TWO CHRISTMAS SERMONS - 2005

Christmas Day 2005


"In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." (Gal. 3:26f)

Once again we are celebrating Christmas - the Christ mass, the birth of the Christ, the Messiah of Israel. But as we remember the birth of Jesus, we also remember his death. In the communion service we “proclaim his death until he come”.

So today we celebrate the birth and death of the Son of God. What a privilege and joy it is to be a parent! What joy a newborn son brings to his father and mother! What joy the birth of Jesus brought to his heavenly Father! “I bring you tidings of great joy,” announced the angel. This was good news “which shall be to all people.” The angels in heaven, the shepherds on earth, and Joseph and Mary rejoiced that night with God the Father. And this joy would be shared with millions of men and women throughout the ages, and with us here today.

But there is another side to being a parent. What a sorrow it is for a father or mother if their child dies, is injured or goes astray. In holy communion we remember the passion, the suffering, of Jesus. But if the Son suffered, so did the Father. The Greek philosophers taught that God could feel no passions or emotions, but the God of Israel is a God who suffers with his people. When his people suffer, He suffers with them. When they rejoice, He rejoices. Jesus said that when a sinner repents, the angels in heaven rejoice. And so does the Father himself.

So let us not forget that the Son of God was born to die, to give his life “a ransom for many”.

However, let us dwell today on the joy there is when a baby is born, and especially the joy that Joseph and Mary felt. If this baby was not the Son of God, the story could easily have been quite different - a human tragedy. Joseph was engaged to be married to a virgin. When he discovered that she was pregnant, he came to the obvious conclusion, that Mary had been unfaithful to him. He could have divorced Mary, he could have exposed her to public disgrace, or even have her stoned to death for adultery. But he didn’t. Why? The Bible tells us that he didn’t want to expose her to ridicule and shame because he was a righteous man. What does "righteous" mean? It is a common biblical word that isn’t used much outside religious language. It isn’t the same as "just". A just man might have insisted on legal justice - stoning for adultery and compensation for any financial losses he had incurred. But no. Joseph was a righteous man. In the Bible the word ‘righteous’ refers primarily to the character of God. “I am a righteous God,” He declares in the Bible. And being righteous doesn’t mean sticking to the letter of the law, it means demanding what is right but being ready to show mercy when appropriate.

Why did God choose Joseph to be the stepfather of His Son? First and foremost because he was a righteous man. Joseph’s character reflected something of the character of God. He was to be the role model for Jesus as he grew up. He was also to be his main teacher in both religious and secular matters. It was vital that he should be a good man, a reliable man, a solid character.

What else do we know about Joseph? Strangely enough, the Bible does not record a single word that Joseph said. Was he then a quiet man who let Mary do all the talking? Did he teach Jesus when it was good to keep quiet? Was it due to Joseph’s teaching that Jesus did not reply to false accusations but maintained his quiet dignity when questioned by Pilate. I get the impression that Jesus generally spoke quietly yet with authority. Whenever he raised his voice, the Bible mentions it. He spoke with a loud voice to the crowds who otherwise would not hear him. He cried aloud on the cross so that all could hear. It is said that one preacher wrote in his sermon notes: “raise your voice, argument weak.” Jesus’ argument was never weak. He didn’t need to shout to make his point.

Joseph may have already been an experienced father. The Gospels tell us that Jesus had brothers and sisters. What we don’t know is whether they were Mary’s children. Tradition has it that Joseph had children from a previous marriage and that he was a widower when he married Mary, his second wife. We just don’t know.

What we do know is that Joseph was a man after God’s heart, the man chosen by God to fulfil the role of earthly father in Jesus’ life. If he was married before, he would have been somewhat older than Mary, and probably died before Jesus began his public ministry. In any case we hear no more about him. He had completed his task as father. Mary was left to complete her task as mother.

Jesus was the Son of God - the only-begotten son of God, the only natural Son of God.

But the good news is that those who believe in him can be adopted sons of God. "In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith”. No one is a son of God by natural birth. One becomes a son of God through faith in Jesus. Those who claim that all men are sons of God are mistaken. Jesus said that his brothers and sisters are those who do the will of God and believe in his name. Believe in Jesus as your Saviour and you too can be a child of God, a brother or sister of Jesus. And if a brother or sister of Jesus, an adopted child of God and an heir of God. All the riches of heaven belong to the children of God. All authority in heaven and earth is given to Jesus. He is our big brother who has power to take care of us, provide for us and protect us.

It has been said that God has many children but no grandchildren. Jesus was known as the Son of David, not the son of Joseph. The Son of David was a messianic title reserved for a descendant of King David who would one day reign over Israel in the Kingdom of God. So in Hebrew thinking a son might be a great-grandson or a great-great-grandson and so on. In any case a son has a relationship with the father or ancestor and inherits from him.

You cannot inherit the faith of your parents. You cannot inherit salvation from them. Salvation is a gift to every individual, but like Christmas presents, it needs to be received individually. Let us not leave the greatest Christmas present of all unwrapped and forgotten. May Christmas be a truly family occasion, not only in our earthly families but in the family of God where Jesus has pride of place in our lives and homes.

Amen.