Isaiah 9:2-7
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
In Jesus Christ a great prince has been born! His birth has brought on the earth an age of wisdom; the wisdom of God the Father who has reconciled the world to Himself through this prince. An era where the age old might-is-right realities have been tempered with by His Kingdom’s contention that what is right has might. An age where at times on earth, and especially within His own kingdom, peace, order and good government are a reality. For this prince is the Mighty God! This prince’s birth fathered a new age, a new kingdom, an age and rule of light not darkness; an age of divine justice tempered by the righteousness of mercy. Though His kingdom is non-geographical, for it consists of individuals of every tribe, nation, and language throughout the world, nonetheless it has increased and expanded in every age spreading His peace unto the very corners of the earth. Even to the dark secret streets of your own soul. To wherever meek souls will receive Him still.
And His birth harkens an end to battle and bloodshed; an end to the ever present need for military protection; sadly, not within the sorry kingdoms of man where He is ignored, but within His own kingdom. Amongst those who are His subjects He has worked an end to the causes of sorrow, of mass shootings, of hatred, of wickedness. For this king was born to defeat evil itself. On a cross shaped throne this prince defeated our enemies, both he who is the personification of evil, and the wickedness which wages war within each of us. Thus, this prince increases joy throughout the universe.
He was born and has defeated evil. But His complete victory is not yet fully realized. So we live in a time of struggle. Personal struggle against evil, wickedness, the selfishness within, and overt evil without. One day He will defeat evil completely at the end of time when the justice—which our souls ache for, which the blood of all the innocents ever shed cries out from the ground for, which creation itself creaks and groans for—is realized. That day is coming. That day will dawn on us in glory and light. For the God who appeared in meekness will appear again with the hosts of heaven. When He who came in humility will declare Himself the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace.
His zeal will accomplish this great righting of wrongs, this final reckoning, this settling of scores, this justice long desired. But woe to you who are zealous for that day, who desire this righting of wrongs, who crave justice and desire to see it done swiftly without mercy. Woe to you, for you must first recognize your own unjust ways. You must acknowledge your own sin-soaked secrets and the part you play in the universal injustice which is life in this world. If you truly crave peace on earth you must first humble yourself and realize that you are an agent of unrest in our world. Humble yourself as your God did in becoming a helpless baby and embrace this babe who comes to heal your brokenness.
For this prince’s coming means peace for you with God. And His coming into your life teaches you to say no to wickedness, to selfish indulgence, to mindless sensuality, to sloth, ignorance, gluttony, and the legion of vices twisted in themselves destroying our world around us. For before He appears again He desires to teach you to renounce these things. He wants you to be freed of your rampant worship of materialism and instead worship He who gave all matter to us as a gift. And embracing Him in faith He teaches you to live full, whole lives, delighting in His creation, sharing its joys with others, using it as a blessing to each other and not a curse. For He Himself came into this world to rule it, not as a cleptocratic king on the take, but as a Father to His people. A wise man imparting wisdom to the simple. Our God shepherding His wayward sheep to His eternal pastures.
For though His peace is not yet fully realized it has been declared and given to you. “Glory to God in the highest and peace on whom His favour rests,” the angels said. This means His favour rests on all mankind. This Prince came to give His Father’s favour to all. This Prince came to right was is wrong, to blot out iniquity and bring light and immortality to light by sucking all evil, all wickedness, all injustice, all entropy into Himself. Just as a blackhole sucks all matter and light within its pull into it, so He came into humanity to suck our inward evil into Himself. The source of life and light took all darkness and emptiness into Himself, nailing all the evil we human’s have ever thought or done in His body to a crucible of justice. On that cross this Mighty Prince swallowed up death with life, evil with good, darkness with light. In Him all wickedness is banished. In Him darkness is dispersed. Good prevails.
Let us this day in faith go to Bethlehem to see this miracle which God our Father has made known to us through this Prince who is born.
In the name of +Jesus, Amen.
—Pastor David Haberstock
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Thunder Bay, ON
He was born and has defeated evil. But His complete victory is not yet fully realized. So we live in a time of struggle. Personal struggle against evil, wickedness, the selfishness within, and overt evil without. One day He will defeat evil completely at the end of time when the justice—which our souls ache for, which the blood of all the innocents ever shed cries out from the ground for, which creation itself creaks and groans for—is realized. That day is coming. That day will dawn on us in glory and light. For the God who appeared in meekness will appear again with the hosts of heaven. When He who came in humility will declare Himself the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace.
His zeal will accomplish this great righting of wrongs, this final reckoning, this settling of scores, this justice long desired. But woe to you who are zealous for that day, who desire this righting of wrongs, who crave justice and desire to see it done swiftly without mercy. Woe to you, for you must first recognize your own unjust ways. You must acknowledge your own sin-soaked secrets and the part you play in the universal injustice which is life in this world. If you truly crave peace on earth you must first humble yourself and realize that you are an agent of unrest in our world. Humble yourself as your God did in becoming a helpless baby and embrace this babe who comes to heal your brokenness.
For this prince’s coming means peace for you with God. And His coming into your life teaches you to say no to wickedness, to selfish indulgence, to mindless sensuality, to sloth, ignorance, gluttony, and the legion of vices twisted in themselves destroying our world around us. For before He appears again He desires to teach you to renounce these things. He wants you to be freed of your rampant worship of materialism and instead worship He who gave all matter to us as a gift. And embracing Him in faith He teaches you to live full, whole lives, delighting in His creation, sharing its joys with others, using it as a blessing to each other and not a curse. For He Himself came into this world to rule it, not as a cleptocratic king on the take, but as a Father to His people. A wise man imparting wisdom to the simple. Our God shepherding His wayward sheep to His eternal pastures.
For though His peace is not yet fully realized it has been declared and given to you. “Glory to God in the highest and peace on whom His favour rests,” the angels said. This means His favour rests on all mankind. This Prince came to give His Father’s favour to all. This Prince came to right was is wrong, to blot out iniquity and bring light and immortality to light by sucking all evil, all wickedness, all injustice, all entropy into Himself. Just as a blackhole sucks all matter and light within its pull into it, so He came into humanity to suck our inward evil into Himself. The source of life and light took all darkness and emptiness into Himself, nailing all the evil we human’s have ever thought or done in His body to a crucible of justice. On that cross this Mighty Prince swallowed up death with life, evil with good, darkness with light. In Him all wickedness is banished. In Him darkness is dispersed. Good prevails.
Let us this day in faith go to Bethlehem to see this miracle which God our Father has made known to us through this Prince who is born.
In the name of +Jesus, Amen.
—Pastor David Haberstock
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Thunder Bay, ON
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