Sermon for 12/28/25: The Sunday After Christmas (a)

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The Paradox of Christmas
Matthew 2:13-23

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
 

According to Webster's dictionary, a paradox is "that which is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is true." An example of a paradoxical statement would be, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." The Christmas season is full of paradoxes. A virgin has a baby. God lies in a manger. The incarnate King of the universe is first worshiped by lowly shepherds.

 And in our text, we see this paradox: In Christ, God is both vulnerable and almighty. He is controlled by circumstances, and yet He is in control of everything. Today we are going to look more deeply at this reality and discover that within this paradox there is a great deal of comfort to be found for our own often paradoxical lives.

 One thing that comes through loud and clear in this passage is that Jesus was vulnerable, at risk. You recall that when King Herod found out from the Wise Men that another King had been born, he was fearful for his throne. He tried to use the Wise Men to find Jesus so that he could have Him killed. But when that plan failed, Herod flew into a rage. Because Jesus was at least a year old at this time, he ordered that all male children in Bethlehem two years of age and under be slaughtered. As this was about to happen, Joseph was warned by an angel to flee to Egypt. Imagine that: the Son of God having to escape under the cover of darkness, being rescued from a murderous monarch by a frightened father and mother. Joseph did as the angel said, and they took up residence to the south in Egypt until the death of Herod not long afterwards. God's eternal will was being carried out.

 All of this, then, eventually brings us to the cross. If there is anything in the Scriptures which epitomizes both the almighty-ness of God and the vulnerability of God, it is the crucifixion of Jesus. On the one hand we know that the cross was a part of God's plan from the beginning. It was His will that Calvary take place. And yet, when it actually happened, God the Son was utterly helpless. No escape occurred this time. There He was, so horribly vulnerable to the taunting and the nails and the spear and death–completely despised and rejected. Nevertheless, through that almighty vulnerability, God paid the full price for our sins and brought eternal life to all who dare to place their confidence in Him.

 And that brings us to the place where we can apply all of this very specifically to our own lives. Since we have been joined to Christ by water and the Word and made members of His body through faith in Him, we should certainly expect to experience His almighty-ness and His vulnerability in our own lives as well. Our lives are also often characterized by vulnerability. Much of what happens to us is beyond our control and seems random. Some have had loved ones die recently. Others have been having a rough time of it in their families. Still others have been struggling with tough situations at work or in their neighborhoods. There often doesn't seem to be much order to the way things happen in our lives.

 And yet into the midst of this messy and complex world comes God's Word to us in Romans 8: "In everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose." Not only in our Lord’s day, but also still today, God is active in human history working out His good and perfect will. Now that is not to say that God is the cause of sin or evil or trouble. Certainly not! Nevertheless, God is not above delving into this sinful world to direct all things for the sake of His chosen ones. God is truly working for good in our lives. For we know that we were "called according to His purpose" in Holy Baptism, made to be His sons and daughters through water and the Word, all our sin being washed away. And so we believe in the midst of our human vulnerability that God is indeed working for our good.

 In those times when you can't make sense of things, when there seems to be no valid purpose or meaning to what's going on in your lives, God points your eyes again to the cross. For there in that senseless and yet most meaningful death of Jesus, you are assured that God's love for you is limitless and unshakable. There is nothing in all of creation that can separate you from Him and His love in Christ Jesus. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.