Christmas Eve "Intelligent Designer Discovered”

In Jesus Holy Name December 24, 2023

Christmas Eve–Luke 2:9a,10-12 Redeemer

“Intelligent Designer Discovered”

In the Cradle & On the Cross

On this Christmas Eve we celebrate the birth of the “Intelligent Designer”, the “Logos” of the Universe. “Intelligent Design” is the theory that life, or the universe, cannot have come into existence by chance. It was designed and created by some “intelligent” entity.

In a 1929 Saturday Evening Post interview, Albert Einstein said, “As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”

Christmas is the celebration of the entrance of the “Intelligent Designer” of the Universe into the world He created. To acknowledge that the omnipotent “Intelligent Designer” of the universe would take the form of a helpless infant… is what staggers the intellectual mind. This is foolishness to the scientific mind. Yet, this is the message of Christmas. The “Intelligent Designer of the Universe chose His entrance through the womb of a virgin. Mary and Joseph used a cattle feeding box for His first crib in Bethlehem.

The day and place of His birth is not accidental or incidental. No acts are random or wasted. A king ordered a census. Joseph was forced to travel. Mary, as round as a ladybug, bounced on a donkey’s back. The hotel in Bethlehem was full. The hour was late. The event was one big hassle. Yet out of the hassle, hope for peace with the Creator of the Universe was born. (Max Lucado Because Bethlehem p.

I don’t like hassles. But I love Christmas because it reminds me of the eternal promise that comes with the child in the manger of wood. Long after the guests have left. Long after the carolers have gone home. Long after the Christmas lights have come down, the promise of peace with the Creator endures.

The true hope of the human heart is to know our eternal destiny. The true hope of the human heart is to have peace with God. When our brain waves cease. And they will. When our heart stops beating. And it will. Is there any hope beyond the pretty boxes under my tree?

Yes. The “Intelligent Designer” was born and placed in the manger to rescue you and me. Mary and Joseph gave Him the name Jesus. Thirty-three years later He would be crucified on the wooden cross as the perfect substitute for our imperfect life. His blood-soaked cross would remove our broken commandments, our broken ethics, when by faith we place our trust in Him. Then the promise of forgiveness and eternal life was verified by the empty stone grave of Jesus. He rose from death and the grave. The story of Christmas begins in a stable but ends on the cross and with an empty grave.

If only, we are celebrating a baby’s birth today, the event of Christmas would leave our hearts empty. We would dread the end of our days upon this earth. The celebration of Christmas is about “The Intelligent Designer’s gift of Himself to the world. So, remove the gifts that hide the manger. Don’t let the Bethlehem manger be covered up by the silver and gold tinsel, the red and green bows. The paper wrapped boxes must not hide the reason for the season.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians: “God was pleased to have His full deity dwell in Jesus, who is the “visible presence of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15-23, 2:14) He walked the dusty roads of Galilee. He walked on the stone pavements of the Jerusalem temple. History verifies for us that Jesus lived in Nazareth. He was a worker of miracles. He healed the blind and lame. He raised people from the dead.

History verifies for us that He was arrested. He was placed on trial before Pontius Pilate. His life on earth came to an end on the cross outside the walls of Jerusalem. His friends buried Him in a borrowed tomb of stone. The Romans sealed the stone grave to no avail. His resurrection shattered the Roman seal.

“It was ….. through His blood shed on the cross that “brings each believer” back into friendship with our “Intelligent Designer”. Because of Jesus, everyone who has broken God’s commandments are judged free from accusation. Why? Because Jesus did not stay dead. He rose from death with a glorified resurrected body. His resurrection destroyed the Devil’s ability to keep people in slavery to their fear of death. His resurrection guarantees peace for our soul. This is what brings us together to remember His birth.