Emmanuel, The Fulfillment of Advent, December 24, 2013

Emmanuel - The Fulfillment of Advent

Christmas Eve Service

Psalm 95:1-9, Matthew 1:18-25

December 24, 2013, 4:00 p.m.

Grace Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

Outlaw Christmas?  This evening I have a hypothetical question for you. “What if it was illegal to celebrate Christmas?” No worship service such as we are having would be allowed.

No mention of angels, shepherds, or wise men permitted.  The schools would be in session. The banks would be open. And if we did try to observe the birth of our Savior, we’d be fined. I’m sure we’d be up in arms. We’d be protesting and writing letters of outrage to our representatives in congress.

Sound farfetched? Actually, such a ban of Christmas did take place. In Colonial America, the Puritans of New England disapproved of Christmas. Why? Because they associated such celebration with paganism and idolatry since yule logs, caroling, candles, holly, mistletoe and Christmas trees were all of pagan origin. They believed that only the sabbath day was to be kept holy, and felt that December 25th, the day chosen for Christmas was based on a pagan holiday.

As a result, any celebration of Jesus’ birth was outlawed in Boston for twenty-two years, from 1659 to 1681. In fact, during that time, a Massachusetts law punished those who celebrated Christmas with a five shilling fine. As late as 1870, classes were still being held in Boston public schools on Christmas day and children who chose to stay home were punished. Thus, for a 211 year periods, from 1659 to 1870, Christmas celebrations were virtually non-existent in many parts of the United States.  Finally, in 1870, the United States Congress proclaimed Christmas as a national holiday.

So again I ask you, “What would happen today if Christmas was suddenly outlawed? And schools were in session tomorrow? The banks were open for business. Mail came as usual. And the day unfolded like any other day of the year?”

My answer is this. Although outwardly things would be different and we would miss singing Christmas carols, decorating Christmas trees, and attending Christmas Eve services such as this one, I suggest that the prohibition of Christmas celebrations should make absolutely no difference in our lives. Why? Because the celebration of Christmas is not dependent upon creches and advent candle lighting and singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “What Child is This?”, and our closing hymn, “Silent Night.” Christmas is not dependent upon what we do or don’t do but rather upon that which already has been accomplished in Bethlehem.

The celebration of Christmas is dependent upon whether or not God is in our midst and in our hearts. That God is in our midst is affirmed by John who wrote: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, ... full of grace and truth.”

Jesus is the Divine Word that became flesh in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Jesus is Emmanuel! God with us!

Yes, God is still “the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity” as the prophet Isaiah wrote. [Isaiah 57:15]. Yes, “The Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” as the psalmist wrote in our Old Testament reading.  And yes “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” as our Westminster Catechism proclaims. [Westminster Shorter Catechism, question number 4]

 But God chose not to remain solely as the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity. Many years ago, in a remote corner of earth, an angel spoke, a woman listened, a baby was born, and the Word that had created the heavens and the earth now became incarnate in a baby. And from that moment on, God has been with us in a manner never before experienced.

Think of what this means! God is with us in every aspect of our lives. God dwells with us. And even if we took away our treasured Christmas celebrations with our nativity scene and beautiful hymns, we could still continue to celebrate the birth of our savior because God is always with us, not only tonight, but every day of our lives.

And when we celebrate Emmanuel each day, we are transformed from not simply being followers of Christ, but bearers of his life into the world to make him known to all.

One person put it this way: “When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among brothers and sisters, to make music in the heart.” [Howard Thurman, “Work of Christmas”]

Do you realize what this means? Every time we forgive or are forgiven, we are celebrating Christmas! Every time we help someone in need, we are celebrating Christmas! Every time we refuse to show prejudice or express bigotry, we are celebrating Christmas. Every time we hold a crying child or comfort a grieving spouse we are celebrating Christmas! And every time we calm anxious hearts and allay their fears, we are celebrating Christmas! On and on the list could go. Suffice it to say that we can celebrate Christmas many, many times a day wherever we are and whatever we are doing.

And so this Christmas Eve we can give thanks that we live in a land in which we can decorate our sanctuary and homes and have the freedom to sing our beloved hymns. But most of all we can give thanks for God coming to us in the flesh to dwell among us as Emmanuel.

Tonight our Lord will be breaking bread with each person here during Holy Communion. As he does this, remember:

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior. Amen.

Psalm 95:1-7 NRSV

O come, let us sing to the Lord;

   let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

   let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the Lord is a great God,

   and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth;

   the heights of the mountains are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it,

   and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down,

   let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

For he is our God,

   and we are the people of his pasture,

   and the sheep of his hand.

Matthew 1:18-25 NRSV

 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.