The Miracle of Christmas
By Sylvia Leonor Cervantes
St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022
Good afternoon and Merry Christmas to you, beloved of God. The immortal and comforting words of Luke are appropriate today and any day, “For unto us this day is born in the City of David a Savior.”
My Dad said to me, “Since you are going to preach, I will be glad to give you a sermon idea and feel free to improve it.” I don’t know that I improved it much, but I sure made it a shorter sermon.
Several Christmases ago my Dad wrapped our presents in birthday paper and never noticed (though my mother did).
If we carefully analyze the story of the birth of Jesus we discover an important, yet often overlooked, theological fact: There is no mention of wrapping paper. If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said so.
But this does not appear in the Bible, which means that the very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped.
To a visitor from Mars, wrapping Christmas presents would seem strange indeed. As would the rest of the holiday. He would find it odd that we cut down trees and put them in our homes; or, even stranger, buy fake trees which look like the real thing. He’d have serious questions about the sanity of wrapping houses and trees in enough lights to land a 747. It’s an amazing time of year.
But then the miracle goes away. The wrapping paper is trashed; the trees go out by the curb or up in the attic; Santa Claus returns to the North Pole, taking Christmas with him.
But not this year. We pray that this year you and I will not miss the lasting, life-changing significance of this event. I’m praying that you and I will understand the true miracle of Christmas–not the toys and tinsel and trees, but the actual miracle which made possible the most significant turning point in human history.
When we remember all that really had to happen for Christmas to come, I think we will stand in awe of this miracle. And we will understand why it matters just as much to us today as it did to those who first witnessed the foundational event of all eternity.
Most of us are familiar with the miracle of earth as we consider Luke chapter 2. On this holy day I want us to reflect on the miracle of heaven which is a precursor or shadow of the miracle on earth.
In Genesis 3 we read about the fall of humanity and the fact that Satan is now the unlawful god of this age.
Our sins separated us from the holy and righteous God who is Judge of the universe. Because sin separates us from the God who is the source of all life, sin causes us to die physically, relationally, emotionally, spiritually, eternally. Death is the inevitable consequence and penalty of our sin.
And the only way our sin can be forgiven is for its price to be paid in full.
When my Dad was in the sixth grade he was quite devious. He shot his BB gun through the windshield of a moving station wagon in front of his house. And guess what? Someone had to pay for that windshield. Ten dollars wouldn’t fix the glass. The debt had to be paid in full, and that included a very good spanking on my father’s behind. He said he could hardly sit for three days and he never again shot a BB gun. Sin requires death.
The moment you and I sinned, we deserved to die. Our death could not pay anyone else’s debt, for we owed that debt ourselves. Only a sinless person’s death could pay for us. And the only sinless Person in the universe is God himself.
God would have to pay the penalty. His Son would have to die. That’s why the Bible says that Jesus is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8).
And so, in heaven it was decided that the Son of God would have to come as the “offspring of a woman” so his death could pay the penalty of our sin and free us from Satan’s hold on our souls.
This was the miracle in heaven which led to the miracle on earth: the free choice of the Father’s grace to send his innocent Son to die for us, so we could live eternally with him. Without that decision, Christmas could never have come. If we don’t understand that miracle, Christmas is just a holiday. When we appreciate that miracle of God’s love and grace, Christmas becomes relevant for us all.
Architect, writer, and inventor Buckminster Fuller observed, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
From the printing press to the iPhone, cultural history has proven him right. But Fuller’s thesis was never more powerfully demonstrated than it was twenty centuries ago in a manger in a tiny town south of Jerusalem.
The world into which Jesus was born was as divided and divisive as ours. While the “Pax Romana” prevailed through military force and subjugation to the Empire, the culture of the first century was conflicted and confused in the extreme.
A plethora of religions and worldviews competed with each other, including Greek and Roman mythology, mystery cults, Judaism, and philosophical schools such as neo-Platonism, Aristotelianism, Stoicism, Epicureanism, Cynicism, and Skepticism. Jewish society was divided into supporters of Rome such as the Sadducees, zealots plotting to overthrow the Empire, legalists like the Pharisees, and those who were caught in the midst of their conflicts.
Into this dark and divided culture came the “light of the world” (John 9:5). His movement transcended the cultural and spiritual divides of his day with a new hope unlike any the world could offer. He promised his followers, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Now, why did Jesus Christ come to earth? For you. You are the reason for the season.
With all your faults and frailties, with your guilt over the past and fear about the future, with all your hopes and dreams and problems, you are the reason for the season. You are the one Jesus came to redeem. He refused all temptation so that he could die a sinless death for you. He chose the cross when he could have called 10,000 angels to save him, for you. He gave up his spirit for you. He was buried for you. He rose from the grave for you. He will come again one day for you.
This Christmas Eve, no matter how hard or good things are for you, remember the source of your personal worth.
You may be grieving the loss of someone you love. You may be lonely and alone. You may be fearful of what 2023 will bring. Or you may be blessed with a loving family, good health, and great prosperity. But know that these things are not the source of your personal worth. They can all be gone tomorrow. The source of your personal worth is the fact that you are worth the birth and life of the Son of God. He loves you, He likes you, and wants to spend eternity with you.
The greatest miracle of Christmas is that it happened in heaven and in history, for you. Please join me in a closing prayer:
God, our Creator, we offer this humble prayer on Christmas Eve. We come to worship with a song of thanks in our hearts—a song of redemption, a song of hope and renewal. We pray for joy in our hearts, hope in our God, love to forgive, and peace upon the earth. We ask for the salvation of all our family members and friends, and we pray your blessings on all people. May there be bread for the hungry, love for the unlovable, healing for the sick, protection for our children, and wisdom for our youth. We pray for the forgiveness of sinners and abundant life in Christ. Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love and power. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.