"Crossing the Christmas Border"

Do you have your passport? How about a copy of your birth certificate? If we were going to Canada tonight, you would need one or the other to get across the border. With everything else going on this evening, it probably a good thing that we don’t have to worry about crossing a border. Or do we?

In one way, Christmas is like another country, a special place that we visit only once a year. Christmas has its own music, its own food, its own family customs and traditions, even its own language, with funny words like Yule, merry, and noel. You might say we’re here tonight to cross the border into the country of Christmas. If we look at it that way, if Christmas is like a country that we’re about to enter, then we might also say that as we cross the Christmas border, we have much to declare.

Do you have anything to declare as you cross the Christmas border? That’s an important question to ask ourselves. So important, that I want you to think about what you would put down on that little form, that little declaration form, that you have to fill out when you go to, or return from another country. The word "declare" has an original meaning of making something very, very clear. What baggage do you and I bring into the Christmas Eve worship?

Some of us are here tonight surrounded by the love of family and friends with us in worship. Others of us may think of a loved one now celebrating in the light of the Savior in the glories of a Christmas with the Lord. Some of us may be wrestling with the needs of a family member, healing from an illness, finding a new job, or finally receiving a sense of peace after many problems in this nearly over year.

Still others are aware of how sin and evil loose in the world have wounded us and others. We come here tonight seeking help from the Prince of Peace.

Yet, in one way, all of us are the same. We declare that we need God because of our sin. Whatever the problems, whatever the worries or sorrows in our lives tonight, we know that because of our imperfections, that we have to wrestle with sin, even on Christmas Eve. We’re like the shepherd; that’s why they were terrible afraid. They were afraid because they saw the brightness of God’s perfect glory, the glory from which no one can hide. They knew they were sinners.

And that’s why the angels says to them; "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people." That’s why we’re here this night. As we cross into Christmas country, we declare that we need God. We come here because we’ve had things of our own to declare, and we, need the Good News that the angels proclaimed.

The shepherds were the first to hear some of the heavenly declaration, making God’s love and forgiveness clear and open for all to see. At that first Christmas, the angels declared the glory of God, and we hear it in the words of their song, "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among those with whom he is pleased!"

Those words of the angels remind us of the start of Psalm 19, "The heavens declare the glory of God." The glory of God starts with his being our creator, the source of our life and love. But the great and loving God saw that you and I are not always great and loving; we are far from the perfection that was ours when we were created. Hopefully, each of you has just declared that fact. So

That solution comes at Christmas. He Jesus declares his Father’s love for us. The angels tell the shepherds: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." That word "Savior" means so much to us. If you save someone, that means you rescue him. Sometimes we forget that rescue is connected with Christmas.

Jesus’ birth on Christmas means that the eternal Son of God became human, to share our life. He became human in order to die. That is the only way Jesus could rescue us from our sins. He died for those times that we know that we have been imperfect, when we know that we are sinners who need healing from outside ourselves.

Jesus died on the cross to connect us again with our Creator. Through his death, our sins are forgiven, and because we are now rescued from our sins, Jesus can be called our Savior. Through his resurrection on Easter, we receive new life, and Jesus can be called, Christ, the Lord.

Because of that, we have something more that we need to declare, something that is beyond our need for God. We visit the country of Christmas to declare God’s praise. That’s not always what happens at Christmas. Sometimes we’re like the little girl whose grandmother took her to see Santa Claus. She sat on Santa’s lap and told him everything she wanted. When she jumped down, Santa gave her a candy cane. "What do you say?" prompted the grandmother. The little girl thought for a minute, then turned and with a big smile said, "Charge it!"

We don’t visit the country of Christmas simply to get gifts for others or ourselves. Oh, it true that we receive the greatest gift of all: Jesus our Savior. But if we really see and hear what’s going on in this place called Christmas, we have to say more then "charge it!"

We’ll have God’s praise to declare. That’s what the shepherds did when they returned to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.

Let’s look at that verse for just a moment more. It says the shepherds returned to their flocks and pastures. We can’t stay in Christmas forever either. What happens tomorrow, after the presents are unwrapped, or in January when the decorations come down, or after Epiphany Sunday, January 6^th, when the church takes down these trees and candles?

When we return home, we also will declare God’s glory. That’s what the shepherds did. Not only did they praise God in Bethlehem, they kept on praising him when they got home. We can do that too. In fact, you can use the things you declared on your imaginary customs form to help you.

You can go home ands make a real list. You can write down more ways in which you can declare God’s glory this Christmas. Does that sound like something hard to do?

Well when the Bible talks about declaring glory, the idea is "to cause someone to be seen as great." How can you and I do that this year? In what new or old way can we cause God to be seen as great, because we have visited the country of Christmas?

May God’s Spirit guide your thinking about that question as we cross the border into Christmas and when we go back home again. Amen.