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Your God Reigns

Vicar Todd Liefer
December 25, 2009

Weren't those some great words we just sang? You just can't beat the music at Christmas time. For a month now, or maybe more than that, we've been singing melodies that have been ingrained in us since we were kids. Familiar melodies like Joy to the World, Jingle Bells, even Jolly Old St. Nicholas.

But what I love most about Christmas music are the words. The tunes are nice, but the words are what make Christmas songs stand out. Now, I'm not talking about Jingle Bells here. No, I'm talking about the hymns, songs, and carols that sing about Christ. Songs we've been singing this week in worship - like Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O Come, All Ye Faithful, and Joy to the World. If you take a second to step back, and read what these songs are saying, the words are so rich with meaning. Like the ones we just sang: "Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her king!" "Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!" "No more let sins and sorrows grow." "He rules the world with truth and grace." Those are some powerful words!

Now, what's really neat about Christmas is how these Christian songs aren't just sung in the church. No, we hear them on the radio, in community choirs, even on TV. In fact, just this past Monday, I heard someone performing Angels We Have Heard on High on The Today Show. And there's definitely no other time of the year when you can flip on the radio and hear lyrics like, "Hark! The herald angels sing, 'Glory to the newborn King; peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled." God and sinners reconciled...those are some powerful words!

For all the people trying to etch Christ out of Christmas, I think they're fighting a losing battle when it comes to music. It's going to be a long time before radio stations have to stop playing Josh Groban's "O Holy Night" because the lyrics offend people.

But even though lots of people might be singing about Christ these days, it sure doesn't seem like Christ rules over this season. No, quite the opposite. You know what's going on out there. You ask the Joe Schmos on the street about the reason for the season, and they'll answer with empty words like "joy, hope, peace on earth, and family," but you can bet they won't say, "Christ." As early as mid-November, malls, stores, and coffee shops start blaring Christmas music — probably not because they want people to hear about Christ, but probably because they want people to shop!

Christ just doesn't seem to rule over this season like he should. It seems like our culture is caught up in too many other things: snacks, snowmen, and Santa. Christ is present, but he's more of an afterthought.

As we look around even on Christmas Day, it's hard to see a God who reigns. If you ask me, I see other things ruling over this season. You can probably think of a few, too.

Like buying and spending. Don't get me wrong, gifts are great! But they're not the point of the season. You can still have Christmas without presents! Yet this time of year, we're just inundated with ads, and commercials, and incentives to BUY, BUY, and SPEND! The consumerism god of our culture really emerges at Christmas time. "Stuff" seems to reign over this season, not Christ.

What else reigns over this season? I can think of a few more: busy schedules, getting all your Christmas cards out in time, rehearsing for programs, traveling, or just plain 'ole stress. Sometimes, it feels stress reigns over this season, not Christ.

But even more so than all of these things (or maybe behind all these things!) is one person that I think really rears his ugly head at Christmas. And that is Satan. Satan does everything he can to pull us away from Christ. And he does that so well this time of year, doesn't he? He distracts us, pulls us in a thousand directions, he keeps us busy wrapping gifts until we're exhausted, cooking endless supplies of food — he'll do everything he can until he has you thinking, "[Sigh] I can't wait for Christmas to be over!" And it sure is hard to worship Christ when you feel like that. Satan seems to be doing a great job ruling over this season.

You know, we're not all that different from the people who Isaiah was speaking to in our text today from Isaiah 52. Those people — the people of Israel — felt they were being ruled by so many things besides God. They suffered for year under the leadership of bad kings. Kings who stole, swindled, and killed to stay on the throne. And then, the leadership was so bad, they were even invaded by a foreign nation, and carried off to live as exiles in Babylon. They were no better than servants and slaves — forced to live under the Babylonian King and the Babylonians gods. They Babylonians were a strong, mighty people, their King was strong and mighty, and their idols and gods sure seemed strong and mighty, too. God sure didn't seem to rule the day for them!

They could do nothing to save themselves. They were helpless. Years and years passed. Years and years they waited for someone to save them, someone to rescue them.

But then, the prophet Isaiah came to the people with these words of good news:

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"

Your God reigns! Your God reigns! What good news this was for the people of Israel. They lived in chaos, in destruction, among people worshiping all kinds of things. They were completely unable to rescue themselves. Yet Isaiah gave them hope. Their God wasn't weak. Their God wasn't gone. No, their God reigns on high, and he was on his way to save them! Like Isaiah later proclaimed:

The LORD will lay bare his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.

God declared to those people that HE REIGNS. Not the Babylonians. Not anyone else surrounding them. No, God alone is king! God rescued the people of Israel. He brought them back to their home land. And even better than all of that, God even gave his word that another king was on his way. A good king. A wonderful king. A king who would rule over them forever. God gave his word that that king was on his way!

And one day, in a stable in Bethlehem, that word became flesh. That day, the new King of Israel was born. The true king, the good king, the wonderful king, the king who still rules over us today — Jesus Christ.

When we look at that child in the manger, this is God saying to you, that he rules! Your God reigns! Now a baby might not seem like much of a ruler. But you know the rest of the story. This child grew up. He became a man. He preached, he taught, he proclaimed, he comforted, he died on a cross, and he rose again from the dead. That's our king! Our king — the one who has victory over death. Our king — the one who has crushed the power of Satan. Our king — the one who has victory over every possible thing that could trouble us in this life. Jesus Christ. Through him, "All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God." Christ is your good news that, now and forever, YOUR GOD REIGNS!

Oh, but our culture will still fight against our king. Satan will continue to wage war against our mighty ruler—not just at Christmas, but at any chance he gets. And sometimes, it might seem like Satan is winning. But our God isn't weak. Our God isn't gone. Even on days like today when it seems like "stuff," and stress, and Satan rules the day — even on days like this — or maybe ESPECIALLY on days like this, the words from Isaiah are such good news for us: YOUR GOD REIGNS!

Now, these words take on a whole new meaning: "Joy to the world! The Lord is come! Let earth receive her king!" Our king has come! He rules over us! He reigns on high! Christ has everything under his control. Now, on this Christmas Day, we can celebrate because, indeed,

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love!

Amen! Now may the peace of God that pass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in fellowship with Christ Jesus — our eternal king!