Philippians 2:5-13; The Festival of the Naming and Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ; December 31, 2012;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, Iowa;

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The tiny bundle was brought forward. The happy parents gathered around the font, and the congregation stood in eager expectation. Grandparents beamed and sponsors nervously twitched. It was an important day for everyone, but mostly for the little unnamed baby. It was a big day not only because the child was about to receive the promises of God given in the sacrament, but because her name would be spoken in public for the first time. “Dearly beloved…” the pastor began, and continued describing the benefits and blessings that come through Baptism. The promises God makes to His people in baptism that were being made real for this little child. Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for arrived. “Clara Mae Jones, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The sound of water was heard returning into the bowl. And the act was finished. The name was spoken and given. God’s adoption of another lost human being enacted.

That’s the way it was in the old days. Names were not given to children until they were baptized. In some places, you can still find grave markers that say “Baby Smith” “Baby Albert” not just because they died at birth but because they died before baptism. We don’t see it that way any more, and maybe we’ve lost something; some meaning of the importance of a name.

Really that’s the scene we have in this very short Gospel lesson. Luke 2:21 says only this. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Luke 2:21 (ESV) He was named Jesus. Probably like our old tradition, His name was left unspoken until the ceremony. But, it’s not as if Mary and Joseph didn’t know what the name would be. Jesus was given the name that was given by God to Mary and Joseph through angels. But why this name? What kind of meaning is there in the name Jesus?

That’s the topic of the Epistle lesson: It’s a beautiful section of scripture and may have even been a hymn in the early church. It has that melodic ring to it and very nice rhythms that are easily lost in translation from Greek to English. But even more than that, the text is beautiful because of how well it tells us about who Jesus really is. And it does it by telling us the meaning of Jesus’ name. And actually, it’s a great way to begin the New Year: to think about Jesus and His Name and what it means. In fact, there may be no better text to begin a New Year… as we look forward to all the events that it will hold. Especially the things we will remember here at church. Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter.

⁵Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, ⁸he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ¹²Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:5-13 (ESV)

Jesus and His name are the center of this text. Jesus Christ is Lord! It says.

This is the name which we believe in our hearts. This is the name we confess with our lips. It’s the name we confess together here week after week. At the mention of this name, we bow together in holy awe. It is the desire to place this name into the hearts and upon the lips of all people that motivated the forming of this congregation. Jesus Christ is Lord! What’s the name all about? What does this name mean? It means everything!

He is Jesus. Jesus, born in a stable (as we just celebrated!), laid in a manger, raised in humble surroundings by humble parents, Mary and Joseph. Jesus “born in the likeness of men.” Jesus the baby, the boy, the man, “true man born of the Virgin Mary.” Jesus was a man, a true human being. Just as human as you and me. Breathing the same air. Living a life very much like yours. “Being found in human form.” Like you and me in every way, except without sin. The One who bears this name, Jesus, is truly human.

He is Lord. That’s the part of his name that tells us that he’s not only human but also God. That’s the “name that is above every other name.” Jesus is Lord means that He, and no one else, is Lord of all. God above all things. True God, begotten of the Father from eternity. He is truly God. Equal by nature, not by force. The one who bears this name is completely God.

He is Christ. Christ means Messiah, or anointed one, Savior. This part of His name means that the one who is man and God is the one who through His life and through His suffering and death restores the broken relationship between God and human beings. He does it by pouring out himself on the cross for us. He did it by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The cross is were we find out who this person really is and what is really involved in His name. Because it is at the cross that we see more clearly than anywhere else what this Name means to us, what it means that our Savior is both God and Man. “For us and our salvation,” as the creed says. Jesus Christ was hanged on a cross to take away the guilt and punishment of our sin. What does it mean to you and me that Jesus did that? Very much! Really it means everything to you and me.

Jesus Christ is man. Because he was human, what He did, the life he lived he was able live in our place. He was no outsider. He wasn’t an impostor, not pretending to be human, but truly and completely human. Everything he did he did as a living human being. He could take your place and mine in life because he was an equivalent substitute, except that He never sinned. He was perfect and didn’t deserve punishment. He didn’t deserve the wages of sin. But since he was truly human the punishment he received, was valid punishment for human beings. The punishment of Jesus Christ was punishment for you. It is the punishment and death of the Human being Jesus Christ, for you.

Jesus Christ is God. Jesus was not forced to die. He was instead a willing recipient of death on the cross. He didn’t do it for himself. He did it for you. It is the fact that Jesus is God that makes His death sufficient for all people everywhere for all time. No matter how many billions and billions of people ever live, the death of Jesus true God, is enough to satisfy their punishment and death. The death of Jesus is good enough for you.

That’s what this name Jesus gives us. This man, this humble servant, bleeding dying on the cross, is God. He is God and Man together. That is the very remarkable thing that His name tells us: This Man is God. God is this Man.

at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

What is this name to you? Well, these days we don’t save the naming of our children until baptism. You have to write something on the birth certificate before they’ll let you leave the hospital. (Believe me I tried!) But in a way, we are still named at our baptism. We are given the name of Jesus. And when that happens God promises everything that Jesus did, His life, His death and especially His resurrection are yours. We are placed into the name of Jesus! I baptize you in the name of the Father… God uses simple water and His promise to make the work of Jesus, God and Man, yours. And we gather here together in the name of that same Jesus. We receive the gifts He has to give us: rescue from sin, death and the power of Satan. It’s all here in Word and Sacrament. Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. The body and blood shed on the cross for you and given to you here, given freely, because of the One in who’s name we gather.

So, what’s the name of Jesus to you? Nothing less than everything. Everything you believe about God is wrapped up in the name of Jesus. His name tells you everything about who God is and what He has done to save you. His name tells you how he brings that salvation human beings, and how he brings that same salvation right to you. In the name of Jesus… Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Colossians 3:12-17; The First Sunday after Christmas; December 30, 2012;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, Iowa;

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12–17, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This whole text sounds great. I think we should do it. Listen again: be compassionate, kind, humble, patient, bearing with one another. And don't forget forgive. Just think how great things would be around here if we all did all of these things and put them on just like we would our coat to go outside in the chilly air. And oh, not just do them, but do them all, all the time, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. What is this mean? It means not dividing what we do at church, whether it's here in the sanctuary or in the fellowship hall, from what we do outside of the church. You know, where you live, where you work, where you eat, where you play, everywhere, always. It means to everyone, too. That is, be kind, compassionate, humble, patient all the time with everyone you meet and know. Now look around you. Certainly there's someone here who puts at least one of those things to the test for you. And you can put on a happy face, but inside, your patience, your ability to bear, your kindness, is stretched to the limit. And that's here in the church where everything is supposed to be "nice". What about outside these brick walls? There's that neighbor who just won't cooperate for "neighbor's" sake. Or the person you work with who undermines everything you do, or sits waiting for you to make a mistake and pounce. Or even more now days the people who disagree with you on politics, social issues, and even religious issues. These days there just is no polite political, social or religious discourse. People now seem to think that you think like they do or you are evil. Out there where the world is not always "nice" it's even harder, isn't it?

And we are to do all of this, "in the name of Jesus". That means, we are to do it like Jesus did or how he wants us to do it. Well we know he was perfect, did everything perfectly, but does that mean he expects us to do it that way? Well I'm afraid so. The gospel writer Matthew tells us that Jesus says exactly that. In the sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5 verse 48 Jesus requires us to be perfect.

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48, ESV)

and right after that he says

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1, ESV)

So not only does he require you to be perfect, it's not just on the outside to be seen by other people. Jesus wants you to be perfect in your heart. That means not just acting compassionate, kind, humble, patient, and bearing but feeling it in here (in your heart). You have to be motivated to do it with a pure heart, a perfect heart, one that thinks more of your neighbor than yourself.

Well, you know what the problem with that is? Have you ever tried to make yourself humble? You start by making yourself look humble. And then you try to make your heart itself humble. And as soon as you see someone looking at you, you start to feel pride welling up at how humble you're looking. And have you ever tried to make yourself thankful? The problem is in order to be thankful, you have to have something happen to be thankful for. That's just the way it is with humbleness and thankfulness. In fact that's the way it is with all of these things, kindness, humbleness, patients, and even forgiveness. These things must come to you from outside of you. You do not have them in you. And Jesus says this too:

And [Jesus]said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.” (Mark 7:20–22, ESV)

Actually, this is the whole point of the text. St. Paul is not telling you to gin up some motivation within yourself to get these things going. He says "put them on." Just like you will put on your coat to go back outside today. You have your coat, you put it on, and you stay warm. So St. Paul says just like your coat, put on these things. Well actually, he says "Put on then…" The "then" is the thing that happens that enables you to put them on. He doesn't leave you guessing he tells you exactly what the "then" is. Back in Chapter 2 of this letter:

having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,” (Colossians 2:12–13, ESV)

This is your connection to Jesus, his life death and resurrection. This is what makes the things that he did yours. In Holy Baptism your old sinful nature was crucified to death. And then you were made alive by God together with Christ. You have the forgiveness of sins in Holy Baptism. Jesus' death on the cross satisfies God's anger, pays the punishment you deserve, for the sinfulness that is in your heart; for your inability to do anything with a pure motivation; for your hypocritical "looking good on the outside" but being corrupt and self-motivated on the inside. This forgiveness is the "then" that comes to you from outside of yourself. It's the thing that gives you all of what God would have you do. Martin Luther said it like this:

What does such baptizing with water indicate?

It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

St. Paul says it like this:

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.

The peace of Christ is the peace proclaimed by the Christmas angels to the shepherds. It is the peace brought by Jesus in his birth, life, death and resurrection. It is the peace Jesus gave to his disciples on the first Easter Sunday when he appeared to them behind locked doors. They were hiding out, guilty of betraying him. And he appears not bringing punishment and anger but says instead "Peace be with you." In other words, "I know your sin, I know your heart, and I forgive you." Jesus put on them forgiveness and peace. When St. Paul says let this peace rule in your hearts he is saying nothing less than focusing on the gifts given in the water and the Word that were poured and spoken over you that made you a forgiven child of God. And then St. Paul says:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

And now because you have the peace of God, that is the forgiveness of sins, you can let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. And you can put on kindness, compassion, humility, patience and forgiveness. This is the new man that daily emerges through the hearing of God's word, confession of one's sins, and the receiving of forgiveness. Which is nothing less than living in your baptism every day. You can be compassionate because you know God was compassionate to you in forgiving the sin that comes with your internal motivation. And your neighbor benefits from your compassion. You can be kind because you know that God was kind to you in forgiving your sin that comes from your internal motivation. And your neighbor benefits from your kindness. You can be humble because you know God forgives you your hypocritical humbleness. You can bear with other people because you know God bears with you and your sin through the forgiveness won by Christ. And your neighbor benefits. And you can forgive. In fact St. Paul gives special attention to forgiveness. He says to forgive each other "as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." Your inability and unwillingness to forgive is a sin also forgiven by Christ on the cross. When your neighbor comes to you and asks for forgiveness you must tell them they are forgiven. You cannot withhold Jesus' forgiveness from your Christian brothers and sisters as if your unwillingness to forgive them somehow made Jesus' forgiveness invalid. It is theirs because God gives it for the sake of his son's death on the cross. You can't change that by your sin, that is your unwillingness or inability to forgive. This is exactly why we used the confession and absolution this morning from Compline. We stand and face each other across the aisle, confess our sins to one another, and pronounce the forgiveness that is ours through Jesus Christ. And living in that forgiveness, you know that your sins are forgiven, as great as they are, you are able to forgive. You announce the grace of God to those who sin against you knowing that your sins are forgiven. And your neighbor benefits.

So put them on, all of them. Practice compassion, kindness, humbleness, patience, bearing with one another, oh and don't forget forgiveness. These are all yours given to you by God through faith in Jesus Christ who gives you forgiveness above all. You can put them on and do them for the benefit of your neighbor knowing that even though your motivation is not always right God forgives your sin and your neighbor benefits. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Luke 2:1–20; Christmas Day; December 25, 2012;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, IA

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 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. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:1–20, ESV)

(from a sermon by Rev. David Schmitt, Voices from the Edge)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The heavens were opened and the angelic host peered down upon the earth in wonder and excitement. They sang the song of God's glory to the shepherds and to the whole earth. The heavens weren't opened up so the shepherds could see the Angels. The heavens were opened up so the Angels could see the glory of God in Jesus Christ, born in a stable and Bethlehem, and to direct the shepherds attention there. "Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all people." God is filling the world with great joy that comes from sins forgiven, death defeated, life forever with God. In this is a joy for all people. And it comes today, in a baby, and Bethlehem. And it comes in his life, death, and resurrection. It comes as God saves you from sin, death and the power of Satan.

One of the very strange things about this account of God's glory at the birth of Jesus Christ is the fact that it was first announced shepherds. Why would the Angels make the announcement to shepherds?

See that clearly we need to remember that in Palestine in those days there were two kinds of shepherds. There are shepherds who were peasants. They lived in villages. In the morning they would take their flocks out to the pastures around to feed them. And at night they would gather them together and bring them back to the fold. Jesus parable about the lost sheep in the shepherd that goes out to find it is about this kind of Shepherd. When he finds that he brings it home and calls his friends to rejoice. This is a peasant shepherd who lived in a village. He had a home to return to friends to rejoice with.

The other kind of shepherds were nomadic. They didn't have a home. They wandered about the countryside from place to place looking for green grass to feed their sheep. They were mistrusted by people because they didn't have a permanent home. They were considered liars and thieves and con artists. They could do and say whatever they wanted and miss the consequences because they would move on to a new village. They were not allowed to testify in court. These are the kind of shepherds that would be out in the fields "by night". Why is this important?

Caesar Augustus commanded that the world be counted. A census needed to be taken. People had to go to their cities of origin. That's why Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem. Joseph was of the house and lineage of David. Census didn't include nomadic people, like nomadic shepherds. They were not important enough to count. They had no family and bloodlines. There are not numbered among the Roman people or the Jewish people. The Angels appeared to them. God was counting them. He was saying even these kind of people were important to him. The joy of Jesus Christ born in the stable is not just for people count but for all.

It's easy for us to forget that God's joy is for all people. In fact our culture pushes us to isolate God's joy at Christmas to Christians. Everyone else celebrates the holidays with lights and gifts and cards in the joy of being together. But not Christmas joy that comes from a Savior born, crucified, and reason.

We are here to celebrate the real joy and reason for Christmas. And yet I have heard about churches who don't have services on Christmas morning. In fact back in 2005 Willow Creek in Chicago and Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids and first Baptist Church in Atlanta and fellowship church in Dallas all decided not to have Christmas Day services. The reporters had a field day with these mega-churches because it look like they canceled Christmas. Pastor at Willow Creek explained in an interview, "We don't see it as not having church on Christmas. We see it as decentralizing the church on Christmas, hundreds of thousands of experiences going on around Christmas trees. The best way to honor the birth of Jesus is for families to have a more personal experience on that day." (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-12-06/news/0512060228_1_christmas-eve-mars-hill-bible-churchevangelical-

churches, accessed August 12, 2012.) One thing these churches are doing is mistaking the kingdom of God with the American nuclear family. Isolating the joy of Christmas in that context. They wanted to help families have "a more personal experience that day". But actually they made matters worse. There were many people who have no family with which to celebrate Christmas. And by not having church they took away their opportunity to celebrate Christmas with God's family. Don't even think about not ask me to have church on Christmas day.

Sometimes we take the joy out of Christmas with our own expectations. We have hopes of a wonderful Christmas they are not always fulfilled. Christmas has way bringing back memories. Memories of what it was like as a child. And Christmas has a way of bringing out hope. Hope for a better future. We know what we want for our children and our grandchildren are friends and even ourselves. But the world as it is, broken, full of sin, often prevents our dreams from being fulfilled. It happens in our families. It happens in our lives. Sin tears everything apart. It tears apart our relationships with arguments. It tears apart our lives sickness and death.

God is the one who speaks to us the account of what happened on Christmas. We hear the voice of the Angels. God sent them to proclaim the good news of the Savior. And who did God send them to. There were important people gathered together, people who counted. God appeared to the ones that didn't count. He saying no one should be overlooked.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)

God sent his Son to takes upon himself human flesh. And in that human flesh God carries all of our human suffering. He dies under the just judgment and punishment of sin as he hangs on the cross for sake and by God. And most important he rises from the dead. Jesus Christ proves who we is, God and man together, in his resurrection. And he proves that the joy of Christmas is well-founded. He rises from the dead and shows he has power over everything, even death. And it Christmas God announces this Good News of the forgiveness of sin to people who didn't count, shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. The joy of Christmas was for shepherds in the field. The joy of Christmas is for you. God brings forgiveness through Jesus Christ to every person, every family, every county, every state, every country, in fact the world.

It doesn't matter if there's a death in your family, a divorce, the loss of a job, or insecurity about the future. God has brought you to this place to hear the good news, the voice of the Angels.

“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."

Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Luke 2:1–20; Christmas Eve; December 24, 2012;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, IA

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 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. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:1–20, ESV)

(from a sermon by Rev. David Schmitt, Voices from the Edge)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The story of Jesus birth is very familiar to us. As Luke tells it is a very startling contrast that he invites us to see. But contrast is between a world that is breaking open in excitement and a young woman putting the pieces together and pondering them in her heart.

On the one hand, the world is breaking forth in excitement. God is peeled back the layer of the heavens so that when the shepherds look up they see Angels instead of stars. The sky is filled with light and angels sing shepherds in the field. Shepherds must think they're in God's presence in the angels song. They are told about God becoming present among in the swaddling baby in the manger. They can't wait to go and see. They find Mary and Joseph and the baby. On the return they tell everyone everything they saw.

There is so much excitement in what they do on the one hand, and on the other hand you have Mary who is treasuring up these things and pondering them in her heart. Everything in Mary's life has changed. And it's all God's doing. Engagement has been complicated by a child. She had to travel too far away place and lay her baby not in a cradle but a manger. Shepherds interrupt the stable with their excitement in their story about angels and singing. In the midst of all of that excitement Mary holds all these things together, pondering them in her heart.

During Advent we listened to Voices from the Edge. It was a series of sermons from various people who spoke about what God was doing, and going to do in the coming of Jesus. The angel voices are also Voices from the Edge. They interrupt the shepherds out there in the field and first thing they say is "be not afraid, for behold I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all people." But what makes it a great joy?

For you and me greatness usually is something we see as self-evident. Two guys talking about a football game might say something like, "what about that play?" The other will respond "yea, wasn't that great?" There is no need to explain which play it is, it's greatness as self-evident. It's the play that was repeated on instant replay over and over again. It's the play that was spoken about by the commentators. It's the great play. When we talk about things that are great we think of them as obvious.

The Angels tell about something that's great in way that is different from human beings. The Angels tell the shepherds they can see the great thing identified by the sign. "This will be a sign for you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger." The shepherds need assigned to see this great thing. The sign leads them to a place that they would never go to find something great. A baby sleeping in a manger, an animal trough, born to young girl from out of town.

Mary and Joseph have traveled about 60 miles, during the very last days of her pregnancy. The census has forced them to leave their home in journey to Bethlehem. There is no place for them to stay because of the crowds. She goes into labor, has the baby, and there's no place to put him but in a manger. If we wern't so familiar with this story we might wonder why everything was going so badly for them. You would never think that this was the account of the birth of God. And so the Angels had to give a sign, "this birth is for you!"

The joy that God brings is great because it goes beyond what we can see. If things are going badly God must be against me. If things are going well God must be for me. This is not what God's word tells us. We don't decide what God thinks of us because of the circumstances we live in. He has declared that he is for us in all circumstances. So his joy does not depend on the circumstances in which we find ourselves, it depends on God's love. And so God's great joy can be found places where we least expect it to be found. God's great joy depends on his love, so we can find it anywhere.

A pastor once saw this comfort in a very real way. He had a parishioner who was spending her Christmas at the bedside of her daughter who was dying. Lois was his parishioner. Her daughter Kathy was in one of the first weddings he performed when he came to the church. And this year, Kathy was dying. What started out as breast cancer had spread to her brain and her bones, and Kathy was at home in hospice care. One day, when pastor came and visited, he told Lois he was sorry. “I’m sure it’s difficult to go through this,” he said “especially this time of year.” “Yes,” Lois said “yes, pastor, it’s hard.” She told him how she and her husband were getting all of these Christmas cards from friends who didn’t know what was happening. Every day, her husband would bring over the mail and she’d open another card wishing her a Merry Christmas. She was staying at her daughter’s house. They’d put a hospital bed in the living room and she slept on the sofa, so her husband brought her the mail. Every day, someone was sending her a card and wishing her a Merry Christmas. And she said, “I’d like to send out cards this year but I just can’t.” He told her that, of course, she wouldn’t send out cards. People would understand. But then she said, “No pastor, you don’t understand. I want to send out cards this year because this year I know what Christmas is really about.” He asked what she meant and she told him that Christmas is about God being with us. She told him about how she sleeps when her daughter sleeps and gets up when her daughter wakes. How she gives her morphine and turns her and changes her and bathes her, and she said, “I know I wouldn’t be able to do any of this, if it wasn’t for God. I know he is here with us and he’s bringing Kathy to be with him.” This Christmas, Lois is picking up the pieces. She’s taking the excitement of her friends at Christmas, the cards and the letters, and the suffering of her daughter, and she is holding them together, pondering them and discovering a holy joy. Lois is trusting in the true joy of Christmas. God came to be with us so that in the end we might be with him, and await that day when he raises us from the dead and brings about a new creation.

In our Christmas celebrations we spend time trying to make everything perfect. We try to cook the perfect dinner, search for the perfect gift, want to have the perfect family gathering. It is a standard that we want to reach a picture we have painted in our mind of the perfect Christmas. Nothing wrong with that, it's good to want to rejoice in the great joy that God has brought to you through Jesus Christ in this way. But the picture of perfection will never be met. Sin always shoves in its ugly head to our families. Their arguments that never seem to end. May be a recent divorce or death covers everything. These things loom over us and try to ruin Christmas. Sin makes its appearance known even in the midst of our great joy. Right there in the middle of our broken Christmas we remember this is exactly why God came to be with us. He loves us regardless of our circumstances. He became a human being, lived among us, in the middle of our sinful circumstances, and offered his life for the forgiveness of our sin. He lived, died and rose again and promises that "I will never leave you nor forsake you." That includes when Christmas seems to be broken instead of perfect. Think about the Angels and their voices from the edge. God has given you great joy. That great joy is not always obvious. It isn't great because it's obvious. It's great because it is God's love. Because God shows his love to us in this way,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)

The great joy of Christmas is that God loves sinners. God, in Jesus Christ, was born of the Virgin Mary, for you and your broken Christmas. God, in Jesus Christ, is crucified dead and buried for you and your broken Christmas. God, in Jesus Christ, on the third day he rose again from the dead, for you and your broken Christmas. His great joy can come into your life and bring comfort. Because God has come to be with you and your broken Christmas. "You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 51:10-12; Funeral Sermon for James Allen Bird; December 22, 2012;

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jim was a lifelong member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston Iowa. His father and mother were very active here. He was born, baptized, confirmed and married as a member of this congregation. Unfortunately in the last number of years he has not been very active. There may be many reasons for that but at top of the list is probably that his health was very difficult. I didn't get to know Jim very well he was only in church a few times since I've been here. I didn't visit him at the house and only once in the hospital. This was my failing as a pastor, and grieves me. And yet in all of this I have no doubt that Jim had faith. He was raised by faithful parents and taught the Scriptures and confirmed and also made sure his children were raised and confirmed in the faith. And while I would never condone making oneself absent from the hearing of God's Word on a regular basis, today we cling to God's promises made to Jim in his baptism, the promises he publicly acknowledged on his confirmation day. The promises that we heard just a few moments ago. The promise of our death and resurrection with Jesus that means that this death will also end in a resurrection.

Here's a few things I know about Jim, from the few times I met him, but mostly from interacting with his family. He was a strong and quiet man, even though he was never afraid to say what he thought. He joked with me even as I stood over his bed in the hospital when the doctors were telling him he was having rejection issues with his heart. And he must've missed the outdoors a great deal when he couldn't do it as much as he wanted. And Jessica told me he loved to cook. It's something I never would've guessed about him. And there's one more thing, at funerals we always want to speak the best about people. And there are lots of good things to say about Jim. But the truth is we are here today for only one reason. That reason is not unique to Jim, it's actually common to us all. We are here today because Jim was a sinner. Nobody knows that better than his family. We don't need to go into details about Jim's sin. We know it's true because we are here today at a funeral. Jim has paid the wages of sin. You and I will pay the wages of sin.

But we are here today for a purpose. We are here to hear about Jesus. We are here because the wages of sin need an answer. And the answer is Jesus, and here's what it looks like:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:10–12, ESV)

Actually, that sounds just like Jim. 10 years ago his heart was sick. The doctors replaced it with a new one. Jim was given a new life. Lana was just telling me how glad she was that they had those 10 years. Without the new heart this funeral would have been 10 years ago. So even then Jim went through sort of a death and resurrection. Look at all the things he was able to do. It was a new lease on life. And he enjoyed it, in his drives in the country, his coffee club, watching his children grow, and enjoying his grandchildren. It was a life full of joy. He got a new heart, clean heart, a new life. This is what Jesus promises. The words of Psalm 51 were written by King David. He too was a sinful man who knew of his great need to be saved from his sin. And this is what God does in Jesus. We receive a new heart, a clean heart, when we hear and believe the good news about Jesus. How he was born, lived his life perfectly for us, died on the cross to suffer the punishment of our sin, rose from the dead to assure us that all that he did was true and complete. And through faith in Jesus Christ and all that he has done, when those who have faith approach death, suffer death, they have God's promise they will not be cast away from his presence but spend eternity with him and all those who have faith in him.

We said it so strongly at the beginning of our service today. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death. Jesus Christ, true God and true man, was crucified dead and buried. He suffered death for the sins of the whole world. The sin that drives you to the grave brought Jesus there for you. The death he died, the punishment he received, was yours. That is God’s promise for you. It is baptism that links us to Jesus death, through faith in Him. When you believe in Jesus you have already died to sin. Just as Christ was raised from the death through the glory of the Father we to may have new life. That’s the promise that we cling to with our whole hearts. Death comes, but it is not the end because life comes again. Jesus didn’t just die he rose again from death. He defeated the power of death to hold us forever. That’s God’s promise to us through baptism. That’s God’s promise to you about Jim, too. I don’t believe that because Jim has a long list of friends or accomplishments (he has!). But I believe it because I know it because of the promises of God.

That is our peace today. That's our comfort today. It’s not built on the good things that were done by Jim. It’s the peace and comfort that comes from depending on the promises of God. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.