The sermon for December 16 was based on Matthew 11:2-10.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet."

No one has a fuller and more appropriate "Christmas Spirit" than St. John the Baptist. But he is not running around like Ebenezer Scrooge who has been given a second chance and is determined to buy his way into paradise by being nice to everybody and sharing his wealth. He is not like Jimmy Stewart at the end of "It's a Wonderful Life" for whom everything has worked out perfectly and who now sees how important and useful he is. Nor is St. John like Rudolph who finds his place in this world and teaches us a moral about judging other people. No, St. John the Baptist has the "Christmas Spirit" that is wrought by the Holy Spirit. He is bent on preparing for the Messiah, not in the way of the world, with self-congratulations, shallow sentimentality, and over-indulgence, but in the way the Lord says to prepare. "Cry Out! . . . All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of Our God stands forever." [Isa 40:6-8]

Why don't you put that on your Christmas cards: "You are like grass upon which the breath of the Lord blows and is destroyed. Merry Christmas."? It doesn't quite fit with Hallmark. It is not festive and indulgent the way everything around this time of year urges you to be. It doesn't make you feel warm, and happy, and cuddly inside. It doesn't smell of nutmeg and cinnamon. But it is the message of preparation, the message Isaiah prophecies for St. John. And that wild man from the desert, in his camel hair coat, preaches it. He preaches it with conviction and fire. He will not bend. He will not compromise his message for fame or popularity, for success, for gaining members, or even to save his own life. He will carry out his Divine Mission with zeal and through the Word many will be brought to faith. He is a prophet, yes, and more than a prophet. His message must be heeded.

It is a stern message, indeed. Not at all the message of a sitcom Christmas special, or of a reed blown about by the wind. But it is, nonetheless, a message of real comfort. For without the Law there is no Gospel. Through the prophet Isaiah the Baptist is told: "Comfort, comfort ye my people." Comfort them with true and lasting comfort, with the comfort of guilt that is pardoned, of warfare that is ended. Point out to them the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. There is the true Christmas spirit which is created by the Holy Spirit. And it will last beyond December, and give peace and joy that cannot be taken away.

The problem with Hollywood's joy is that it is so fleeting and so prone to end in depression. "It's a Wonderful Life" comes to its tear soaked end and you are full of this warm, comfortable happiness. The screen writer has spoken to your soul. But then you turn to your own Christmas dinner. And without the special effects and paid actors you cannot recreate the moment. Some of your relatives are bickering, a child is throwing a temper tantrum, and almost all of your family bear grudges from years' past. The dinner was prepared with a glaring lack of help, the Christmas goose is over cooked, a plate of your china gets broken, and on and on and on. If you seek the standards of Madison Avenue and the perfect Victorian Christmas, then you have bought into a cruel, unattainable lie. It leads not to joy and peace, but to discontentment and frustration. There is reason that this is documented as the most depressing time of the year. The ideals are too unrealistic. It is a setup for failure. To call that and all that surrounds it the "Christmas spirit" is blasphemous to the Name of Our Lord.

Don't get me wrong. Go ahead and enjoy your Christmas feast next week. Enjoy the gifts, the tinsel, and the lights. Drink a little egg-nog and sing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." But do not let these things in all their glittery distraction be mistaken for Christmas. Do not let them crowd out, replace, or stand anywhere near the Babe in the manger who has bought and won you at a terrible price. And do not let their premature celebration, meant to spur on sales and the economy, take away your Advent preparation for the Holy Communion on Christmas morning.

This Advent preparation for Christmas Holy Communion is born of the true Christmas Spirit. It does not come from the Christmas spirit of Macy's and Jack Daniels. This Advent preparation comes from the true "Christmas Spirit" of the Holy Spirit. It is to find hope, and joy, and comfort in the fact that God sent the Messiah to be born of the lowly Virgin, to be rejected, to suffer, to die, and to rise again - all for you. Look upon that miracle of miracles. See Immanuel born of the Virgin, the Son of God who was sent to die. Repent of your worldliness and self-centeredness. Let go of every futile attempt to make the perfect moment. Let go. Quit trying to celebrate Christmas in accord with the world's false ideals and standards, and enjoy instead, the peace, the comfort of St. John the Baptist that comes from the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

There is a lot of bandying these days of the "real meaning" or the "true meaning" of Christmas. The sitcoms, the politicians, the greeting card companies, and the department stores are all concerned with, and want to promote, the "real meaning" of Christmas. Well, the real meaning of Christmas is not about giving gifts, it is not about togetherness, or sharing; it is not even about family. It is not about anything different from Easter. For the Son of Man is born by that ultimate humble act, namely, God stooping down from heaven and taking your flesh as His own, in order to sacrifice Himself in your place. The Christmas celebration is really no different in essence and cause than the Easter celebration. It is the same. God has saved you! As enjoyable as Dicken's "A Christmas Carol," or "It's a Wonderful Life," or "Rudolph" might be, they have absolutely nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Nothing. Any Christmas-spirit they have or create in their hearers is not the Christmas Spirit of St. John the Baptist. How could it be otherwise, when John is so intent on the Coming Messiah and cares so little for things of this world - tinsel, candles, nutmeg, and the like - all of which are but withering grass?

The coming of God to make atonement for man, the death and resurrection of that Babe born to Mary, that is the cost and the cause of true Christmas peace, the peace of which the angels spoke to the shepherds in their fields. It is true Christmas peace because none of those other things - none of the precious moments, the glass bulbs or ceramic snowmen, none of the things of this world or this holiday's celebration - none of them really matter, for they wither and fade. But your salvation in Christ will never fade. Receive God's peace, the peace which the world cannot give, the peace that passes all understanding, the peace brought by the Prince of Peace. The gifts that God gives, His love and forgiveness, communion in His Body and Blood, His receiving you as His own dear child for the sake of His only begotten Son, these things will last forever.

Looking forward to these eternal Christmas gifts, the Holy Spirit will create in you the true Christmas spirit. Looking forward to Christmas Holy Communion, these next nine days will be a time of preparation in the way of St. John the Baptist, calling in the wilderness: "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." These nine days will be a time of prayer and contemplation, and when Christmas Eve comes it will be as though the angels were speaking to you as they did to the shepherds nearly two thousand years ago. And come Christmas morning, you will receive God's heavenly gifts, not by staying at home to open your own earthly gifts, but by coming here to Bethany. You will receive that gift wrapped in bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Our Lord, which he gives for you, from the Christmas tree of the cross. That is the Christmas Spirit, with a capital "S." Amen.

The Peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Based on a sermon by Rev. D. H. Petersen.

Last Updated: 7/15/2008