Word of Salvation – Vol. 23 No. 01 – October 1976
Christmas Sermon
Sermon by Rev. J. J. Van Wageningen on Luke 2:1-12
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 9:1-7; Micah 5:2-4
Psalter Hymnal: 337 – Opening Hymn
336 – After Scripture Reading
333:1 – After Art.18 Belgic Confession
341 – After Sermon
339 – Closing Hymn.
We celebrate Christmas in a “closed” world, as it is called. Closed in spite of the fact that man is able to break away from this earth out into space. Yet the world is not “open”, because some people were able through modern science and technology to fly away from this earth to the moon. For what is meant by the term “closed World”? It is the theory of science and philosophy that in this universe, the planet earth included, all happens according to certain un- changeable laws. One of these laws is the law of cause and effect. If something happens, then you can be sure that there is a natural cause through which it happens; that natural cause has a certain natural effect. And this is all that there is to it. We cannot change this, we are bound by these laws. E.g. the earth turns around the sun in a year’s time, and every 24 hours around its own axis. And so there is the day followed by the night, and the night followed by the day again. There are the seasons, summer, winter, autumn, spring. Nobody can change that. Everything happens according to these laws. If there is a discharge of electricity through the air, you see the flashes of lightning and you hear the loud peals of thunder. In the past people thought that the gods were angry and that they threw the lightning as spears. But nowadays we know better. the Scientists are so clever they can explain almost everything. And what they cannot explain today, they will explain tomorrow. For everything has its natural cause.
There is no room for super–natural causes. The old belief that God steps in and takes action, that God interferes in the normal way things happen, is so contrary to what modern man knows about this world and the universe, that he cannot believe it anymore. In the past the existence of God or of gods was accepted as a matter of course. But now there is no room for the supernatural anymore, no room for divine beings who step in from the outside.
This is the meaning of the term “closed world”.
We can notice the influence of this belief, this world-view. Millions and millions of people fall victim to it. This world is all there is. Our life here on earth is all there is. The result is that millions of people get the feeling that life here on earth is after all meaningless. No wonder! What a stupid situation, if one comes to think about it: a small planet called “earth” flies through space together with innumerable other planets, stars, galaxies, etc., each one following its own orbit; the earth revolving around the sun, year after year, century after century, thousands of years after thousands of years; and on that tiny, little ball, called earth, there are innumerable creatures, living beings; among them are the living beings called “men”. It is like a big nest full of ants. Men swarm like ants over the surface. Thousands of them are born every moment, and thousands of them die; there are many who suffer, many who hate and kill each other; there is a little bit of what is called happiness, and an awful lot of misery. And there is no purpose, no sense in it. . . . . . It just happens to be, and to go on – for how long? Why? What is the meaning of it?
It is no wonder that a feeling of despair goes around as a contagious disease, and that both young and old, in spite of the generation gap, share a common sense of futility and hopelessness. Some try drugs, and join all kinds of bizarre movements to escape from it, to get away from it, to give themselves kicks. Others cover it up; they don’t think about it; they try to enjoy life, to get out of it as much as they can.
We speak about this on this Christmas-day because this is the world in which we live, together with our children. This is the spiritual atmosphere in which we breathe; it is heavily polluted; it is fatally polluted.
We celebrate Christmas, and we should realize what we are doing, whether we really celebrate it. We cannot take it for granted that our Christmas celebration is right and pleasing to the Lord.
A right Christmas celebration is not just a matter of tradition; we do it every year because the generations before us used to do it.
A right Christmas celebration is not a matter of sentimentality; it reminds us of sweet moments in the past, and it moves our hearts in such a wonderful way.
A right Christmas celebration is not a matter of a pleasant break, candles and music, presents and a good dinner; life is so often grey and boring, you need something like that.
No, a right Christmas celebration is a matter of faith; this means that it is a matter of men, of sinful men, who see God’s deeds, who hear God’s words. The words and deeds of the only true God, the living God, Who is there, whether men here on earth recognize Him or not. For He does not exist because men are so friendly to suppose or to accept that He exists; not at all! He is the eternal God, Who is there before the foundation of the world, before there was anything of the universe. He is the almighty God, Who created this world, Who called this universe, everything of it, into being through the word of His power. He is the God, Who does not just interfere now and then, on special occasions, and for the rest, this universe, this world, mankind are left to themselves. No, He is the God, Who keeps all this in existence from moment to moment. This whole universe, all the planets, comets, satellites in their orbits, this whole world with all its creatures, all of them exist in complete dependence upon God. He gives to all men life and breath and everything. “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:25,28). He is the God, Who rules over all and everything, Who carries out His divine counsel, His plan.
We see this by faith; God’s deeds, also and especially in the events of the Christmas story. We have read the first part of Luke 2. You meet with a lot of people: Caesar Augustus, the mighty ruler of the Roman Empire. He ruled over the world of those days and had a remarkable capacity for that tremendous task. There was law and order and prosperity everywhere and Augustus was adored as a god, a saviour.
There is Quirinius the governor of Syria.
There are quite a few unknown inhabitants of Palestine, Jews, who had to go, everyone to his own city, to have themselves enrolled, because the emperor gave the order that a census should be taken of all the people in his empire.
We see Joseph and Mary, travelling from Nazareth to Bethlehem. We hear the people in the overcrowded inn, who say, “no room, we are lucky to have a place ourselves, but it is impossible to take you in”.
Luke mentions the facts to show the historical situation, what men were doing, mighty men and common men, rich men and poor men. But this is not the only reason. Much more important is that Luke shows what God was doing or rather, God reveals this through Luke’s Gospel.
Caesar Augustus may govern the Roman Empire and think he is the mightiest ruler of all times; the whole world is at his feet; he may not reckon with God, the God of Israel, the God of that defeated little Jewish nation, but that does not change the reality; it does not change the unchangeable fact, that God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, rules over all men, Caesar included; that the whole world is in His hands, that the whole history from start to finish is the realization of His divine plan: The decree of Caesar Augustus; the enrolment; the travelling of all those people; the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem in Judea, the city of David, because they are descendants of the great king; the difficulty to find shelter; the stable; the birth of Jesus; the swaddling clothes; the manger.
Has God anything to do with it all? Yes, indeed! God is behind it, in the fullest sense of the word. God realizes His plan of salvation, God fulfils His promises.
We must see God’s deeds. God uses the mighty ruler Caesar Augustus, his conquering of the world, and all the rigmarole of the enrolment, that Jesus might be born in Bethlehem – as God said through Micah, “From you, O Bethlehem Ephratah shall come forth for Me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2).
The Child that is born in the stable – the people in Bethlehem said, “another child” – but “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” “He will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
God works in His power, His wisdom, His righteousness, His love and compassion, always, also today, in the present world-situation. It does not mean that some rosy light is thrown on what we are doing, so that things look a little brighter, whereas the situation remains exactly the same. No, God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, really works. He rules, redeems, renews, judges, through Christ, in a way we, sinners, do not like; we do not even see it, we are blind, unless God opens our eyes. And then we see the reality; we don’t live in a “closed world”, a meaningless and hopeless life. On the contrary, God gave His Son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish, but have eternal life!
This is the only way to celebrate Christmas: to see God’s deeds in and through Christ, the Child of Bethlehem, the Son of God, and. . . . . . TO HEAR GOD’S WORDS. These belong together: the DEEDS of God are accompanied by the WORDS of God. God announces and explains His deeds, His works of redemption (vss.8-12).
He sends His heavenly messengers with the good news. In Bethlehem the people are asleep. They don’t know that the Saviour is born. How many people are asleep nowadays? They don’t expect a word, a message from God, for the world, the universe is a closed circuit.
However God Himself sees to it that His work of salvation is made known, that His mighty deeds of redemption are proclaimed.
To whom?
Not to the Emperor in Rome.
Not to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.
No, God sends an angel to common people, to shepherds. They are in the fields near Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
All of a sudden they see the blinding light, the glory of the Lord, and they hear the angel’s voice: “Be not afraid, for behold I bring you good news of a great joy.”
The event of Christmas, God’s mighty and gracious work, God’s wonderful gift, is announced as good news of great joy.
It is really NEWS, news from God. Nothing like that happened before, nothing like that will happen again. News, for although it was promised long ago and many times, nobody expected it in this way.
GOOD news! Better news was never made known. Good news of great joy. How sorely do we need this news and this joy! There is plenty of news in the world, old news and bad news, and it gives seldom cause for joy, let alone great joy. No wonder, people are bored and desperate. What else can you expect, if you don’t know, if you don’t hear, if you reject the news from God, “To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ, the Lord”.
THE CHRIST is He, the Messiah, promised from the beginning, now sent by God, to perform His redeeming work.
He is Christ, THE LORD, He will take away sin, overcome death and devil. He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Prince of peace. “The government will be upon His shoulders, He will sit on His throne forever and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
The shepherds did not see anything that looked like royalty. A manger, swaddling cloths, a very poor show. And precisely this was the sign, the token by which they would know, this is the Child, this is the Christ. It was the sign of His deep humiliation. “The Son of God emptied Himself and took the form of a slave.” SO He is the Saviour. This will be a sign for you. In order to save us, He had to come into this miserable world; He had to become one of us; He had to take upon Himself our sin and our shame. And He really saves us!
This is the good news of a great joy. God works, God speaks, also today, also in this present world. And we are called to believe, “to YOU is born the Saviour, Christ the Lord.” It is the deed and the message of God’s eternal love. FAITH is the only possibility to celebrate, TRULY celebrate Christmas, for he who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.
Let us – every one of us – humbly and joyfully, believe and confess the good news of great joy, God’s message concerning God’s gift: There is born for ME, for me, unworthy sinner, a Saviour, Christ, the Lord.
“O, come, let us adore Him!”