"The Temple of God is Born!"

Christmas Eve 2006

Luke 2:10-18

Luke 2:10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

 Dear Fellow Redeemed,

Can you feel it, can you sense it, the very presence of God. On this Holy Night and in this holy place we are blessed to join with the angels and the archangels and all the company of heaven to celebrate the Presence of the LORD God Almighty and to rejoice in the Festival of Nativity. The Festival of God becoming flesh. This Divine Service is taking place throughout the world tonight - just as it did when a little congregation assembled around the manger's guest in the little town of Bethlehem. For it was there that the Birth of our Redeemer happened.

Please open your ears to that announcement once again the announcement that "The Temple of God is Born"

Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them (the shepherds), Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

So far the text.

The Temple of God is born. Now this may sound strange for we think of a temple as being something that is built, not born. After all Solomon built the Temple of the LORD based on God's own design. Temples were fashioned from stone, wood and fabric by human hands according to a divine blueprint for the purpose of providing a place for God’s Presence. This Temple of God, born in the City of David, is the Son of God and the Son of Man.

In fact, at the moment of His conception, the divine and human natures came together, never to be separated again. The Temple of God was, at that instant, a single cell - very God of very God and also true man. Nine months later the Temple of God is born. In this Temple the whole fullness of God dwells bodily form (Colossians 2:9). Bethlehem's Babe is God Incarnate, God made flesh ... Emmanuel - God with us, He is present.

The Temple of God is born.

Behold the tiny infant in the manger. Do you love Him? Sure, you do, everyone loves a baby, especially this one. But do you love Him above all others - more than mom or dad? - more than husband or wife? - more than daughter or son? - more than you love yourself? Hmm, Not likely! Do you trust Him? What does that mean? How does any one trust a newborn infant? What is a tiny baby capable of doing that would cause anyone to trust Him? Still the question remains, Do you trust Him above all others? Probably not! Do you fear Him? You might be thinking no one is afraid of a baby - a baby can’t hurt anyone. But you weren’t asked if you were afraid of Him; you were asked whether  you feared Him.

You see, this is First Commandment stuff, and if this Baby "is Christ the Lord," - and He is! - then He is the God Who is the great "I AM" before Abraham was born - then He is God Who bent down and wrote with His finger ... "I AM the LORD thy God ... Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:). What does this mean concerning this "Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger"? Answer, You should fear, love and trust in Him above all things.

The purpose of this commandment, therefore, is to require true faith and confidence of the heart, and these fly straight to the one true God and cling to Him alone. Here are those shepherds who "went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger." "The meaning is: 'See to it that you let me alone be your God, and never seek another.' In other words: 'Whatever good thing you lack, look to Me for it and seek it from Me, and whenever you suffer misfortune and distress, come and cling to me. I am the One Who will satisfy you and help you out of every need. Only let your heart cling to no one else" (Large Catechism).

Now we might feel uncomfortable, for we know that our hearts have not always clung to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Our words and deeds often bear fruit that comes from unclean hearts. What are we going to do with this Temple of God recently born and now sleeping in a manger? Is He a threat? Herod thinks so and will try to slay the Child. Or is the Christmas Jesus a manageable threat? - a Baby Who is kept at arm's length, approached on the first day of Christmas, and then left in His cradle much as possible until next year?

The Babe held in the arms of Mary and entrusted to the care of Joseph is the Temple of God - the LORD God Almighty. That is Who He is, and when people realize this, they wonder what this means. Why was He conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary? What has He come to do?

Well, dear children of God, the LORD has not come to make out a list to find out if you've been naughty or nice. The One True God in Bethlehem is not to be a dictator that requires you to wear a WWJD bracelet - a "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelet so you live right. Jehovah was not born in order to give you eleven steps to God-pleasing parenting, or nine ways to being a good spouse, or ten Christian things to do when you're retired or even dictate how to live a purpose driven life. In short, the Incarnation of the God’s Son is not to help you become a good person, or even a better person.

Listen to the Christmas Angel announce to the shepherds the reason for the Incarnation: "Fear not, for behold, I bring you Good News of a great joy which will be for all the people. For to you this day, in the city of David, a Savior is born Who is Christ the Lord." Christ the Lord was born to be the Savior of the world. He came to save you from yourself and from your sins. He came because you were naughty ... because you have, every day, broken His Commandments ... because you have not been a God-pleasing parent, or because you've not been a perfect spouse, or because your retirement years are filled with sloth and pride and complacency or complaint.

His name would be Jesus, which means "savior." That's what God came to do. He lived as we do. He was tempted as we are, yet without sin, and so defeated the devil. He prepares His Table before us, even in the midst of this fallen world, and this Manna from above feeds His own with His very Body... He is the Good Wine of the wedding feast and His sin-atoning Blood was shed on the cross and is given for you for the remission of all your sins. And knowing that all was finished, Jesus died that we might live.

He did not remain dead, for do you not recall what He said? "Destroy this Temple and I will raise it again in three days" (Matt 2:19). The Son of God became man, conceived and born without sin, of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin that He might become Lord over sin; furthermore, He suffered, died, and was buried that He might make satisfaction for you and pay what you owed, not with silver and gold but with His own precious Blood. “All this in order to be your Lord.” For He did not do these for Himself, nor did He have any need to. Afterward He rose again from the dead, swallowed up and devoured death, and finally ascended into heaven and assumed dominion at the right hand of the Father. The devil and all powers, therefore are subject to Him and lie beneath His feet until finally, at the last day, He will completely divide and separate His Church from the wicked world, and from sin, death and the devil (Large Catechism).

What joy for God's messengers to declare the wonder of this Good News. Heaven's angels marvel at the Incarnation and proclaim their divine hymn of "Glory to God in the Highest" (Luke 2:14 ). The heralding angels joy and wonder as they delight "to look into these things" (1 Peter 1:12) from high above the manger and far beyond David's Star that announced the Birth of the Temple in Bethlehem. Faithful shepherds make haste to go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened. Later these men returned to their flocks and their jobs as shepherds. As they have opportunity, they tell the Good News of the Savior's Birth. Those who hear this Word of joy to the world and ponder it will be found in Christ and He in them, for the Lord is come in the flesh of His temple.  In Jesus Name, Amen.