Christmas Day – “Happy Holy-Days”

Christmas Day – “Happy Holy-Days” – Titus 3:4-7
12/25/2005 – Vicar Matthew Peters – St. Paul’s, Union Grove, WI

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This morning I’d like to begin by looking at one of my favorite Christmas tunes. I won’t sing it for you, even though singing it with my family is what brought me to like it… but the words to “Silver Bells”, as I realized earlier this week, leave something to be desired from a theological standpoint. I’ll start with the song’s introduction:

Christmas makes you feel emotional. It may bring tidings or thoughts devotional.
Whatever happens or what may be… here is what Christmastime means to me…
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in Holiday style. In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas.
Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile. And on every street-corner you hear…
Silver Bells…

So many people in our world on this fine morning are expressing the same feelings. Christmas is about one thing to one person and another thing to someone else. Presents/Family/Snow/Cheer/Church/Whatever…
And that’s assuming that you’re actually talking about Christmas at all. Our society is undergoing that battle once again with new conviction this year – trying to replace “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays” or the even more neutral, “Season’s Greetings”. If you are not politically correct in this fashion, the media will soon be knocking on your door and your friends will be correcting you before you have a chance to add, “and a Happy New Year.”
Such things bring into my mind the question that I feel really needs to be addressed this Christmas Morning: What is the most important thing about Christmas?

What is the most important thing about Christmas?
Now think about what parts of Christmas are important to you. I mean, we’re sitting here in church, so you probably have a guess as to where this message is heading. But what parts of these days really take on the most importance in your life come late December?
How important to you are the ‘silver bells’ and all the other decorations of the season? ‘It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a tree!’ – I’ve heard that before. Are these things the most important part of Christmas? To some they turn out to be… but why decorate if there isn’t some sort of reason for doing so?
‘Christmas is all about family!’ – Yet another popular view of the time of year. Everyone gets vacation time off, we can get together, let’s eat! Certainly it is wonderful to see family and friends at Christmastime, but is family really the most important thing about Christmas? I am certainly one of the first to say that family reunions can be great fun, but why choose the snowy days of winter to make everyone travel and get together – there must be a bigger reason.
Ask any child, ‘Who comes on Christmas?’ and odds are that your answer will be a resounding ‘Santa!’ Good old Saint Nicholas, he brings presents to the girls and boys. Our stealthy elf friend whose giving heart is a wonderful example for all of us at Christmas. I like presents, and I would challenge any of you to claim that you don’t. We get presents, we give presents… what a fun occasion! But why? Certainly there must be something more important going on than forcing everyone to go out and shop. There must’ve been a reason for Saint Nicholas to bring presents, and for us to continue the tradition…
Well, hmm. Maybe we should look at the Bible for an idea. The angels talk to the shepherds about, “Peace on earth and goodwill to men.” Maybe the idea of peace and the principles of love are what we are to remember at Christmas. Our most important thing! Yes, peace among us – goodwill to each other. That’s why we give presents and get everyone together. It is this peace and tranquility that we have to put first, right? …But how do you get that? Anyone who has been out in the shopping centers recently knows that there is hardly any peace to be found. Getting together with the in-laws, the out-laws, the relatives and their children… this is not very often the image of peacefulness and good tidings that Christmas should entail. What is it that makes us come together? What is the most important thing about Christmas?
I would guess that most of you know where I am about to go… what I am about to talk about… Who I am about to talk about…

[Get out nativity scene – hold it up and then set it on pulpit in full view.]

“This will be a sign to you: You will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

He might be difficult to see amid all the decorations and the people… He might be small and seemingly insignificant next to your presents or your family feast… But here He is! This baby is the reason that we have Christmas after all! All of this hubbub, all the parties, all the presents, everyone going out of there way to send cards and make cookies… its all because of Him! This baby… this little baby born in a barn, laid in a manger. All of our extravagant efforts are because of Him.

But there are babies born every day. Go to nearly any hospital and you can celebrate the birth of a baby firsthand. Why this one? Why are we celebrating the birth of some kid some two thousand years ago? Sure he was announced by angels, but so were others in the Bible. We don’t put up lights to celebrate the birthday of John the Baptist or Abraham’s son Isaac. What makes this baby Jesus special? What is the most important thing about Christmas?

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.”
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

This baby Jesus is special. And it isn’t merely His birth that is the most important thing about Christmas… it’s why He was born!

[Retrieve processional cross and hold it]

This… This cross… Is the most important thing about Christmas!

It is the birth of the child, Jesus that we celebrate on Christmas – but without this cross there would be no reason to celebrate at all. We all love to look at a cute little newborn baby, but what makes this one special is not just how or where He was born, but what He was sent to do.
We celebrate this coming of the Christ – Christmas – because of what the Christ has done for us upon this hard, wooden, rough, and painful device of torture and death. We celebrate Christmas because on this day salvation has been born into our world. Because of this baby, we are saved!

[Return Cross to base]

But the world seems to have forgotten this. Our society has gotten to a point that saying “Merry Christmas” is something that is frowned upon. Taking Christ out of Christmas – and thereby taking the salvation that the cross provides out of Christmas – this seems to be the primary goal of many people across our country this December.
And what of it? How should we respond when a clerk wishes us a “Happy Holidays” rather than saying “Merry Christmas”? Well, I am not claiming to have the answer to this debate – and I don’t want to tell you how you should feel about these “Merry Christmas” battles that are taking place throughout our society. But I would like you to consider this today as we go out and celebrate our savior’s birth this December 25th:
This day is indeed a Holy Day. And when you wish someone a Happy Holiday, you are merely saying – in the strictest sense of the language – “Have a good day that has been made Holy.”
I realize that this is not often what is meant by the salesperson at the cash register, but what better reminder of why Jesus came than to recall what state He has put us in. You see, because of this baby – because of Jesus Christ and His suffering, death, and resurrection – we have been made to be Holy in the eyes of God the Father. Holy, perfect, blameless, and pure… even as we dwell in this sinful and fallen world. And so, to Christians, every day becomes a Holy Day because of what Jesus has accomplished for us.

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out generously through Jesus Christ our Savior…”
“They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord;”

By the blood of Christ we are forgiven. By the sacrifice of this baby Jesus, who grew to become a man – a perfect man – we are made Holy. We have been told of His coming by the prophets of old. We have heard of His teachings and His glory from the apostles and their writings – and by faith that is given to us by God Himself we are able to believe and trust in this baby as our Savior – the one who takes away all of our sins.
Your sins are forgiven!
Jesus is Born.
It is a Happy and Holy Day!

Amen.