Deo Gloria
December 24, 2024
Message for Christmas Eve
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Luke 2:10+11
Theme: Good News – A Savior Has Been Born!
Baby news is happy news, isn’t it? It’s been a few years ago now, but I can still remember how happy we were when our children were born, how excited we were to call our family and friends and tell them about our new little baby. The same was true when our granddaughter was born a little over a year ago. We were so excited to hear that little Raya had been born and so excited to go and see her in the hospital.
This evening we hear some exciting baby news recorded in Luke’s gospel. And I’m sure it was exciting for Mary and Joseph and for their relatives too. But there’s something different about this baby, isn’t there, something very unique, very special? For starters, look who announces the news of this baby’s birth: an angel. Did that ever happen with any of your children? You might announce the birth of your baby with a phone call or text message or maybe a postcard you sent out; but an angel? Did an angel announce the birth of your baby? That is what happened here. God sent an angel to announce this baby’s birth. He must be very special.
Notice too whom this news is for. “I bring you good news of great joy,” the angel said, “ good news that will be for all the people”(v. 10). A baby being born in our family is good news for our family, and maybe for our friends as well. They too would be happy for us. But how would that be good news for you and your family? So how then is the news about this baby good news for you and your family, good news, in fact, for everyone, for all people?
Listen again to the words of the angel: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” A Savior has born to you? A Savior from what? Well, look around you. Take a good look around you, at our world, at our society. Take a look at your place of employment. Take a look at your own family and relatives. What do you see? You see people living in peace and harmony, right? Everybody gets along with everyone else. There is no bickering or fighting, no gossiping or complaining. Everyone is loving and patient and kind and helpful and encouraging. We wish it were that way, but we know it’s not. And sometimes the lack of love and peace and harmony can be pretty disgusting, pretty heart-wrenching, pretty disturbing. Look at all the awful things, for example, the gut-wrenching things taking place in the war between Israel and Hamas. Or look at all the senseless violence and shootings right here in the Twin Cities.
But it isn’t just the shocking lack of love and peace out there, is it? It’s the shocking lack of love and peace in here too, in our own hearts and our own lives. If I’m honest, I have to admit that sometimes I’m not very loving and patient and kind. Sometimes I struggle with feelings of jealousy and greed and hatred. Sometimes I lose my temper. I lash out at others and hurt them in my words and my actions. The same is true of you, isn’t it? And the thing is eating Christmas cookies and drinking eggnog and opening presents doesn’t make it all better. It doesn’t get rid of the violence and the sin in the world, nor does it eliminate the violence and sin in my own heart and life.
We need a Savior, someone to rescue us and the world in which we live, someone to deliver us from the evil in our world and the evil in our own hearts. That baby born in Bethlehem is that Savior. That’s why he came. He didn’t come to cure cancer, though one day he will bring an end to that awful disease. He didn’t come to fight poverty and hunger, though one day he will bring an end to those as well. He came to bring a cure for sin. He came to rescue us from sin and the horrible punishment we deserve on account of our sins: death, eternal death in hell, which explains why he suffered and died on Calvary’s cross.
Jesus was not put to death for any crimes he had committed, for any wrongs he had done. No, he was put to death for the crimes we had committed, for all the wrongs we have done. In an act of incredible mercy and kindness and love he took our sins upon himself and suffered the punishment we deserved, so that we might be spared. He gave his life in payment for our sins so that we might be forgiven, so that we might have peace in our hearts instead of guilt, so we might have the assurance of God’s love especially when we face those trials and troubles in our lives, and so that when this life is over, we might have something better to look forward to, eternal life with him in heaven. This is good news, wonderful news, amazing news. A baby has been born, and not just any baby, a Savior. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Amen.