Saturday, December 30, 2017
Sixth Christmas Day
1 John 3:8b The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
THIS LITTLE BABE
"This little Babe, so few days old,
Has come rifle Satan's fold.
All hell doth at his presence quake
Tho' he Himself with cold doth shake.
For in this weak unarmed wise
The gates of hell he will surprise."
The sixteenth century poet Robert Southwell got it exactly right, didn't he? Jesus Christ appeared as a gentle Babe in order to destroy the devil's work!
Here was an angel who was not singing "Glory to God in the highest" on Christmas night. For the One had now come who would undo everything he was trying to do. Satan's goal of destroying the souls of men would be ruined by that tiny Child.
The devil points his accusing finger at you and me, bringing to our attention our darkest sins, seeking to drown us in despair or turn us inward to self-righteousness. But his accusations are thrown down by the Christ-child who carries on Himself those very sins and pleads our case before His Father in heaven.
Satan raises the ugly specter of death, the wages of sin, before our eyes. And yet from the cave of Jesus' birth at Bethlehem we can already see through the shadow to another cave -- this one empty, with the stone rolled away.
Finally, the tempter dangles his seductions with craft and cunning, but they hold not the power over us they once did. We can turn to the manger and say, "My King has come! Him will I follow!"
What harm can sin and death then do?
The true God now abides with you.
Let hell and Satan rage and chafe,
Christ is your Brother-- ye are safe.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 103:4)
