CHRISTMAS DAY, 2009

SCRIPTURES – Isaiah 62:10-12; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:1-20
 

This morning’s Service is my sixth Christmas Service. Let’s see, besides today, there were the two big celebrations yesterday on Christmas Eve. When were the other three? Well, my Christmas celebrations began last week, on December 16, as I met with three inmates at the MacDougall-Walker prison in Suffield and, one at a time, celebrated Christ’s birth with them. This included the singing of a Christmas hymn, in the presence of the Corrections Officers and a couple of other inmates and their visitors.

One of the men I visited is Albert Davis. He first contacted me at the urging of Aaron Smith, whom I have been visiting for 8 years or so. Albert lives in the medical ward of the prison, and he came to know Aaron after Aaron began working there as a Certified Nurse’s Aide and taking care of him. Aaron shared his faith with Albert and began discussing the Scriptures with him, and also encouraged Albert to write to me. This is how I got to know him and began visiting him.

In our visit last week we read and discussed the same Scriptures you heard in church this morning. After he read Titus 3, Albert and I talked about it. “When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.” This is about Christ’s appearing to us at Christmas, isn’t it? I said to him; and Albert agreed. “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.” Albert has been reading through Luther’s Small Catechism, and has come to know clearly how God’s Commandments reveal that we are not righteous, for we do not fully, in heart, mind, and action obey God. It is not that we have not done some great thing for God, for the Commandments speak of simple things: not stealing, honoring parents and other authorities, loving God above all else, being content with what you have and not coveting what you do not have, etc. Simple things, seemingly; but, not so simple. For, God expects us to keep His commands in our hearts, to gladly and willingly follow them not only in our actions but in our thoughts and desires. This, we do not do. And so, we do not deserve God’s favor. Christ was not born among us because of our goodness. He came because of our sins, to save us from being eternally condemned for them. Albert knows this. Christmas is God’s work, not ours.

“He saved us… by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” “What is this referring to?” I asked Albert. “Well, washing sounds like Baptism,” he said. And, he is right. “This makes me think of my own baptism,” Albert went on. “I’ve been thinking that I should be baptized again, for I was little when I was baptized and didn’t really know what I was doing. It didn’t really mean anything to me.”
 

This got me thinking about how baptism is like Christmas, and that it is God’s work, His “Christmas work,” in our lives. This is seen throughout the Bible. Go back to the beginning. How did God create everything? There was nothing, and then God spoke and brought forth everything. We had nothing to do with it! God the Father was present and working; God the Son was the creating Word; God the Spirit was “hovering over the waters,” Genesis tells us. Creation was completely the work of the Triune God; we had nothing to do with it. We were simply the recipients of His work.

 

Christmas is the same. God the Father sent His angel to Mary and spoke His creating word to her. God the Holy Spirit came upon and overshadowed her, and God the Son became flesh within her womb. He took that which was nothing – a virgin’s womb, empty of life – and brought forth life within her. Creation began again! Solely by His Word, God brought forth a new and second Adam, that He might bring forth from Him a new people of faith – of whom Mary, who in faith said, “I am the Lord’s servant; may it be to me as you have said,” is the first. Christmas is God’s work of creation, “not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.”

 

It is the same with Baptism. Your baptism is your Christmas! Whether you are baptized as an infant or an adult, you contribute nothing, except for the emptiness and lowliness of your sin. In Baptism God came to you who were nothing; God the Holy Spirit joined His creating Word with water and washed you clean of your sins; and you were joined to Jesus Christ, your Savior. You were given a new birth in Him, “so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

 

As you enjoy the gifts you received this Christmas – new clothes to wear; phones, or computers, or games, or whatever else you received to make your life more enjoyable – rejoice above all in the greatest of all Christmas gifts that you could ever receive: the new birth into your Savior in Holy Baptism. To Him be thanks and praise forever!