Sermon Tone Analysis

Title

Peace on Earth

Outline

It does not take rocket science to realize that our world is a violent place

There is family violence, an out of control controlling

There is state violence both semi-legitimate (as in police and prison violence) and illegitimate (when the limits of morality are flouted)

There is political violence, both among nations and within nations, sometimes threatened, sometimes all to actual

There is also a type of violence in the corporate world, including the exploitation of workers

And looking back in history this has been the story all along most of the time

That stands in contrast with our king

Isaiah states the contrast

We have and are living in a day of gloom - the light that shines is not that of a bigger doom

But the yoke that burdens is gone, smashed along with the rod of the taskmaster

The warriors battle uniform is burned

Instead a child is born whose dominion is forever peaceful, who is called “Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.”

How can this be?

Well, God will do it, not human force.

Luke tells us a story

In the time of the pax Augusta - when the Parthians were kept at bay (by force) and the eastern provinces were under Rome’s thumb - Quirinius could start a tax enrollment to pay for all of those benefits

But outwardly that forced one Joseph to return home to Bethlehem (which means he must have had some type of property there) and, being an itinerant workman, his pregnant wife had to go with him.

Yet God had a deeper purpose: “he was of the house and family of David.”

Mary gave birth - I wonder if the long walk did not help with that process - and so gave birth.

Their lodgings were too small (the word for “inn” is not the proper word for an inn, but the word for any dwelling place or lodging), so Luke says they had been invited into a peasant’s hovel, where the animals were taken inside at night.

We do not know if the animals were inside that night, but we do know that the protected place found for the infant was a manager.

Soon there was a crowd there, for some hired shepherds in the nearby pasturelands had had a vision of divine messengers and had rushed into Bethlehem to find the newborn baby.

Hired shepherds were not respectable, but outcasts, suspected of thievery.

The only fully respectable ones associated with the birth were divine messengers, who sang, ““Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

But it was not governing authorities or priests who go this message about a “savior, who is Messiah and Lord;” it was those shepherds, who perhaps reported it to Joseph and Mary and shouted about it in the town (the townsfolk probably thought they were drunk).

Now how would Luke want us to respond to this message of a king, a message of “do not fear” and of “peace?”

Perhaps by observing what Paul wrote to Titus: “the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ.”

We are to reject the injustice and violence of the world and live peacefully, devoutly as we await the second coming of this same king.

This has not always been true of God’s people - in reading Pope Benedict’s biography I was impressed that the abuse crisis included more physical abuse than sexual abuse, not that that makes either type good, but that physical abuse was accepted in both church and state until relatively recently.

Somebody missed the fact that neither Jesus nor his apostles used violence and picked up the methods of the culture.

Sometimes this has been the use of legal coercion to gain good Christian ends.

Well, there we have it.

Want to give the King a birthday present?

Give him full allegiance, wait patiently for his coming and in all you do “live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age.”

Readings

FIRST READING

Isaiah 9:1–6

1 The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

Upon those who lived in a land of gloom

a light has shone.

2 You have brought them abundant joy

and great rejoicing;

They rejoice before you as people rejoice at harvest,

as they exult when dividing the spoils.

3 For the yoke that burdened them,

the pole on their shoulder,

The rod of their taskmaster,

you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

4 For every boot that tramped in battle,

every cloak rolled in blood,

will be burned as fuel for fire.

5 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us;

upon his shoulder dominion rests.

They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,

Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.

6 His dominion is vast

and forever peaceful,

Upon David’s throne, and over his kingdom,

which he confirms and sustains

By judgment and justice,

both now and forever.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!

RESPONSE

Luke 2:11

11  For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.

PSALM

Psalm 96:1–3, 11–13

1 Sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

3 Tell his glory among the nations;

among all peoples, his marvelous deeds.

11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

let the sea and what fills it resound;

12 let the plains be joyful and all that is in them.

Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice

13 before the LORD who comes,

who comes to govern the earth,

To govern the world with justice

and the peoples with faithfulness.

SECOND READING

Titus 2:11–14

11 For the grace of God has appeared, saving all 12 and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, 13 as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Luke 2:10–11

10 The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

11  For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.

GOSPEL

Luke 2:1–14

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.

2 This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.

4 And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

6 While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn son.

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.