Preaching the Christmas Gospel
More than a semi-annual crack at irregular churchgoers, the Christmas sermon has traditionally invited us to worship and wonder.
An interview with John D. Witvliet | posted 12/01/2004 12:00AM
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What can we learn about the people who first heard these sermons.
When you read Martin Luther or John Calvin, they are clearly writing with a view to the Roman Catholic practices of the time. They are very interested in this theme of salvation by grace alone. In the early church, when there are a lot of controversies about the Trinity and the nature of Christ, the preachers that we picked are writing to establish and to confirm the mystery of the Trinity and Christ's divinity.
But these sermons, because they are Christmas Day sermons, seem to have a timeless feel. It's as if on that day of the year, these preachers, while they didn't ignore their situation, they were speaking to eternal truths. These sermons have fewer references to the social concerns of the time or political issues of the day. There is plenty of that to find in historical preaching texts, but that isn't the main theme here. It's more the sense of timelessness. You have a sense of God's faithfulness. For 2,000 years, preachers have been waking up on Christmas Day in all kinds of different circumstances preaching this timeless message.
How does the Christmas story act as a window to view the timeless message of the faith?
Many of these sermons refer back to Creation. Here in the manger, the paradox is that the one who created the universe has now become a creature. And these sermons push us ahead to the end times. Just as surely as the Spirit brought about this great miracle, so will the Spirit bring about the complete redemption of creation. It is possible to see these different themes of Christian teaching through the lens of Christmas.
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John D. Witvliet is director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
More Christmas articles available from our Christmas page include:
An After-Christmas Gift | A homeless man, an angel, and a reminder about our final home. (Dec. 23, 2003)
I'm Dreaming of a Victorian Christmas | An ageless story reminds us of the values the Victorians can still teach us. (Dec. 23, 2002)
O Christmas Tree | A truly "traditional" tree would be unrecognizable—and flammable. (Dec. 14, 2001)
Christmas Kettles | The history behind a Yuletide institution. (Dec. 21, 2001)
Yabba-ka-doodles! | I'd begun to think of joy as a hard taskmistress, and of Christmas as her nasty elder sister. (12/03/2001)
Why December 25? | The month and day of Christ's birth have been hotly disputed for centuries. (12/8/2000)
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