Grace Notes 2024-12-25
‘Tis the Season to be jolly’…
I’m certainly not opposed to feeling jolly. But the deep-seated joy and hope of the Holy Nativity is not dependent on some ideal emotional state. The good news of Christmas is especially helpful amid our troubles.
The title of my Christmas Eve Sermon is “Christmas Comes in the Bleak Midwinter.” And I have more in mind than the fact that December 25 comes in the snowy, dead of winter in the northern hemisphere. I am reminded that Jesus’ birth took place in a bleak world. And the world in this age remains bleak, dark, broken, and full of trials and tribulation.
Jesus’ birth to the Virgin Mary was the first advent of our Lord. The Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, came into this world humble and as the Babe of tiny, obscure Bethlehem. In fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shown.” The greatest darkness is the darkness of sin. And with Jesus’ coming the darkness was pierced. He indeed is the Light of the world!
Surprisingly, this great light has not immediately ushered us into the light of the New Day, also promised from of old. Instead, it is light, life, comfort, and hope where it was scarce to be found. It is a light promised to be with us to the end of the age, and onto the dawn of the new age. This Light, Christ Himself, enlightens and gives life for the world. His life! And all who do not stubbornly refuse it and turn from it, it seeds and sustains a profound hope and an abiding joy deep in our hearts, even as we suffer, mourn, and endure trials in this age. Whether or not we feel jolly, the news of Christ’s birth is balm for the troubled heart and soul. Christ came to save us from sin, and to deliver us from evil. God’s peace to you this Christmas!
Since You Asked…
What is the significance of the Season of Christmas?
The season of Christmas begins on the evening of December 24, the Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord, and continues through January 5. The feast day is December 25. On the octave (an 8-day period beginning with the festival day) of Christmas two festivals occur: the Circumcision of Our Lord and the Name of Jesus. Depending on the day of the week on which Christmas falls, there may be two Sundays after Christmas. In most years, however, there is only one. Because of the nature of this singular event in the history of the world and its meaning for our salvation, the festival and season of Christmas is a time of great joy. (drawn from the Altar Guild Manual, published by Concordia Publishing House)