Advent 3, December 15, 2013
Matthew 11:2–15

My Advent-Christmas sermon theme this year is, “Peace from the Pieces.” Today let’s look at the pieces in the manger scene. There are a number of pieces in the manger scene on our church altar: Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the Manger, the Shepherds, the Sheep, the Wisemen, the Camels, oh, and there is the Donkey also. I do not know where the Angel is. There is a nice Angel in the manger set downstairs. But there is one piece that is not here; actually I have never scene this important piece in any manger scene! Where is John the Baptist?

John the Baptist is very important in the Gospel readings during Advent. He proclaims that the Messiah is coming. He told the people then to repent. He tells us also to repent. When we know our sins, when we know the result of our sin, when we see the shattered peace that sin causes, then we look forward to the Savior who will forgive our sin and give us peace in our hearts and in our lives, and final peace in heaven.

John is very important in the Christmas Gospel. In the First Chapter of the Gospel of Luke, the Angel Gabriel comes to Mary to proclaim that she will be the mother of Jesus. The father will not be Joseph, but God the Father will be the father. As the Creed says, Jesus is “conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.” When Mary does not understand, the Angel says that everything is possible with God, and the Angel gives Mary a sign as proof. Mary’s relative, Elizabeth who is very old and has passed the age of bearing children, is now pregnant by a miracle. The Angel Gabriel had already foretold this to Zechariah, John’s father. So John is the cousin of Jesus, born 6 months before Jesus. And Mary goes and visits Elizabeth and Zechariah and witnesses the birth.

If we had a manger piece of John, I suppose he could be a baby, held in the arms of his loving mother or sitting on the knee of his proud father. But I think it would be better to have John as a full grown man, standing next to the Angel, because like the Angel, he has a message from God. And this message is for us. Therefore he is part of the scene. His message gives us the Peace of Christmas. The message is that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, the one who will give us the Holy Spirit, the one who will forgive our sin.

And yet, in today’s Gospel reading, John wanted to be sure. He wanted a sign. In the Christmas story, the Angel gave Mary a sign, also gave a sign to Zechariah, visited Joseph in a dream, gave a sign to the Shepherds, and gave a star to the Wisemen. John also wanted a sign. John sent his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus gave him this sign, he said, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

We too ask the same question as John, “Is Jesus the Savior, or should we look for another?” We have read in the Bible about the miracles and healings of Jesus. Is that enough to create belief? We have heard about the Christmas angels and the miracles of Christmas. Is that enough? We know that Jesus died on the cross and rose on the third day. Is that enough to convince us that Jesus truly is the Savior? What is it that creates faith in our hearts? Why do we still believe in Jesus? Why do we have peace when we have faith?

I think Christmas gives us the answer. The convincing sign is that in all the stars and visions and angels, we see the love of God. We see that God loved us so much that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. We see the sign that God really loves us and this world. He cares enough to come to us, to live with us, to die with us, and to rise with us. Whether we live in a palace or in a hut or in a barn or under a bridge, Jesus comes and lives with us. Whether we are up-right citizens or sinners or criminals, Jesus came to save us and to die for us. This is the love of God. This love was proclaimed by the Angels, by John the Baptist, and by countless Christians for nearly 2000 years. The voice of John the Baptist still speaks to us today. “Prepare the way of the Lord.” And so we make our annual trip to Bethlehem. On the way we stop in at the store to pick up a few presents and food to share with others, so that we can share our love: so that we can share the love of God.

And so there is one more important piece to place in the manger scene. We need to place a figurine of ourselves. Because we are there, too. We have answered invitation of the Christmas Carol, “Oh, Come, all ye Faithful.”

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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