Isaiah 9:2-7/Luke 2:1-20
December 24, 2025
Approximately two thousand and
twenty-five years ago, a baby was born. He was born in a nondescript town
located in a land halfway around the world from here. He was not born to
royalty or nobility. His parents were common folk and probably as nervous and
uncertain as most new parents are. He was not welcomed into this world on a bed
of soft linen but was born instead where the animals were sheltered from the
cold of a desert night and the predators that lurked in the darkness.
There should have been nothing
extraordinary about that birth so long ago. How many other babies were born
that night as well? All births are
blessings and miracles, but this birth was different; is
different. It is this birth, this humble birth, that we remember. It is this birth
in lowly circumstances that we celebrate. It is this birth of a baby in a
nondescript town in a faraway land that brings us together on this night, in
this sacred space, in reverence, in awe, and in joy.
Luke tells us that this birth was
heralded by angels; that the dark sky over Bethlehem was suddenly filled with thousands
upon thousands of heavenly beings singing their glorias, shouting their
alleluias. And this good news was proclaimed to shepherds out in the fields,
tending to their flocks. And of course they were terrified. Who wouldn’t be
with the appearance of one angel, much less a multitude? When the angel song receded
back into the night, the shepherds ran to see the baby for themselves, and
there he was – a baby like any other and like no other before or since – and he
was with his mother and his father, wrapped up tight and warm in cloths to
protect him from the night air. The shepherds shared how they had learned of
the baby’s birth, how they had received this good and glorious news, and all
were amazed at their story. And Mary, his mother, who had also been visited by
an angel, treasured and wondered at these stories, these proclamations and
prophecies about her baby boy in her heart.
That is the story that brings us
here tonight. That is the two thousand twenty-five year old story of good news
of great joy that we gather to hear again this evening. We gather to hear it
read and proclaimed and sung and prayed.
But why else do we come? Is it just to hear a
beautiful and ancient story, or do we come to be reminded that this story is
more than just a story. It is a promise. It is a promise – the promise –
to which the prophet Isaiah speaks. His words, his vision, speaks to the
yearning of his people – for freedom from captivity, for fullness of life, for a
return to home, for belonging, for peace.
Isaiah speaks to the heart of his
people, to their longings and to their fears. He proclaims that even though
they have walked in darkness, now they have seen a great light. Even though
these people have lived in a land of deepest darkness, the light has found them
once again. The light of hope, of peace, of joy, of love, of God, is shining on
them – breaking through the darkness and bringing them into the light. A child
has been born for them. A child has been born for them, who will break the
bonds of captivity, who will heal their wounded, broken hearts, who will
fulfill the promise of God for them and for all people.
So, we come tonight not just to hear
this sweet, familiar story, but to hear again the promise of God. To proclaim
again that God’s promise is born among us and for us and for all people
everywhere. God’s promise is for us because we also have hearts that are
broken. We also yearn for freedom from what holds us captive, for lives that
are full, and are abundant in goodness and grace. We yearn for home, we yearn for
belonging, we yearn for peace.
The old, sweet carol proclaims that
in the little town of Bethlehem, the hopes and fears of all the years were met
by the birth of a child born for us. So, we come here tonight not just for the
story but for the promise because we carry with us our hopes, our fears, our
dreams, our disappointments, our longings, our burdens. We come here to be
reminded of the promise that the bonds that hold us captive will be broken. We
come here to be reminded of the promise that peace, real peace, true peace,
full and abundant peace, will come to fruition. We come here to be reminded of
the promise that we are not alone, that God is with us, that there is more in
God’s heaven and earth than we can see or understand or know. We come here to
be reminded of the promise that God became a child born for us, born for us because
of love.
We come here tonight to be reminded
of the promise that what is broken will be made whole, what is lost will be
found, and that we are not alone. God is with us. Hope is with us. Peace is
with us. Joy is with us. Love is with us. God is with us.
A child has been born for us so that
we can live for God and for one another. A child has been born for us so that
we can be reminded of the promise of God. A child has been born for us. Let us
join the angels and the shepherds in proclaiming this good and glorious news.
And may the sound of our alleluias reverberate tonight and always.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Amen.
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