shall See Salvation.” This is how it
happens. People like you and me tell the
story of God. This Christmas Eve
Bethlehem chapter is but one installment.
When we tell it, we tell it as confession because we are saved and the
story is ours. Our telling is
testimony. People hear our testimony and
the Holy Spirit works in their hearts.
They realize their need for God.
They confess their sins, receive Jesus into their hearts, and are born
again. Then they are testifying
witnesses. God is good and we can have
life in his name. And on and on, the Gospel
– Good News – spreads until the Earth has seen salvation.
(We conclude our service by singing “Silent
Night”).
No comments:
Post a Comment