Let us pray! Lord
Jesus Christ, this night we celebrate Your birth. May our celebration of Your entrance into the
World make us glad to be in Your presence and know You as our Lord and
Savior. For You are not only known as
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace, but
also as our Savior for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel. AMEN.
What is the power of Christ on Christmas? In 1914, if this question would have been
asked, it would have been certain to return a doubtful reply of Christ having
power. For not four months earlier the “War
to End All Wars” had begun and the savageness of humanity had been seen and
experienced by both sides of the conflict.
Countless men had died on the field of battle and the snow now flying
was not manna from heaven, but a bitter reminder of the sting of death that
came so close to so many families upon the notification of their loss and the
coldness of the season.
Tonight, Christmas Eve 2011 we are not much different,
we have experienced loss in a war on terror that has claimed over 4500 innocent
American lives on a field of battle with sand half a world away. The same question may have a similar reply,
Christ having power?
Yet, in 1914, a strange thing happened. For the commanders who were waging this war,
Jesus Christ, born in a lowly manger in Bethlehem reached down from heaven and
grasped the lives of the common soldier and entered into their collective
hearts. Though the chaos of war had
previously surrounded them and each side hurled insults at each other, Jesus
Christ birth united these ‘enemies’ and the soldiers broke from their
collective ranks across the theater of command and battle lines and wished each
other a “Merry Christmas”. Soldiers who
not hours before were fierce enemies, now shared impromptu Christmas gifts of
whisky, wine, cigars, song, merriment and fellowship united not under the same
country flag, but under the banner of Jesus Christ.
What is the power of Jesus Christ on Christmas? I ask this question, not as one who doubts,
but as one who believes in the power of Jesus Christ and what He can do. The power is found in how Jesus Christ came
down from heaven and entered in our hearts.
That is the power of Jesus Christ.
May each of you here tonight find, feel and finish your worship tonight
with the peace that God gives us through what His Son Jesus Christ has done on
the Cross of Calvary. For the gift Jesus
comes and offers to us tonight was not without cost, but was freely offered to
us because of His great love for all of mankind and all of us saints gathered
here at Emmanuel this Christmas Eve.
AMEN.
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