Christmas Eve, I stand at the door and Knock

Have you ever had a knock at the door?

In 1944, when Fritz Vincken was just twelve-years-old, he and his mother, Elisabeth, were moved by his father, Hubert, to a small cabin in the Ardennes forest of Belgum. He moved them to this remote cabin so that his wife and children could be safe from the fighting. But in December of 1944, the Battle of the Bulge would kick off in their back yard.

The battle of the Bulge was the most costly battle for the American troupes on the German front

America would lose upwards of 75,000 men

The Germans would lose 85,000-100,00 men. It is the battle that would be the final knock out punch for Germany.

Well the whole time this battle is raging and Christmas comes…It is Christmas eve night 1944, Fritz Vincken and his mother Elizabeth were in their cabin trying to find some sort of peace where there was a knock at the door.

Two American GI’s were carrying a soldier who was badly wounded…Shot through the leg and bleeding out

Elizabeth knew the penalty for harboring the enemy. Shot on sight

But she couldn't let this man suffer, so she let them in, they put the wounded soldier on the bed and the little boy, Fritz went and got Potatoes, a chicken and some other vegetables and started making a soup

Just a moment later, there was another knock at the door

This time it was 4 german soldiers who had lost their unit and needed a place to stay.

Elizabeth responded, “you have to accept my guests and leave your guns in the shed.” After a moment of an intense standoff, the German soldiers and the American soldiers put their weapons down....They left them outside for the night…and they began to speak to each other inside.

One of the German soldiers happened to be a medic. He treated the wound of the American soldier.

They began to eat dinner together and they exchanged small gifts

The next morning the german soldiers helped the Americans build a stretcher and gave them directions back to their unit

They left there that Christmas morning as friends and with a story

Well that little boy Fritz Vincken always remembered this story. He immigrated to America in the 1960’s and lo and behold Fritz wrote this story down, it got into the readers diagest and he began searching for anyone who might still be alive…On January 19, 1996, Fritz reunited with a man named Ralph Blank. Ralph was in Fritz’s home fifty two years earlier on Christmas.

I love stories like this

stories like this speak to the heart of what Jesus does at Christmas.

Jesus is that mother beckoning the soldiers to lay down their arms...

Jesus is that soldier who bandaged the wounds of his enemy...

Jesus is the Child who prepared a table before his enemies.

There is something in the Christmas story that reminds me of the words of Jesus:

Behold: “I stand at the door and Knock”

The New International Version Chapter 3

20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

When I heard this story, this scripture came into my mind.

And I know that this scripture is not necessary a Christmas message. But the reality is that it is

what is the manger if it is not God standing at the door knocking in our lives

I love with Dietrich Bonhoeffer says about this passage

God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas Day One: The Advent Season Is a Season of Waiting

Jesus stands at the door knocking (Rev. 3:20). In total reality, he comes in the form of the beggar, of the dissolute human child in ragged clothes, asking for help. He confronts you in every person that you meet. As long as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as your neighbor, as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, makes demands on you. That is the great seriousness and great blessedness of the Advent message. Christ is standing at the door; he lives in the form of a human being among us. Do you want to close the door or open it?

I love that he says that Jesus confronts us in everyone who we meet.

This woman, Elizabeth Vinken somehow knew the midst of war ravaging her surroundings…In the midst of artillery fire…In the midst of Americans and Germans coming to her home somehow she opened the door to the prince of peace that night.

This is what Christmas is!

Jesus coming to a broken world

A war torn world

A world where families are not speaking to one another

A world where evil reigns

Jesus comes knocking on the door of this world

The reality is that in many ways we are the soldiers at the table. Ready to take each other out. But because of what God did on Christmas through Jesus, we can find peace

There is this passage in Isaiah 42 that talks about Jesus and what it will look like when he knocks on the door of humanity

The New International Version Chapter 42

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen one in whom I delight;

I will put my Spirit on him,

and he will bring justice to the nations.

2 He will not shout or cry out,

or raise his voice in the streets.

3 A bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

4 he will not falter or be discouraged

till he establishes justice on earth.

In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

5 This is what God the LORD says—

the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,

who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,

who gives breath to its people,

and life to those who walk on it:

6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;

I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you

to be a covenant for the people

and a light for the Gentiles,

7 to open eyes that are blind,

to free captives from prison

and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8 “I am the LORD; that is my name!

I will not yield my glory to another

or my praise to idols.

9 See, the former things have taken place,

and new things I declare;

before they spring into being

I announce them to you.”

He will bring justice to the nations

When God says he will bring Justice to the nations it means he will set things right again. He will make them the way that they are supposed to be .

Look at verse 6 again.

The creator of the heavens and earth says this:

I will take hold of your hand, I will keep you and make you to be a covenant for the people a light to the gentiles...

Don’t miss the significance of this: It is talking about Jesus. God is saying, I will make Jesus to be a light to the world…Beyond the comforts of Jerusalem. Beyond the safe place of Israel.

And I want you to get this…The likelihood is if you are here today, you are probably not a Jewish person.

When God is saying, he will make his servant a light to the gentiles, he is talking about Jesus.

Jesus will be a light to the gentiles.

We are the gentiles. This is a word used for non-Jews.

So what I want you to see is that 700 years before Jesus was ever born God was thinking about you!

You were on God’s mind when he sent Jesus!

Then it says that Jesus will release the prisoners and give sight to the blind...

But I think the line that really hit me was this one

and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Now to be sure there were very real dungeons back in the time of Isaiah writing this.

but what a visceral picture...

I started thinking about this promise of God and it hit me.

This is really what Jesus wants for you in 2020.

To release you from the darkness of your dungeon...

For German and Americans fighting in the battle of the bulge…to get food and a warm place to sleep at the home of Fritz Vincken was just a small taste of being released from the darkness of their dungeon and being brought to the light

Maybe for you this year, your home has become your dungeon. You’ve been forced to stay inside so much that you just feel like you can’t see the light any more

Maybe for you this year with all of the bad news and the quarantine you own mind has become a dungeon and there is no where where you can go that you are not totally trapped.

Jesus is knocking on your door to bring you light

Jesus is knocking on your door this Christmas and wants you to let him in…Because he is the only one that can transform you

He is the only one who can make you new.

He is the only one who can heal you

He is the only one who can bring you out of the darkness and into the light

Right now I want to encourage you to get a candle in your house and to light it as we sing silent night together

We can not all be together this Christmas Eve and that is such a huge bummer. So here is what we are doing, I want to encourage you to take a picture with your candle post it on your facebook or instagram and tag us @Ncfcovina

This way we will repost the pictures and everyone can see each other whether they are at church or not.

God became the light so that you can be the light!