“What Child is This?”     Christmas Day Sermonettes

Pastor Thomas Kock and Vicar Jon Kehl     December 25, 2011

Epiphany ~ A Savior Made Known  (Vicar Kehl)

Following the Christmas season we enter Epiphany, a time when the Savior is "revealed" and "made known" to the world. We see shadows of it in our Christmas account in the words of the angels. They spoke to the shepherds and officially declared that the Savior was born.  News was out and the shepherds spread it quickly.

What if the news never got out? What if the shepherds didn't go see the baby and spread the news about it afterwards? What good would that Savior be to us if we have never heard about Him?  He would be no good.  We wouldn't know of the miracle of the virgin birth or the news that there was peace with God.  Getting that news out was very important. That is why the Epiphany season is important.  This is the time we see the news of the birth of the Savior made known to people of nations afar.

God led men from across countries to come see Jesus showing them that the Savior was for them too.  Little by little in His life, Jesus showed people who he was.   Jesus performed miracles so that people might believe in him and see that he is the promised Messiah.  Word spread about the miracles and by then people knew that Jesus is God. This Jesus is the Savior. 

That was something that had to be revealed to us.  We, in our blind sinful state were unable to recognize that Jesus was our Savior, but through his Word He revealed Himself to us. Praise the Lord that we have the revealed Savior!

Lent ~ A Suffering Savior   (Pastor Kock)

During Epiphany we see Jesus’ glory as He reveals Himself as the promised Savior.  During Lent we see Jesus’ hide His glory as He wins the salvation which He had come to procure. 

And already we’re seeing shadows of that suffering in the Christmas event.  For think of it – who seems to be in charge?  It seems as if Caesar Augustus is in charge!  Mary and Joseph have to travel, not of their own volition, but because a human emperor – and a heathen at that – has so commanded.  Their destination isn’t the capital of the kingdom, but a tiny village.  Their abode isn’t one of ease, but one which covers the bare necessities.  A manger is the Savior’s first cradle. 

But don’t mourn!  Rather rejoice!  For what reason did our Savior come to this earth?  Indeed, it was for this very purpose!  He came to this earth for the very purpose of suffering, that He might win salvation for all the world, and for you.  And so as His life would end in bitter suffering, on a cross, crucified between two criminals, so it’s fitting that His life would begin with suffering.  So it did.  Why so?  Because He loves you. 

Easter ~ A Conquering Savior  (Vicar Kehl)

The culmination of Jesus' suffering surprisingly ends in the joyful celebration of Easter.  Jesus rose, and we celebrate that fact because that is proof that he is the Lord.  The angels proclaimed that on Christmas night, but we couldn't see it. Jesus was in a manger and being watched over by Mary and Joseph and a few animals. If we could have seen Jesus, would he have looked any different from any other baby?  We hear nothing that would set him apart, no visible glory, no royal circumstances, nothing except what the angels said.

Yet the angels knew that Jesus was their Lord and that he would do glorious things. There was nothing more glorious than early that Easter day when the women came to Jesus' tomb and found it empty!  There was an angel there who spoke to them saying, "Do not be afraid!" Those words are familiar to us because we heard them proclaimed to the shepherds that Christmas night. Again, like Christmas night, the angel told the women to go see where Jesus was laying, but it was different this time. This time the woman would not find Jesus lying there.  They would not see Jesus wrapped in clothes like the shepherds did on Christmas night, rather they would only see the place where Jesus was lying and the cloths He was wearing because Jesus was not there.

 Seeing the baby was assurance for the shepherds that the Savior had come, and was real.  That Easter day, not seeing Jesus in the tomb was more assuring than seeing Him.   He is not there! This was proof that Jesus was not a slave to death, but Lord over it.  The empty tomb was the ultimate show of Jesus' glory and victory which means freedom from eternal death for us!

The angel’s rejoicing on Christmas proved to be accurate!   The child that was in the manger was the Lord and continues to be our Lord.  He is our Savior who won life for us. He is our Savior, who is Christ is the Lord!

Pentecost Season ~ A Teaching Savior   (Pastor Kock)

Is it fair to say that it’s easy to get caught up in all the wrong things at this time of the year?  How easy it is to get caught up in the … gifts/parties/shopping/cooking, whatever.  And yes, deep down we know that those really aren’t the important parts of the season; the important part of the season is doing exactly what we’re doing today; focusing on the truth that a Savior has been born to us.  But because of our sinfulness, we need to be taught over and over again.  

The angel did some teaching as he came to Joseph: you’ll give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.  Matthew goes on to teach us that these things were a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that His name would be called “Immanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”  Already from the time of His birth, we’re being taught. 

And being taught what?  We’re being taught the things which really matter!  The word which is translated “parable” means something like this, “a device used to teach what is real and important.”  So what does Jesus keep on teaching us?  He keeps on teaching us what really matters.  He keeps on teaching us the things which are eternal.  He keeps on teaching us that our sins are forgiven, that we’re going to heaven, that eternal things are the most important.  He keeps on teaching us those things.  It began when He was born. 

End times ~ A Returning Savior   (Pastor Kock)

A stable.  Shepherds.  A young family having to travel because of the order of a heathen emperor hundreds of miles away.  A baby, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.  There are all sorts of things about the Christmas account which are really humble.

But in the background of all of it there IS glory!  “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end!”  Indeed the day will come when this same Jesus who came in humility will come again in glory!  This same Jesus who was a baby wrapped in cloths will come back with all the holy angels attending Him, and He will raise all the dead, and He will take His believers to be with Him in heaven forever! 

And knowing that it starts with the manger gives us wonderful confidence.  The Jesus who will return is the Jesus who was willing to come to this earth for us.  The Jesus who will judge us is the same Jesus who was willing to lay in a manger for us, willing to go to a cross for us.  The Jesus who will come back for us loves us dearly.  Yes, He will come in glory, but that’s okay, because He came once in humility, to save us. 

And so we see it.  The Christmas account stays with us all through the Church year; the entire Church year is foreshadowed in the Christmas account.  Let’s rejoice in it yet again in the Gospel celebration.  (What follows is Luke 2 interspersed with Christmas hymns.)