December 24, 2014
Why celebrate?
Gracious, King of Kings and Lord of Lords! As we come to celebrate Your birth in
Bethlehem, open our hearts to You in a more deep and profound way on this
Christmas Eve! AMEN.
Tonight we gather to celebrate and remember the real reason
for the season, Jesus Christ. As we
gather here at the church, around the Advent Wreath with the White Candle and
especially around the manger, a question comes to mind. Why celebrate?
For what reason does the church always set aside Christmas
Eve to celebrate Jesus birth? In our
current culture our society takes potshots at the validity of Jesus for us
today. Philosophers use logic and social
norms to justify the need to forget Jesus.
Our modern capitalistic world brings out Christmas in September. Sales begin in earnest the week of and
especially the days after Thanksgiving.
People put up displays and figurines in their yards and homes and we
have parades, weeks and even sometimes before Thanksgiving calling them
Christmas Parades, only to take our displays and decorations down December 26th.
But the reality is Christmas doesn’t start in September,
October, November or even most of December.
The real Christmas season starts tonight, December 24th at
sunset. But I return to the question,
“Why celebrate?” Why should the church
and members of congregations across the globe celebrate Christmas? Why should we the people of Emmanuel
celebrate?
When Apollo 8, launched on December 21, 1968, the three men
who left the earth’s gravitational pull for the first time embarked on a mission
of historic proportion. On December 24th,
Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders while circling the moon, shared the
beginning of Genesis where God created the World. In sharing the Creation story, the astronauts
shared their faith as well as celebrated an achievement on the path to man’s
setting foot on the moon only 7 months later.
Tonight we celebrate a milestone on the path of salvation
history for all of mankind. Here before
us is a manger that represents our celebrating a gift and especially a
milestone. But, I return to the
question, ‘why celebrate’? We celebrate
Christmas, because God has come to visit!
We celebrate Christmas, because, God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the
world to die for you and for me. We
celebrate, because God comes offering Himself for all of mankind and it begins
in the manger and is ultimately and eternally fulfilled on the Cross of Calvary
for all of mankind including you and for me.
God in offering us the gift of His Son, gives us the best
reason to celebrate. Whether soldiers
who are far from home walking the line to insure our safety. Police officers, first responders, nurses,
medical staff or even those working in Good Samaritan or Wheat Ridge, God came
for all of them and for each of us gathered here this evening.
So tonight we celebrate both as a witness for our culture,
and because of God’s gift to us in the manger.
Let’s share this gift and celebrate with our hearts, heads and voices and
with the choir of angels who gather tonight to proclaim, for all of mankind and
for all of us saints gathered here a true saying. “Emmanuel” – God is with us! AMEN!
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