First Sunday after Christmas

Galatians 4:1–7
St. Luke 2:21–40

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Merry 5th Day of Christmas!
Don’t stop the festivities just yet. There’s still so much to celebrate. Still so much to sing about. On Christmas we went with the shepherds to Bethlehem and saw this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And we found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger (Luke 2:15–16).

But now, it’s time for us to go again with the shepherds, not to the manger but into the streets of Bethlehem and back to their fields, rejoicing. For 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… And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them (Luke 2:17, 20). Now it’s our turn to glorify and praise God for all we have heard and seen in the birth of Christ. So, our hymn calls us to join in the shepherd’s song:
      Let all together praise our God
      Before His glorious throne;
      Today He opens heav’n again
      To give us His own Son,
      To give us His own Son. (LSB 389:1)

Praising God is nothing more or less than saying what our God has done. It can be as simple as singing a hymn, or as quiet as reciting the creed. It can be in church, in private, and to a neighbor. Praise is saying what God has done, when we say it back to Him in thankfulness, and when we say it to the world in joy. Evangelism is just another side of confession and praise. The shepherds told others about the Savior’s birth and they glorified God. So also, the prophetess Anna, at the temple, began to give thanks to God and to speak of Christ to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. She gave thanks and she told others—both are praise for the God who redeems sinners by His blood. Praise is all the speaking and singing we do about what God has done for us. And so in our praise, we go into detail. We don’t just tell God, “You’re great. You’re good. You’re awesome.” Both in our worship and in our evangelism and teaching, we sing and speak about God’s specific, gracious deeds in Christ—the deeds He has done and the deeds He is doing.

This hymn we sang today, tells of how God has opened heaven for us. The gate of heaven was shut when our first parents were driven from the Garden. An angel and flaming sword would not let us return. But by coming to earth as a man, by being born of the Virgin Mary, by suffering, dying, and rising, the Son of God opened heaven once again so that we might be brought back home to God. As it says later in the hymn: Jesus is the key and He the door To blessed paradise; And the angel bars the way no more (LSB 389:6). We have access to heaven and eternal life only through the God who was born, died, and rose as a Man.

And that brings us to another great point this hymn makes. If the death and resurrection of Jesus is the culmination of His work, Christmas is the foundation of His work.
      He is born an infant small,
      And in a manger, poor and lone, 
      Lies in a humble stall. (2)
At Christmas we see Him begin His humiliation for our sakes. 
      Within an earthborn form He hides
      His all-creating light;
      To serve us all He humbly cloaks
      The splendor of His might. (3)
The glory of God in Christ was hidden at His birth. The angels sang to the shepherds of the highest glory of God, but they located it with a little baby lying in a feed trough. A little baby, don’t forget, who needs to be swaddled like all babies, needs to be fed like all babies, needs his diaper changed like all babies. But by humbling Himself, Christ was doing His most glorious work. Where things look the least glorious, there is the greatest glory for Jesus, because that’s where He is saving us.

And where things really look the least glorious, but in truth give Jesus His greatest glory, is at His cross. And already in the Christmas season, the cross of Jesus looms large. We see it in His humiliation, being born a helpless baby. We see it in the wood of the manger. We see it in the first drops of blood He shed at His circumcision. And with His parents at the temple, we hear of the cross in Simeon’s prophecy. Simeon blessed Jesus’ parents and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Mary’s soul will be pierced with the pain of watching her Son be tortured and crucified. In this pain, Mary also represents our Mother the Church, who suffers the pain of persecution at the hands of this evil world that rejects the Son of God and Son of Mary again and again. His cross is a sign that is opposed. And all that is because this Child causes the falling and rising of many. He causes those who reject Him to fall. Those who resist Him, who go their own way and pursue their own lives, they will bring themselves to ruin. But He causes those who believe Him to rise. Those who receive Him as He is, who deny themselves and lose their own lives, they will be brought to His life and to His glory.

The marvel of Christmas is not only WHAT the Son of God did in becoming man, but WHY He did it.
      He undertakes a great exchange,
      Puts on our human frame,
      And in return gives us His realm,
      His glory, and His name,
      His glory, and His name. (4)
This stanza could’ve been better translated something like this: “He wondrously exchanges with us. He takes our flesh and blood and, in His Father’s kingdom, gives us His luminous divinity.” So, Jesus takes on our flesh and blood, and all the sin and death that goes with it. And He gives us Himself, and all, immeasurably all, that goes with Him. He gives us His kingdom, His name, His righteousness, His life. He even gives us His luminous divinity, the brightness of God. He shares with us His own divine nature as the Son of God.

Here is the wondrously great exchange that began at His incarnation and goes on even now: Jesus became what we are so that we might become what He is. Just let that sink in for an extra second: He became what we are so that we might become what He is. This is the mystery we learn in Galatians 4: When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. The birth of Jesus makes it possible for us to become God’s children. What He is by nature, we become by grace. The Son of God became a child of man, so that the children of men can become children of God.

As I said, this great exchange that began at Christmas goes on even now. This exchange happened with you at your Baptism. The Son of God was born of a woman, born a man, so that you, a son of woman, could in Baptism be re-born a son of God. You have been raised up to where He is. He has given you His own luminous divinity. And now, because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Because of Jesus, we are able to call God our Father, yet another form of praise.

We give praise when we proclaim the great deeds of God. And after the cross, there is no greater deed of God than His incarnation, where He became like us in order to share Himself with us. So also in the Church today, along with Baptism, there is no greater deed of God than the Lord’s Supper, where He continually shares Himself with us. Just as He gave Himself to humanity in His incarnation, so also He gives Himself to you in the Supper. He lives in you and you live in Him, sharing His nature and His life. In that Holy Meal, you receive His body and blood, His human flesh and soul, and yes, even His divinity.

How can we truly fathom this?
      He is a servant, I a lord:
      How great a mystery!
      How strong the tender Christ Child’s love!
      No truer friend than He. (5)
In His Supper, the strong love of Jesus is completely yours. He takes all of you, and you get all of Him. Your God comes to dwell in you. Like in that lowly manger, in that humble stall, your God Jesus comes now into humble bread and wine, to dwell in lowly you. What more can we do in response to such great love, such great deeds, than give Him glory and praise?
      Your grace in lowliness revealed,
      Lord Jesus, we adore
      And praise to God the Father yield
      And Spirit evermore;
      We praise You evermore. (LSB 389:7)

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.


Preached at Trinity, Clinton, IA & Immanuel, Charlotte, IA

First Sunday after Christmas

St. Luke 2:22–40

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

One little Christmas symbol that’s not too flashy, but you see it just about everywhere, is holly. Those rich green leaves and bright red berries embellish everything from plates to greeting cards to fireplace mantles. Maybe you noticed, it adorns the cross on one of our new Christmas banners. But did you know the meaning behind holly as a Christmas symbol? For people in England and Germany at this time of year, the green leaves, like other evergreens, were a reminder of eternal life. The prickly leaves were also reminiscent of the crown of thorns. And the red berries that ripened in late fall or early winter, and were still there at Christmastime, served as a symbol for Christ’s blood. A little English Christmas Carol, called The Holly and the Ivy, contemplates the plant’s connection to the festival:

The holly bears a berry,

As red as any blood,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ 

To do poor sinners good…

The holly bears a prickle,

As sharp as any thorn,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

On Christmas day in the morn…

The holly bears a bark,

            As bitter as any gall,

            And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

            For to redeem us all… (Christmas Poems, p.208–9).

Maybe you thought the cross adorned with holly was just a pretty decoration. But there’s more to it. Maybe you just like the sweet baby Jesus, and don’t want to think of the Man and His cross. But the holly is a reminder of who this Child is and what He was born for. The cross is there, even at Christmas.

We love old Simeon’s Song, the Nunc Dimittis, and well we should. Not only because we sing it after receiving our Lord’s body and blood and at the deathbeds of our loved ones, but also because like Zechariah’s song, the Benedictus, and Mary’s song, the Magnificat, and the Christmas angels’ song, the Gloria in Excelsis, Simeon’s song is also a promise of salvation in the holy Child born in Bethlehem. But with such a beautiful song of salvation, we might be surprised to hear old Simeon’s prophecy following his song. I bet the new parents were surprised when he told Mary what was in store for her Son and for her: opposition, conflict, suffering, and death. 

But Christmas is nothing if not surprising. God becomes a Man! Who would have dreamed such a thing? And then the signs that accompany Jesus are even more surprising. The first sign to recognize Jesus was given by the angels to the Bethlehem shepherds: This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12)—a sign of humility if ever there was one. Not the usual sign for a newborn King. But then the second sign is even stranger, given by Simeon to Mary: Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed. Not so much a sign of humility, but a sign of judgment, division, and opposition.

When this Child is grown and begins His public ministry—teaching, preaching, rebuking sins and forgiving sins—He does not meet human expectations. He is not the kind of Savior or King that sinful men really want. He is too demanding and yet He does not fix the world’s troubles. He is too forgiving and yet He will not let you ignore Him (to ignore Him is to reject Him and that means you will be judged guilty by Him). He is praised and worshiped, He is spoken against and lied about. He attracts some and repels others. He causes some to rejoice and He causes others to grind their teeth. 

This Child of Mary, the Savior, Christ the Lord, He causes division. He causes some to fall and some to rise, in Israel and in the whole world. Some people will take offense at Him—they are offended by His Words, they are unimpressed by His work, and they are scandalized by His death. He causes them to stumble and they fall. But some people will love Him—they hang on His every Word, they marvel at His work, and they love His death. He causes them to rise, in faith now and in the body on the Last Day. And this is the chief reason He was sent into the world. The reason this Child was born was to be a Light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of God’s people Israel.

So, Jesus will bring division, some rejecting Him and falling, others trusting in Him and rising. And this division does not come without pain. Simeon tells the new mother that her Son will be a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. The sword that pierces Mary’s soul is certainly the pain this blessed mother will suffer. Imagine the pain of a mother when she sees her Son spoken against, mocked, and rejected. Then there’s also the pain when He says uncomfortable things, things sinners don’t want to hear, and so she, even His loving mother, is tempted to reject Him. And finally, the pain, the tears, the stab of anguish that feels like it will never end, as she sees Him whipped, crucified, and laid into a tomb. Think of how terrifying it must’ve been to love your Child, and yet know that He’s not completely yours. She won’t be able to protect Him. He came to do the will of His Father in heaven.

But just as Jesus does not belong only to Mary, Mary also represents something bigger than herself. She is a representative of Israel, the people from whom the Savior was to come. And so also, the sword that pierced Mary’s soul is also the sword that pierces Israel and divides the people. The prophet Isaiah saw what the Lord planned for His Servant, the Messiah: It is too light a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make You as a light for the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth (Is. 49:6). And Simeon echoed that in his song. But Isaiah also proclaimed these words of the promised Savior: He made My mouth like a sharp sword (Is. 49:2). Or as we heard today, He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall kill the wicked (Is. 11:4). And so, Simeon reflected that in his pronouncement.

All of this predicts what Jesus Himself said later about the sword He brings to Israel: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (Matthew 10:34–39). 

The Christmas angels sang “peace on earth,” and they were right. Jesus brings peace to earth from heaven by reconciling us back to God by His blood that forgives our sins. But Jesus is also a divider. He brings a sword and He even divides families. Even Mary and the other blood relatives would have to decide whether they would receive the Savior who had come to bring them God’s peace, or would they rebel against Him and deny His Word. Even Mary had to become a part of her Son’s family. She had to become one of the heavenly Father’s children, the same way everyone else is—by faith in her Son’s Word and in His atoning death. The death of Jesus was the greatest of God’s signs, far greater than the swaddling clothes and manger. The cross of Jesus makes it clear who this Child is and what He came to do. And so His preaching and His death and resurrection will be the center of dispute for the rest of history. You can’t get over or get around Jesus’ Word and Jesus’ cross. And how you take that, determines whether you fall or rise.

That divides people. It divided Israel, and it still divides families today. No one is untouched by this sad reality. A sword pierces our souls also. Christmas brings the cross, and so Christmas brings this sword too. People we love don’t come to church, or things get awkward when discussion turns to religion. No one has it easy with this, and we’ve all thought it would be better if we could just ignore these divisions and pretend like everything is fine. But you’re a Christian, so you can’t. The love of God compels you to care. So pray for your divided loved ones. Be good to them. And confess Christ. In words and deeds, show the new life you have in your Savior. Yes, invite them to church. And then, be there for them, ready, when they need comfort and hope. You are a Christian, so you can share what no one else can give.

And what’s more, dear Christian, the pain and suffering you feel from this piercing sword is just preparing you for the glory that’s coming. The suffering and joy, the cross and crown are joined together for our Lord Jesus Christ, and so they are also joined together for His followers. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for the Gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life (Mark 10:29–31). Suffer for the sake of Jesus and for the sake of His Gospel, and you will receive a new family now in this time, the holy Church, the family of God. And although being a member of this family will bring with it persecution and pain, you will receive eternal life on the Last Day. So, what kind of suffering can possibly compare with or outweigh the joy of God’s truth and the glory of salvation? None. Be faithful unto death, said Jesus, and I will give you the crown of life, (Rev. 2:10). By suffering as a Christian, you bear the mark of Jesus. So, surely you belong to Him.

Christmas does bring a sword. Like the holly, it has a prickle that can cause pain and sadness. Jesus and His cross bring division: some fall and some rise. But Christmas also gives us the message of forgiveness, peace, and hope. Christmas points us to the cross and resurrection of Jesus where we find these gifts from God. So, when you see the holly, be reminded of your Savior’s great love for you:

        The holly bears a berry,

As red as any blood,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ 

To do poor sinners good.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.