Passage: This Week's Second Reading

"The Knockoff Jesus"

"I like the Christmas Jesus best." That’s what Will Ferrell says in the comedy Talladega Nights, when he is playing a stock car driver named Ricky Bobby. "Dear tiny Jesus," he says as he begins his prayer at a family meal. "Golden fleece diapers, with your tiny, fat, balled-up fist …."

"Jesus did grow up," his wife reminds him. "You don’t always have to call him baby." "I like the Christmas Jesus best when I’m saying grace," he insists. And so he continues his prayer, "Dear 8 lb., 6 oz., newborn infant Jesus. Don’t even know a word yet. Just a little infant, so cuddly, but still omnipotent …. Thank you for all your power and your grace, dear baby God. Amen."

Now we might laugh at Will Ferrell, and the movie is pretty crude, but the truth is that we like the Christmas Jesus, too. We love to sing "Away in a manger, no crib for his bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head." We get excited when we "Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born!" We enjoy Christmas pageants with glittery stars and shepherds in bathrobes, along with the chance to join our voices in "Silent night, holy night!"

We like the Christmas Jesus best. But what if this tiny infant is a bit of a knockoff? Not a fake, but a version that’s not quite as valuable as the original. The problem with knockoffs is that they can take our focus off the genuine article.

In New York City, a battle is raging between designers of high-fashion clothing and manufacturers who create knockoffs. A designer dress will cost you $750, while a quality copy can be purchased for $260. One of the creators of these knockoffs, Seema Anand, tells The New York Times (September 4, 2007), "If I see something on Style.com, all I have to do is e-mail the picture to my factory and say, ‘I want something similar.’" Her factory in India works fast, and can deliver a knockoff even before the designer version is available in stores.

Is this a problem? Some say no, with designer fashions so ridiculously expensive. Paying $750 for a dress? Fit that into your Christmas budget! And why pay $300 for designer jeans if you can get something similar for $30? But the Council of Fashion Designers wants copyright protection to be extended to clothing, so that good designs will not be stolen.

Until this issue gets resolved, knockoffs will be big business. In India, Seema Anand’s factory has computer programs that can copy the design of a garment from a Web image. The factory’s 2,000 workers can produce finished samples within two weeks, and "sometimes it looks so great you’re just shocked," says Anand. But sometimes the copies are, quite frankly, awful.

This is the challenge for us at Christmas: to separate the knockoff Jesus from the genuine article. We don’t want a dear tiny Jesus in golden fleece diapers to distract us from the one who is the Son of the Most High God.

The story of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary gives us a glimpse of the original Jesus, and you can tell his authenticity by the presence of the brand names; names like Favored One, Emmanuel, Jesus, Son of the Most High, Servant of the Lord. Unless you see these names, you might find yourself looking at a knockoff.

First, Favored One. This is the name that Gabriel gives to Mary, when he says, "Greetings, O favored one!" (Luke 1:28). Later, he comforts her by saying, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. What an amazing gift this is, to be favored by God — fully accepted and supported.

Most of you should know that it was Martin Luther, a one-time German monk who sparked the Protestant Reformation in the year 1517. For years, he was deeply troubled by his sin, and struggled with the questions, "How can I be accepted by God?" and "How can I find favor with God?" Luther’s breakthrough was the discovery that he was completely dependent on the mercy of God, and was saved solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

This insight flew in the face of what the Church was teaching. Of course, Luther’s discovery was really a rediscovery. He unearthed what Mary already knew, what the early church knew — that salvation is a gift of God, one that comes through faith rather than works. The same is true for us: We become the favored ones of God when we put our trust in Jesus, the genuine article. Accept no substitutes.

The second name to look for is Emmanuel. Now it’s true that this particular name is not mentioned in this passage, as it is in Matthew, where we find, "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us" (Matthew 1:23). The promise of Emmanuel is a powerful promise, because it means that God is with us now and will be with us always — through stress and sickness, conflict and confusion, failure and frustration, despair and even death itself. Nothing in all creation "will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39). That’s the guarantee of Emmanuel.

So where is this name in the story of the angel and Mary? If it doesn’t appear, are we dealing with a knockoff? No, look carefully — it’s kind of hidden. When Gabriel arrives, he says, "Greetings, O favored one! The Lord is with you." The Lord is with you … God is with us. The message to Mary — and to us — is that God is with us, in every time and place and situation. That’s the Emmanuel brand.

Third, the angel Gabriel says, "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus." This name has a clear and specific meaning: "God saves." There is nothing subtle about it. The name "Jesus" announces that God is working through his Son, to save us from sin and death.

He is an authentic Savior, this original Jesus. As the Christmas carol says, "Good Christian friends rejoice, with heart, and soul, and voice; Now ye need not fear the grave: Jesus Christ was born to save!" Born to save. That is God working through His Son, Jesus.

Fourth, Gabriel promises: "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David." The Son of the Most High is not a powerless baby with tiny, fat, balled-up fists — he is the mature Son of God, with power and authority to rule like his ancestor King David. "He will reign over the house of Jacob forever," says Gabriel, "and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Indeed, in the past two millennia since the birth of Christ, countless kings have ruled and died. Empires have risen and fallen, civilizations emerged and disappeared. That is how kingdoms go in a dying world. But Jesus remains King of kings and Lord of lords—for now and for eternity. Why? Because Christians say so, or hold out hope and insist it to be true? Of course not. Jesus is King because He says so. He who gave His Word to David and Mary still gives us His Word today.

Throughout the kingdoms of the world, nations rising and falling are ruled by both good men and tyrants. But the Lord still speaks His royal decrees, His certain pronouncements. You hear Him ruling at the font, where He says, "I am the King who has conquered even death, which is why I live forever. I share that victory with you now: I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."

You hear Him speak His final judgment through the mouth of His called and ordained messenger: "I have conquered sin and devil, and I set you free from that kingdom of darkness: I forgive you for all of your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." You hear Him speak His invitation at the altar: "This is the King’s table, and I give you My body and blood for the forgiveness of sins." That is where the King rules today: by His Means of Grace.

The key to a life of victory over the devil is wrapped up in being "in Christ." For a believer to know that he or she is "in Christ" brings confidence, joy, and eternal hope. It’s only natural to desire the great blessings the Bible promises to all who are in Christ. How do we and our families become united with Christ in His sin-defeating death and His life-giving resurrection? How do we know that we’re "in Christ?"

The answer to that question also lies in the words of Scripture, in Romans chapter 6; "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through Baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life. If we have become united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection."

Jesus clearly commanded Baptism. Throughout his writings, the apostle Paul refers to Baptism repeatedly. Through Baptism, Christ unites us to himself, to his cross, and his resurrection. Through Baptism, through simple water connected with God’s powerful Word, God promises us power to overcome the devil, strength for a daily life of joy, and the blessed certainty of life eternal. The daily remembrance of our Baptisms strengthens us in faith, that in Christ, all our sins are forgiven, and that we are children of God.

So, knowing all the blessings that are ours when we are "in Christ," are we still prepared to take orders from the Son of the Most High God? It’s easy to worship a baby who asks nothing of us but a diaper change. But are we willing to praise the King who gives the directives, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you?" Are we going to adore the ruler who says, "If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also?"

No, it’s much easier to worship a seemingly powerless baby. But if we love our enemies, live lives that reflect our faith, we will be acting as obedient servants of our powerful King. "Your reward will be great," promises Jesus, "and you will be children of the Most High."

At the end of today’s passage, Mary asks how she can possibly become pregnant, since she is a virgin. Gabriel speaks of the role of the Holy Spirit and the surprising pregnancy of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, and he concludes with the words, "Nothing will be impossible with God." That’s right. Nothing … will be impossible … with God.

Mary probably takes a deep breath, and makes a stunning leap of faith, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." Mary says "yes" to what God wants to do in her life, and this response reveals that she really is the "favored one" willing to put her complete trust in God. She calls herself the "servant of the Lord," and in so doing becomes a model for the rest of us.

Following the authentic Jesus empowers us to be servants of the Lord and our fellow man. This means finding the Lord’s favor through faith, believing that God is always with us, trusting Jesus to save us and showing obedience to the Son of the Most High. Serving God, as Mary did, begins with saying "yes" when we see the names Favored One, Emmanuel, Jesus, Son of the Most High, the Son of God.

Anything else is just a knockoff. Amen.