The Christmas Day service is my favorite service of the year, and I love that we host a Christmas service at Wartburg Seminary. I preached this year, and in my sermon I emphasized the gift of God’s radical and unconditional love and grace that comes to us in Jesus Christ, without any conditions or restrictions. On Christmas Day, and every day, the love of God in Jesus Christ wins; the world desperately needs that good news, and it is both our duty and our joy to share it.
Merry Christmas.
What a joy to see you all here this morning! I’m so glad you came, and so glad that we can be together on this happiest of days, when we celebrate the miracle of God come among us, in the flesh—in the flesh of a little baby boy, Jesus Christ.
I am especially happy to see you all here because I know that church can be hard, and it is not always easy to come to church. Maybe it’s been hard for you—but you came anyway, and we are grateful!
So many of us have been disappointed in the church. We’ve been hurt by pastors who have said stupid things and made us feel ashamed or misunderstood. We’ve been hurt by other members, whose pettiness, judgmental attitudes, and in-fighting have made us feel like outsiders, or have made Sunday mornings feel like a chore.
And the bad sermons—so many bad sermons. I’ve preached some of those. So, I understand: church can be hard.
But you know who is not hard? If this were a children’s sermon, they would all say, Jesus, and they would be right!
In spite of all of our wayward efforts to make faith in God and Christian discipleship so much harder than it needs to be, God—our loving, gracious, merciful God—continues to come to us with open arms, with an overflowing heart, as non-threatening and inviting as a newborn baby can be, to bring us life, light, and love.
That’s it—that’s the heart of the church’s message, not just today, but every day, actually. But especially today! No questions asked, no bar to be met, no application process, no quiz, no evaluation. Ready or not, God just comes—bringing forgiveness, welcome, acceptance.
This joyous coming is all that today is about. No more and no less than this: the love of God come to us in the most intimate way possible: in our own human flesh—the infant Christ, surrounded by Joseph, his mother, farm animals and shepherds.
Now, I don’t know what you think about this proclamation. Whether you think it’s true, in a scientific sort of way; whether you believe it, in a faith sort of way; or whether you’re here because the Christmas service is part of a long family tradition, and, if you are honest, you aren’t sure what, exactly, you believe.
Well, today of all days, I’ll tell you a secret. Today of all days, it doesn’t really matter. Because, today of all days, you don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to think or believe anything. Our only job today is to sit back in wonderment and bask in the take-your-breath-away love of a God who cares for us more deeply than we can ever begin to understand.
A God who looks at you and calls you beautiful.
A God who thinks you are perfect just the way you are.
A God who takes delight in you doing “you” sort of things: quirky, flawed, and sometimes a bit misguided—sometimes a lot misguided—but with your hopes, your good intentions, and your inner struggles. God sees all of that, and loves you so much.
So, I don’t know what else has characterized this holiday season for you so far, or what comes next—today or tomorrow. But I pray that when you leave here today, you take with you the sure knowledge that no matter what else you are, first and foremost, you are a beloved child of God, a child God came down into the world to embrace, and to love. And don’t let anyone tell you differently.
In 2007, then-Archbishop Rowan Willams preached at Christ Church, Zanzibar, on the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade, and in that sermon he asked, “What happens when I at last learn that I am loved?”
You, friends, are loved: deeply, unconditionally loved by God through Christ Jesus. And from that love, you can do anything—including share that love, with a world that so desperately needs it. Because you are first loved by God, you, in turn, can love others—freely and lavishly, boldly and foolishly, even those who seem so unloveable, even those who don’t love you back.
Today, love has come down and lives among us. Today, love wins. May it be so for you—today and everyday. Thanks be to God. AMEN.
Happy Lutheran 