by Pastor Paul Clark, President of Lutherans For Life of Michigan
Every pastor no doubt has their most eagerly anticipated events. Certainly, one of mine takes place in December when members and friends of our congregation join to present our annual Hazel Findlay Skilled Nursing Facility Christmas Program. It is not just the enjoyment of singing Christmas carols to the residents of the nursing care facility, though that alone is wonderful. It is the opportunity to be with these dear people, many of whom may be sad, anxious, or lonely, and proclaim to them the joyous news of our Savior’s birth.
“Unto you this day is born in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
I am so proud of the people of our congregation for taking time out of their busy holiday schedules to participate in this event. It is a special blessing to see the number of children there, eagerly and loudly singing the carols to the residents. Of course, to have the gifted musical leadership of Pastor Klamer and Melissa makes the entire program extra special as well. So, for all who attended this past Sunday evening, your pastor wishes to say, “Thank you!” If you have never come to one of these, please consider it next year. You won’t regret it. It truly captures the spirit of Christmas in the best sense of that phrase.
This all reminds me of a song made famous by Johnny Mathis—a song called, “We Need a Little Christmas.”
I’ve grown a little leaner, Grown a little colder,
Grown a little sadder, Grown a little older …
We need a little music, Need a little laughter …
We need a little Christmas, right this very minute.
We need a little Christmas now.
The residents of Hazel Findlay needed a little Christmas. But so do you, and so do I.
We need MORE than a little Christmas. We need a lot of Christmas. We need a Savior. We need JESUS. And that, dear friends, is what our loving Father in heaven has given us. He gives us Christmas. He gives us His Son.
“Unto you a Child is born; Unto you a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6).
We have all grown a little leaner, maybe not in weight, but in the way that the trials and tribulations of life wear us down. We have grown a little colder, often becoming quite self-centered and neglecting the needs of others around us. Even though we may try to cover it up with a smile or a joke, we have probably grown a little sadder. We have witnessed the seemingly endless evil of this world. Sometimes what we hear in the news horrifies us. We have experienced the stain of sin and death among us. Each day, we grow a little older, and time moves unhesitatingly forward.
So, yes, we need a little music and a little laughter. (There is no doubt; it is true. Music and laughter are good medicine!) But most of all, we need a little Christmas. Not just the exterior “shell” of Christmas, with Santa and Rudolph and trees and lights and parties and gifts, as much fun as these things are—but we need that which is at the very center of Christmas, the “beating heart” of Christmas, so to speak. We need the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Writer Paul Tripp wrote:
Christmas is a story of kingdoms at war—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of self. These two kingdoms cannot live in peace with one another. Each kingdom demands your loyalty and your worship. Both kingdoms promise you life, but only one can deliver. One leads you to the King of kings, while the other sets you up as king. Jesus came to earth as a king to dethrone all other rulers and set up His grace-infused, life-giving reign in our hearts. He came to free us from our bondage to our self-serving kingdom purposes and invite us to an eternal kingdom. Remind yourself this Christmas that there is a King, but it is not you. Tell yourself that there’s a kingdom that will protect and satisfy your heart, but it is not yours … Remind yourself this Christmas that you have been given the most amazing gift—a Kingdom. The price of that gift was the suffering and death of the King.
The best of Christmas carols and hymns make clear the purpose of Jesus’ coming and birth, even when He is that little baby, lying in a manger.
In the carol “What Child Is This,” we sing, “Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, the cross be borne for me, for you.”
In “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” these words stand out: “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate Deity, pleased as Man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel!” – and – “Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth!”
In an ancient hymn that goes back to the fourth century, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” we sing: “Oh, that birth forever blessed, when the virgin, full of grace, by the Holy Ghost conceiving, bore the Savior of our race, and the babe, the world’s Redeemer, first revealed His sacred face, Evermore and evermore.”
And how can we forget Martin Luther’s great hymn, “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”: “This is the Christ, our God Most High, who hears your sad and bitter cry: He will Himself your Savior be, from all your sins to set you free.”
Oh, yes. We need a little Christmas.
I remember reading about a woman in West Michigan who was unconscious and relying on life support when Christmas came around. Doctors advised her family that the odds of her waking up were slim. Her husband had faith and entrusted her to Jesus. He put up the Christmas lights on their house and sat by her side, vowing not to take down the lights until she opened her eyes. It was after New Year’s when she suddenly woke up. She was expected to make a full recovery. That was eight years ago.
Christmas miracles happen. Every day miracles happen. We often take them for granted or miss them entirely. We sense God’s presence, but then when things turn ugly, where is He? Has He gone? Relying on our senses and our feelings can be like the sun shining through a window and making a little oblong rectangle on the carpet, a spot noticed perhaps by your cat but ignored by you. It is there one minute and then the sun gives up, and the spot fades away and is gone, as if it was never there.
But the greatest of all miracles is that God has given sinners (you and me) His own Son, who died for us and rose again to bring us eternal life in Him. That cannot be ignored. Nor does it ever fade away. The Light has come. The Light remains. God is with us.
It pierces a pastor’s heart to know some of the heavy and painful burdens that many of his beloved members may carry. (Believe me, I bear a share of personal burdens as well, as we all do.) As a man, all I can do is pray for each of you and continue to fulfill the office entrusted to me—the charge of my Lord to preach and teach the Holy Word of God, which is the true and only salve for the soul, and to serve God’s people with the very body and blood of the Savior, given to us under bread and wine in Holy Communion. This I will do, God help me. But remember, in this Word and Sacrament is the very power of God unto salvation. Here is the CHRIST, IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US. This is what those residents of Hazel Findlay needed to hear. This is what you and I need to hear.
We need a little Christmas, right this very minute. We need a little Christmas now.
That is, we need JESUS. And we have Him.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
ALLELUIA!