TITLE: “The Mystery of the Ages”

In the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our text for the Nativity of our Lord is from Luke 2,

A secret. For thousands of years the angels of God had waited for the unfolding of the great secret of the ages. Of course, it wasn’t exactly a secret. God has promised the coming of the Savior all the way back in the Garden of Eden. And from that time forward the angels of God had been the guardians of the Tree of Life. The archangel guarded the way so that they would not eat of the Tree of Life and live under the curse of sin forever. They used fear to drive Adam and Eve away. That fear, strangely enough, kept them alive. But the angels hated it. Fear was not the true way of God. They longed to give the message of salvation out to the world. But like so many things in God’s eternal kingdom, it was all a matter of timing. Only at just the right time could they announce the birth. Until then, but men saw the angels of God, usually it was in fear of the judgment of God. The angel of God became the angel of death.

It should not surprise us, then that when the angel comes and appears before the shepherds on the night of our Lord’s birth, that the shepherds were afraid. The appearance of angels was not usually a good thing, because it was a sign of God’s judgment.

But not this time. The mystery of the ages, that great secret of God’s birth, foretold for so many years, the mystery of the Word made flesh was upon them. This time the angel bars the way no more. This time the angel of God had a message that would ring out through all the world.

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

There’s nothing like bringing good news to make your day. And this wasn’t just any good news, this was the good news of all time. No more would the angels of God be bringers of doom and fear. Now they were heralds of the King. Now they gave out the message of all time to the people of the world, starting with those fearful shepherds so many years ago.

Don’t be afraid, the angel said to the shepherds. Don’t be afraid. This is God’s message to you this day as well. In a time of judgment and fear, in a day and age when it sometimes seems like it hard to tell whether God is on your side, hear the message of the angels this night: don’t be afraid.

In fact, God loves you so much that He came down from heaven in a way that no one could mistake his love for you. Who could possibly be afraid of a newborn baby? He came down helpless and cold, needy and forgotten. And He came down for you, so that you may return to heaven with Him.

That is what made the angels so filled with the joy of God on that holy night. God had come down into the very flesh and blood of poor sinners like you and me. There is no higher honor, there is no greater love that God has ever shown that this: he came down into our lives, to live here with you, so that you may live together with Him forever.

When all was still and it was midnight, your almighty Word, O Lord, descended from the royal throne. Don’t be afraid. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary and Son of God. Amen. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting. Amen.