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December 24, 2002
Christmas Eve
Pastor Ben Berger

UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN

Why do so many people come to church on Christmas? Is it because that's the thing to do? Is it because everyone else goes? Maybe there's something more. Maybe you so enjoy the peace and joy of Christmas that you want it to last a little bit longer. Whatever reason brought you here, I'm glad that you came. Whether you realize it or not, what you hear tonight has the power to change your life from this point on. The message is simple: UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN. So what? What difference does the birth of one little child make in my life? Well, let's find out.

Let's take an honest look at your life right now. Oh, I know that during Christmas we like to portray happiness and glee and boughs of holly all over the place. We enjoy decorating and singing and seeing people we love. We might even say hi to a stranger on the street. But, how will your life look next week, in two weeks, in a month? Soon the gloom and distress of your normal life will return. Let's not fool ourselves by coming to church for a night and acting like everything in OK.

Most of you are spending your lives walking in darkness. You think you know what you want and you even think you know how to get it. Tell me if I'm wrong. You want enough money to pay for your bills and a little extra. You want a relationship with the opposite sex that lasts and that you actually enjoy. You want a family that gets along all the time. You want to know that your friends will still be your friends tomorrow. You want a break from work and school. You want a break from your life. That's what Christmas gives you - a break from your life. What will you do when life returns?

You're not alone. Even 2,700 years ago when the prophet Isaiah wrote to the people of Israel, they had the very same desires. They wanted the other nations to stop attacking them; they wanted their economy to pick up; they wanted God to make their lives happier. When they didn't get it, they cursed God.

Are you surprised? I'm not; maybe you've even cursed God yourself. What did you expect? You and I, along with Israel and all the other people in the world too often miss the point. We walk in darkness. We wonder why the problems never go away, but we never really address the problem itself. Oh, we deal with the symptoms all the time. We work harder to make more money and to improve our relationships and to give ourselves a break, but we rarely address the heart of the matter: sin. All these things are the result of sin - not just sin in the world or someone else's sin. They are the result of my sin. God humbles us to finally make us realize that we need to address our sin. That's our dark past: sin. We walk in the darkness because of sin.

God wants to change all of that. Already 2,700 years ago God made a promise to change all of that. The people of Israel were walking in gloom and distress and darkness; God had humbled them. Then God made this promise: "there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past God humbled the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles."

That promise gave hope to God's people long ago; it changed their lives. Tonight the very same promise changes your life. God does even more than make a promise. Tonight you see God fulfill his promise. Listen to how he honored Galilee: "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem…While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and Mary gave birth to her firstborn, a son."

So what? How does the birth of a child in Galilee change my life? "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you." UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN.

The birth of a little baby boy in a stable in Bethlehem 2000 years ago could very well seem insignificant. But, the fact that you are here tonight says otherwise. The fact that angels announced his birth and that shepherds went rejoicing through the countryside and that men from a foreign country in the East made the long trip to visit - all that says otherwise. This birth means something. This birth has the power to change your life - not just for a night or for a few weeks of the year but forever. How?

This birth will change your life because it will take you out of the darkness and into the light. The birth of Jesus is only the beginning. It's the beginning of a life that would remove the source of your gloom - your sin. Jesus didn't come to earth just so that we could have a season of happiness. He came to earth so that we could have a life of happiness. That can only happen without sin. So Jesus came to take sin away. He was born to die. He was born to suffer all the gloom and distress we have in our lives but then to die a death we could not. He suffered the ultimate gloom when he suffered hell, the true punishment for our sins. After he died to take away our gloom and darkness, he rose from the dead to give us light for a new life.

Because Jesus closed death's door and with it our dark past, he opened for us a bright future, a future worth living. Without sin or death in our way and with his light, we can now see our way to heaven. We can see the road out of this life into a life without stress or pressure. Somewhere deep down inside of us God has given us a desire for that eternal life rather than happiness that fades with the seasons. The birth of Jesus fulfills that desire.

As we wait to live that bright future in heaven, the birth of Jesus gives us light to see our way through the rest of our days on earth. I truly hope that you have found peace and joy this evening. I sincerely pray that God has blessed you throughout the season. But, I also pray that such peace and joy would remain. The peace and joy that God offers does not fade when the decorations come down and the music stops playing. The life that God offers doesn't die when the hymns change and the jolly moods are gone. UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN. The birth of Jesus gives us opportunity to change our lives forever. Jesus takes away our sins, the root of our gloom. He offers us in its place forgiveness, life and salvation - a bright future. May God change your life tonight and forever for UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN.