LutheranLectionary.org

Series B – Christmas Eve – Thursday, December 24, 2020 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:28	the holy gospel according to saint luke
0:30	the second chapter
0:33	[Music]
0:40	in those days a decree went out from
0:42	caesar augustus that all the world
0:43	should be registered
0:45	this was the first registration when
0:47	quirinius was the governor of syria
0:49	and all went to be registered each in
0:51	his own town
0:52	and joseph also went up from galilee
0:54	from the town of nazareth to judea to
0:56	the city of david which is called
0:57	bethlehem
0:58	because he was of the house and the
0:59	lineage of david to be registered with
1:02	mary his betrothed who was with
1:04	child and while they were there the time
1:06	came for her to give birth and she gave
1:08	birth to her firstborn son
1:10	and wrapped him in swaddling clods and
1:11	laid him in a manger because there was
1:13	no place for them in the end
1:15	and in the same region there were
1:16	shepherds out in the field keeping watch
1:18	over their flock by night
1:20	and an angel of the lord appeared to
1:21	them in the glory of the lord shone
1:23	around them
1:24	and they were filled with fear and the
1:26	angel said to them
1:27	fear not for behold i bring you good
1:29	news of great joy
1:30	that will be for all people for unto you
1:33	was born this day in the city of david a
1:35	savior who is Christ the lord
1:37	and this will be a sign for you you will
1:39	find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes
1:42	and lying in a manger
1:43	and suddenly there was with the angel a
1:46	multitude of the heavenly host praising
1:48	god
1:49	and saying glory to god in the highest
1:52	and on earth peace among those with whom
1:54	he is pleased
1:56	when the angels went away from them into
1:58	heaven
1:59	the shepherd said to one another let us
2:01	go over to bethlehem and see this thing
2:02	that has happened
2:03	which the lord has made known to us and
2:06	they went with haste
2:07	and they found mary and joseph and the
2:09	baby lying in a manger
2:10	and when they saw it they made known the
2:12	saying that had been told them
2:13	concerning this child
2:15	and all who heard it wondered at what
2:16	the shepherds told them
2:18	but mary treasured up all these things
2:20	pondering them in her heart
2:22	and the shepherds returned glorifying
2:24	and praising god
2:25	for all that they had heard and seen as
2:27	it had been told them
2:29	this is the gospel of the lord in the
2:31	name of Jesus
2:32	amen our story tonight begins
2:36	in darkness we learn from our gospel
2:38	text
2:39	that Christ was born at night what an
2:42	interesting
2:43	thing it makes perfect sense in the
2:45	gospel of john
2:46	chapter 1 we read this regarding the
2:49	incarnation
2:50	of our lord the true light which gives
2:52	light to everyone
2:54	was coming into the world he was
2:57	in the world and the world was made
3:00	through him
3:02	yet the world did not know him he came
3:05	to his own
3:06	and his own people did not receive him
3:12	what has happened to us
3:16	what a stark contrast this is
3:20	in the beginning of the bible we read
3:22	that god
3:23	formed adam from the dust of the earth
3:25	and his lifeless body
3:27	was sitting there standing there well
3:30	lying there
3:31	no breath had come into it yet and then
3:34	it says that god breathed into his
3:36	nostrils the breath
3:37	of life an amazing picture if you would
3:41	and so there adam as his eyes open for
3:45	the first
3:46	time and he becomes a living spirit
3:49	a living soul the first thing his eyes
3:52	see
3:53	are his creator
3:56	but we all know how the story goes our
3:59	first parents rebelled against god
4:01	disobeyed his command cast his word
4:03	behind them
4:04	and listened instead to the voice of the
4:06	serpent the great dragon
4:09	and in so doing plunged us into ruin and
4:12	misery
4:12	and death has come upon us all but we
4:16	are so
4:16	plunged into darkness that when our god
4:21	shows his face we don’t even recognize
4:26	him
4:32	truth is if Christ were sitting here
4:34	tonight
4:36	worshiping with us we wouldn’t know him
4:41	we don’t know what his face looks like
4:44	few have seen the face of god
4:48	and so consider that in this text our
4:50	gospel text
4:52	just how amazing the story is because
4:55	when we think about
4:56	god we can’t think about god apart from
4:59	thinking about our sin
5:00	and the fact that we have just messed
5:03	everything
5:04	up we all know the darkness of sin sin
5:08	is slavery sin is not freedom
5:11	sin is almost practically a mental
5:13	illness
5:15	it’s a delusion it focuses you on
5:19	yourself and you become like the devil
5:21	thinking all about me myself and i
5:24	the other unholy trinity
5:27	the other unholy trinity is the devil
5:30	the world and our own sinful flesh
5:32	but it’s all about me and in so thinking
5:35	that it’s all about me
5:36	we absolutely
5:40	disobey god and we hurt
5:44	and we sin against each other have you
5:46	ever noticed
5:49	maybe it’s hard not to that this year
5:52	has been just terrible absolutely awful
5:57	nobody saw this pandemic coming and it
6:00	isn’t even much of a pandemic if you
6:01	think about it you got a 98
6:03	chance of surviving if you actually
6:05	catch this thing but our
6:07	the global economy has melted down we’ve
6:09	watched as people have been
6:12	losing their jobs and have you noticed
6:15	that the politicians they don’t seem to
6:17	be any kinder to each other
6:20	the rhetoric is at a fever pitch of
6:21	hatred the world is full of malice and
6:24	the reality is
6:25	that you and i have all participated in
6:26	it
6:28	and there’s a bunch of blame going on
6:30	bunch of blame
6:31	oh it’s your fault this politician
6:34	didn’t act quick enough to stop the
6:36	pandemic it’s their fault their policies
6:38	brought this upon us
6:40	it’s them and then the other side says
6:42	no it’s them
6:44	and we all pick a side and we throw
6:45	rocks at each other
6:47	thinking that somehow by doing that we
6:50	can justify ourselves but the reality is
6:52	this
6:53	haven’t you figured it out yet the
6:56	pandemic
6:57	is not their fault it’s mine
7:01	it’s yours these are the consequences of
7:05	our sin
7:06	and god has allowed us to suffer the
7:08	inconvenience
7:10	of a global pandemic that kills very few
7:15	but has shown us to be the wretched
7:17	miserable people that we are
7:19	plunged into utter darkness
7:24	and so with that our gospel text brings
7:26	us this word
7:28	in those days a decree went out from
7:31	caesar augustus that all the world
7:33	should be registered
7:34	registered for what attacks and oh what
7:37	a title this man has
7:38	caesar not just caesar he’s caesar
7:41	augustus
7:43	you can almost hear the vibrato and the
7:46	bass
7:46	and the echo going along with it
7:48	augustus
7:52	but he like so many sovereigns of the
7:56	ancient world was a false god
7:58	and people worshiped him as god on earth
8:01	but he died
8:02	just like other men do but you’ll note
8:05	then
8:05	that here when history had run its
8:08	course
8:10	moses and the prophets had prophesied
8:12	for many centuries
8:14	that god would send us a savior
8:17	one to redeem us one to set us free
8:20	one who would be the light who would
8:22	lead us out of the darkness
8:24	and Christ chose to be born
8:28	under the boot of the roman empire
8:32	he didn’t come to rule and to reign
8:35	scripture is clear that though he wasn’t
8:38	by nature god he didn’t consider
8:41	equality with god a thing to be grasped
8:45	instead he humbled himself and he took
8:49	on the form of a slave
8:54	doesn’t even have citizen status
8:58	in the roman empire just
9:01	somebody being governed
9:04	by them and we know how ruthless they
9:06	were this was the first registration
9:08	when inquiriness was the governor of
9:10	syria
9:11	all went to be registered each to his
9:13	own town
9:14	and joseph also went from galilee from
9:17	the town of nazareth
9:19	to judea to the city of david which is
9:21	called bethlehem
9:23	why because he was of the house and the
9:25	lineage of david
9:26	and those words should have given him
9:28	some status he
9:29	is the rightful heir to the throne of
9:32	judea
9:33	he is the one who should be sitting on
9:35	the throne of david but there is no
9:36	throne of david
9:39	because the line of david squandered
9:44	what they had received from their
9:46	parents
9:48	from their ancestors from david himself
9:51	and they plunged israel into great ruin
9:53	and misery and idolatry
9:56	even bringing into the temple of god
9:58	itself
10:01	cult male prostitutes
10:06	the worship of ashira
10:09	baal molech and rather than turn when
10:12	disaster was upon
10:14	them they persisted in their sin
10:17	and their unbelief and god made good his
10:19	word to the prophet jeremiah
10:21	and they were taken into captivity and
10:23	the reign of david
10:25	came to an end with zedekiah
10:29	for hundreds of years the line of david
10:33	languished in complete obscurity i mean
10:35	it doesn’t get any more obscure than
10:37	nazareth
10:38	like i said earlier this week a village
10:41	of
10:41	50 families maybe and what was
10:45	david what was the son of david joseph
10:48	what was he
10:50	he was a day laborer construction guy
10:53	he painted houses worked in stucco wood
10:56	wood
10:57	things like doesn’t get any lonelier
11:01	than that
11:03	and so he doesn’t even have the freedom
11:06	to stay in nazareth
11:08	the edict of caesar augustus has gone
11:10	out and he’s got a head
11:12	back to the town of his ancestors to the
11:15	city of bethlehem and we’re going to
11:16	note something here
11:18	that when you look at all the greeting
11:19	cards at Christmas time
11:21	the way they depict mary you always have
11:23	the blue sky
11:25	the sun is long gone you have the stars
11:27	coming out you always have that
11:28	beautiful star
11:30	the star of bethlehem shining and then
11:32	you can see mary
11:33	in silhouette as she heads towards
11:35	jerusalem
11:36	riding on a donkey i hate to break it to
11:40	you but
11:41	joseph couldn’t afford that not with the
11:44	job he had
11:46	which means that mary more than likely
11:48	walked
11:49	she walked from the city of nazareth all
11:52	the way
11:53	to bethlehem now if you are pregnant in
11:57	your ninth month
11:58	and your baby’s a little overdue
11:59	walking’s not a bad
12:01	thing i would note that joshua was a
12:04	little late
12:05	he’s been late ever since but when
12:08	barb my wife was pregnant with joshua
12:11	joshua was taking his dear
12:13	sweet time he was probably playing
12:15	nintendo we’re not sure
12:16	exactly we haven’t confirmed or denied
12:18	this report but what ended up happening
12:20	is
12:21	these were the days before we had the
12:22	internet and so my wife had this book
12:25	and the book was called
12:26	what to expect when you’re expecting and
12:30	she followed the book as if it was the
12:32	bible of pregnancies
12:34	i had i learned things i didn’t even
12:37	know existed
12:38	all from this book and so she consulted
12:40	the book and of course consulted her
12:42	physician
12:42	and said my son is late this is not a
12:45	good sign
12:46	and i am miserable being pregnant please
12:49	tell me what i should do
12:51	and the doctor says well we’re not going
12:53	to induce you yet
12:54	why don’t you walk and she looked it up
12:57	in the book and the book says
12:58	walk and so my mother-in-law was in town
13:01	and so you know what
13:02	my wife and my mother-in-law did they
13:04	walked
13:05	they walked the streets of seattle up
13:07	and down the hills they marched this way
13:08	and that way they marched to park pike’s
13:10	place
13:11	they went to the columbia center they
13:13	went all over town
13:14	and guess what they only had to do that
13:17	for a couple of days and josh said
13:18	enough
13:19	enough i’ll put the nintendo down
13:24	that’s not exactly what he said
13:28	but i got that nudge in the night and my
13:31	wife said it’s time
13:33	well it took them a few days to travel
13:37	from nazareth
13:39	to bethlehem and mary when she got there
13:43	it was time for her to give birth and it
13:45	makes sense if you think about it but i
13:48	want you to consider this
13:50	more than likely mary is
13:53	15
13:57	16
14:00	she’s definitely not in her 20s
14:03	and i want you to think about this
14:04	giving birth is a scary proposition
14:07	for any woman yet alone
14:11	a girl in her teens and she’s not at
14:14	home
14:15	she’s not with her mother she doesn’t
14:18	have her normal family network to be
14:20	there with her
14:22	and the text tells us that the king of
14:25	kings the god who spoke the universe
14:27	into existence
14:28	that he ended up being born in a barn
14:32	because there was no place for them the
14:35	the it doesn’t make any sense
14:39	how is it that we not do we not know
14:42	that this girl was carrying in her womb
14:46	our god our savior our lord
14:51	why were there not people saying oh
14:53	please take
14:54	my accommodations and oh dear here’s
14:58	some hot water and some towels and some
15:01	things to help you with giving birth and
15:03	none of that is even mentioned here
15:06	which means that it was just her and
15:09	joseph they were kind of on their own
15:11	and at the end of it all they had were
15:16	well swaddling closet they can gather up
15:20	and when it was all said and done
15:23	they placed Christ into the feeding
15:26	trough
15:27	of animals
15:31	when kings are born there’s usually
15:35	bells that are told
15:38	criers go out and announce the good news
15:42	but with the birth of our savior there
15:43	was nothing
15:50	he came to his own his own did not
15:52	receive him
15:54	they didn’t even know it was him that’s
15:57	how blind we are
15:59	how steeped in the darkness of sin we
16:01	are
16:03	but now the angels come to the rescue
16:06	and part of me wants to just think that
16:07	the angels are sitting there looking at
16:09	what’s going on going do they not
16:11	see this how can they not see this
16:15	and i can see michael and gabriel having
16:17	a squabble going
16:19	we’ve got to do something now this is
16:21	roseboro’s interpretation this is total
16:23	apocrypha it’s not in the text
16:25	but you sit there and you sit there and
16:26	go what you can see the angels just
16:28	looking over at the rails of heaven
16:30	going now this is amazing
16:32	god rather than giving them what they
16:34	deserve those rebels
16:36	setting them all up into hell he has had
16:38	compassion on them
16:40	and sent them a savior god himself has
16:43	rolled up his sleeves and gotten the
16:45	fray and has become a slave
16:49	angels long to look into these things
16:53	and i dare you to think of anything more
16:55	loving and sublime than this
17:00	and so in that same region there were
17:02	shepherds out in the field
17:04	keeping watch over their flock by night
17:07	we learned from jerome
17:08	the church father jerome the fellow who
17:10	translated the bible into latin he grew
17:13	up in bethlehem
17:15	he grew up here and he writes
17:18	and tells us about the fact that Jesus
17:20	where he was born was practically
17:23	over the same spot where david was born
17:25	and that these
17:26	hills where the shepherds were which are
17:29	just
17:29	outside of bethlehem were the very same
17:32	places
17:33	where david had taken his flocks as he
17:36	cared for the flocks of his father jesse
17:39	and so in honor of the man who was a man
17:42	after god’s own heart the king
17:46	who Christ would possess his throne
17:49	and rule and reign from for all eternity
17:51	in a world without end
17:53	the angels then decide that they’re
17:55	going to
17:56	let the secret be known
18:00	the thing that everybody had missed
18:02	they’re going to announce then
18:04	to lowly shepherds so an angel of the
18:06	lord appeared to them
18:08	and the glory of the lord shone around
18:10	them and they
18:11	were filled with fear
18:14	we’ve all had an experience where we’ve
18:16	been outside outdoors in the dark
18:19	and man it can get really dark outside
18:21	sometimes i remember one time being on a
18:23	camping
18:24	trip with my brother which was a mistake
18:26	by the way agreeing to do this
18:28	but we were on a camping trip and my
18:29	brother we liked he liked to prank me i
18:31	like to prank him
18:33	and he thought it would be a really fun
18:34	idea to wake me up from a dead sleep in
18:36	the dark of night in the middle of
18:38	nowhere
18:39	with a very bright flashlight and of
18:41	course
18:43	or whatever he said there was violence
18:45	that followed and i’m
18:47	still in therapy over that but the whole
18:49	point is is that using a flashlight in
18:51	that way in the dark was quite effective
18:54	and he wasn’t even an angel and he
18:55	definitely scared me
18:58	and so these angels appear and they are
19:02	holy god is holy
19:07	we are not but they appear in the
19:11	darkness
19:12	and the text says that they were filled
19:14	with great fear
19:16	but the angel said to them fear not fear
19:19	not for behold i bring you good news
19:22	of great joy that will be for all
19:25	people what an amazing thing god has
19:29	entrusted
19:30	a good news message the gospel to
19:32	shepherds
19:34	and expects them to share this message
19:37	with others because
19:38	this wasn’t just for them this is a
19:41	message of great joy and good news for
19:44	all people
19:44	and you’ll note how faithful these
19:46	shepherds were in delivering the message
19:48	that they had received from god
19:50	and here’s what they heard from the
19:51	angel for unto
19:53	you is born this day in the city of
19:56	david
19:57	a savior who is Christ the lord
20:03	a savior city of david
20:08	messiah it’s all there
20:11	they are the first to receive the good
20:13	news
20:14	of the birth of our savior and the
20:16	messiah Jesus Christ
20:18	humble shepherds not king herod
20:22	not the high priest not the seminary
20:25	prof
20:26	no shepherds and he says this will be a
20:30	sign for you
20:31	you’ll find a baby wrapped in swaddling
20:33	claws and lying in a manger
20:36	and then suddenly there was
20:39	with the angel a multitude of the
20:41	heavenly host praising god and saying
20:43	glory to god in the highest
20:45	and on earth peace among those with whom
20:47	he is pleased
20:48	have you ever stopped to think that
20:50	every time we sing the glory of pawtry
20:52	every time we sing these glories in the
20:55	liturgy
20:56	Christmas is there for us every divine
21:00	service where we sing these words
21:05	so when the angels had went away from
21:07	them into heaven
21:08	the shepherds said to let one another
21:12	let us go to bethlehem and let us see
21:14	the thing that has happened
21:16	which the lord has made known to us
21:19	these are pious shepherds they
21:21	understand that they have heard from god
21:23	and so they went with haste they didn’t
21:26	dilly dally they went right to it they
21:27	went with haste and found mary and
21:29	joseph and the baby
21:30	lying in a manger
21:36	i want you to think about this
21:40	we think about god and our sin we think
21:42	if god is going to show up
21:45	what do we expect a whirlwind
21:48	a tempest an earthquake
21:52	bolts of thunder lightning darkness
21:55	smoke all the things
21:58	that would shake us to our core
22:02	standing in front of god and we know
22:04	that this is
22:05	what we should expect from him because
22:07	of our sin and rebellion
22:09	but i want you to note that these men
22:12	after being
22:12	instructed by an angel of god hearing
22:15	the heavenly choir who
22:17	can say they’ve heard that
22:20	few have none are alive today
22:25	that when they get there that rather
22:26	than seeing an angry stern face of god
22:29	they looked into the face of their god
22:32	and there he was
22:35	and they went oh he’s so cute
22:40	because that’s what everybody does when
22:41	they see a newborn baby
22:44	and there he was little nose
22:47	little eyes little fingers little toes
22:51	nothing to fear and that’s the point
22:56	rather than get what we deserve we got a
22:58	humble
22:59	baby a humble savior
23:04	and there he is lying in a manger
23:07	sleeping breathing and just like any
23:11	other child
23:12	after he was born he took his first
23:15	breath and he cried
23:19	i never expected god to be like this
23:22	but that’s how god comes to us
23:27	indeed it is good news a savior
23:31	one who would grow
23:34	and every time i sing that hymn
23:37	the one we sang is the sermon hymn
23:41	when we get to those lyrics i keep
23:43	telling myself
23:44	this time i’m not going to cry
23:48	and i have yet to pull it off
23:54	nails spear shall pierce him through
23:59	the cross be born for me for you
24:07	hail hail the word made flesh the babe
24:12	the son of mary
24:16	so our god comes to us as a baby
24:20	with a virgin singing a lullaby sitting
24:23	in a manger
24:24	not a palace and all of this is good
24:27	tidings for us
24:28	because as it says in our epistle text
24:30	for tonight
24:32	when the goodness and the lovingkindness
24:33	of god our savior appeared
24:36	he saved us not because of works done by
24:40	us
24:40	in righteousness but according to his
24:42	own mercy
24:44	by the washing of regeneration the
24:46	renewal of the holy spirit
24:48	you see the one thing that we all have
24:49	in common with david is that each and
24:51	every one of us can say along with david
24:52	that in sin did my mother conceive me
24:55	but Christ was not conceived in sin
24:57	everything about his conception just
24:59	screams holiness purity
25:05	how sad it is that each and every one of
25:08	us
25:08	our birth was tainted with sin
25:13	but you’ll note that Christ talks about
25:16	the fact
25:16	that in the waters of baptism we’re
25:19	united with Christ
25:21	and that we are born again according to
25:24	the spirit
25:25	and so our second birth
25:28	is pure and holy just like Christ’s
25:32	birth
25:34	he was born pure so that we could be
25:37	reborn
25:40	pure
25:43	and all of this he’s poured out us on us
25:46	richly
25:47	god is not chintzy when it comes to love
25:50	he’s not chintzy when it comes to grace
25:53	he doesn’t piecemeal mercy out
25:56	he bestows it on us pours it on us
26:00	richly the picture is so beautiful in
26:03	scripture
26:03	it’s like oil running down the beard of
26:08	aaron
26:11	it’s over the top it’s rich
26:15	so now being justified by his grace we
26:18	now
26:19	have become heirs according to the hope
26:21	of eternal life
26:24	the prophet isaiah said it well
26:28	behold your salvation comes behold his
26:31	reward is with him
26:33	and they shall call shall all be called
26:37	the holy people
26:41	sinners called the holy people and this
26:44	was fulfilled
26:46	because all who believed in Christ who
26:48	were baptized into his death in his
26:50	resurrection
26:51	after his death for our sins on the
26:53	cross
26:54	his victorious resurrection from the
26:56	grave on the third day
26:58	and his ascension into heaven the word
27:00	went out
27:01	the good news that was first proclaimed
27:04	in bethlehem
27:05	now is announced to the whole world
27:08	Christ your savior has been born he
27:11	suffered bled and died
27:12	repent and be forgiven
27:18	and all who have been brought to him
27:20	united with him
27:21	and had their second birth are called
27:24	holy people hagio in greek
27:28	you know the word is saints the prophecy
27:31	is fulfilled
27:32	listen to this he also said that they
27:36	would be the redeemed
27:38	of the lord and indeed we are purchased
27:41	from slavery to sin death and the devil
27:43	we are no longer slaves to sin
27:45	we are adopted children of god because
27:48	we have been redeemed by what Christ has
27:50	done for us
27:51	this babe is exactly what we needed
27:55	and we will be called those who are
27:57	sought out
27:59	and you have this picture here then of
28:02	Jesus the good shepherd
28:05	going and chasing after and hunting down
28:07	his lost sheep
28:09	and we will be called a city that has
28:10	not been forsaken
28:12	so brothers and sisters take heart this
28:14	Christmas take
28:15	heart this great Christmas eve and note
28:17	this that God has not forsaken us
28:20	he has not left us in the darkness of
28:22	sin and he cares deeply that you have
28:25	been enslaved to the devil
28:27	and he himself has sought after you he
28:29	has redeemed you
28:30	he has made you holy and you have not
28:33	been forsaken
28:36	you have been saved
28:43	merry Christmas in the name of Jesus
28:47	amen

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