Bloghardt's Reflector

False charges are filed against Him.  Witnesses lied and twisted His Words.  He answers not a word.

He is punched with their open fists.  “Prophesy to us, Christ, who it is that strikes you.”  They mock Him and then spit upon Him.  

A royal robe is placed upon Him as He is crowned with thorns.  Blood drips down His temple.  They flog Him - wiping with a whip with multiple fingers and sharp objects upon it, so that it might separate flesh from bone.

His people reject Him.  They save the murderer, He is carted away to be crucified.   They roll dice for His clothes leaving Him shamefully naked.

Nails pierce His hands and feet.  Each one, driven through into the wood.  The wood of the manger is replaced with the wood of the Cross. Not as forgiving.  Not as kind.

He is hoisted up from the earth for all the world to see.  All of God’s wraith and indignation for the sins of the world is poured out upon Him.  He who knew no sin - not a single one - having answered for our crimes.  He hangs on the Cross for us and for our salvation.

He calls out for a sip of water.  A sponge is lifted to his lips.  He cries out with a loud voice.  He dies.  Then, to make sure He is truly dead, He is pierced with a spear.  

Surely He bore our sorrows and carried our grief.  That’s Good Friday.  The Cross.  

Different picture?  Not so happy.  Yet, the same Jesus rocked by Mary this night dies before her eyes on Good Friday having answered for our sins.  Did she hold Him ever so briefly after He died on the Cross?

Tonight, we celebrate that God is born to live a life perfectly in our place.  God is born to answer for our crimes.  God is born to die.  

I’ll repeat that again:  tonight we celebrate that our God takes on our flesh to answer for our sins on the Cross.

Nails, spear, shall pierce Him through, the Cross He bore for Me, for you.  Hail.  Hail. The Word made flesh, the Babe the Son of Mary (LSB 370, 2)

Our sins, our trespasses, our going our own, caused God to do this - to take on flesh to die.  

And that should cause us pause.  God has to do this to save us.  There is no other way to rescue us from the horror of our sins than to do it Himself, in our flesh and to go through the manger to the Cross.

Dear Saints of God, turn from your sins this Holy Night.  For Christmas is a great day to change.  To stop doing and living the way you used to live.  To stop the dark things you do - daily and much.  To cease the hatred that you have those around you - those who you have wronged, those who you think have wronged you. 

And don’t stop to save yourself.  If you could save yourself by changing, Christ would not have need of take on your flesh.  

No, because Christ came, because He took on your flesh, let the goodness of Almighty God teach you to change for the sake of others.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age”

The grace of God is in the manger wrapped in swaddling clothes.  And Jesus’ goodness and mercy teaches us - even us - to set aside the way we’ve been living and draw near to the God who has drawn near to us in the person of Christ.

For all our sins, Jesus bore.  All our debt, God Himself has paid.  God’s got no anger, no malice, no rage left for us because Jesus bore it all.  

To save you.  Christ is born of Mary to cast out our sin by His holy life and bitter sufferings and death.  

But, Christmas is more than a picture on a Card or captured by a nativity scene.  Good Friday is more than a mental picture.  These things actually happened.  All of them - from census, to the Virgin with child, to little city of Bethlehem, to the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the manger, to the same man dead on the cross for your sins.

And since these things actually happened, there is only one more thing to do!  The gift needs to be delivered!  You can have the most beautiful Christmas card, but unless it is delivered, it doesn’t bring anyone any joy!  Gifts don’t do anyone any good under the tree either.  It’s not until they are given and opened that there is happiness for the one you love.

So, God’s messengers, His angels deliver His good news.  And for our joy and salvation, the angels don’t go and tell the big wigs.  No, Augustus and Quirinius.  No, they were asleep in their beds.

God’s messengers deliver His Good News, His Christmas present, to people the likes of you and me.    

To the shepherds.  You can’t get any more humble than shepherds!Sometimes they are faithful shepherds.  Sometimes they aren’t.  But, to those guys, comes these news.

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."

For unto y’all.  For y’all.  For your salvation.  For your heaven.  For your joy.  For your Merry Christmas is born this day in David’s city, a Savior - Christ the Lord.  

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

The Lord does this, He is incarnate, takes on our flesh to redeem our flesh.  God has come to save us - only God could.  

And God doesn’t stop there, He makes sure the shepherds know exactly where to find Him.  You’ll find the strangest thing - a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a food trough.  

Strange picture, but they saw that very thing - they found Jesus exactly the way the angels said.

Contemplate that this night.  In the manager is God Himself.  He sleeps.  He wakes.  He snuggles.  And on Good Friday, He hangs dead answering for your crimes.

He does what He does to save you from your sins, to give to you the everlasting life that God always wanted you to have before Adam and Eve’s mess up.  

This is the glory and joy of Christmas.  God has come not to get us or punish us.  He should, but He won’t.  No, God has come to save us.

And He has come to you this night - not in swaddling clothes and laying in a food trough.  No, that was the first Christmas.  This night, He has come to you in the Word which has enlivened you to leave your sins behind and cling to the One born of Mary.

Tomorrow too.  Don’t forget tomorrow.  Tomorrow is Christmas.  Christ’s Divine Service, where He will come to you in His Supper.

Christ has come.  No more sadness.  No more terror.  No more death.  He has taken it all on and saved us.

And we, with the heavenly hosts, glorify Him for what He has done.

 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!"

Merry Christmas!  In the name of Jesus. Amen!