December 24, 2023   

Today's Reading: Luke 2.1-20

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 44:21-45:13, 20-25; Revelation 12:1-17

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. (Luke 2:11-12)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Where do we find Him?  The shepherds are tremendously blessed that the Gospel proclaimed by the angel and sung by the heavenly host did not simply tell them what had happened, but where.  Sure, the King of kings and Lord of lords is omnipresent.  He’s everywhere.  But He had just come right then, for them–and for you!  Christ the Lord had come in the flesh, and located Himself, for our salvation.

People around us are looking for some sort of “good news” about Christmas in many places; movies, Christmas cookies, trees and decorations, a break from school, time with family, and more.  Even in the Church, you can get side tracked, and focus on the Christmas carols, the children’s Christmas program, decorating the church, sharing a feast with family, and just loving each other.  These are all good things.  They are all gifts from God.  And yet, they are not the heart of the angel’s message that brings the “good news of great joy.”

The best way to celebrate this holy day IS to gather with family, sing, eat, and receive a gift. However, not in the way most people would think of that.  The Lord has blessed you to celebrate this holy night, gifting you to know where to find Him.  He still is everywhere, but He still locates Himself for you.  Christ the Lord still comes in the flesh, and locates Himself for your salvation.  

Where do we find Him?  

Tonight, He is no longer a newborn baby in Bethlehem, as precious and dear as that image is to us.  He is not swaddled and sleeping in heavenly peace.  You don’t even have the challenge of coming up with airfare to Israel and making your way to the incense-filled grotto in the Church of the Nativity.

Tonight is not only for the shepherds to find Jesus. Tonight you also find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.  You do this as you sing with the angels, hear His Gospel proclaimed by your pastor, and kneel at the altar where the body of Christ the Lord is wrapped in the swaddling cloths of Holy Communion linens.  What good news of great joy that Jesus Himself is placed on the manger of your tongue.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

“The manger held the God of life,  Who came to swallow sin and strife.

Christ, let my tongue Thy manger be,That I may swallow life in Thee.”

In Bethlehem, the House of Bread, a hymn by Chad L. Bird

-Pastor Richard Heinz is pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lowell, IN.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.