Appearances are deceiving

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

‘Tis the season for Christmas, Hanukkah … and atheism. At the Milwaukee County Courthouse there is a giant lighted Christmas tree, a crèche on a small table, a menorah marking the Jewish Festival of Lights, and a three-foot-high sandwich board type sign proclaiming the winter solstice. The solstice sign comes courtesy of the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the group’s sign states: “At this season of winter solstice, let reason prevail. There are no gods, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but a myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”

Seeing a winter-solstice sign like this next to the manger scene may make you upset that people put down Christianity so brazenly. Or maybe it makes you sad that the devil has such a strong grip on these people.

But hopefully it makes you appreciate all the more that simple manger scene with Joseph, Mary, the baby Jesus and probably a sheep, donkey and a cow nearby. Because it is so easy to pass by a manger scene in our homes or out in public and not give it much thought. All we see is a human baby lying in a manger. But appearances are deceiving. There is so much more to see here.

John records in His holy Gospel: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The Word the Father spoke at creation is now living among His creation. The King took off His royal robes, set down His crown and put on the work clothes of a servant, rolled up the sleeves and came down. The Creator became a man. Perfection became sin so that the old would be made new again.

It is no wonder Joseph and Mary were filled with joy at the sight of this Child. He wasn’t just their firstborn. He was their almighty Lord. The Child they had just delivered would soon deliver them. When they kissed the face of their little baby boy, they were kissing the face of God. This sleeping Child in Mary’s arms was in reality heaven’s perfect Lamb and the great I Am.

This Child is none other than the Word of God in the flesh, the One who reveals the Father, the only begotten Son of God, the second person of the blessed Holy Trinity. This Child is the everlasting Light, the fulfillment of all the hopes and fears of all the years, before and ever since. This Child’s chubby fingers would someday make the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk and the dead alive. The radiant beams from His holy face would shine once again upon the mountain of transfiguration. He was born in a barn so we might live forever in His mansion.

He was born in darkness so that we might be reborn as children of light. He died in the darkness so that we might live in the light of His life. He rose at dawn to usher in the new day of His resurrection.

His mother Mary feeds Him and changes His diapers, but He provides food for all His creatures and holds the stars in place. His foster-father Joseph guards His life, but He commands the wind and the waves.

He who formed the mountains and valleys would learn to be a carpenter in Joseph’s shop. He who called the galaxies into existence would speak forgiveness to lepers, prostitutes and soldiers. He who commands all the forces of nature would surrender to be arrested, beaten, whipped and nailed to a cross. But it is through all this that He would win pardon, forgiveness and peace on earth and good will to men.

His golden throne room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep pen. Worshiping angels had been replaced with kind but bewildered shepherds. The praise of the saints had been exchanged for lowing cattle.

Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of an unwed teenager and in the presence of a protective carpenter.

Meanwhile the little town of Bethlehem was ablaze with activity. The merchants were unaware God had visited their planet. The innkeeper was too busy to know he had sent God into the cold. The townsfolk wondered at the shepherds’ crazy talk that the Messiah lay in the arms of a virgin mother on the outskirts of town. Those who missed His Majesty’s arrival that Christmas night missed it not because of evil acts or malice; they missed it simply because they were not looking.

Little has changed in the last 2000 years, hasn’t it?

Though the world around us continues to ignore, push aside, miss or even ridicule this Child in the manger, you are different. Live your Christmas faith all throughout this new year. Worship, praise, adore and glorify. Pray, proclaim, give and live as Christmas Christians. Hurry to see this baby in the lying in the manger. Spread the word concerning what has been told you about this child. Return here week after week, glorifying and praising God for all the things you have heard and seen. Go home and treasure up all these things and ponder them in your heart.

Let the Jews have their Hanukkah, the Muslims their Ramadan and the atheists their winter solstice. Their public insistence on their religions may be upsetting or maddening or disheartening. But above all, they should force you to look more closely and reflect more deeply upon what you see in that simple manger scene. Don’t let appearances deceive you. For through this Child lying in a manger, death would bring life, slave would become heir, sorrow would turn to joy, judgment would be replaced with forgiveness, the gates of hell would be slammed shut and the gates to glory flung wide open. … And we would be His forever. Amen.

Christmas Day at Epiphany on December 25, 2011