( Galatians 4:4-7 ) - [ Deutsch ]
Dear Congregation
What would Christmas be without presents? When I was a child and Christmas was getting closer and closer, the eagerly awaiting and anticipation were almost unbearable. Even so, the anticipation was mixed with trust; I believed my parents knew what I was dreaming of. They would fulfil my desires. As children, we simply accepted what we could only guess at, as adults: The joy of receiving a gift is greatest when we realise that it is presented with love.
Did God feel the same way as our parents? Such that he realised: "People can hardly bear their longing anymore. Perhaps they do not even know exactly what it is they want? Still, they hope that I will choose the right thing for them. The time is ripe to give them the greatest gift ever possible." Something similar could be inferred from Paul's succinct words: "When the time was fulfilled..."
Dietrich Mendt tells in his story "The Invention of Christmas Joy" that it was the same: God realised: "The Messiah must come into the world." But who would be the Messiah? The angels suggest a prophet or a representative of the Jewish royal family. God, however, is not satisfied: a royal crown or sabre would tend to unsettle people about the Messiah. And the wild beard and camel-skin cloak of a prophet would tend to put them off. There is not much joy in that. "What can my gift look like so that it brings them joy?" Together with the heavenly counsellor, he ponders. The angel Gabriel has the saving thought: "A child! Nobody is afraid of him. Even the toughest guys soften at the sight of a baby and smile." As he had this wonderful idea, Gabriel is allowed to go to Mary from Nazareth and tell her that she is the woman who will give birth to the Messiah.
But who is this child? The discussion in heaven continues. "I" says God - against all speculation. "You?!" The angels have objections. If God becomes a man, people might laugh at him. But that is exactly what God wants! That people laugh out of joy. Sure, some will laugh at him too. He cannot prevent that. "What if it goes wrong on earth?" The angels are worried. "It will go wrong," God replies. "But why?" the angels complain. "So that it goes well," says God. "Anyway, it starts with joy because it starts with a child. And I promise you this: In the end there will be joy again, and that joy will last!"
This evening it is time to unwrap and marvel at presents. So, let us unwrap the gift that God has given us and take a closer look.
1. God gives us his Son - God becomes man
In his Son, God enters the world, in which things are all too often all too inhuman. He came, not to point out all our wrongdoings to us, but to put himself on an equal footing with us. A complete human being who enters into the living conditions of people with all the consequences.
Jesus fulfilled the law, the highest principles, and yet he came into conflict with those who interpreted the law. He died as one condemned by the law and his life ended as a wretched man on the cross. He was born in poverty and was executed as a criminal. It cannot be shown more clearly that God's gift should also reach those in this world whose lives do not shine brightly, who despair of their problems, who are marginalised by society. For God makes himself small and equal. Equal to those who are pre-condemned by our human standards. To God it is not the marginalising values that count, for God only life and love count.
2. God gives us salvation
and invites us to be his children. Accepted and secure in the arms of the Father, it is no longer necessary to take on all the burdens ourselves. We no longer need to try to be better than others. It frees me from constantly trying to ensure that my weak points are not noticed. I no longer need to try to present myself in a good way, because God accepts me as I am - with all my strengths and weaknesses. He has made himself small and adopted us as his children. That is an amazing gift. God becomes a human child so that we can become children of God. We are not the recipients of his orders, objects, or subjects, but part of his family. And, like children, we can accept God's gift unreservedly - his love that keeps us alive. His love is not tied to any preconditions. Being a child of God means that we can simply rejoice in his gift. Paul embellishes this gift:
3. God makes us his children
“.. because you are now children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out: Abba, dear Father!”
Jesus had such an intimate relationship with his father that he called him "Abba" in Aramaic and "Papa" in German. An intimate, loving connection is expressed here - this is how close Jesus was to his father, but this is also how close God is to us. We can and may cultivate a close relationship with God because he comes close to us in Jesus Christ. He is our Father and allows us to lovingly call Him "Papa". We have free access to God - in prayer. At any time, formally or informally, with all our feelings: thankful, angry, questioning, complaining.
4. God appoints us as heirs
“So, then you are no longer a servant, but a child; and if a child, then also an heir through God.”
As his children, we are entitled to inherit, indeed we already have a share in this inheritance. We inherit freedom and serenity. We inherit the hope and trust that our lives are secure - and that God is approachable. We inherit the visions and dreams of a healthy, healed world, of justice and peace and a restored earth.
This is the gift that we are unwrapping today and with which God wants to delight us. A gift that combines what we need with what we long for.
Do we let the gift of life and love come to life?
God gives us his Son, he frees us from the law, he makes us his children and makes us his heirs - first and foremost so that we can enjoy this gift. This gift then also wants to be used, applied, and passed on. The love that we experience from God wants to be lived out in neighbourly community. Dear congregation, our text is much more than a Christmas gift, it is a gift for the entire year.
"When the time was fulfilled". That was then. That was in Bethlehem, at the time of the governor Quirinius.
"When the time was fulfilled". That is today, now. And now is the time to live as the gifted, full of joy and hope! Amen.
