Et incarnatus est

Last night with the candlelight and all the tender memories with which we come together in worship, the focus is on the birth of the babe in Bethlehem.

The Gospel for Christmas morning, however, is from John, which does not have a birth-story as do Matthew and Luke.

Instead it is a theological reflection on the incarnation.

It draws its key image from the very beginning of the Bible, the introductory verses of Genesis.

And John wants us to be clear that that the God who started a work at the dawn of creation is the same God who is revealed in the person of Jesus.

God is consistent that way!

The key phrase from the Creed in Latin is “et incarnatus est” = “and was made flesh”.

And we need to be very clear about this:

If that phrase is not true, then all of the fuss at Christmastime is meaningless fun and games.

God taking on flesh, becoming human, is the central claim of Christmas, the reason that he can become Savior for us.

As we said last night, what can we do with that but marvel at God's plan, and sing in joy.!

And so our friend Martin Luther was moved to write a hymn for Christmastime in 1534.

“Church” is not just the brief time we all spend together here; it is also the family gathering around the dining table or in front of the fireplace.

And so Luther composed a hymn that was used first in his family circle in 1534, and then in subsequent years was shared with his congregation, and then other congregations through the publication of hymnals that was exploding in that decade.

It is like a little Christmas cantata in which everyone in the family gets a part to sing.

One or more of the family sang the message of the angels through the first five stanzas:

From heaven above to earth I come

To bring good news to every one

This is the Christ, God's Son, Most High,

Who hears your sad and bitter cry

He will Himself your Savior be,

And from your sin will set you free.

Then everyone responds to the angels' message with the sixth stanza:

How glad we'll be to find it so,

Then with the shepherds let us go

To see what God for us has done

In sending us his own dear Son.

Other family members give their reactions to the birth of Christ in stanzas 7-13.

The stanzas present a variety of thoughts or observations:

“Wonder” is expressed in Stanza 7 and 9: “Look at God in a manger!”

“Thankfulness” in stanza 8: “You didn't abandon us, Lord!”

“Embarrassment” is the theme in Stanzas 10 and 11:

first, the embarrassment of trying to compare what we do with what God has done in Jesus;

and secondly, the embarrassment of not having clothing and surroundings fit for a king.

“Welcome” is a summary of Stanza 12, a quiet prayer which brings the old story right into our present-day life:

“Lord, don't just come back there in Bethlehem, but also come into me today, and change my heart, my life, my destiny.”

“Confidence” is the mood of Stanza 13.

We've heard the story.

We're going to trust that the angels are right.

They are pointing to Jesus at the reason for everything that is good and true.

And since that is the case, we all dare to join in the angels' exuberant song in Stanza 14: Gloria in excelsis....

Glory to God in highest heaven

Who unto us his Son hath given.

There is a lot in those 56 short lines of poetry.

It is a cantata, a hymn, a theology of the incarnation.

It involves proclamation, reflection, confession, and faithful response.

Let's make Luther's family event our own expression of faith this day, and join him in singing our faith in God come-in-the-flesh at Christmastime. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.