Christmas Eve Service
7:30 PM, December 24, 2005
Call to Worship
Tonight is the night for a new song to be sung!
Tonight is the night to crowd around a manger, to behold the divine, born in human flesh.
Tonight is the night to proclaim the good news, to praise God with the multitude of angels!
Tonight is a night for joy to the world!
Jesus Eyes
Isaiah 9:2-7
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
Read: Isaiah 9:2a and 6
Living in the city, as we do, we never really experience pure darkness. You have experienced this driving into San Francisco and noticing from still far away a glow emitting in the horizon. You might find true darkness in a cave deep down in the earth or on a moonless night on a campout at Youth Camp. People whose vision is impaired experience true darkness.
None of us here may be able to claim that we are blind, but we are all struggling with forms of darkness that have nothing to do with degenerated retinas or optic nerves. Maybe our personal darkness comes from depression, or disillusionment, or doubt. Perhaps it originates in discouraging work or deteriorating relationships. Maybe it comes from having nothing to look forward to, no contribution to make, or no one to love.
To find some light in this type of darkness, we need Jesus Eyes. Our eyes may not be adequate for this kind of darkness. We need Jesus Eyes.
Darkness in the Land
The prophet Isaiah knew the deep and disorienting darkness of despair when he wrote chapter 9. His people had experienced the rod of oppression, the trampling of warriors, garments rolled in blood, and the tumult of battle. They knew the reality of depression and death. Darkness had settled on the land of Israel when, out of nowhere, there came good news of great joy.
“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His Authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace…” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
A child was born in Bethlehem, and the world was introduced to a new way of seeing. Expectations were turned upside down by a prince being born in a barn, a mighty God taking the form of a vulnerable baby. This birth marked the beginning of a new era in human history, one in which injustice is replaced with justice, selfishness replaced with righteousness and violence replaced with peace. The whole world counts each dark night beginning on his birthday.
But like all new forms of seeing, this innovation requires some adaptation. Remember how your eyes need to adjust to light after seeing an afternoon matinee or from a camera flash? After I have my eyes examined by Dr. Lim, I get to wear these temporary shades so that my eyes can adapt to the sunlight. It took awhile for people to get used to seeing with Jesus Eyes. Maybe we’re still making the adjustment today.
Seeing like Jesus
What does it mean to see the world through the eyes of the one who is born this day in the city of David—our Savior, Christ the Lord? Isaiah gives us a clue with the four names he attaches to the child who is put on the throne of David and given the kingdom of God.
*To have Jesus Eyes is to share the vision of a Wonderful Counselor. This means that we come to see the world with the perspective of the one who is our guide and our counsel. We are not forced to figure out everything for ourselves, but we can follow the clear and compelling guidance of the one who knows the path to health and wholeness and everlasting salvation.
Before we were taught to love your neighbors and hate your enemies. But with Jesus Eyes, we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven (Mt. 5:43-45). When we have Jesus Eyes, we aren’t looking to love only those who love us, because everyone does that. Instead we are looking to love everyone—friends and enemies—as children of our heavenly Father. This is a whole new way of seeing that leads us to everlasting life.
*To have Jesus Eyes is to perceive the activity of a Mighty God. It may be hard to visualize this when Jesus comes to us as a powerless child when we have seen in our own families how dependent a baby is to us for all of her needs. But keep in mind that baby Jesus grows into a man who goes so far as to conquer sin and death.
Remember this when you are doing battle in your own life…with temptation…with an obstacle…with a setback…with rejection…with a disappointment…with a particularly crushing loss. You have a Mighty God going before you with a gigantic flood light that will cast out shadows of doubt and all your problems. You will emerge victorious.
*To have Jesus Eyes is to have a clear vision of our Everlasting Father. God is not an absentee father, nor is he an abusive one. Instead, he is a close and caring and attentive Father—one who has deep concern for the welfare of his people.
“Look at the birds of the air,” says Jesus, “they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Mt. 6:26). Jesus encourages us not to worry about clothing or food or shelter or anything else we need for life. He assures us that our Everlasting Father will meet our needs as long as we put time and energy into pursuing his kingdom and his righteousness.
I know that it’s not easy for everyone to embrace the metaphor of God as a heavenly Father because their earthly fathers may have not lived up to their responsibilities. It’s important to remember that Jesus and his heavenly Father are one God, so the face of Jesus is the same as the face of God the Father. Jesus is our everlasting Father, and when we need an image of a close and caring and attentive parent, we can look directly at him.
*Finally to have Jesus Eyes is to see the world from the perspective of the Prince of Peace. The mission of Jesus is to bring peace, prosperity and well-being to all people, and he challenges us to work toward the very same goals.
So often we confuse the interests of our nation with the interests of Jesus, or we assume that our sense of security is going to line up perfectly with the intentions of our Lord. When we look at life this way, we might be in need of a vision correction. We might need to make sure that we have put on Jesus Eyes.
To see eye to eye with the Prince of Peace is to live “with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore” (Isaiah 9:7). It means that we need to embrace these virtues in our personal lives, in our community, in the way we treat strangers and our enemies, and in the way we practice our politics. It means that we see the world as a place that needs more peace, more justice and more righteousness.
Great Light
On Christmas Eve, we come from our various darkened places into a welcoming lighted house of God for we are a people who walked in darkness have now seen a great light. With the light of Christ, you are sent back out into the world equipped with Jesus Eyes to love your enemies, to believe that life’s battles will end, to not worry about life’s needs, and to work for justice and righteousness.
“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Let us pray.
O Holy God, Word made flesh, in the sacred hush of this time and place, help us like Mary to treasure your good news in our hearts. Give us a renewed awe and amazement as we ponder your goodness. Is anything too wonderful for you, O God? No, indeed!
Lord, from our various homes and local communities, we have traveled like the Magi to seek the star that leads us to the Christ Child who is born tonight in Bethlehem, a Savior for all people. We come seeking the Christ because we too are in need of peace and joy. We pray for those who are your precious children in need of your grace and mercy. Be with Marilyn Beale in the hospital recovering from her surgery. Bless Nancy Yee who is undergoing tests in the hospital for possible bleeding ulcers. On this sacred night, we pray that your presence comforts them and leads them to health.
We pray for your peace that passes all understanding in our families as many of us gather with loved ones near and far. Over the abundance of good food and long-awaited conversations, we pray that these family moments will lead us to treasure the love we have with one another.
And while we feel safe and secure, we know that there are many places around the world as well as in the Bay Area where it is not so. We pray, Lord that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace will lead us to end warring factions, to set down our arms, and to dissolve terrorism when all people might begin to believe that they are a treasure in your sight so that we may rejoice and sing a new song to the Lord.
Thank you for the gift of this night. Amen.
Benediction
Unto us a child is born!
Unto us a son is given!
The government shall be upon his shoulders.
May you reign forever; Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace! Amen.