Revelation 21:3-7
St. John writes: And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Christ is born! Let us glorify Him!
We might say that the birth of a baby gives everyone in that baby’s family a feeling that a new beginning has come – not just for the baby, but for the whole family.
A new joy, and a new optimism about the future, accompanies the arrival of a new baby. The whole family is, in a sense, rejuvenated, on the occasion of the arrival of a new member of the family.
In the family of God, something like that happens, whenever we have an opportunity to witness a baptism. When we see a new Christian beginning his or her life of discipleship, and when we hear the baptismal words spoken over that person, this gives our faith a boost.
Our faith is refreshed and renewed, when the faith of another is – in such a way – inaugurated and brought to life in our presence. And, according to the rhythm and discipline of the church year, something like that can also happen for us – and in us – every year at Christmas.
During the past year, our faith has been battered and attacked, bruised and beaten – from the inside as well as from the outside – by the onslaughts of the sinful flesh, the fallen world, and the devil and his minions. Through all of this, we have – to one degree or another – become tired in our souls, and spiritually discouraged.
And, as we reflect on the year that is now behind us, and on how we have lived for the past twelve months, we are filled with regret on account of our moral failings, our compromises and lack of conviction, and our half-heartedness in the love and service we have owed others.
We are filled with remorse over our many failures to speak and act when we should have spoken and acted; and over our many failures to be silent, and to defer to others, when we should have done that. After another year of living in a sin-sick world – with an old sinful nature that still clings to us, and seems so often to drag us down – we may very well be feeling pretty old, and pretty worn out, at this point.
Perhaps we are troubled also by a frightening sense of distance between ourselves and God that may have settled in, due to our many human weaknesses. We can feel unaccepted and rejected by God, because we know that sin is in fact unacceptable to him. And we know that we are sinners.
But there is a message for us on Christmas that can and will lift us up from all of this, and cleanse us of all of this. There is a message for us on Christmas that will restore our hope, renew our joy, revitalize our faith, and give us – once again – a vivid awareness of God’s close, loving, and forgiving presence in our lives.
It’s the message that Joseph heard even before Christmas, when the angel told him:
“Do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Jesus will save you from your sins. Jesus has saved you from your sins.
It’s the message that the shepherds heard while they watched their flocks on the night of Jesus’ birth:
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
This is good news for you. In the city of David, a Savior was born for you.
The story of the birth of Jesus, when we hear that story once again today, and believe that story once again today, gives us a new birth of hope, joy, and faith – once again, today. When the Christmas Gospel enters into our minds and hearts, Jesus himself enters in, and does for us what he always does for his people when they embrace him, and when he embraces them.
Today’s text from the Book of Revelation testifies to what Jesus will do for us, and for all his elect, on Christmas Day, on every other day, and ultimately on the last day:
“He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”
And then, as Jesus himself speaks from the pages of that book, we hear him say:
“Behold, I make all things new. … I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.”
On a cosmic scale, Jesus will make all things truly and fully new in the new heavens and the new earth, at the end of this world. But before then, Jesus already makes all things new wherever he goes, and wherever he pours out his life-giving Spirit.
He makes all things new for you. Are you tired in your soul, and spiritually discouraged? The Son of God, your Lord and Redeemer, makes all things new.
Are you filled with regret and remorse, and do you feel old and worn out? Jesus Christ, who washes away all your sin, and justifies you with his righteousness, makes all things new.
The pure and fresh Babe of Bethlehem, vibrant and full of life, makes all things new for his people this day. But, not only on this day.
We understand the point that is often made, that every Sunday is like a little Easter. Every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection, and of the resurrected Lord who is with his church, as its living Head, in his Word and Sacraments.
But every Sunday, and indeed every day, can also be for us a little Christmas, too. You don’t have to wait for December 25th to roll around each year, to regain the freshness and vitality of a renewed faith.
Whenever Jesus is with you – at any time, and on any day – he is with you as the one who makes all things new. His grace, when received, never leaves you alone and separated from God.
His pardon, when believed, never leaves you ashamed before God. His reconciliation, when embraced, never leaves you afraid of God.
When he speaks, everything is new again. The slate is wiped clean. Discouragement is vanquished.
There is a saying – designed to oppose the commercialism of Christmas – that goes like this: “Keep Christ in Christmas.” That’s a good saying, and we should follow it.
Yet there is another less common but equally significant statement that I think also fits with what we have been talking about today: “Keep Christmas in Christ.”
At any time of the year, even in the most sober and somber seasons, you will never have an encounter with Christ that will not be an encounter with the newness and joy of his life – so vividly portrayed and made manifest to us in the Christmas Gospel.
Every time you receive Christ, you receive him as the one who gives you a new beginning in your faith, and a new beginning in your relationship with God.
When he comes to you in the words of his absolution – today and every day – he comes to make all things new. When he comes to you in the words of his Sacred Supper – with the glorified body and blood that he received from Mary, and that he sacrificed for the forgiveness of your sins – he comes to make all things new.
And so we sing his praises on this Christmas Day. With a renewed and hopeful faith, we confess him together before the world:
HaiI, the heavenly Prince of Peace! Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He leaves His throne on high, Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth; Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the new-born King!”
And with a refreshed and joyful faith, we together pray to him, with the confidence that he hears us, and will grant us what we ask:
O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray,
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Immanuel! Amen.
Christ is born! Let us glorify Him!
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.