2025-12-24 Christmas Eve

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!

22 years ago, way back in 2003, my wife was serving as the Director of Parish Services at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, smack dab in the middle of inner city Edmonton, Alberta. This church had a great history of inner city outreach, starting “The Rock” breakfast program, which fed hundreds of homeless and needy people several days a week. Among other ways they loved and served their community was that they hosted a Live Nativity. They had a big ol’ ramshackle stable, made of weathered barn wood, surrounded by loads of straw bales. They brought in a real live donkey and had sheep running around the street too. People dressed up as Shepherds and angels, the wisemen, Mary, Joseph and of course, the real star of the show, Baby Jesus in the manger. Baby Jesus was plastic because it was -40C! But for two of these screamin’ cold nights in December, the live nativity proclaimed the Good News, that the Saviour was born to set us free. Christmas carols were playing in the background as myriads of inner city folks showed up to behold the scene. It got really interesting when A-Channel News showed up too. We all got to be on TV, instantly becoming local celebrities! But even more awesome was to see how the people reacted when they saw the live nativity, especially the kids. These people had lived their whole lives on the mean streets of Edmonton. They’d never been to a farm. They’d never got to see or smell a donkey up close! The most common reaction we saw on the faces of the kids was just simply standing there, staring in wide eyed wonderment, speechless!

I couldn’t help but wonder if the original shepherds didn’t have much the same kind of reaction when they originally witnessed the Christmas miracle. Definitely they would have been freaked out by the massive Angel choir that suddenly showed up, singing praises to God for what had just taken place. It started out as just another normal, dark night in the desert when all of a sudden, wham! Myriads of angels and archangels show up out of nowhere! Who would have ever expected that?! If the shepherds woke up with their heads stapled to the carpet, they wouldn’t have been more surprised than they were that night!

During the season of Advent, we have been preparing our hearts and minds for this night. Our old friend the Advent wreath has been lighting the way for us, week after week. All of the Advent themes come together tonight in the birth of our Saviour.

The first candle filled us with hope. Hope that God would keep His promise to send the Saviour, the One would come for us and make everything OK. The Saviour who would set His people free and bring light into a dark world. The hopes and fears of so many people are met in that little baby Jesus, asleep on the coarse hay in the manger. This world tries so hard to drag us down into despair. To overwhelm us with negativity and anxiety of various kinds. But our Advent candle of hope still shines brightly, illuminating the darkness of our world. It shines and in its light we see the Saviour and in Him alone we find hope and healing for our lives.

The second candle we lit is the candle of peace. And peace is the message that the Angel brought to the shepherds that dark night. Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled! Peace has been made between God and humanity in that little baby Jesus, sleeping in the rough wooden manger. Peace tells us that God will never love you more or less than He does right now. No matter what you do to try to reject or earn His love, Peace with us and God, that surpasses all understanding, is only ours because of that little baby Jesus. The Messiah who was born for us is the very Messiah who would die for us and rise for us. In Him alone we find true peace.

The third candle on our Advent wreath is the light pink candle of joy. When God works in our world and in our lives, we can’t help but rejoice! Joy to the world, the Lord is come! We are joyful tonight, just as heaven and earth were on that night so long ago when the King of Kings was born, with no room at the inn. Even though everything in life may not be going our way, no matter what circumstances surround us, we still have joy because God is with us! Nothing in heaven or on earth can steal away the joy we have in the birth of the newborn King!

And finally, we arrive at the fourth candle. The candle of love. This final candle answers a question for us. It answers the question “why?” Why was Jesus born into this world? Why did God become incarnate and dwell among us in human flesh? Why was this necessary? It is because of the great love that God has for His fallen creation. He truly is Emmanuel, the God who is with us. And His great love would stop at nothing to be with and redeem His people from sin, death and the devil. In the face of Jesus we see and behold the enormous love of God that He has for you.

On a Christmas eve at a little country church years ago, the service was about to start. The people were filing in and taking their seats. The Advent wreath was lit and flickering. The first candle looked out at the congregation and said “I am hope, but look at all of these people. They are tired, worried and rundown. There are problems and illnesses and a broken economy. Do these people even believe in hope at all anymore?” Suddenly a puff of wind from a nearby drafty window blew out the candle of hope. The second candle said “I am peace, but there’s no peace in the world. Nations rage, homes are divided, hearts are hateful.” Suddenly the flame of peace was also extinguished. The third candle was still burning brightly. “I am joy!” it boldly declared. “But how can there be joy when the people are lonely and grieving or just going through the motions this Christmas?” The joyous flame also went dark. The last candle still burning on the wreath calmly said “I am love. As long as I shine, I will not let the others be snuffed out.” Slowly and carefully, the candle of love leaned over and re-lit the flames of hope and peace and joy.

Because of the great love of God, hope was reborn. Peace was made possible. And joy filled the world once again. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The candle of love didn’t shout. It didn’t argue. It didn’t give up. It simply gave of itself for others - and in so giving, it brought the others back to life. That’s what happened in Bethlehem. That’s what happened on the cross and the empty tomb. That’s what still happens every time Christ the King is welcomed into a heart and a home. In a world where hope, peace and joy often flicker and fade, the love of God in the Christ child relights them all. And all of them are yours in Christ Jesus this night and always. Thanks be to God for the light of the world has come. Amen! Merry Christmas!