Christmas Eve
Luke 2:1-7
"The Decision"
There once was a boy named Tommy. Tommy was like most boys of the age 5, he liked to run and play. He liked to get himself all dirty, especially in mud puddles after a nice rain. Tommy had two little dimples on his cheeks and when he smiled, they made him look just like an angel. But Tommy didn’t smile as much as he could for you see Tommy was lonely. Tommy lived in an orphanage because Tommy’s parents had been killed.
The people in the orphanage like having Tommy around. They liked to see his dark hair flopping in the breeze as Tommy ran around the furniture and all over the house. These people loved Tommy very much, but Tommy knew that it wan’s like having real parents of his very own. Tommy wanted parents that would love only him.
One day while Tommy was playing dodge ball, and Tommy was pretty good at that, he was usually the last one out. In the country house down the street from the orphanage, court was in session. This session of the court was very important to Tommy even though Tommy knew nothing of what was taking place. Judge Johnson was holding court that day. Now Judge Johnson liked to make people happy if he could. He was a jolly man who was always smiling and finding good in people. In today’s court, the Judge was deciding if some people who saw Tommy at the orphanage could adopt him as their very own child. The judge was making a decision that would affect Tommy’s whole like from that moment on, and Tommy didn’t even know what was happening.
Judge Johnson after hearing all the testimony decided that Tommy could have these people, this couple, as his parents. The Judge decided that these people had a lot of love in their hearts and they would share that love with Tommy. He felt they would be good parents.
Can you imagine how excited Tommy will be when these people come to the home and they tell him they are going to be Tommy’s new parents. Tommy will no longer have to be lonely, he will have parents to take care of him, to love him, and to be loved by Tommy. The judge made a decision that would affect Tommy forever
God made a decision that affects our whole lives in the dame kind of way that Judge Johnson made his decision. It is that decision that we celebrate tonight and tomorrow. It is that decision that all the world celebrates during this Christmas season. It is that decision that creates all the excitement, all the joy, all the happiness this time of year.
God made a decision that affects our lives, a decision that was made without our consent, without our knowledge, without our approval. A decision was made that would affect our lives now and for the rest of eternity. That decision was for God to send his son to earth, for God to put skin on, so that we might have the opportunity to have eternal life. God made a decision out of love for us, out of love for the creation. God decided to come to earth, to walk among us, to be like one of us, so that we could see in a very real way how much he loves us.
God made a decision to do this without consulting us, with out asking our permission, without us really having anything to say about the matter. God wanted our salvation to be in his hands, not ours. God decided that sending his son to earth having him walk among us, live with us, then die for our sins and rise on the third day, would be the only way that God the father could be reconciled with the children of his creation. So God decided to do this for us. God decided because he is a God of love, a God of mercy, a God of compassion. God made this kind of decision because he knew that we could not by our own merits, our own works, our own efforts make ourselves worthy in his eyes. God knew we could never live up to the perfection he wants, so he decided he would live up to that perfection himself, then punish himself for our sins, and then tell us that by believing in what he has done for us, we would be made right with him.
There is a story about an elderly woman who was being called on by her pastor. As the pastor sat by her sick bed, the woman said: "Well I’ve had a long life, and a good life. And I’ve tried to do the right thing. I’ve never wanted to hurt anybody. And I’ve tried to keep the 10 Commandments as best as I could."
The pastor who was listening began to think to himself: "Not dear old Suzie Johnson. After all the words of the gospel she’s heard throughout her life, her Christian education, the sermons she’s heard.... still believing that she is saved by her own works???"
The woman continued: "So I’ve tried to live the best life I could, pastor. But I know that’s not good enough. I know I’ve broken God’s law over and over again. But thank God I am saved through the merits of Jesus Christ. He’s done that for me, which I am unable to do. I can look forward to the end of life trusting in His grace and mercy."
And the. Pastor smiled”
And that makes me smile too, for that woman believed in the decision that God made for her this evening. That woman believe that God decided to give her eternal life as a gift, as a present, not as something she had to earn, or achieve herself.
Christmas time is the one time that we celebrate the gift, the present of God, the birth of his son, who will give to us who believe in his work, the gift of salvation. That is why we exchange gifts, that is why we celebrate and are merry this time of the year, it is because of the one gift, the gift of the baby born in the manger who will give to us the gift of salvation.
But for many of us, this gift of Christmas is meaningless. We get so caught up in all the business of this season, we get so caught up in our own giving, in our own business, that we forget about Jesus and the gift of salvation. This season is seen as more of a headache, than a gift of life. We turn God’s gift of salvation into something we dismiss, something that we hate to see coming, because of all the work, all the things we say we have to do to make this a joyous season.
We don’t have to do anything, to make this a joyous season. God has done that for us. What we do do this season, we should do out of love, out of an attitude that I want to do that as my response to the love of God. This should not be a season of burdens, but a season of joy, a season of excitement, because of the great t gift God has given to each of us.
There is a story by 0. Henry that speaks of this attitude of giving unselfishly at Christmas, giving because one wants to one wants to respond to the great act of love by God.
“A husband and wife wanted to give each other the gift that each respectively longed for. The husband wanted a chain for his watch. The wife wanted a pretty comb for her beautiful hair. Times were hard and money was scarce. So the husband secretly pawned his watch to buy the comb. At the same time, the wife cut her hair and sold it to get money for a magnificent chair for her husband’s watch. Christmas Eve should have been a catastrophe !!! But no. That which was expressed in this selfless giving of gifts was winding a golden cord of love around two people. For sacrificing love is the best gift of all.”
God gave a sacrificing gift at Christmas, the gift of his son to this world. That gift brought to each of us the gift of salvation, the gift of living with God for eternity, the gift of eternal rest. God made a decision that would affect our lives forever.
I imagine if we could visit with Tommy today, we would find that the decision that was made for him was a decision that made him happy day after day after day. I would also venture to say, that as Tommy experienced the love of these new parents for him, he also learned to love them in return. He responded to their great act of love.
In the same kind of way, God’s decision is one that affects our lives day after day after day. As we live with God’s decision, as we live with his love for us, we too will respond with love toward him, we too will respond to his great act of love in our lives. Our response will be seen in our love for God and our love for our neighbor.
I hope you are just as happy and excited about the decision God made for you this day, as Tommy was about the decision that Judge Johnson made for him. Tommy’s heart will be filled with love because of the love of his new parents; and also because of the love that Tommy has for them. I hope your heart is filled with love, the love that God has for you through Jesus, through the Babe born in the manger and with the love you have for God, the love you respond with to Cod and to your neighbor.
Have a merry Christmas in the birth of Jesus Christ.
Amen
