On Earth Peace –– 25 December 2023

Luke 2:1–14 [15–20]

When the Word comes into the world, when the LORD returns to Zion, when the exact imprint of God's very being becomes flesh—this is God's salvation. The ends of the earth shall see it, and sea and land, rivers and hills are invited to join in the rejoicing.

And yet this great mystery calls us not only to song but also to silence, like Mary: to treasure these poetic and freighted words, and to ponder in our hearts what it might mean that the creator steps into the vulnerabilities of created flesh; because John's story of Jesus is about a light that most people would just as soon not see, testimony to the light that most people would just as soon not accept.

But there are those who receive Jesus and believe in his name: down by the Jordan River, at Cana in Galilee, at a well in a Samaritan town, at the pool of Bethesda, at the door of the tomb where he bids his friend Lazarus to come out. Even here, in a world that overwhelmingly does not accept him, here today there are those who receive him, who believe, who are God's children.

In exuberant songs, in quiet pondering, in joyous gathering at the table, God's light, Jesus, flows and fills this hour, fills all our hours and days. Jesus Christ is born today and we in turn are born children of God.

In grace and truth, in human flesh, the Word, the Son, has made known the unseen God, has brought us to joy, hope, and love. And so on this day we ask God to grant us the grace to welcome Jesus Christ anew and to walk in his gracious light—evermore and evermore. –– Paul Bieber

Titus 2:11–14

An outsider viewing the celebration of Christmas in North America would have good reason to conclude that Christians really only worship Jesus Christ, with a few occasional references to the Spirit and the Father. But Jesus Christ is not just the historical Jesus. This celebration is not just the memorial of Jesus’ birth. Instead, Christmas—a part of the church year—is a vital part of the Trinity. How might we see Christmas as part of God's larger being and activity? –– Jon Keune

Isaiah 9:2–7

TV news reporting tends to dwell on bad news; there's no doubting that life on earth is rife with problems.

In worship we hear again and again God's promise to be among us. At Christmas we celebrate a rather unexpected kind of arrival for the LORD of lords—a baby born to a poor family in a stable in a small town. As difficult as it can be to accept sometimes, Christian faith involves a lot of trusting in the unseen, putting hope in the unlikely. God's work among us is not always obvious.

So God comes to us again and again in various ways, with reminders and revelations—salvation is real, and God does indeed reign, even when our eyes struggle to see it. –– Jon Keune

Paul Bieber is pastor of All Saints Lutheran Church, San Diego, California.

Jon Keune is associate professor in religious studies at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

Homily Service 39, no. 1 (2005): 61–71.