Love Came Down at Christmas

Love Came Down at Christmas

Rev. Dr. Tom Sorenson, Pastor

December 18, 2016

Scripture: Luke 2:26-38; Matthew 1:18-25

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O God, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

Sometimes the poets say it best. Christina Rossetti said it this way:

Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, love Divine.

Love was born at Christmas,

Star and Angels gave the sign.

Love came down at Christmas. Jesus was born at Christmas. Jesus is love. Jesus is God’s love come to us as a helpless newborn infant. That’s what Christmas is about. Oh, sure. Our culture makes Christmas be all about retailing. It makes it be all about getting the retailers in the black by the end of the year. It makes it be all about exchanging gifts to prove to people that we love them. It would have my wife Jane believe that because I don’t give her diamonds I don’t love her, and she doesn’t even like diamonds. It makes Christmas be all about a northern snowy winter even in places that never have snow. It makes it be about hanging ornaments on a northern evergreen tree even in places where you’re a whole lot more likely to see palm trees than firs. It makes it be about a Christian saint named Nicholas from Asia Minor becoming a jolly old fellow who lives at the north pole and has flying reindeer who somehow magically make it possible for him to deliver toys to all the children in the world in one night. It makes it be about green wreaths with red bows and silver bells. Our culture makes Christmas be about all of those things.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with any of those things, or there wouldn’t be anything wrong with them if we didn’t take the retailing and gift giving part of it to such ridiculous extremes. Most of that stuff that we turn Christmas into is OK, and it certainly can be a lot of fun. It can be a time of great joy, of time spent with family and friends, although we must never forget those for whom Christmas is not a time of joy because they miss departed loved ones or are alone. Most of that stuff is OK and can be good, but here’s the thing. None of that is what Christmas is really about. What I want to talk to you about this morning is what Christmas really is about.

Now obviously, Christmas is about the birth of the baby Jesus. Historically speaking it isn’t exactly Jesus’ birthday. Christmas means Christ mass, and it is the day in the liturgical calendar of the church when we commemorate and celebrate Jesus’ birth, not necessarily the day when we think he was actually born. We don’t know when he was actually born, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we remember and celebrate the truth that he really was born. And we remember and celebrate that he really was born because of who he is. He is our Lord and Savior. He is the Son of God. He is the Word of God Incarnate. He is the one in and through whom we have forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life. Thanks be to God!

Jesus is all of those things, but Christina Rossetti reminded us in her beautiful poem that we can think of him in a somewhat different way too. She says Love came down at Christmas and Love was born at Christmas. She’s right. Jesus Christ is all of those other wonderful things because he is first of all love. He is, as Rossetti says, love Divine. He is the love of God become human. He is the love of God in a form we can see. He is the love of God in a form we can relate to because that form is as human as we are. He is God’s love tenderly held in his mother’s arms. He is God’s love with his earthly father alertly keeping watch for any possible harm that might come his way. He is the love of God with no special honor. No military guard. No crown and no throne, not earthly ones anyway. He is God’s love as helpless and vulnerable as every human baby is at first. But for all that he is God’s love Incarnate, the fullness of God’s love come to us as one of us. Jesus was born at Christmas. Love came down at Christmas.

Love came down at Christmas, yes; but just what is that love that came to us that blessed day so long ago? It certainly isn’t apparent just what that love would be when all we have is newborn baby Jesus. He’s just a baby. Now of course every birth is something of a miracle. Those of you who have given birth, and those of us who have been present as our children have been born, know that truth well enough. But in his birth, if not quite in his conception, Jesus is just a baby on Christmas day. What the love that he incarnated actually was would become clear only in his adult years as he pursued his ministry, did his teaching, performed his miracles, suffered his crucifixion, and rose again to glorious new life.

The love that Jesus brought and that Jesus is has many aspects to it, but I’m not going to go into all of them this morning. This morning I just want to celebrate. This morning I just want to bask in the warmth that is the love of God in Jesus Christ. This morning I just want to revel in the reality of Christmas that God loves us, all of us, all people, all of creation, more than any of us can even imagine. In Jesus God is willing to give God’s all even for the likes of us. Even for us, we people who always fall short, who always sin. We know that we do, and in Jesus God says maybe you do, to me it doesn’t matter. At least it doesn’t matter so much that I will never forgive you. It doesn’t make me love you any less. I love you so much that I became one of you to bring you my love. To show you my love. To love you in person. To love you in a way you can understand. Not remotely but intimately. Not abstractly but personally.

In the baby Jesus love came down at Christmas. Love divine not merely human. Love greater than any human love. Love such as only God can give. Love that says you are safe with God no matter what. That’s what Christmas is about. That’s why we celebrate. That’s why we feel such joy at Christmas. Love came down at Christmas. Love all lovely, love divine. So as we celebrate Christmas this year let’s remember what this day is really about. Let’s remember the real reason to celebrate. Love came down at Christmas. God’s love came down at Christmas. Thanks be to God! Amen.