Good News for All People – 24 December 2020

Luke 2:1-14 [15-20]

Placing Jesus’ birth in the Roman Empire, around the start of the Common Era, underlines the historical particularity of God’s revelation: Jesus was born in this time, at this place, under these circumstances. The registration carries forward the theme of humility, as the whole population of Palestine was humiliated by colonial fiat. Yet by this vehicle, Luke also brings Joseph to Bethlehem, the city of David, where Israel’s Messiah, the Son of David, was to be born. . . The contrast between Caesar Augustus and the baby Jesus helps us discern real peace. For the reign of Caesar Augustus initiated Pax Romana, a period of relative peace in the Roman Empire, built upon interwoven political and economic interests. As the heavenly host proclaimed in their praise, true peace comes with Jesus, a king of another sort altogether.

Which brings us to the cosmic dimension. The event of Jesus’s birth is first made known to the dregs of society in a message direct from heaven. More precisely, the angel and heavenly host announced to the shepherds a sign of God’s abundant grace. . .

Then there is Mary. Amidst the amazement of the shepherds and the praise of the people, Mary took all this in, quietly. . . The mother of Jesus, who would stand at the foot of the cross (John 19:26), “treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (v 19). –– Fritz West

Titus 2:11-14

Locating the birth of Jesus in the broad sweep of the history of salvation, the epistle speaks of the first and second appearances of Christ Jesus and their coherence in God’s saving purpose. While Jesus’s first appearance brought the promise of salvation for all, it did not mete out evil’s final defeat; in this world, human existence is still marked by our struggles with and disappointments from sin.

Yet, with Jesus’s first appearance, the faithful received the grace to do God’s work. By witnessing the right living that Christ enables among those who bear his name, the world learns of the power of God to shape everyday human relationships for good. In this sense, Christian communities are heir to Israel’s mission to be a light to the nations (Isa 42:6) and call all peoples to God. . . On a canvas of cosmic proportions, this passage presents Jesus as the one who both appeared in the manger and will appear in glory. –– Fritz West

Isaiah 9:2-7

This passage is a birth announcement (see also Jer 20:15; Job 3:3), one that incorporates both a hymn of thanksgiving for the end of hostilities and elements of an enthronement ritual. Given its rich imagery and indefinite historical allusions, however, the passage evokes the vision of a messianic king—which the church has long read as a prophecy of the Bethlehem event. Despite an untidy political world, Israel readily saw in this child the promised son of David, born to initiate a perpetual peace replete with righteousness and justice. The newborn king of this reading—like the baby Jesus—is a sign of God’s favor. –– Fritz West

Fritz West, a liturgical author and retired pastor of the United Church of Christ living in Minnesota, serves as the Presiding Member of the Association for Reformed & Liturgical Worship Steering Committee.

Homily Service 42, no. 1 (2008): 43-57.