GRACE FOR THE WHOLE WORLD
Luke 2:1-14
Christmas Eve, Year C
Analysis by Brian Moeller
1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
From Wikimedia Commons
“Jesus is not born in some glorious, extravagant way, but in a stable and among us in our humbled and sorrowful condition. And he comes not to take on the world on our behalf … but instead to suffer and to die for us on a cross that was made by us.”
DIAGNOSIS: Terrified, hopeless, and let down
Step 1: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem): No room at the inn
A pregnancy out of wedlock. Judgment in the air from family, friends, and the community. To make things worse, they must travel to Bethlehem – not an easy thing to do for a woman about to give birth. And how must Mary and Joseph have felt when they realized the baby was coming? Their frustration must certainly have turned to panic when it became apparent there was no place for them to stay. How helpless Joseph must have felt as he guided Mary into that dirty, smelly shelter for animals. How traumatic that moment must have been – like their world was coming apart.
Today, we are much the same. We attempt to scratch and crawl our way up the ladder in life. Amidst the judgmental and prying eyes of those around us, we make a life for ourselves, trying to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and secure. And like the Holy Family, we too experience moments of desperation and hopelessness, when the institutions we depend on have nothing to offer us. We seek shelter in our own versions of that cold, dirty manger. And we too feel like our world is coming apart.
Step 2: Advance Diagnosis (Internal Problem): Desperation and Fear!
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (v. 7)
Perhaps Mary and Joseph may have expected they would find room at the inn – that with the census occurring, the inns of Bethlehem would surely make extra accommodations for travelers without reservations per se, especially for those with young children or a pregnant woman! That, at least, is how we tend to think and trust – until such faith and trust lets us down. Or perhaps we seek only safety and security for ourselves, leaving the poor Marys and Josephs of this world to scramble for themselves. But we do have a serious trust problem.
It’s not a stretch to suggest that the people of modern-day Bethlehem likely share this sense of disappointment. Residents there are certainly not safe and secure within the institutions and powers of their region. As one Lutheran pastor was reported to have said in The Guardian, “If Jesus was born today, he’d be born under the rubble of Gaza.”
And far away from the Holy Land, we too experience the desperation and fear that comes from putting our faith and trust in the powers and things that let us down. Recent events both domestic and foreign have underscored this truth. But even knowing that we have been deceived, we still do not change our misplaced sense of trust. And so, we go on living with anxiety and fear and desperation, waiting for the right power for this world to finally make things right… or great.
We are often enticed with security and comfort and a return to the “golden days.” But these things are short-lived, if they ever do materialize. And there is yet any evidence that we can be prevented from dying, in spite of all the technological advances we have made. “Dust you are and to dust you shall return.” And tragically far too often, this return to dust is most often expedited for those who are the most marginalized, the most desperate, and the most vulnerable.
Step 3: Final Diagnosis (Ultimate Problem): Casting out on a cosmic scale
Our guilt-ridden complicity with all of this, along with our sinful hearts that do not trust God but power, means that we are not in a right-relationship with God. Having broken God’s commandments time and time again, and we are nowhere near a state of righteousness. Having loved ourselves more than God or neighbor, we are in fact guilty of sedition – of rebelling against our creator. God’s critical judgment is what we have coming – no room in the inn!
PROGNOSIS: Fears abated, faith and trust in God
Step 4: Initial Prognosis (Eternal Solution): Good news of great joy for all people!
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” (v. 10-12)
But God turns the tables on even these critical divine expectations by sending his Son, Jesus, for us and for the world. And Jesus is not born in some glorious, extravagant way, but in a stable and among us in our humbled and sorrowful condition. He comes not to take on the world on our behalf, like some kind of strong man of power, but instead to suffer and to die for us on a cross that was made by us. But here he takes our sin and gives to us his righteousness – not just for some, but for ALL – for those like shepherds and migrants within and outside our borders as well as for those with power in this word like tech billionaires and Ceasar-like politicians, that his grace and peace might reign for all as the last Word for our being.
In the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph witnessed God with a human face – a messiah, a king, who comes for us all with the power of love.
Step 5: Advance Prognosis (Internal Solution): Pondering these words in our hearts
Trusting that our sins are forgiven changes everything for us. We have the promise of Christ – that in life and in death, he is with us, and will always be with us. Desperation and fear give way to having our tears wiped away, and where even suffering gives way to be promised children. What began in a manger went to a cross, and then through the empty tomb. In Jesus we witness and trust the work of God that gives us confidence.
And like Mary, we ponder all these things in our hearts. The empty promises of this world and its power will continue to come our way. But trusting Jesus the Christ and his righteousness frees us to be in the world, but not of it.
Step 6: Final Prognosis (External Solution) – Hope For All
Having hope we get to share our coats with the poor, give food to the hungry, selflessly serve our neighbor and fearlessly care for the world without having to brandish a sword or wave a gun. We no longer need to extort, exploit, threaten or bribe our way through this life. Having hope we no longer need to even fear the future. We can give our lives away in service of the neighbor, . . . taking time to listen to that friend who is hurting, looking out for those who are stuck at the end of the line or the back of the bus, ignored and neglected, unwanted and undesirable. There is no one to whom we will not offer hope.
When Luther was once asked what he would do if he knew the world was to end tomorrow, he said, “Plant a tree.” Having hope he didn’t anxiously wonder “What should I then do?” as if he was not ready and had to get prepared or else. On the contrary, having hope he kept on doing what he always had done: trust the Gospel and keep on caring for the world by planting trees and surprising it with the hope we have in Christ who holds the future in his loving hands.
