There Will Be Singing: Luke 2:1-20 - Nativity of Our Lord

¹In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
  ⁸In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
 ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
  and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
  ¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Have you ever known a song that takes you back in time?
 
When I was in fourth grade, the children’s choir sang Do You Hear What I Hear? Every time I hear this song, I immediately think of Mrs. Thomas, the choir director, who nurtured my love of music and singing. I think of how important a role that choir played in the formation of my faith.
 
But not all Christmas music fills me with warm feelings. I worked eight Christmases in big box stores, and they began playing secular Christmas music as early as October. Because of that, I went from enjoying secular Christmas songs to despising them.
 
To be clear, I have nothing against Christmas music. But this music has been used to remake Christmas into something that has nothing to do with Christ. Instead, it’s all about shopping, decorating, partying, and falling in love. We have also built Christmas up into something so grandiose, real life could not possibly live up to it.
 
Unfortunately, not everyone gets to have the kind of merry Christmas you see in the movies.
 
Tonight, you may be grieving loved ones who’ve died. You may be exhausted from all the pressure you’ve been under at home or at work. You may be anxious about what the new year could bring.
 
Meanwhile, Covid-19 is still with us. Violence, hatred, and division continue to tear our world apart. Our neighbors down South are still cleaning up the rubble from the EF-5 tornadoes. Refugees continue to flee war and persecution. Children still hunger for bread and loving homes. Unfortunately, Christmas Eve does not bring all our problems and pains to a happy ending, like you see it in the movies.
 
Mary and Joseph certainly weren’t having a good time. They are expecting but not married. Caesar Augustus ordered a census which demanded that they leave Nazareth and make the ninety-mile journey to Bethlehem with the baby due at any moment. When they arrive, there’s nowhere to lodge for the night. No one would make room for them. So, Jesus is born in a stable, wrapped in strips of cloth, and laid in a manger.
 
The life of a shepherd was anything but a good time. They were poor, they lived outdoors, and society didn’t like them because they would graze their sheep on other people’s fields. And they smelled bad.
 
But God acted in that difficult night to bring frightened, exhausted, rejected people into rejoicing. Life will never be the same again now that Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds had met their Lord. 
 
By all outward appearances, Christ’s birth changed very little. Tyrants and evil empires retained their power. The shepherds returned to the fields with their flocks. Mary and Joseph will be forced to take Jesus to Egypt, where they will live as refugees from King Herod’s genocidal paranoia. This is not what you would call a happy ending to the nativity story.
 
Nevertheless, the world changed drastically that night, because God in Christ was born into it. We all know that when God shows up, things change. Sin, darkness, and death tremble. Love prevails. Jesus is a different and new kind of king who strengthens the weak and uplifts the lowly. He establishes peace, justice, and mercy in the world through the law that you love your neighbor as yourself. His crown will be made of thorns and his throne will be a cross. He will conquer sin by dying. He will conquer death by rising.
 
Salvation is found, dear friends, not in the picture-perfect lives of health, wealth, and prosperity we see advertised on TV. It is found in Jesus Christ, whose self-giving love conquers all. And even if there is no rejoicing on your lips tonight, remember that you are held firmly in the love of your God, today and every day. Jesus is in your world. You will join Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the angels, in their song of rejoicing.
 
This is good news for everyone who finds Christmastime to be a burden. This is good news for those who are spending this Christmas Eve in nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons; who are rejected, lonely, hungry, homeless. This is good news for weary healthcare workers, exhausted retail workers, along with teachers and parents worried about what the new year will bring for their children. This is good news for those who are working on this Christmas Eve, tending to the sick and dying; keeping the lights on; guarding our freedoms, standing at the ready if there is an emergency. The only question is, will you bring this good news to them?
 
So may the wonder of this night, the beauty of the angels’ singing, the presence of those who gather, and the promises we proclaim, fill your mind with peace, your heart with hope, and your lips with rejoicing. Christ is born for you. Crucified and risen for you. Whose love knows no limits, whose kingdom is without end. A Savior who will never leave or forsake you.