AVBC - Christmas Eve - 7 PM - Sermon Title: “Christmas Hope Has Come!” (“Christmas Hope” - Sermon Series: Part 5) – Isaiah 9:2-7, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-20 (Christmas Eve – 7:00 PM)

 Wednesday 12/24/25 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “Christmas Hope Has Come!”

(“Christmas Hope” - Sermon Series: Part 5) –                                                         Isaiah 9:2-7, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-20 (Christmas Eve – 7:00 PM)

          Brothers and sisters, friends, greeting once again on this Christmas Eve 2025! Welcome on this night that we are preparing to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This night that Christians for over two-thousand years have gathered and have celebrated the hope, the joy, the peace, and the love that has come into our world. Tonight, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I would invite us to consider why the birth, the life, the death, the resurrection, and one day return of Jesus Christ matters? Why is this night, this Christmas Eve, that Christians have held sacred for over two-thousand years so important? Further, how has the birth of Christ and everything that he did and said changed us? How has all this changed our culture? How are we all different because of the birth of Jesus and everything He did so long ago? If Jesus were never born and never did all the things that He did, how would our world and how would we be different today.

          On this Christmas Eve, I would ask us to consider why Christmas matters. No, I am not talking about Egg Nogg or Christmas cookies, which many of us do like! Tonight, I am completing our five-week sermon series called “Christmas Hope.” As the season of Advent transitions into the twelve day season of Christmas at midnight tonight, thus far in this sermon series, we have discussed how Jesus would be born, how He will return to us one day, and how we can invite Him into our hearts anew every day. For Jesus is love itself.

We then talked about how the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible predicted and prophesied the birth, life, death, resurrection, and one day the return of Christ. We talked about how Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ ministry on earth, and how Jesus our savior and our Lord is coming, as the hymn is called “Soon and Very Soon.”

          Tonight though, we will conclude this “Christmas Hope” sermon series with the message “Christmas Hope Has Come!” In addition to the questions, I posed to myself and us all at the beginning of this message, I ask why is tonight, why is the coming birth of Christ a thing of hope? What does Christmas mean for us? Many parents might be exhausted from preparing for Christmas, some of us have probably gained at least some weight during this time of the year, but if not, there is always New Year’s for that, right! Many of us have been going here and there, and amidst all of this, tomorrow, or tonight based upon the family, we will share gifts, love, and of course food and time together. It is a time of being together, yet why is the birth of Jesus important, and what impact does it have on us today? Has the birth of Jesus changed us, and has it changed our society? Our culture has been more than most of us will ever know by the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord.

          Next year the Adams Village Baptist Church will have existed for one-hundred and eighty-years. That is a lot of Christmas Eves and Christmases spent together. I would invite us all on this night then to remember our best and most sacred memories of Christmas and why we celebrate on this night the birth of baby that was born in the humblest of ways over two-thousand years ago. This baby that was born in a barn, an animal stable, to young mother, and a loving father. This baby that would grow up and be the most transformative to ever cross the horizon of this world.

          As we heard just a few minutes ago from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, or the Prophet Isaiah, we heard a prophecy written about the coming of Christ about seven-hundred years before Jesus was born. What the great Prophet of Peace, Isaiah tells us of this baby, of this Christ who is coming among us soon, how He will change us all forever. We hear once again in Isaiah 9:2-7, this:

² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.
³ You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. ⁴ For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. ⁵ For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. ⁶ For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this (Isa. 9:2-7, NRSV).

          Tonight, the light of the world, Jesus the Christ will be born. This child, this savior will be called “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The authority and love of Christ will grow, He will inherit the eternal throne of His ancestor King David, and His will be established with justice and righteousness forever.

          In looking at the Apostle Paul’s letter or Epistle to Titus for this evening, we hear a scripture that has will long continue to be a scripture read on Christmas Eve and even Christmas day. In this scripture from Titus 2:11-14, we hear these words, once again:

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, ¹² training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds (Tit. 2:11-14, NRSV).

          Tonight, friends, brothers, and sisters, we await the “grace of God,” that is fully coming in the person of Jesus Christ. This baby that is fully human, yet fully God, which will offer us all salvation through his death on the cross. All who will turn to Him and make Him Lord of their lives will be offered forgiveness, salvation, and eternity. This Jesus will teach us how to live better, love more deeply, and care for each other in new and powerful ways. This God and Savior, Jesus Christ, has come to redeem us and change us forever.

          I have talked with many people, some of whom are Christians, some of whom are atheists, and say that they believe nothing. Yet, when I talk to many of my secular friends, they can tell me countless ways of why they have been hurt by churches, clergy, etc., but I never met one person that has ever told me that they have a problem with Jesus. I have had secular friends tell me things like, “Paul I love that you love Jesus, and I would come to your church, but I am not really into organized religion.” In response I have said, “Have you seen my desk in my church office? Believe me, there is nothing organized about it!”

          When we as Christians, when we as a church look and live like Jesus, Adams, Adams Center, and the world is better. Jesus is the church, and the church shines when we live, love, and serve like Him.

          In looking at our gospel of Luke reading once again on this Christmas Eve, we have one of the two birth narratives of Jesus, as only the gospels of Matthew and Luke discuss the birth of Jesus. This is what Luke 2:1-20 tells us once again:

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴ Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵ He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’ ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ ¹⁶ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them (Lk. 2:1-20, NRSV).

          Many of us have heard the birth story of Jesus, whether mentioned in the gospel of Matthew, or from the gospel of Luke reading that we just discussed. We hear of the population census for all people in the Roman Empire to be registered. This was largely for taxation purposes, and to know how many people were living in the various parts of the Roman Empire. The Jews were living under the oppressive bondage of the Roman Empire at this time. Joseph and Mary therefore had to come to be registered in Bethlehem, as Joseph was descendent from the great King David. Bethlehem has long been known as “The City of David.”

As the birth narrative of Jesus continues in our gospel of Luke reading, there was no room at the inn, and so Jesus was born in a stable, among animals, and was laid in a manger that was likely a feeding trough.

          An angel of the Lord appeared to the Shepherds of the fields, and a multitude of the heavenly host praised God, as the Shepherds went and beheld the Christ-Child. The shepherds came on way but left transformed. Mary treasured the words that the shepherds told her in her heart, and the shepherd returned to there fields glorifying and praising God. In the gospel of Matthew birth narrative, we have the Wise Men who come with the Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, and the flight to Egypt, the King Herod, and the murder of the innocents.

          Many of us know the birth story of Christ well, as our youth and kids acted it out and spoke it in our worship service this past Sunday. Many of us have nativity sets in our homes, like we do on our sanctuary table in the front of the sanctuary. I saw a picture on Facebook recently that showed a nativity set, but Jesus had been removed and replaced with the little green character Yoda from the Star Wars movies. The caption said, “Yoda has been there for a week, and mom still hasn’t noticed.”

          So, I would submit to you, dear friends, brothers, and sisters that the birth of Christ has changed us, has changed our culture, and has changed the world. Some of us do not even realize all the ways that Jesus has changed us, in fact I have a list. Before I read this though, I want to tell a Christmas story. This is a true story that took place during World War I, called “The Real Story of the Christmas Truce.” This is story of hope, of the power of the love of Jesus Christ, and the power of “Christmas Hope.” For those who attended our Advent book study, we also heard this story from the author of the book study book, Max Lucado. Here is how it goes:

The Christmas Truce has become one of the most famous and mythologised events of the First World War. But what was the real story behind the truce? Why did it happen and did British and German soldiers really play football in no-man's land?

Late on Christmas Eve 1914, men of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) heard German troops in the trenches opposite them singing carols and patriotic songs and saw lanterns and small fir trees along their trenches. Messages began to be shouted between the trenches.

The following day, British and German soldiers met in no man's land and exchanged gifts, took photographs and some played impromptu games of football. They also buried casualties and repaired trenches and dugouts. After Boxing Day, meetings in no man's land dwindled out.

The truce was not observed everywhere along the Western Front. Elsewhere the fighting continued and casualties did occur on Christmas Day. Some officers were unhappy at the truce and worried that it would undermine fighting spirit.

After 1914, the High Commands on both sides tried to prevent any truces on a similar scale happening again. Despite this, there were some isolated incidents of soldiers holding brief truces later in the war, and not only at Christmas.

In what was known as the 'Live and Let Live' system, in quiet sectors of the front line, brief pauses in the hostilities were sometimes tacitly agreed, allowing both sides to repair their trenches or gather their dead (https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-real-story-of-the-christmas-truce).

          In this moment in World War, I and in countless other moments since Jesus Christ was born on Christmas, the “Christmas Hope” of Jesus Christ has broken through into our broken world. The birth of Christ, and everything He did and said, has transformed us and the world forever. How has it transformed us? Here is how:

“The birth of Jesus fundamentally reshaped Western civilization by introducing core values like inherent human dignity, love, and compassion, which spurred development in law (human rights, equality), politics (separation of church/state, democracy), education (universities, literacy), arts (religious themes), medicine (hospitals), and social structures (family, abolition of slavery). This Christian framework, emphasizing agape love and serving the poor, became the cultural bedrock, even influencing post-Christian societies by establishing ethics like valuing suffering over inflicting it and seeing inherent worth in every person, shaping modern Western identity”              (Google Search).

          The birth and life of Jesus has so transformed Western Culture, that western countries, even one’s where Christianity is in sleep decline, have been shaped and transformed by the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Let us never take for granted the power of the birth, the life, the teachings, the death, resurrection, and one day return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, and His birth that we celebrate on Christmas will radically transform the world, and us.

          Here are some more ways the birth and live of Jesus has changed Western Culture:

Moral & Ethical Foundations

• Human Dignity: The idea that humans are made in God's image elevated the value of every individual life, challenging ancient hierarchies.
• Compassion & Service: Jesus's focus on the sick, poor, and marginalized fostered humanitarian aid, leading to modern hospitals and charities (Red Cross, World Vision).
• Family: Teachings promoted partnership, equal worth, and self-sacrificing love, strengthening family units. 

Societal & Institutional Impact

• Law & Governance: Concepts of justice, equality, and individual rights stem from Christian principles, influencing constitutions and civil codes.
• Education: The belief that humanity should seek knowledge led to the founding of universities (Oxford, Cambridge) and a general commitment to education.
• Arts & Culture: Religious themes dominated Western art, architecture, and music for centuries.
• Science: Christianity's view of a rational, ordered universe created by God provided a framework for scientific inquiry. 

Cultural Transformation

• Calendar & Time: Jesus's birth became the central marker (Anno Domini/BC/AD) for dating years in the Western calendar,.
• Women's Status: Jesus's inclusion of women as disciples and witnesses elevated their status, impacting future rights, despite historical reversals.
• Shift in Values: The idea of suffering for a higher purpose (rather than inflicting suffering) became a central moral tenet, distinguishing Western ethics. 

Legacy in "Post-Christian" West

·       Even as secularism grows, Western societies still largely operate on assumptions of inherent human value, rights, and humanitarian care that originated from this Christian framework, making it a foundational, if sometimes unconscious, part of Western culture (Google Search).

Brothers and sisters, on this Christmas Eve 2025, I invite us all anew to embrace the “Christmas Hope,” that only Christ brings. Let us anew celebrate His birth, His love, His Hope, His Peace, and His Joy. May we embrace Him anew as Savior and Lord for He has and will continue to change everything. For Jesus is our hope, Jesus is Christmas. Jesus is and always will be our “Christmas Hope.”

Merry Christmas brothers and sisters and may we behold anew the Jesus Christ our Lord is coming, coming into our hearts, and coming again one day! Amen.