Sermon for Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Eve

December 24, 2007

Isaiah 9:2–7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11–14
Luke 2:1–14 [15–20]
John 1:1-14
Year A
I.N.I. (In the name of Jesus)

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

The child speaks truth when she cries out, “Dad! I’m afraid of the dark!”

The child’s fears unrelieved are for all of us, when not even a night light helps, nor soothing music, nor a drink of water.

When the dad attempts to reassure with the words, “God is with you,” the child’s response is the world’s response to being in the dark.

To that dad, and to all other attempts to assuage the world’s darkness, the child responds (and we know that this, too is our response): “I know, but I want someone with skin on.”

Tonight we light candles to declare that God is light, and in the words of Bishop Desmond Tutu, that light conquers darkness, that love is stronger hate, and life is stronger than death.

We light up trees and home to echo the refrain of Joy to the Word, and heaven and nature sing.

And yet, we might admit, that there is this lingering fear of what lies behind all that brightness, which is darkness that dampens bright spirits.

Or, we could even be afraid of the light, with Luke’s telling of the fireworks in the sky surrounding angels who blare their trumpets and crank up the music of glory wicked loud, scaring the pants off the poor shepherds.

We can reassure gently or we can even blare “God is with you” but the response will still be the same, “I know, but I want someone with skin on.”

So it is important, you could even say essential, or necessary, that we see God, we find God, we know God in the manger.

Dark powers threatened to take over back in the days of Emperor Augustus, who wanted to levy a tax by demanding a census. Dark powers continue in our day in Iraq and Afghanistan and Bethlehem, where just who governs is us for grabs and unnecessary violence seems to be eternal. Dark powers continue in our own land, as refugees, the poor, and the imprisoned struggle to find a way out of sinful less than comfortable predicaments. Dark powers continue as we face illness, grief, and loneliness.

In the midst of intrigue, among the poor and the powerful, while living in the dark, the story of God’s salvation in Jesus the Messiah offers a prelude that lands him born of Mary in a manger.

This is where God sets down for the great plan of loving the world, in a stable.

At that manger, God meets us who are in the dark, in the flesh!

In Jesus, God puts on skin. God becomes incarnate. Or as Bishop Stephen Bouman says, God con carne.

All that we know of God, as Word, Light, Glory, Power, Mystery, takes on flesh and bone.

We will move from the manger to the light as John’s prologue is announced during candlelighting. The tingling down the spine will come at its climax, where it says And the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

Or as the translation into Hawaiian Pidgin English puts it, Dat “God’s Talk” Guy, he wen come one guy jalike us guys. He wen stay wit us. We wen see how awesome he stay. He awesome, cuz he da one an ony Boy dat come from da Fadda. He like do plenny good stuff fo us, cuz das how he stay. Everyting he say bout God, stay fo real.

He wen come one guy jalike us. With skin. In a dark world. Into the ways where beauty and pain collide, where death and life battle with each other, through to a tortuous death on the cross that took our fears and our sins, and the world’s dark ways, and chased them away. Into the ways of resurrected life, life forever, one with God’s Spirit

He like do plenny good stuff fo us, cuz das how he stay. Everyting he say bout God, stay fo real.

Jesus Christ continues to offer the love and the light of God to every seeking soul. We may discover it as we embrace a neighbor, a brother, a child we greet. We may discover it in the meal of forgiveness and new life served in bread and wine and announced to be the flesh and blood of Christ. We may discover it in candles lit and carols sung.

And Christ is out there, in our world, gracing those who live in less than desirable circumstances, like when Joseph and Mary were relegated to a stable to birth their son. We must seek to find him there, and offer space, time, light, and love so that all might know the divine life revealed on Christmas….with skin on.


Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

I.N.I.

The Rev. Timothy J. Keyl, Pastor
Christ the King Lutheran Church
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