I just love these words from the Old Testament book of Wisdom: “while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone, your all powerful word leaped down from heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of a land that was doomed” (Wisdom 18: 14-15).
These words capture so well the magic and wonder of what we are celebrating this night. Christ, the all-powerful word of God, this night leaped down from heaven into a world under sentence of death because of its evil, and under the yoke of the evil one, the devil, in order to save the world from his power. Think of all the stories and comics and movies that you have ever seen or read, that describe a mighty hero using his supernatural powers to save the planet from destruction by evil people. None of those stories can come near to equaling what we are celebrating tonight. It is Superman, or Batman, or Spiderman, it is Luke Skywalker from the movie Star Wars; it is Frodo the brave hobbit from the book “The Lord of the Rings”, venturing into the dark desolation of the Land of Mordor to destroy the ring of power right under the nose of the Dark Lord, Sauron , who wants to use the ring to enslave the whole of Middle Earth for ever.
It is all of these, and more, much much more.
This Christmas story we are witnessing tonight is also a rescue mission, carried out in stealth and at great risk to our hero, Jesus Christ, as he lands on the earth in secret and under the very noses of his enemies to bring salvation to a doomed people, a people who, in the words of our first reading, were living in deep darkness and under the shadow of death. Except that this is a true story, not a made-up one. These things we are celebrating tonight actually happened in a specific historical place and at a specific time in history We have the evidence of our gospel writer, Luke, to back up what we are saying here. Right at the beginning of his gospel, Luke assures his readers that he has investigated all the facts, interviewed the key eye-witnesses of these events, so what he is presenting in his gospel is an “orderly account of these events that have been fulfilled among us … so that we might know the truth concerning the thing about which you have been instructed”. In the gospel account of the Nativity that we have just been listening to, Luke mentions names and places, that we know about from the history and geography books: Caesar Augustus, Quirinius, Nazareth, Galilee, Bethlehem. Luke does this deliberately because he wants us to know that he is not writing a fairy story about Peter Pan and the Land of Never-Never.
Luke also wants us to know that, while all the so-called world-influencers and mighty ones are sleeping soundly in their beds, totally unaware of what is happening, the real world-changers are helping bring about the fulfilment of all history. Mary and Joseph, a couple so poor that they cannot get a room in an inn, despite Mary being about ready to give birth, are about to participate in an event that will change the world forever. Caesar Augustus liked to apply various titles to himself. He called himself, and instructed those around him to call him, Son of God, Savior, Prince of Peace. He demanded to be worshipped as a god. And all the while, the only one who can properly be called Prince of Peace, Savior, Son of God, and worshipped as God is sleeping in an animal food trough in a stable in an insignificant corner of the world. To add further irony to this abrupt turning upside down of worldly priorities, the first persons to hear about this glorious birth, are not the emperor, or the king, or the governor, but shepherds, nobodies, considered the lowest of the low by their fellow Jews. The angel appearing to them this night as they watch over their flocks in the open field, proclaims to them: ”To you is born this day a Savior, who is the Christ, the Lord”. Yes, this birth is good news of great joy for all the world, but you who are poor, you who are disregarded by society, are the first ones to find out about it. To show you that the poor count in the eyes of God, and to show the world that riches and power and influence play no part in God’s estimation of who is or is not important.
Note the titles given by the prophet Isaiah in our first reading to the child who is to be born as Messiah and Savior. He is “wonderful counsellor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Princeof Peace”. These titles combine heavenly and human qualities: this child will have keen political insight and judgement, to make him a great counsellor; military strength to make him a mighty hero; care for his people to make him a true father to the nation; and leadership ability as befits a prince of the people. But each of these is enhanced by gifts that transcend human skills – so he is wonderful, God like, lives forever and brings everlasting peace. This Jesus is, therefore, both fully human and fully divine, Son of Man and also at the same time, Son of God. Luke says the same thing, but in picture form. This child is born in a stable, and wrapped in swaddling clothes, as any baby would be, even a king. Yet the heavenly host of angels address him as Lord and glorify him as God in the highest heavens.
“Glory to God in the highest heavens and on earth peace to those of good will”. Are you and I people “of good will” brothers and sisters? Caesar Augustus wasn’t, Quirinius wasn’t, king Herod wasn’t, the chief priests and elders of the people of Israel weren’t, as we will see by their actions when the wise men from the east come calling in just a few days from now. To be a person “of good will” means to be someone pleasing to God, someone who is trying to live, to the best of their ability, lives that are “self-controlled, upright and godly“, who know that this same Jesus, born this night as a baby, will return in glory at the end of all history, and who are striving to live in a way that is acceptable to God as they await faithfully the blessed hope of his second coming. If this describes you and me, brothers and sisters, then receive this good news. It doesn’t matter if you are not rich or powerful or a world-influencer, if you are considered average and mediocre, and unimportant in the world’s eyes.
The good news for you and me is that “today is born for you a Savior, who is the Christ , the Lord.” Amen, Alleluia, Glory to God!