Sermon for Christmas Eve 2021
Texts: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7; 1 John 4:7-16; Matthew 1:18-25
Theme: The Savior is born (told in three parts)
*In the Name of the Father…Amen.*
*The three Scripture readings serve as our texts for our consideration this
evening.*
*Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the Father through our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.*
Prayer
*Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray:*
*O God, You make this most holy night to shine with the brightness of the
true Light. Grant that as we have known the mysteries of that Light on
earth we may also come to the fullness of His joys in heaven; through the
same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.*
*Part One: The Savior was born.*
*We**’**ve heard it once again. *
*A thumbnail sketch of the Christmas message. *
*And if there**’**s one time of the year we wouldn**’**t want to miss the
forest for the trees, it**’**s Christmas! *
*Around the world, churches are full and ears open. *
*The traditional **“**trees**”** of Christmas surround us: *
beautiful music, carol upon carol,
all the sights, sounds, and smells that we’ve come to know and love.
*Against this backdrop, once again tonight, God**’**s Word invites us to
step back and see the forest as well as the trees:*
to hear once again some of the key passages of Scripture that take us from
deep in the history of God’s people to the birth of the Savior.
*We heard from the prophet Isaiah the who, when, and where of the Savior,
especially that he would be a Son from the house of King David, whose
father was Jesse. *
*Then we heard from the New Testament of the fulfillment of those ancient
promises that the Savior:*
the very Son of God, the actual Word of God, who is eternal with God, who
himself is God
He was born into the world in Bethlehem, to a virgin named Mary, so that he
could give his life in exchange for our life, as payment for our sin, which
has disqualified us—both here and forever—from the blessed life our Creator
intended for us.
And we heard a profound commentary on the birth of Christ from St. John who
proclaimed to us that God sent his Son into the world to be a payment for
our sins, so that we might live through him, and that Christ appeared to
bring salvation for all people.
*Such is the biblical narrative of Christmas, as we have heard it again
tonight. *
*And it**’**s really very simple.*
*Part Two: The Savior is born*
*Christmas is about God**’**s gift to you:*
the concrete, flesh-and-blood, real-life gift of his own Son, born into
this world as Jesus of Nazareth so that he could walk in our shoes, and
live in our skin, and experience what we experience and, because he is God,
could then redeem fallen humanity—redeem us!—from the curse of sin, death,
and everlasting condemnation.
*Christmas is about God**’**s gift of hope for beyond this life. *
Hope for you!
Hope for a never-ending, perfectly blissful existence with him, just as he
intended it from the beginning for his creation.
*Part Three: The Savior is born for you!*
*No matter how far you**’**ve wandered, *
*no matter how buried the Gospel message has become under the other
priorities in your life, *
*no matter how bittersweet tonight**’**s celebration might be for you
because of sad memories or the sorrows you**’**ve experienced this year, *
*God**’**s simple good news of the Gospel remains the same for you tonight.
*
*That a Savior has been born for you! *
*That his name is Christ the Lord. *
*And that he took all the baggage and guilt of your life onto himself and
paid for it at the cross where he died for your sins. *
*And in exchange, he gives you his holiness and innocence, his
righteousness and adoption as sons and daughters, his promise that you will
follow after him in his resurrection from the grave and ascension into
heaven.*
*And this gift of hope doesn**’**t depend in any way on your earning it. *
*It**’**s God**’**s pure and free gift for you and for all people, just for
the believing:*
promised of old,
given in Bethlehem,
paid for on the cross,
and unwrapped for you tonight.
*This gift was first given in Bethlehem, but God didn**’**t stop giving his
gifts there. *
*And his giving to you doesn**’**t end with tonight. *
*Rather, everything we**’**ve heard this evening and so much more, together
with all the life-changing reality it brings is available to you constantly
in the fellowship of the Holy Christian Church: *
*love, *
*forgiveness, *
*grace, *
*mercy, *
*peace, *
*hope, *
*acceptance, *
*redemption, *
*and salvation. *
*It**’**s all God**’**s gift to you, for the sake of Christ Jesus, every
time you hear and receive God**’**s Word in faith and join in the communion
of saints.*
*So this is why Joy to the World crowns this Silent Night! *
*Not only because a Savior was born, but because the Savior is born:*
*born into your heart again tonight by his Gospel, born into your heart for
your salvation. *
*And the gifts that your Savior brings, he will keep offering to you in the
communion of his Church**—**in this very place**—**until he comes again.*
*A Savior Was Born.*
*The Savior Is Born.*
*The Savior is Born for You!*
*Amen.*
*Let us pray:*
*Almighty God, grant that the birth of Your only begotten Son in the flesh
may set us free from the bondage of sin; through Jesus Christ, Your Son,
our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and forever. Amen.*
*The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.*
*In the Name of the Father…Amen.*