“ The Twelve Blessings of Christmas: Goodwill”Luke 2:13-14
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. For our Advent and Christmas sermons this year at Trinity we have been
meditating on “The Twelve Blessings of Christmas.” Tonight we consider the
blessing of “goodwill,” as the angels sang to the shepherds on the first
Christmas Eve, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward
men.” It is more than a little ironic that for Christmas this year some
people will be getting one of recent best-selling books promoting what is call
the “new atheism.” The authors of these books consider all religion to be
outdated superstition, incompatible with the 21st century. Their
objections to Christianity are mostly based on supposed errors and
contradictions in the Bible. Their list of alleged Biblical errors and
contradictions is superficial, shallow, and often downright silly. They
show a complete lack of understanding for the historical, cultural, and
linguistic setting of the Bible. But, Christians must admit there IS one huge, glaring, seemingly
irreconcilable contradiction, running throughout the Bible. It is the
all-important question of God’s attitude toward humanity. On the one hand, the Bible sternly proclaims God’s wrath, and anger,
and threats of punishment toward humankind. As John the Baptist declares
in the third chapter of Luke’s Gospel, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to
flee from the coming wrath? . . . 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.” But, on the other hand, just a few pages before, in the second chapter
of same book, the angel announces to the shepherds: “Fear not: for, behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. . .
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” So, which is it? “The coming wrath” and being “thrown into the
fire”? Or, “good tidings of great joy . . . and on earth peace,
goodwill toward men”? This seems to be an insoluble contradiction, on the
topic of what the Bible is supposed to be all about: the all-important question
of God’s attitude toward humanity, God’s attitude toward YOU. The solution to this conundrum is found in Colossians: “In Christ all
the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form . . . For God was pleased
to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself
all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through
his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God, and were
enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has
reconciled you by Christ’s physical body, through death, to present you holy in
his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” God, in his justice and holiness, could not simply write off the debt
of our sins. The due price and penalty had to be paid. As Hebrews
says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” But, Jesus declared about himself, “The Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In the Babe of
Bethlehem “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” God became
flesh, to live, and suffer, and die as a ransom for you, “making peace through
his blood, shed on the cross.” As the book of Titus says, “He gave himself
for us to redeem us.” He gave himself for YOU, to redeem you, by the
ransom of his life and death “to present you holy in his sight, without blemish
and free from accusation.” What is God’s attitude toward you? The solution to this conundrum
is found in the manger at Bethlehem: “Fear not; for, behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. .
. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Because of the birth of the Babe of Bethlehem, because your Savior,
Christ the Lord, lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death to make up
for your sins, because he rose triumphant from the dead, you are forgiven.
God’s attitude toward you is not wrath, or anger, or threats of punishment, but
peace and goodwill. Not just at Christmas, but throughout the year,
throughout your life, and into eternal life. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Amen. Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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