I told those who attended the Prayer Service yesterday, that as a pastor, one of the hardest sermons to preach is the sermons on Christian holidays or festivals.
Scripture texts are often limited, and these holidays come around annually.
Whether it’s Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving, it’s hard to come up with a new message every year.

But on the flip side, I also believe that every sermon ought to be a Christmas sermon and an Easter sermon.
That is the central message of Christianity, the Gospel.
Jesus, who came to earth for us; Jesus, who died on the cross for us; and Jesus, who resurrected on the third day.
This is the message that separates Christianity from other religions out there.
Sermons should not be about moral or philosophical messages, nor should it be about finding answers to one’s life questions.
Yes, there are places for them as well.
But the most fundamental message of them all is the message of the Gospel.

God himself came to earth to save us from this sin-filled world.
He lived the life we should have lived, and died the death that we so deserved to die.
And on the third day, he rose again, victoriously, and gave us rights to become God’s children and have eternal life, through his grace.
This is the central message of Christianity, and it must be preached every single time there is preaching.

Even today’s message is not an exception.
The message of the Gospel is being proclaimed.

Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem.
But this celebration of grace is met with the horror of sin.
We all know the text…we just haven’t heard much preaching on it.
But this is an important text, because it is the message of Christmas.

The baby in a manger is none other than the Son of God Almighty.
He came, willingly, into this world so full of sin and injustice.
And this sinful world did not receive him with joy.
Rather, it tried to kill him.
And all the children of Bethlehem ages 2 and younger were killed.
This world, in order to preserve itself, has no regard for life and is willing to shed blood.

Isn’t this world, today, full of people who are willing to shed blood for their own personal gains?
We saw it in the video earlier that there are people committing horrible acts for their own gains.
How much different are we?
Do we not, for the sake of our own gain and convenience, hurt and destroy others?

We should never forget this story of Christmas, as we enjoy the beautifully decorated trees and share fine meals together.
The story of Christmas begins with violence and injustice.
Matthew urges us to linger more on the situation by forcing us to think about Jeremiah 31:15.
“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
This passage is about the time when Israel’s young were taken captives into exile.
There does not seem to be any hope of future for Israel.
And this is the situation that these mothers of slain children are facing in Bethlehem.

But we also need to take a look at what comes next.
Jeremiah 3:16-17.
“Thus says the LORD:
‘Keep your voice from weeping,
and your eyes from tears,
for there is a reward for your work,
declares the LORD,
and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

There is hope for your future,
declares the LORD,
and your children shall come back to their own country.”

In the hopeless situation, God will do something about it and give hope.
That hope is none other than the Son of God, lying in a manger.

The story of Christmas begins with the deaths of children in Bethlehem.
And it ends with the death of the Son of God.
This death shows the world how much of God’s grace this world needs.
And the death was precisely the place where grace was given.

As we look to the beautiful Christmas tree, we also must keep an eye on the other tree.
This tree is not elegantly decorated with fine ornaments, but is stained with the blood of God’s Son.
And when this tree is indeed stained, that’s when God’s grace flows to us.

Is this not the true meaning of Christmas?

It’s a joyful Christmas.
The reason for joy is that God gave us hope in this hopeless place, peace where violence run rampant, and life in the midst of death.
Let us celebrate and worship this Son of God, Jesus Christ, who came to give us the love of God.

Merry Christmas!