Christmas Eve 2020

Good Evening. I’d like to welcome one and all, to the magic, the mystery, the wonder and joy, that is Christmas Eve. There is something about this night, isn’t there. I mean, if we’re honest - even more than on Christmas Day. Tomorrow we will wake up, and there will be a flash of excitement across the faces of children around the world. But after a few hours... the falloff is real. It comes like a toddler with a sugar crash. It all just crescendos so quickly, and then, done. It’s over. We’re thinking about the new year, and all that comes along with it, the good and the bad.

But tonight. Tonight holds something special. Tonight, the tension, the anticipation, burns brightly in the hearts of men. Children of course, feel this more than the rest of us. For the young, and the young at heart, there really is no night like tonight.

But why is this the case? And quite frankly, should this be the case? Is the magic just about the presents or the time off of school and work, or the extra measure of grace that everyone, religious and non-religious alike, seem to extend this time of year? Is it about family gatherings, the amazing food, or the warmth and familiarity of Tradition? Or is there actually some kind of real substance behind this, something worthy of the celebration, the mystery, the anticipation - the hope.

Some of you, okay, probably all of you, know the right answer to this; that Christmas is really about the birth of Jesus. And that’s true. It’s correct. But for some of us, maybe more of us than we’d like to admit, these words are true and correct in the same way that, “Answer B” is the true and correct response to question 27 on my Social Studies test. It’s academic. It’s the answer I know, But not the one I necessarily feel, or understand, or maybe even believe.

Being able to recite a truth doesn’t make you grasp it’s meaning.

And so yes. Tonight, Tomorrow, Christmas as a whole. It’s about the birth of Jesus, the Christ. Now, when I say that, what does it incite in you? Where does your mind go? What does your heart feel?

This is something only you know the answer to. This isn’t about other people, or what you would want other people to think about you. I’m asking you to just take a quick, private survey, of your own heart.

Jesus, the messiah, has come.

Are these just words? Do they just register as true and correct, the right answer? Do you feel like you should be more excited about this? That perhaps, once upon time, you were… but now… Its kinda lost its edge?

I think that for many of us, this apathy is more true than we’d like to admit. And I think in part, the reason for this, is that we’ve forgotten the story that we are living in.

Yes, the story.

As the old saying goes, stories are the language of the heart. When many of us were younger, they came by way of great literature. – the books that we read. Today, while books aren’t as popular, many people get their stories through great films, the movies we watch, whether the Matrix, or The Notebook, or the Lord of the Rings Triology, these stories awaken something inside of us.

All best stories, you see, have certain things in common. Characters we love and relate to, Adventure, Romance, A Hero, A Villain, a turning point, A great rescue perhaps, or an Epic battle, A struggle between good and evil, A problem to solve, or a great escape, and of course, a happily ever after. These things are universal in their appeal, and somehow resonate deeply with the human heart, with the longings of our soul. As John Eldridge has pointed out in many of his works, the reason that these elements tug on our heart strings, is because somehow, deep down inside, we know that we were made for them. That these, these are the elements of our story.

But here’s the thing. Each of elements – a hero, a turning point, a great rescue – each of these on their own don’t mean a whole lot. In order to be meaningful, each of these must be grounded in a context, a larger story from which a particular element acquires meaning. Apart from their story, particulars hold no significance.

So what if I told you that:

Neo, whom morpheous has been searching for all this time, is given the choice. Red, or blue. Neo chooses the red pill.

Or what if I told you that:

Ali, on the verge of marriage to another, catches a glimpse of that newspaper article, and decides to visit Noah’s town one last time.

Or what if I told you that:

Standing in the midst of the ring of power, the ring that could bring middle earth to its end, an unlikely hero steps forward, as Frodo announces that he will take on the burden, that he will take the ring to Mordor.

All these scenes I just described are great turning points in each of these respective stories. But I’d imagine they mean very little to the person who hasn’t seen the Matrix, or the Notebook, or the Lord of the rings.

Turning points, like all the other elements of a great story, need context, to have meaning.

So what if I told you this:

Jesus, the Christ, is born.

If this doesn’t move you. If it seems like an isolated fact. Then my very next question would be this: how well do you know our story, the human story? And are you living in that reality?

Perhaps, in the interest of peering more closely into the significance of these words, that Jesus, The Christ is born, we might take a brief moment to remind ourselves of just what sort of tale we have fallen into.

To remind ourselves of our story.

It all starts, with these profound words…

In the beginning…. God.

He was always there you know. We, were not.

Interestingly, at the beginning of our tale, God was not alone, for there were things which he had made before the time of our story, that however, is another story altogether.

Our story begins with the creation of our context, the stage on which our narrative plays out. The heavens and the earth. God spoke, and his words manifested into reality. Every star, every galaxy, every drop of water, every particle of dirt. God created all that our eyes behold. Then he brought forth life. Plants and vegetation, creatures - creatures that run, creatures that swim, creatures that fly… This canvas he painted by the power of his word was abundant, and best of all – it was good.

The pinnacle of his creation, however, was something fundamentally different than all else that he had made. For God decided to make something fashioned in his own likeness, a creature designed to reflect his image amongst all others. And so God did it, he created the human, male and female he created them, male and female he created us. We were not an accident.

The humans were placed in a beautiful, mysterious land, and given the task to care for and subdue it. They had it all, a mission and a purpose, a great romance, adventure, and a deep connection to the very source of life, God himself. But like every great story, there was also danger – a danger that God had warned them about - and an enemy lurking in disguise.

We don’t know how long it was before the great fall, but we do know that it happened with the very first of humankind. The enemy, as he often does, planted an idea, a doubt, and those image bearers began to reflect more on themselves than they did their creator. A choice was made, and with it, sin, that is, rebellion against God, entered the story.

The effects of sin were so much worse than we could have imagined. The human project became corrupted, and with it, the entire world. And though it began with a mere choice, Sin proved to be more infectious than one would might originally had thought. The disposition passed from one generation to the next, so that all were infected, and all freely chose to rebel against their maker. Ah yeah. And sin had a friend. His name was death. Death too, spread to all men, because all had sinned.

It’s here, right at the beginning, that we are introduced to the major problem of our Story: It’s a tale of sin and death. Human beings, who were designed to be in harmony with creation, each other, and their maker, became slaves to the evil in their own hearts, separating themselves from the very source of life, and ensuring not only their immediate death, but their ultimate demise when God rightfully deals with wickedness.

So God intervened. He made provisions for these first humans. But sin spread like wildfire, and the human project eventually became so corrupt, that at one point, there was nothing good left. God saw that evil was the sole focus of man’s heart. God acted, and wiped the slate clean. That is, except for one. God rescued one man, one family, to start anew, a new hope. But although these fought sin better than most, Noah and his family were all still under its effects. They multiplied, but so did the darkness.

Mankind couldn’t seem to escape, itself.

Things continued to get worse. As the years past the arrogance of mankind piled up so high it nearly scraped the heavens. Once again, God had to intervene.

After a great division, there was, however, a glimmer of hope. God singled out one man, and for reasons only known to the maker, he made a covenant with this man, a plan that would ultimately end in what could only be described as ‘the blessing of the whole world.’ Abraham believed God.

Through Abraham’s decedents, God would form a people. A nation set apart, to be a light, and to give light to the whole of creation. God would establish this people by freeing them from their chains of slavery, and lead them in a demonstration of his power and love. Though they felt forgotten, God came through in their time of need. He’s like that, you know.

This nation, set apart for God, was given special revelation, insights and tools, to help mitigate the effects of sin. God even established ways to dwell among them, as difficult as this was considering the corruption of this place. Their obedience, their breaking the cycle of sin, would ultimately overflow into a hope for the whole of the human project. This was it, this was the plan, I mean, if we could get it right here, then it could spread. This was going to work….

But, alas, these who were supposed to be a light for the world, became darkness instead. They were lured away from the God who established them, and they gave themselves over to worthless things. Each one did what was right in his own eyes. They repeated the ways of the first humans, as did their children, and the children’s children. The ancient records tell us story after story of the rise and fall of this people, how sin overpowered even the chosen ones. And with their ultimate fall, fell the hope that mankind would ever escape the evil that forever plagues our story.

Yes, this was it. All had been tried. Provisions had been made. But it was clear - humanity was doomed to a cycle of failure – destined to self-destruct. Abuse, heartache, selfishness, violence, loss, death, ultimate judgment separation from God. This is what we made of the human project. This what we did with our story. And nothing could fix it now. Nothing….

Except this.

There was only one hope left. It was subtle at first, but it could be found by those willing to look. As we survey the story of humanity, we find that, working behind the scenes, God was up to something all along. Weaving a scarlet thread. God promised Abraham that through him, all nations would be blessed. God keeps his promises.

In the midst of the chaos, God was establishing a lineage. He would use the most unlikely people, of course. Daydreamers would rise to rule with pharaoh in Egypt, prostitutes would protect God’s agents in Canaan, and the youngest of shepherds would become one of the greatest of kings in Israel. All of these pieces were being woven together, a plan beneath the plan.

And then there were the rumors. The prophesies. The oracles of God spoke of a hero who would one day come. The true king, the one who would finally do what Israel could not do for herself, what humanity could not do for itself. One who would right the wrongs of the past, who would take away our guilt and shame… who would finally deal with the power of sin and death at its very core. Through this one, we could be healed. Our relationship with God, with life, restored.

This one would be called Emmanuel. God with us. He would be called messiah, the Christ.

Of course. That was the rumor. But when the darkness is so thick, for so long. It’s hard to see the light, even when it starts to shine. Some of you know what I’m talking about.

This. This is the context. This is the story, our story. And oh yes, there is far more to it than what we were able to cover tonight, but this is the bare minimum of what you need to know in order to make sense of what happened next. The human project was a failure. All was lost. All we could do now was wait, and hope.

With this in mind, Follow with me as we wrap this all up, and take a peek at what happened on this fateful night, 2000 years ago.

Luke 2, beginning in verse 8.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is… Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-11

Jesus. The Christ. Has come.

Guys, he’s here. He is the one. The hope for all humanity. The true king, the one who is going to fix all of this. And he’s finally come. For those who recognize this, and put their faith in him, who join with him by their allegiance, all that he brings will manifest in their lives. Forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation, salvation. How exactly this is accomplished, well, that’s where the magic really happens, talk about twists and turns in a story. But that, that’s a story for another time.

Tonight, we celebrate. For tonight, we revel in the fact that Jesus, the Christ, the promised hero, has come. That there is hope. That all is not lost. This is the great turning point in human story. And my friends, if you see this for what it is, this can be the great turning point your own story as well.

Know who you are. Know where you came from. Know the story, that you are living in the midst of. We all feel it. That things are not the way y are supposed to be. And we’ve all tried to fix it on our own, to one degree or another. We know where that ends up.

My friends, God has made a way. Though all hope seemed lost, God has come through.

Jesus, the Christ, is born.