December 24, 2023
Christmas Eve
Rev. Mary Erickson
Hope Lutheran Church
Luke 2:1-20
We Are Not Alone
Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.
This Christmas season lasts but a brief 12 days. It’s a very short time to fit in so much! Most people in the United States say Christmas is their favorite season. Surely, in terms of consumer spending, it definitely is!
Some people enjoy Christmas so much they celebrate it all year long. Elvis Presley sang “If Every Day Was Like Christmas”
Oh, why can't every day be like Christmas
Why can't that feeling go on endlessly
For if everyday could be just like Christmas
What a wonderful world this would be
Some members in a former parish of mine kept up a Christmas tree all year long. In fact, when you went into their lower level, the whole den was decked out in Christmas decorations. They loved Christmas and wanted to keep up the Christmas spirit all year long.
There are many things we associate with this holiday and they fill us with the “Christmas feeling.” Some of them are church related – the annual children’s Christmas pageant, beloved carols, the candle lighting finale to our Christmas Eve worship. Others involve friends and family – receiving annual Christmas greetings from loved ones, family gatherings, the delicious dinners around the table, the delight of watching others open gifts. Driving around town to look at the outdoor displays, trimming the tree. And then there are the foods that we make only at this time of year.
All of these things put us in the holiday mood. And like Elvis sang, wouldn’t it be nice if we could hold onto that Christmas atmosphere all year long?
But eventually, all the cookies get eaten and the decorations are put away in their tubs and stored in the attic until next year. It’s all too short of a season. Twelve days of Christmas joy.
Joy. It’s a curious thing. Joy is something that’s different from plain old happiness. Happiness is dependent on our surroundings. When things lean towards our good fortune, we’re happy. But when they don’t, then happiness slips away.
But joy is more lasting than happiness. Joy is anchored in something much more permanent than the whims of fate. And because of that, we can be filled with joy even in times of trial and sorrow. Even when life doesn’t go our way, joy remains. When we travel down the path of grief and sickness and calamity, joy journeys by our side.
Joy is anchored in a yes that cannot be denied. Joy is tied to something more permanent and solid than the variabilities of our changing circumstances. This reality is our Rock of Gibraltar. We know that nothing can possibly eradicate it. It’s 100% reliable. And because it’s there and we know it always will be there, nothing, absolutely nothing can diminish our joy.
Two thousand years ago, in a small, sleepy town, our savior Jesus the Christ was born. He entered the world in a very understated way. In a stable, surrounded by musky animals, Mary gave birth to her little son. He was fully human, like you and me. But in his flesh and blood, the presence of the divine and eternal God took up residence.
Friends, our loving God wasn’t satisfied to be our maker from far away. The Almighty who transcends time and place didn’t want to be a God from afar. No, this gracious, divine presence wanted to be fully present with us. And in this birth, the great I AM entered our human realm. Here in the lowly manger lay the Lord of Life. He became one of us so that he could walk in full solidarity with us. He is the fulfillment of the promise proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah. He is the child named Immanuel, God with us.
This is what we celebrate on Christmas. And this is the source of our Christmas joy. God is with us! We are not alone! In this small baby, God dwelt with us. And then this little baby grew up in a home, surrounded by family. And he didn’t grow up in the lap of privilege. Quite the opposite: after he was born in a manger, his parents were forced to flee and live as refugees in a foreign land. He grew up in a common laboring family, in the insignificant town of Nazareth. As an adult, he palled around with very common folk.
His entire life demonstrates his solidarity with us. He knows us! He knows our joys and sorrows. He feels the pain of sickness and want. He knows the sting of loneliness and of betrayal. He understands everything we face because he faced it, too.
Immanuel, God with us. He didn’t just live like us. He’s also experienced death, the same death we do. Jesus has walked with us every step of the way, from the cradle to the grave. But if his solidarity ended in just a death like ours, there would be no lasting joy. No, Jesus also came to usher us into the new creation, into the life to come. He died as Jesus our brother, but he rose to new life as Christ our Savior. It’s in his rising that we see the full quality of his divine power and authority.
It’s these two together, the human and the divine, lying in that manger. There in the hay we behold the Son of Man and Son of God. And in this fusion, in his incarnation, here is where our joy is born. He is with us in all things, through all circumstances.
God is with us, Immanuel. And in his everlasting presence, a presence that will not let us go, the joy of Christmas fills every one of our days. It’s joy, not happiness. Because we know that he is with us ALWAYS, through all things. It’s joy, not happiness, because we know that in him we are grounded in the source of all life. We have the rock-solid assurance that nothing, nothing at all, can ever separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord. It’s joy, not happiness. Contained within those swaddling clothes, there is the Lord of Life! He is Immanuel, God with us. And in this knowledge, the joy of Christmas sustains us. And this joy of Christmas carries into each and every one of our days.
