CHRISTMAS EVE
(Luke 2)
Some months ago Carrie Williams called and asked me to visit a neighbor she was close to, now living in a nursing home and having some health problems. The
neighbor had attended our church a few times in years past but I could not remember who she was. I told Carrie the next time I was on the West side I would stop in and see her. A week or two later I found the nursing home, went to the neighbor’s room, and found it empty only to find out she had been taken to Fairview Hospital down the road. So I drove to the hospital, was given her room number, and when I entered we immediately recognized each other. She took my hand, her face lit up, and she said: “I’m really glad to see you!”
There was no hesitation or doubt, no holding back or reserve, but through her voice and mannerisms came an outpouring of thanks and joy. It’s not often we are that glad to see someone, especially a minister.
The visit made me think afterwards- when have I been that happy to see someone? On the TV news we see such gladness when a son comes home from Iraq on leave and is reunited with his family; or a dear friend or family member living a long way off surprises us with an unexpected visit during the holidays; suddenly in our heart is that feeling of overwhelming joy that says: “I’m really glad you came.”
Christmas Eve is a celebration of that joy coming this time from the arrival not of a friend or family member, but the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. You heard it again expressed in the reading tonight:
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told to them.”
The angel had appeared with the good news; they went immediately to Bethlehem- it says with haste, and found Mary and Joseph and sure enough the babe lying in a manger. They knew then without any question that God’s Son had come, the Messiah, -- the world would never be the same again- hope was born anew, salvation had come as
promised by the prophets of old; God is in our very midst in flesh and blood. Mary was to ponder it all in her heart; but the shepherds overwhelmed by the message and the music of the heavenly host and face to face with the arrival of Jesus couldn’t contain
their excitement and joy—I’m really glad to see you; and I’m telling everyone.
There were others too just as happy and excited. They are talked about in the same chapter. One was Simeon described as a righteous and devout man-looking for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him. There he was in the temple doing his daily priestly duties having waited for years and years for the moment that was about to greet him when Mary and Joseph came into the Temple with the child Jesus. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Simeon. took the baby Jesus into his arms saying:
Lord now let your servant depart in peace according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation whom You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.
Like the shepherds Simeon knew by the power of the Holy Spirit of God in his life that
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the Savior of the World had come and in his heart of hearts far greater than the message he spoke was the feeling of gladness- I’m really glad to see you.
In the following verse, we are told about the prophetess, Anna, 84 years old, who did not depart from the Temple, worshipping God with fasting and prayer night and day. And seeing the baby Jesus, she gave thanks to God and spoke of Him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Of course, there were those who were not glad at all that a heavenly King had come. We know about jealous Herod and how he tried to trick the wisemen into telling him where this new king was to be born—giving orders to kill all the newborn boys in the region. And later on when Jesus was grown and fulfilled His divine mission, it was the high priest and the Sanhedrin council that was to condemn Jesus to death.
Such extreme reactions – one great joy, the other great hatred—can cause us to consider where do we stand this special night in regards to Jesus who has come and is coming again. So many people today don’t want to be seen as intolerant or narrow-minded;
they are neither hot nor cold about Jesus- whatever you want to believe is your belief.
I am not here to tell you what to believe or to force my belief on you, let everybody
worship the way they want to worship- we have freedom of worship. Don’t we all pray to the same God? Why should I be any happier that Jesus has come than that
Mohammedan has come or Buddha has come or that the Force has come?
If all religions were the same or of equal value there would have been no need for Jesus to come. There were plenty of religions around before Jesus was born; there was the Jewish religion; there were all the Roman gods and their religions; there were all the Greek gods and their religions. You remember when Paul came into Athens he found so
many different gods that there was an altar to the unknown god just in case they had missed one. Paul said to those Athenians- let me tell you about this unknown God, his name is Jesus and He is the one and only true God.
If all religions were the same or of equal value; if everybody then was praying to the same God, why was Paul wasting his time preaching all over the known world that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world; who died on the cross for our sins and arose from death, King of kings and Lord of lords; why would Jesus have even bothered to come
and to make such a statement: I am the Way the truth and the life no man comes to the Father but by me.
Let us not be deceived by the culture of our day any more than Paul was by the culture of his day; all religions are different and are not the same; we don’t all pray to the same God – the Satanist does not pray to Jesus Christ; the Satanist prays to the devil.
The Force of Starwars is not the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Force is a creation of the newagers and has no connection with Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins and mine.
God Almighty, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, three in one, the only one true God did
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not, does not and will not tolerate sin, especially the sin of chasing after all kinds of culture-created gods-- that should be obvious to you and me from the story of Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden, the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross- all of it for our sins;
and to think that under the guise of tolerance, we should be accepting and affirming all other religions of the world as equals is like saying Jesus your death on the cross wasn’t necessary we can just come back in another life and try it again until we get it right.
Is it any wonder that so many are only lukewarm, if that, about Jesus’ coming?
The reason the believing, born again, trusting, serving Christian gets excited, is truly glad that Jesus has come is because he or she knows that Jesus Christ
is my only hope and salvation. Centuries before the Psalmist had cried out:
For God alone my soul waits in silence, from Him comes my salvation….
For God alone my soul waits in silence for my hope is from Him; He ONLY
is my rock and my salvation…. (Ps. 62:1,5)
Now the wait is over, the Savior is here; and boy am I glad He has come !!
He takes away my sin washed clean by the blood shed at the cross.
He saves me from the clutches of the evil one who like a wolf goes to and
fro over the earth devouring the lost.
When the last light goes out and only darkness covers the land, the darkness is as light to my Savior, for He is the light of the world and in Him is no darkness at all.
Even at death my hope need not falter for He has conquered death and promised to all who believe in Him that He is the resurrection and the life and has prepared for us an
eternal home with Him in Heaven.
If you are sitting here tonight and not a quiver of excitement stirs your heart at His coming, then I know my work for Him is not done. God forgive me that I have not
been a more convincing testimony to His saving truth.
When I was a young boy in Sunday school we used to sing a song:
O say that I’m glad, I’m glad; oh say that I’m glad;
Jesus has come and my cup over runs; oh say that I’m glad.
That’s what happened to those shepherds long ago and that’s what happens to you and me when Jesus comes into my heart as Savior and King, as Lord, the one and only true
God, our cup over flows with joy and thanksgiving and in our heart of hearts a cry
rings out clearer and louder than a trumpet call:
I’M REALLY GLAD YOU CAME, LORD JESUS, I’M REALLY GLAD YOU CAME.
