Christmas Message
On the night of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, an angel of the Lord appeared before shepherds and proclaimed, “I bring you news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the city of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord.” This declaration highlights two of the major themes of Christmas: peace and joy. God has come to us, born of a woman without sin, to be the savior of the world. He has come to bring peace to his people, to deliver them from the bondage of sin and death, and give them the gift of his kingdom and life everlasting. A peace that has surpassed anything like it before, has burst into the world through the birth of the Christ child.
And this peace leads to an experience of incredible joy. The savior of the world has come! The king has arrived! The angels proclaim joy, the shepherds experience great joy when they see the baby lying in a manger, and perhaps the greatest expression of joy is found in Matthew’s Gospel as he describes the visit of the Magi. When the Wisemen arrived at the place where the Star stopped and where Jesus was, they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” This is not necessarily a good grammatical statement, but it demonstrates the immense, overwhelming feeling of joy that they experienced.
This Holy Season emphasizes the peace and joy which we experience in Christ throughout the year. As we come to worship the “Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” each week, we experience the power of God’s love for us. Because of God’s great love, we experience this peace of God in our lives and the joy which abounds through coming of the savior of the world. So while this season can be consumed by the stress and anxiety of fulfilling the desires of the world, we have but one fulfillment to focus on: to Rejoice! Rejoice in the glory and wonder of God, who became flesh and dwelt among us. Rejoice, that God revealed himself not to high priests and kings, but to shepherds and Gentiles. And rejoice mostly, that the Nativity of Jesus Christ has brought forth peace and joy into the world.