Luke 2:6 - The Time Came - December 12, 2017

We are entering upon that time of year that many of us – especially the children – probably wish would never end. The lights, the cookies, the gifts under the tree, the time off from school and work, everyone is a little bit nicer and you get to see extended family members – who sometimes come bearing gifts, the anticipation of it all – if only it would never end. And in our attempt to make this time last, we begin the Christmas season earlier and earlier every year. Christmas decorations and Christmas sales have been happening since October. But no matter how early the Christmas season begins, it always ends. Time always moves on.

What would life be like without holidays like Christmas to look forward to? Just think of how much the passage of time dominates our thinking and our lives. Winter hasn’t even officially begun yet, and already many are looking forward to spring and summer. Each new day brings a time to wake up, a time to go to work and school, a time to eat, a time to play, a time to go to bed. If you ever feel that life is nothing more than an endless series of hours and days, deadlines and appointments – you’re not alone. Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, wrote about his experience with time: For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die…a time to weep and a time to laugh…a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1,2,4,6,7,8) Those are the times our lifetimes are made of: happy times, sad times, exciting times, boring times, family times and lonely times, time to look ahead and time to look back.

Like it or not, we are bound by time – because that’s the way God created us. And while God created time to be a blessing, it can often feel like a curse. We long for and look forward to good times, prosperous times, vacations and reunions – but they seem to pass by in the blink of an eye. We dread hard times, sad times, stressful, hurtful, desperate times – because they seem to make time stand still. No matter how hard we try to make every moment meaningful, time often feels so meaningless.

But the children are telling us a story that makes all time meaningful; for in the Christmas story, the time came. (Luke 2:6) It came as a decree from the emperor requiring everyone to return to his hometown to be counted for tax purposes. For shepherds it was time to keep watch over the flocks at night, shivering in the cold, enduring the hours of darkness until morning’s first light. And for one special couple, Mary and Joseph, it was time to find a place – not just to rest for the night, but to deliver a baby, since there was no room at the inn. What a time that must have been!

All of that set the stage for one important time, the most important event in history. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. (Luke 2:6) Since no one would have ever imagined who this baby was, God had to send his special messenger – an angel – to reveal the identity of this baby. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11) Another of God’s messengers – the Apostle Paul – explains why this baby was born on that special night long ago: when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5) This baby was God’s Son who was born to save us. But that only skims the surface. The Christmas story is so incredible, so powerful, so unparalleled that it’s not possible for us to capture the full meaning of it in one hour. That’s what your lifetime is for – to learn about that time, to know that time, to love that time, to live that time. Because whatever time comes in our lives, this time changes all of them.

Now, you might think that the only thing Christmas changes is the balance in your bank account. But when you look at time from God’s point of view, you see that Christmas changes everything. All of the different times we experience fall in the context of the four great events of human history. The first was creation. No one was there to observe it or record it, but God’s Word tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) – everything from the stars in the sky to the orderly seasons to the dirt under our feet – by simply speaking them into existence. And, as each of us were conceived and born, we entered God’s creation and became citizens of his kingdom, subject to his rules, characters in the story he is writing. The second time was the Fall into sin, when Adam and Eve plunged God’s perfect creation into the darkness of sin and unbelief and death by disobeying the only command God had given them. If you ever wonder why our world – and your own heart and home – are so filled with violence and hatred, hostility and enmity – look no further than the fall into sin. The third time began when God’s Son became a baby in Mary’s womb and Mary’s arms. She named him Jesus, which means “Savior”, because he came to live for us, die for us, and rise for us – in other words, begin a new time, a new age that not only left a mark on history but changed the future. We were destined to live short, painful, meaningless lives in this world and spend eternity in hell. But Jesus was born to save us from that inevitable end and carry us safely through this life to his Father’s home in heaven. Which leads to the fourth and final time – not yet here but already on its way. It’s known by many names – Judgment Day, the Second Coming, Armageddon – but, no matter what we call it, it will mark the end of time as we know it. For all who believe in Jesus as their Savior, that day will begin an eternity of peace and joy (a Christmas time that never ends!) in heaven. For those who reject him, it will begin an eternity of desperation, pain, and torment in hell. Creation, the Fall, Redemption, and Judgment – those are the chapters in the timeline of God’s story. Believe that Jesus came to put you on the right side of HIStory, and you will realize why every minute, every second of life is meaningful.

That’s why, for millions of believers, Christmas is such a special time. It’s not really about the lights and decorations, the gifts and parties. Christmas marks the culmination of thousands of years of waiting and watching and hoping. Christmas means that God has kept the promise he first made in the Garden of Eden – to live for us in time so that we could live with him now – both in good and bad times – and forever.

And because the time came for God to become man to save us – now is the time for us to praise God. How do we praise the God who not only created and preserves us, but saved us and has prepared an eternity of peace and joy for us? We praise him by remembering that our time is not our own – all of our times are in his hands. (Psalm 31:15) We praise him for rescuing us from the sin that enslaved us – the destruction we do to ourselves and to others – by vowing to leave our sinful ways and instead live for the one who came to live and die for us. We praise him by rejoicing that because Jesus endured our pain and sorrow, our weakness and death – he can give us strength to face them and overcome them. We praise him by remaining watchful for his Second Coming – keeping our faith burning brightly by staying close to him in the places he promises to be present – the Word and Sacraments. We praise him by telling everyone we know and love that there is no time to waste in getting to know this baby who was born on that cold, dark night in Bethlehem. A baby who was born to live for us. A baby born to die for us. A baby born to rise for us. A Savior who will return, not as a helpless baby, but as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Because one night long ago the time came for God to become man to save the world, now is the time for us to join with Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and angels, and all believers of all times and places to praise and thank our gracious God. No matter what time it is, there is always time for that. Amen.