As we approach the Christmas season the old saw comes out that “Jesus is the reason for the season”. Christians get that but have to be reminded once and a while. Martin Luther, a little over a year before he died, took to some intensive preaching and teaching and meditating on the nativity and the incarnation of Christ and the whole Christmas story. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the Government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace.” Luther wants to express the ineluctable concept that the creator of the universe becomes a part of His creation and bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh for one purpose, and that is to redeem us from sin death and hell. It may be irresistible and unarguable that the Lord of all became the servant of all , and yet that “great work” and huge miracle of Christmas is often poorly preached and often not accepted. This greatest miracle and mystery has another mystery to contend with and that is unbelief and ingratitude. Luther said that if people would “get it”, if they could for one moment have an opened eye to what happened and why “they would perish for the joy of it”. When Luther got that one glimpse of the Gospel and its power he felt that he had died and entered paradise.
