Bloghardt's Reflector

We did it every year without fail. And as I got older, I could almost say the words with him. “Let's go check out the chimney. My goodness, it's footprints. I wonder if the cookies are eaten? Do you think Santa was here?”

One year, I decided that I could skip the speech. I woke up early and ran right to den. I'd have gotten away with it too, if I hadn't gone back and forth filling my older brother what he had gotten. I learned that year you can find your way on your naughty list even after Santa has come!

Sometimes for us grown ups, the glow of Christmas can fade away amidst all our grown up problems and mess-ups. But, I tell you, I would love to go back and follow my father around the house looking for all the gifts of Christmas. I wish my family could have seen my Dad go!

The glow of Christmas hasn't faded for our young people. No, I’m sure they are already thinking of what’s going to be under the tree and whether or not they might catch a glimpse of old St. Nick later tonight. All of you have been good, right?

But first, they blessed us with a perfect telling of the Gospel story. They nailed it. Young people, you nailed it! What a wonderful delivery of the Christmas Gospel to us!

The Gospel is the message of God that saves us. We can never hear it enough. There’s never a point at which it gets old for us. If it does, check your heart to see if it’s still beating.

For all of the Christmas Gospel is true - every last bit. There really was a young teenage girl named Mary who was told by the Angel Gabriel that she was with child. She really was a Virgin.

The Holy Spirit really did come upon her and the glory of the Lord overshadowed her and the one in her belly was the Lord God Himself. She was real, her Baby is real too.

Mary and Joseph went to a real place known as Bethlehem. No one thought anything about Bethlehem back then. Talk about nowheresville!

But it was buzzing that night because a census was being taken. So, there really was no place for Mary, Joseph, and Jesus that night. No room in the inn!

So, in a barn or cave, Mary really did give birth to her firstborn and wrap Him in swaddling clothes and lay Him in a food trough, a manger.

It was just like you told us. Right down to the shepherds. Now, I imagine the shepherds watching their flocks by night were about two times the size of our shepherds. But to them came the announcement of the Savior's birth.

And there were indeed angels, probably ten times the size of our angels tonight. Singing “Glory to God in the Highest and peace to His People on Earth!” This really happened! All of it!

Our salvation depends on this, dear saints of God. Your salvation too, little ones. It depends on this Christmas Gospel being real.

For our sins are certainly real – our despising of God’s Word, our taking what isn’t ours, our hate, our foul language, our not forgiving others, our hurting others, our lying, our deceit, our lusts, all of them are real.

Our trying to make up our religion is real too. We play the naughty/nice game. Some days we are naughty, some days we are nice. And we think inside ourselves that if we just make sure our good days outweigh our naughty days, God will give us heaven like Santa will give us gifts.

But, in our heart of hearts, we know that we have far more naughty days than nice ones. He won’t give us heaven, and we are terrified. Terrified of God and terrified of what is waiting for us on the Last Day.

What we desperately need is a Savior. A Savior to save us not only from our sins, but from the wraith of God. A Savior to take upon Himself all our naughty and give to us His nice.

God Himself has come to save us - in the person of His Son, born of the Virgin into our flesh. God has come down to earth to live out for us what we could not live and to die for what we have ourselves done.

This is why the angels sing. They sing because God is doing His thing and saving His creation. It’s marvelous in the sight of heaven.

You deserve hell. Each of you. You deserve a lump of coal that isn’t just in your stocking but that burns your body and soul for all eternity in hell.

That Baby keeps you from the coal you deserve. He takes on your coal, takes on your suffering, takes on your death.

Only God can do that. Only God can save you from yourself. Only a man can die in your place.

So the children have told us! Baby Jesus is true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity and true Man born of the Virgin Mary. He’s God and Man. God in the flesh - born of the Blessed Virgin.

Born to save you. Born to rescue you, to buy you back from all your sins, from your death, and the power of the devil. Not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and innocent suffering and death. He’s born into our world to die.

And then He makes that salvation yours...makes it yours in His gifts. For Jesus is not in the manger, not wrapped in swaddling clothes any more. The manger does you no good unless God makes it yours, gives it to you, like a Christmas gift.

So, the Babe of Bethlehem delivers to you salvation where you are at, in the place where you, in a means in which you can receive.

He comes to you in His gifts: in the waters of your baptism and in the Word preached and read. He gives His body for you to eat, His blood for you to drink tomorrow under bread and wine in His Supper. Eat, drink, be washed, hear the forgiveness of sins. This is what He came to do for you.

For God is not angry any more. Not with you. Not because of you. God has turned from His anger because Christ really did come in the flesh. Because God’s Son really was wrapped in swaddling cloths. God really did sleep in the manger. In the person of Jesus, true God and true Man, He did.

God Himself won your salvation by sending His Son into your world to die for you. He’s made that salvation yours in His gifts.

That’s what makes a Merry Christmas merry. Way back when I was growing up and dad was dragging us around the house, tomorrow when you wake up and look under your tree, and a few years from now when you have your children's children over at your house. Christ's birth makes Christmas Christmas.

O Come let us adore Him, O Come let us adore, O Come let us adore Him Christ the Lord. Merry Christmas! In the name of Jesus. Amen.