"And the Word became flesh . . . (John 1:14)

A Homily for Christmas Eve 2007

BELOVED CONGREGATION OF JESUS CHRIST:

LET US REJOICE and give thanks this evening! Let us cast away our sorrows, for the most wonderful of wonders has occurred— and the Word became flesh. Let us cast away our doubts, for the announcement is as certain as we hear it on our ears at this moment— and the Word became flesh. Let us cast away our worries and anxieties, for we are called to holy meditation this night upon the mysteries of life and the life to come— and the Word became flesh. Let us cast away our sins of anger, hatred, jealousy, enmity, strife, and bitterness, for he who was the object of them all from our hearts, lips, and lives has come to you in grace— and the Word became flesh.

This night we rejoice because we hear again the story of God’s preparation of the coming of his Son through all the twists and turns, the highs but especially the lows of redemptive history. This night we rejoice because our forefathers were not put to shame, who awaited in anticipation the coming of their God, their Lord, their Savior, and their King. This night we rejoice because God’s calls us to participation in the long-awaited story and we are so blessed to embrace it as our story by faith. This night we rejoice because it is in commemoration that we gather together and draw near to that holy virgin, that holy stable, that holy night, knowing that it has come to pass. This night we rejoice because all that we sing of about the past leads us to expectation of another Day, when this Word who was made flesh, shall re-appear and consummate his gracious work in our hearts and lives.

Rejoice and give thanks! Stand in awe before the Lord! Contemplate anew what the Lord has done for all peoples and for you! And the Word was made flesh. He who is became something he was not without ceasing to be who he was from eternity. The infinite Word who measures the heavens in the span of his hand became finite and was held by his young mother. The eternal Word, who is Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, first and last, became temporal. The immutable Word who changes not became mutable—hungering, thirsting, sorrowing, and dying. The invisible Word whom no man has seen and lived became visible, tangible, and embraceable. The Word through whom all things were created became a creature. The Word who sustains all things by the word of his power became dependent upon his mother’s breast, his father’s labors, and his creation’s necessities. The almighty Word who accomplishes his holy will became weak. Immensity was cloistered in a womb. The divine Word became human. God became man.

Beloved, this night we rejoice!

In the name of the Word made flesh. Amen.