Sermon for December 26th (Rescue)

The EMT’s got the call and arrived at the house as quickly as they could. As they walked in the door, the sight they saw was sick and terrifying, gruesome. A new baby boy lay on the ground, dying from the result of not simply neglect, but obvious abuse. These guys had seen it all, multiple times, but this scene made them want to throw up. As their stomachs churned and the tears came to their eyes, they did the only thing that seemed right at that moment. They got some water and baptized that little baby just before it died in their arms.

That’s where Jesus belongs. In the middle of a house full of death and abuse. That’s where he shows up as Emmanuel “God with us”. You see, God was not only with the men holding that child, but with this child who might never had known as much love as those emergency workers showed it. This is where God belongs, where his promises are most at home, in the depths of this type of hell. And in the middle of the living room within the confines of this house of evil and despair, God brings hope and the promise of new life. No matter what was done before to this child, God says, I have washed him clean in the waters of the resurrection.

That story. That day. That’s why Jesus was born. That’s why we still celebrate Christmas so many years later. Not just because Jesus was born, but because he suffered and died to free us all from the results of sin and death. Hebrews 2:14, “Since the children have flesh and blood, Jesus too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

Christmas Day was quite a miracle when you think about it. Virgin birth. The Son of God born in human flesh. But really, the most audacious claim we make as Christians is not that our God was born, but that he stayed with us. He didn’t just live and die, he suffered. Very ungodlylike. It’s the day after Christmas, and God is still with us. Why? Because God knows something that few of us ever fully realized: we are trapped. We are imprisoned. We are slaves. We need Jesus to set us free.

Hebrews says that we are held in slavery by our fear of death. How can fear enslave you? When Kristy and I lived in Lincoln Nebraska, after we were married, we lived in the apartment above our church at the Lutheran Student Center. We were in charge of all janitorial duties, opening and closing the church, and hosting Sunday mornings as well as Husker game days. A couple of months after we lived there, we participated in a paint-a-thon where we volunteered our time to paint a woman’s house who couldn’t afford to have it done otherwise. Someone in the group brought up that we might want to be careful that we didn’t get paint on our wedding rings, so we took them off and left them in the apartment while we were gone for the day.

Several hours later, Kristy came home and noticed that some of the stuff from our apartment was lying in the fellowship area, then she noticed that our door was wide open—our house had been broken into! After the cops came and looked around, they found a knife that was used to pry open the door. Not much was taken. 50 golden Sacajawea dollar coins that I had received for our wedding and, you guessed it, our new wedding rings! I don’t ever remember feeling as vulnerable or betrayed than after our house had been intruded upon and robbed.

But what I especially remember was the time after that. The fear. The fear Kristy and I had that it would happen again. I mean, we didn’t know who had done it, they never found out, so who knew if they would come back? It was either that night, or the next, when we spent hours looking out the window watching the cars drive by. “Didn’t that car drive by once before!” “Yeah, I think it did!” “Do you think that they will come back, do you think that’s them?” So we turned off the lights and hid, watching out the window for that same car to come again. Alert, watching, waiting, fearful, terrified that we might be robbed again. Scared of what would happen next. And completely imprisoned in our house, unable to move or function for the next hours or, really, the next week. That’s what fear does.

Do you remember the 9-11 attacks? I was just leaving a placement test for my Master’s Degree at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music around 11 o’clock when I noticed that some people were watching a TV very closely. When I turned on the radio in my car, they just kept talking about someone jumping from one of the twin towers in New York City—I thought that it was a suicide. When I came home, I turned on the TV. About a week later I turned it off. I don’t know what I did between the one day and that next week. Kristy and I were glued, day in and day out. I went to work. I went to school. But that’s it. Those were the only vacations from the news. I was imprisoned, trapped, enslaved by the fear of what had happened. In a very real way I was a prisoner by my fear of death.

Jesus was born so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Now fear is natural. It is ingrained into us to keep us alive. We have fight or flight reflexes that tell us what to do when there is danger. But being enslaved by fear is something else. God being with us doesn’t mean that we won’t sometimes be afraid of things, but knowing that Jesus is your Savior means that fear never gets the last word.

Let me read something for you from the 1st letter of John chapter 4, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” This isn’t referring to the natural fears of life, but that you need no longer fear death. The final judgment of God has already been given—he looked at you and said, “No. No you have not lived up to my expectations.”

By yourself, without Jesus, apart from Jesus, you are under God’s wrath. You must fear his punishment. You are imprisoned with the Devil as your prison guard. 1 Corinthians says that the string of death is sin. You see death, by itself, shouldn’t be that bad. In fact, in some cases, we wish for death because life seems too difficult because of disease and sickness, or hardship and despair. Sin, separation from God, creates our fear of death. Without Jesus, the Devil just keeps reminding you of your sins. He accuses you. He tells you that you deserve your predicament. That you have nothing to hope for.

But Jesus Christ was born to destroy the works of the devil. Our victory comes through Jesus Christ. He rescues us from God’s wrath. And his perfect love for you in the only thing that has the power to drive out your fear. It’s not that you and I don’t have a reason to be afraid of God at times (we are to fear, love and trust God) but because of Jesus Christ’s love for you, you can be assured that you are protected.

In Star Wars Episode One, when the Jedi are considering adding Anakin Skywalker as a young jedi, Yoda says, “Fear is the path to the dark side... fear leads to anger...anger leads to hate.. hate leads to suffering.” Much of the suffering in our lives comes from fear. Perhaps you live in fear. Fear of messing up. Fear of living alone or dying alone. Fear of being wrong. Fear of pain. For some, these fears imprison them to a life of running from God. Is that what you are doing?
Do you turn to drugs, or sex, or food to escape physical or emotional pain? Do you bully others and put them down to cover up your own fears of inadequacy? Do you withdraw from friendships to keep from feeling loss again? That’s where fear leads us, or rather, when it traps us. Do you know that Jesus was born to save you from that kind of fear?

But maybe you can’t believe it. Maybe you think that this is all a bunch of psychological mumbo jumbo. Maybe you tried to escape this fear before, but have failed. You’ve been to therapists, but you keep playing the same tapes over and over again. What is falling part in your life? What part does your fear play into that?

Jesus was born to rescue you. This isn’t about the power of positive thinking. It’s not psychological. This is a spiritual battle and your freedom and happiness is the prize. When Jesus was born, God threw out a life preserver into the an ocean full of drowning sinners, shackled to their fears. Jesus’ death broke the chains of fear the Devil had placed on you and God has wrapped his loving arms around you. He has rescued you from the depths and given you a promise of new life. He was born to live through the worst of times with you.

Are you afraid of something? Do you believe that there is anywhere God wouldn’t go to rescue you? There is no need to hold onto your fear—it cannot save you. I know it’s comfortable. It’s a friend. But that fear is a prison and it can lead you away from the truth of God’s perfect love. If you need freedom from this fear—call out to Jesus. He was born to be with you. He has come to rescue you. Just like he rescued that little baby boy, he walks into the depths of your hell and despair, washes you with the promise of his love and frees you to live with hope of eternal life. Jesus says, “Do not be afraid. I have come to save you.” Amen.