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| Norma A. Boeckler |
The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, 2017
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Hymn #647 O Little Town of Bethlehem
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Sermon Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior
Not the World's View
Hymn # 646 Silent Night
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
Hymn #341 Crown Him with Many Crowns
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| Norma A. Boeckler |
CHRISTMAS
Lord God, heavenly Father, we give thanks unto Thee, that of Thy mercy and compassion Thou didst suffer Thy dear Son to become incarnate, and didst through Him redeem us from sin and everlasting death: We beseech Thee, enlighten our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may ever be thankful for such grace, and comfort ourselves with the same in all tribulation and temptation, and at last obtain eternal salvation through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Readings
KJV Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. 3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. 5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
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| Norma A. Boeckler |
KJV Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Not the World's View
KJV Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
During this season, many people jump on the opportunity to rewrite the Bible, to improve upon it and argue from some source they have read - or heard - that certain details are wrong and we should re-think them.
Nothing has made me more suspicious of these claims than their emptiness. That is, someone takes on detail and decides to build an entire cathedral of thought upon it. That began as soon as Christianity began to spread. There was always someone who argued that kind of case and wanted a big following because of it.
So the historians, who have to publish for tenure, say, "Look at how they argued over these issues for centuries, about Jesus being God and man." For them, the debate just proves to them that there is no truth. And they ride that hobbyhorse forever.
These mattes can be examined in great detail, but they end up showing us that God's Word is true is all respects and therefore always being opposed.
There is a simple reason for this. God's view is the opposite of the world's view. One is opposed to the other.
Isaiah 55: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
The very act of making God's Word fit into the world's perceptions will distort it. But that is really just the beginning. They are at war with each other. The world uses all weapons, including violence and death, to silence God's Word. Besides that, there are many copies of the truth, decoys and diversions, in world and American religion, to draw people away from the truth by substitution. That is quite effective.
The saying used to be, "Where God builds a cathedral, Satan builds a chapel." But now "Where God builds a chapel, Satan builds a cathedral."
But God uses another method altogether to oppose the world, and that is the Incarnation.
On a specific date in history, the Roman Emperor declared a tax that required Joseph and Mary to make the difficult journey toward Jerusalem, to Bethlehem, the birthplace of David.
If anyone has watched the Biblical epics on film, there is an attempt to re-create the grandeur of Rome. Imperial monuments are always impressive, and Rome outdid them all. Everything Roman was bypassed for the birth of the Savior.
The Temple of Jerusalem was another great and holy place, so large that the remaining Western Wall is still awe-inspiring. That was the capital of Judaism, the place of sacrifice and their Supreme Court rolled into one. And yet they were bypassed for the birth of the Savior.
Looking back, we do not always see the impact of certain details, which we take for granted. But the shepherd boy David became king by God's election, and he was born in Bethlehem. The Good Shepherd was born in the same place because of a tax and census imposed by an authority that did not exist when David was born.
The Messiah would be from the line of David, so the foreign tax brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem by the force of an imperial government. The priests and scholars knew the prophesies well, and all these events were building toward the public ministry of Christ.
Such events as the Star of Bethlehem brought fear and hope to many.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
To this day, Bethlehem is very important and remains in the news for anything religious.
The precision of Luke's Gospel is impressive. Each Gospel takes up and reveals certain details of the Savior's ministry. The rest of the world did not notice anything, as expectant as they were. All the nations longed for a Savior, not just the Jews. Many Gentiles were drawn to Judaism because of the Messianic Promises, a good reason to have a Greek Old Testament. As I wrote many times before, Alexander the Great conquered the world for the Greek language and culture, which made it possible for one language to communicate with a vast majority of the nations. The Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) opened the Hebrew Bible to the world. In this respect, Alexander served as a military leader unparalleled in world history, and he served God's Word unknowingly.
For those we call Bereans, the Old Testament is the foundation of the Gospel's truth. Is this true, that Jesus fulfilled a Promise from centuries ago? The Greek Old Testament taught people that it was indeed foretold in ancient days, back to the Creation.
But while world events were taking place through Joseph and Mary, the supposed eye-witnesses were looking the other way. The great, wise, and mighty were denied their chance to see these events take place, and many who saw Joseph and Mary only saw a poor couple forced to make a journey.
What happened to the relatives and friends who might have been around Bethlehem and Jerusalem? They are not mentioned. Why would people not give up or share room with this couple? Con artists have shown that they can put on rented clothes and drive a rented limo to impress everyone. God does not look at appearances but regards the faith, the heart of people.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
The birth of Jesus is told in two simple verses. In Bethlehem, perhaps earlier than they expected, Jesus was born. She lacked helpers and all the basics. Even in Luther's time they argued over these terms. "A manger" is where the animals eat - a crude crib. At Yale we had a shared crib that went from first-born to first-born. But it was a tiny wooden crib, not a place where large animals ate.
The inn was a place where the travelers would normally stay, rooms to rent, but the rooms were full.
If everyone had known, they would have rioted to help out and share in the honors. Joseph and Mary knew they were chosen for this great honor, but telling people would not have helped at all.
Thus the Gospel does not go about blaring trumpets and declaring great wonders, but communicates through ordinary people who are often scoffed at and laughed at for not fitting in with the world's view of itself.
This is the great temptation, to earn the high regard of unbelievers who love to taunt Christians for being too poor, too weak, too plagued by disease.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
To emphasize this even more, the revelation to the working people, the shepherds, is polar opposite the silence and darkness offered the great, wise, and mighty.
The unifying theme of shepherds is quite remarkable in the entire Bible. The Savior will be The Good Shepherd, so the Gospel message was given to these ordinary shepherds who were just doing their jobs, which meant keeping predators from their flocks, away from the weak and vulnerable.
There are many ways to prey upon people today. Ideas are captivating in good and bad ways. My student suggested that everyone go to an all-day motivational/sales presentation. In Phoenix they happened all the time. He said, "Do not take anything, no cash, no credit cards, no checkbook. Just your ID and car keys. Because they will get you to buy things you never wanted. But it is really exciting and fun." So many have been captured by false-teaching sects, by cults, and by real slave-masters.
The message of God's love was one of faith. The shepherds did not need to join the priesthood or shave their heads or abandon their work.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Fear is the opposite of faith. Therefore, the Word of God always combines the two concepts, "Do not fear but trust in God's Word." For the weak, the poor, the lonely, the disabled, the people recovered from the wounds of life, the Gospel is simple and pure. The Savior is born, just as promised for centuries, in the city of David.
He is not named Jesus in this birth announcement, but given three titles - Christ (Messiah) and Lord and Savior.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
How can they find a baby who is not even named? There is one unique birth that night. The baby will be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, so look for this baby in a stable, not in a palace or mansion, or even in a rented room at an inn.
A sign - that really means a miraculous proof. We have watered down the meaning of "a sign." That is said so often that it more a matter of personal opinion. What is the symbol of Jesus' birth today? No one needs to doubt it, because in every place we see a stable, animals, and Jesus in a manger, with Mary and Joseph nearby.
This remains the Gospel reminder of how God works. He always works through the Word, so I laughed to myself when I saw a special presentation book created for a bishop, something from the New Testament. The printing, cover, everything was so elaborate that it would never be read, only admired and shown in a place of honor - or discarded to be sold as a used book (where I saw it). But the true Christian Church is a mouth and ear church - we speak and hear the Gospel.
Today someone can work from a rented apartment, surrounded by atheists in a world-class city, and reach the entire world with Gospel publications. And that was true long ago, before the Internet and inexpensive printing.
One only needs faith in God and disregard for human opinions to send books to African seminaries.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
God does not simply show us these truths. He shows them over and over, in many ways, so we cannot possibly miss the power and love of His message.
The shepherds received the initial message - angel means messenger. What the angels said was miraculous and world-shaking, told only to these working people. But then the fireworks display appeared - an enormous army of angels praising God and saying:
- Glory to God in the highest.
- Peace on earth.
- Good will toward men.
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| Norma A. Boeckler |
