"Will Yours Be a Matthew or a Luke Christmas?"

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The text which serves as the basis for tonight’s message is the story of Jesus’ birth as given us in Matthew chapters 1 and 2.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

You may or may not be aware that the Bible provides us with two separate accounts of the birth of Jesus Christ. One account is in Luke–a portion of which we read earlier tonight–the other is in Matthew. They both tell the same story, but they come from different perspectives, they include different details. They do not contradict each other. They simply use two different approaches to describe the same set of events.

You’re probably more familiar with Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus. It’s the more popular version. Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth is very bright, very glorious, very wonderful. Luke’s account tells us a lot about Mary and the things she experienced. There’s lots of singing in Luke’s account. There’s a baby in a manger. There are shepherds out in the fields. There’s an angel saying "Do not be afraid." Lots of joy and peace and faith and trust. Which makes Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ very comforting, very uplifting.

Matthew, on the other hand, gives us a darker account of Jesus’ birth. Matthew tells us that Jesus’ birth was not all singing and dancing, not all fun and games. Matthew’s account tells us a lot about Joseph and the things he experienced. There are no songs in Matthew’s account. There’s no manger scene. There’s an angel delivering to Joseph the very troubling news that his fiancee is with child. And there’s a King Herod who wants to kill the baby as soon as it’s born. And there’s a desperate escape to Egypt in the middle of the night. Lots of fear in Matthew’s account. And confusion. And loneliness. And stress. Luke’s account is very heavenly minded. Matthew’s account is more down to earth.

Both of these accounts are true. They don’t contradict each other; they simply focus on different details. And in doing so, they provide for us a balanced view of Christmas.

And balance is something we need at Christmas, don’t we? Because this holiday, more than any other, tends to make us lose our balance. You’ve probably noticed that. The world says Christmas is supposed to be totally along the lines of Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth. Christmas is supposed to be peaceful. It’s supposed to be happy. It’s supposed to be filled with joy. At Christmas, you’re supposed to be overcome with an overwhelming sense of warmth and peace and good will toward men. You’re supposed to sit in front of a warm fire in a beautiful house surrounded by all your loved ones with a cup of hot chocolate in your hands. You’re supposed to be completely calm and content, in a state of perfect Christmas bliss. Try to meet all those expectations and you’ll quickly lose your balance. Rarely, if ever, will any of us attain that level of perfection in this world. What we do achieve is a lot of weariness with Christmas: it never seems fully to meet our expectations.

Which brings us to the other end of the scale, another kind of Christmas. A darker Christmas. A Christmas more along the lines of Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth. A Christmas filled with more negative feelings and emotions, like worry and weariness and regret. A Christmas filled with loneliness and doubt and fear. A Christmas in which you find yourself wishing for things you don’t have, wishing you’d done things differently. A Christmas in which you find yourself starting to sound an awful lot like Charlie Brown at Christmastime, telling Linus that "there must be something wrong with me. Because Christmas is coming and I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel. I always end up feeling depressed." To which Linus very helpfully replies, "Charlie Brown, you’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem. Maybe Lucy’s right. Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you’re the Charlie Browniest!" There are many Charlie Browns in this world. We all play that role from time to time. When we do, we’re out of balance again.

So it seems that we’re stuck either way–out of balance in either one direction or the other. The world says Christmas has to be bright and happy but it rarely, if ever, is. Then, we end up disappointed and down and thinking, "Maybe Christmas has nothing to offer me."

But guess what. God did not give us just Luke’s account, as if we’re always supposed to be bright and happy at Christmas. Nor did God give us just Matthew’s account, as if we’re always supposed to be dark and down at Christmas. God gave us BOTH Luke and Matthew. God tells BOTH sides of the story. Whether Christmas is bright and glorious or dark and difficult, the point of the story remains the same.

And what is the point of Christmas? Perfect worldly bliss? No. Total despair? No. In Luke, the point of Christmas is given when the angel comes to the shepherds and says, "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." In Matthew, the same point of Christmas is given when the angel comes to Joseph and says, "You will name the baby Jesus, which means ‘the Lord saves,’ because He will save His people from their sins." In other words, whether you’re feeling up or down, peaceful or stressed, the point of Christmas is that God Himself personally, directly, and decisively, came to save you from your sins. Whether you’re having a Luke Christmas or a Matthew Christmas, the Gift God gives at Christmas is still given for you and to you.

Christmas as given us by the world is very much out of balance. But Christmas as God gives it to us in His Word is perfectly balanced. It’s a balance of Law and Gospel. It’s a balance of justice and mercy. It’s a balance of repentance and faith.

What is the balanced Christmas story? It’s a story about a very imperfect world, a world wrecked and ruined by sin. It’s a story about very imperfect people, people wrecked and ruined by sin. It’s a realistic story, in other words. It deals with the reality of sin in our lives.

It’s also a story about a God who hates sin--a God who is perfectly just and therefore must punish sin. But that same God is also a God who is merciful, who loves His children and would not abandon His children to the punishment they deserved. So, God came up with a plan that balanced both His justice and His mercy. He came up with a plan in which He could punish sin and be merciful at the same time.

According to the plan, God wrapped Himself in human flesh. God became one of us. John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." He came in order to receive in your place the punishment you deserved for your sin. He came to be your substitute on the cross. And by His death, your sins and the sins of the world were paid for once and for all.

It was a very balanced plan. It was a perfect plan. According to this plan, God’s perfect justice was met. But at the same time, by His mercy, you and I, by faith in Jesus, are set free. We sing about this perfect plan in many of our Christmas hymns, such as "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," verse 3:

The end result of all of this is that every one of us in this room can celebrate tonight. Whether you’re happy or sad, whether you’re having a Luke Christmas or a Matthew Christmas, whether you’re feeling like Charlie Brown or Linus, the Gift God gave that first Christmas is a Gift given also for you. Rejoice that God did not wait to give His Gift until all your emotions are in order. Rejoice that God did not wait to give His Gift until you accomplished a perfect Christmas. Rejoice that God did not wait to give His Gift until you earned it. God has given us salvation and eternal life freely, by His grace, according to His mercy. The Bible says, "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Therefore, the door to heaven is open. The Gift is given. Your salvation has been accomplished. Acknowledge your sins before God, repent of them, believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord and you will be saved, your sins will be forgiven, you will be given new and eternal life in Christ. For that, we can all be thankful this Christmas.

Amen.