Sermon -- Christmas Eve (December 24, 2020)

On Christmas Eve, we follow the order of A Service of Lessons and Carols.  There are nine lessons.  I offer a brief devotion after the first eight of those lessons, the 9th lesson being the Gospel for Christmas Day.  I save those thoughts for Christmas Day.

Here are two of the devotions from Christmas Eve.

2^nd Lesson  --  Genesis 22:15-18                

God’s promises to Abraham

 

            From all of the people and nations on the earth, the Lord had called Abraham to be the one through whom God would bring the Savior into the world.  The Seed of the Woman would also be the Seed of Abraham.

            The Lord had promised that salvation would come through him, and through his promised son.  The promise was astounding.  It was first given when Abraham was 75 years old.  It was not until Abraham was 100 years old that the Lord provided the son through whom that promise would be kept.  Understandably, Abraham loved his son, his only-begotten son of a promise.  But the Lord tested Abraham.  He commanded him to sacrifice his only begotten son as a burnt offering.  But to do so was also to sacrifice the promise.  What was Abraham to do with this? 

            Abraham did not try to work around the word of the Lord.  The Lord had made a promise, and—somehow, some way—the Lord would be faithful to his word.  Abraham had a heavy heart, but it was an obedient heart.  Abraham would offer up his son as a sacrifice to the Lord.  And the Lord—somehow, some way—would be faithful to his word.  Before Abraham slew his son, the Lord stopped him.  Abraham had proven himself faithful and obedient.  In place of Isaac, the Lord provided a ram to be slain.  The Lord—somehow, some way—was faithful to his word.  It was not this son of Abraham who would be an offering.  It would be the son who would come later.

            Through the Seed of Abraham, all nations would be blessed.  When Abraham’s Seed would come, he too, would be the only begotten Son of his Father.  God the Father would send his Son to be a sacrifice.  But this time, there would be no mercy.  No one would stop his death.  The Seed of Abraham would be offered up by God’s command—a substitute for the whole world. 

            Jesus is the “how” God would be faithful to his word.  Jesus is the “way” God would provide salvation to sinners.  The Seed of Abraham, the Son of God, would pay for the sins of the world; for the sins of you.  Through Abraham’s Seed, you and all the world are blessed. Through Abraham’s Seed, you are saved.

 

3^rd Lesson   --  Isaiah 9:2,6,7 

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light

 

            People have always longed for a ruler, a leader, or a king who would fix everything.  We crave an honest man who would put an end to suffering, to hardship, and to any number of problems we must endure.  Stop the war.  Feed the hungry.  Clean up the system.  Fix the economy.  Find a cure for COVID.  Leaders come and go.  The problems still remain.  In a broken world, that should not surprise anybody.

            Even the Lord is zealous for such a ruler.  For, the Lord is not fond of a broken world or crooked rulers.  Nor is the Lord pleased by broken lives or crooked hearts.  The Lord is not the one who broke it, but he has promised to fix it.  The Lord did not make it crooked, but he would act to straighten it all out.  The Lord said he would send a child.  He is the Prince of Peace.  Everything weighs on him.  His reign will not be limited by nationality, race, language, borders, or even time. 

            What's more, he is not crooked.  He does not play favorites, and he cannot be bribed.  His rule will be marked by justice.  The guilty will be punished.  Those who have done wrong will pay the price.  It does not matter who you are; the Prince of Peace is not impressed by your fame or pity you for your anonymity.  It does not matter if someone's sins are flaunted or concealed.  He knows who is guilty, and the guilty will be judged as guilty.

            But he does not revel in shaming and condemning.  He is the Prince of Peace, and he acts to secure your peace.  It all rests upon his shoulders.  He takes your guilt from you.  He becomes the guilty and pays the price for you.  Therefore, the punishment has been taken.  If all the punishment is gone, there is nothing left but blessing.  If the wrath has been removed, there is only peace. 

            The Prince of Peace establishes an everlasting kingdom.  In his kingdom, all things are right.  In his kingdom, everything which was broken shall be fixed.  Every rift will be reconciled.  In his kingdom, darkness will be chased away by light.  In his kingdom, everyone will see God’s mercy and salvation.

            Don’t think he has failed because this world is still broken and the people in it are still crooked.  Rather than make a heaven on earth, the Prince of Peace will deliver you from this broken world to a better one—the everlasting, heavenly kingdom and the home of righteousness.  The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this; for he is zealous for your salvation.