1-2-2016

Good Morning All!!   

       Luke 2:6; “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth”.

    Even in 2016, with all the technological skills and knowledge that we possess; the birth of a child is a surprise.  We might be able to come pretty close to the time but, if it is allowed to follow the natural flow of events, birth is an unknown quantity.  So you have to have a bag packed and be ready to go.  In South Dakota, in the wintertime, you usually need a “snow home” close to the hospital, just in case.  Now if we knew the exact time, this wouldn’t be a worry.  We would know the moment we would have to be at the hospital and plan it out many days, maybe even weeks, in advance.  Yet birth, ultimately is still a mystery.

    Scripture uses birth as a symbol of new life.  Birth is almost the universal sign of life.  It announces a newness or a refreshing of events.  For many, we like to view the New Year as a birth; we try to start over, to correct bad habits, to do better, to improve what and who we are.  Scripture also tells us that all birth, all life is an act of God.  We read of the barrenness of Sarah, Rebekah, Hannah, and Elizabeth and how God brought about life in their wombs with the births of Isaac, Jacob, Samuel and John the Baptist.  Add to these the virgin birth of Jesus to Mary and we can see how God uses birth to accomplish the task he sets out to remedy.

    That is what we see in the birth of Jesus.  God had long promised that a Savior would be born but the exact time was not known by man.  So they waited and waited and just like the prophets had foretold, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. At a time and place that few men would have chosen as the likely birth of the Redeemer of all creation.  Yet with that birth, God brought about new life for man with a hope that had long been forgotten.  With the birth of Jesus man would get new life, a rebirth, into God’s holy family.

    Through the physical birth of Jesus, we receive our spiritual birth.  This is what the Apostle John was speaking of when he wrote “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”  This new birth occurs because God and his gracious will aims to restore us and to make us whole.

    So with this birth of Jesus, and our rebirth through Baptism, we have new life, new hope.  We have God’s promise of salvation and the certainty of his presence in our life and of his protection and mercy.  We can face the events of this coming year, confident that God is there to carry us through whatever we face.

God of mercy, through the birth of Jesus we now live as a people who have hope.  Through our rebirth you have brought us into your holy family.  Keep us safe in your loving arms.  Heal our pain and comfort our sorrows, wipe away our tear and keep us certain of your love.  Lead is to be confident of your mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret