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“The Twelve Blessings of Christmas: Salvation
Luke 3:1-18

 

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas

Third Sunday in Advent—December 14, 2014

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

During December this year we are having a sermon series on “The 12 Blessings of Christmas.”  This morning we consider the blessing of salvation, as today’s Gospel Reading says, “And all mankind will see God’s salvation.”

Each year St. Albans, West Virginia has a Festival of Lights in a city park, featuring hundreds of elaborate exhibits, in a huge, drive-thru holiday display. But, their nativity scene has shepherds, sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, wise men, a guiding star, palm trees—and in the middle of it all an EMPTY manger, with no Mary, Joseph, or Baby Jesus.  The city parks director says they don’t want to offend anyone, so they leave out the “religious” aspects of the nativity scene.

It seems ludicrous to have a nativity scene without Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus.  But, isn’t that what Christmas too often becomes like, even for us?  We get so caught up in all the preparations and celebrations, that our Christmas festivities include everything except the one thing that Christmas is really all about.

The very word “Christmas” is a shortened form of “Christ’s Mass.”  “Christmas” literally means a worship service, or mass, in honor of Christ, celebrating his birth.  A few years ago, the December issue of U.S. News and World Report had an article that shows what you’re left with if you take Christ out of Christmas, if you evict Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus from the nativity scene.

They called it, “The Search for the Real Jesus.”  They interviewed what are considered to be the greatest religious scholars today.  These so-called scholars have Ph.D.’s, published books, and tenured positions at prestigious universities.  But, they came to pretty much the same conclusion as the parks director in St. Albans, West Virginia. 

Christmas isn’t really about celebrating the birth of God’s Son and the Savior of the world.  Because, according to these supposed scholars, Jesus was just a great man, not divine.  As U.S. News put it, “more teacher than Savior.”  So, Christmas isn’t really about eternal salvation at all, because Jesus is actually more of a lifestyle coach, who came not to save us for eternal life, but only to teach us how to live a more fulfilling life here on earth.

However, that diminished of view of Christ and the meaning of Christmas ignores the stern warning John the Baptizer proclaims in today’s Gospel Reading: “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. . .  His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The bad news is, we all are fatally infected with the spiritual disease of sin.  If left untreated, our sin sickness leads to eternal death and damnation.  But, in today’s Old Testament Reading, the Lord uses imagery common in the ancient near east, of the healing and restorative power of the sun as it spreads warmth and light, to proclaim the Good News of Messiah’s coming: “The Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in his wings.” 

In medicine there is both palliative care and curative care.  Palliative care does not aim to cure your illness, but just to make you comfortable until the inevitable end.  Curative care actively seeks to cure your disease.  The question is, what kind of spiritual healing did the Sun of Righteousness come to bring? 

Tragically, the diminished view of Christ and the meaning Christmas found in U.S. News is also taught by many misguided preachers, churches, and denominations.  Jesus came only to administer palliative care, to help make you comfortable during this life, until the inevitable end, of which John the Baptizers warns.  But, St. Paul says in 1st Corinthians, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”  If faith in Jesus is only palliative care, just to make you feel better, if Jesus is just a lifestyle coach to help you have a more fulfilling earthly life, if Jesus is just a man and Christmas is a myth, then we are just fooling ourselves, and we are to be pitied more than all men. 

In today’s Epistle Reading, St. Paul explains the true significance of Christmas: “The Gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We celebrate “Christ’s Mass” in honor of his birth because he is more than a man, more than just a great teacher or a lifestyle coach.  He is the very Son of God, come down to earth and made man, for us and our salvation.  He is the Sun of Righteousness, with healing in his wings.  Bringing you not just palliative care, to help make this life more palatable, but curative care, to cure for you the disease of sin and death, so that you will have eternal life.

If you were to sum the meaning of Christmas up in one word, what would it be?  Presents, decorations, celebration?  The one word which best sums up the true meaning of Christmas is the one thing we too often leave out of our festivities: salvation.  That is, as the saying goes, “The Reason for the Season.”

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

“You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 

“And all mankind will see God’s salvation.”

Amen.

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