Christmas Day 2024

I have to imagine ever Christmas sermon ever has been preached by someone somewhere. As King Soloman says, there is nothing new under the sun. And when you think about those super bowl sized holidays on the Christian Calendar, you imagine that you have to find a way to really say something to honor that people have come, especially when it was just as easy not to.

Well, let us do what I hope we do every week, let us allow God, who is revealed in Holy Scripture, be the hero of our account. Let us focus on him as bread for our souls and let that be the choice meal of this day.

This account form the life of Christ has three distinct parts.

There is that history is playing out, just as God intends for history to play out. A seemingly random event at the center of the empire is decreed. A census for the sake of taxation is ordered by Caesar. So it takes our main characters our of Galilee and south to a backwater town called Bethlehem.

Except as back water as Bethlehem is, it is the place that King David had been born, the same King David for which God made a Covenant that there would always be a king of David on the Throne.

And along side the city of the king it was attached to a Prophecy. A prophecy given in the last Book of the OT, Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Caesar has no Idea he is playing into Gods plan like a Marionette

Part two: Mary and Josephs story, more developed in Matthews Gospel. The couple married after Mary is pregnant, not done in polite society, not in those days. Traveling with a very pregnant wife over rough terrain. Arriving at a city where he probably has relatives but there was no time to get in touch. Staying with the animals. No crib, just a manger.

Finally part three, the announcement. There was in the region shepherds keeping watch… Glory to God in the highest. And peace to the people with whom God is pleased.

All of you have made a similar Journey today.

History brings you to this time and this place. You relational story, that is who you came with or who is holding down the fort for you, your economic life, and how it has you here, and the work of God to bring you into a religious space on the feast celebrating his birth.

Jesus who is the bread of heaven, born to Bethlehem the house of bread, will be united to us in this Holy communion, the Christ will sit not in a feeding trough, but in your hearts, like Mary and Joseph you appear unworthy to neighbors, they do not know what God has been up to. And like Bethlehem the inn is crowed with the worries that there is almost no room. And yet he comes and he resides un the most humble parts of our soul. Uniting us with the Divine.

And in response to Feasting on the word of God today and then the food of God, we will sing the Prayerbook celebration for communion. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace good will towards men...

Brothers and sisters in Christ let us like lowly shepherds come adore him, and then go and tell the nations. Let the Gospel of Luke play our once again in this space…in this space…in that space.