Sermon Manuscript for Sunday, December 21

Title: The Good News of Jesus Christ

Romans 1:1–7

Christmas Is a Story We Cannot Rush Past

1. The last handwritten letter I remember was one I sent while I was in the military. I think there may also have been letters I wrote to my wife when we were dating, but the letters I am referring to are those handwritten letters that were sent with a stamp.

2. The passage we read today is a letter written by Paul. It was handwritten—not on paper as we know it today, but likely on something like papyrus, made from pressed plant leaves. Since there was no postal system, it would have been delivered by a messenger, and the length of the letter is truly astonishing.

3. If we imagine this letter in today’s terms, it would be like writing and sending by hand an email of more than 20 pages, typed in 10-point font on letter-sized paper. When we think about that, we can begin to imagine Paul’s heart as he wrote this letter, and how it was preserved and eventually passed down to us as Holy Scripture.

4. And because writing and sending a letter by hand required such effort, we can assume that Paul was selective, concise, and intentional. This means that every single phrase carries significant meaning.

5. Normally, when we receive a long letter, we tend to skim past the greeting and rush straight to the main content. But Paul’s letters—especially the letter to the Romans—should not be read that way.

6. From the very beginning, Paul clearly shows the direction in which the entire letter is headed. This is not a letter to be read quickly, but one to be listened to slowly.

7. Christmas is the same way. During the season of Advent, we prepare for and wait for Christmas. The reason we prepared a Christmas Eve service this year is that simply letting Christmas pass and moving straight into the last Sunday of 2025 might mean missing the fullness of Christmas itself.

8. Although we have gathered on the fourth Sunday of Advent to celebrate and rejoice in Christmas in advance, in truth we have been invited to listen once again—slowly—to the story of Christmas. Christmas is the most important “opening” God has sent to us.

The Three Ways Paul Introduces Himself

9. At the beginning of his letter, Paul intentionally and carefully introduces himself in three ways. First, he calls himself “a servant of Christ Jesus.” This is not merely an expression of humility, but a clear declaration of whom he belongs to.

10. He is someone who belongs to God, and this letter is addressed to those who belong to God’s household.

11. Second, Paul calls himself “an apostle.” An apostle is not someone who chooses the role for themselves, but one who is sent by God. Paul encountered the risen Jesus, and through that encounter, he was called to proclaim the gospel. This is why Paul confesses that he was called to be an apostle.

12. Finally, he says that he was “set apart for the gospel of God.” Paul’s identity is not found in what he has accomplished. He is not concerned with boasting about what he has done. Instead, he makes a clear confession about why God called him and what God has called him to do.

The Heart of Christmas: God Comes and Reigns

13. The gospel Paul speaks of is not simply good news that makes us feel better. This gospel is deeply connected to what the prophet Isaiah proclaimed long ago.

14. “Here is your God.” “Your God reigns.” Christmas is the event that confirms that God is not a distant observer watching the world from afar, but the One who has come directly into the very place of our lives. This is what we remember year after year.

15. The birth of the baby Jesus is also a declaration that God has not abandoned this world, and a proclamation ceremony announcing that God’s reign has begun among us.

16. At that time, the Roman Empire also spoke of peace and salvation. But Paul makes it clear: true peace and true salvation do not come from the power and authority of the world, but from Jesus Christ. Christmas is the moment when God’s reign quietly began in the very center of the world.

The Christmas Identity Given to Us Today

17. Paul calls the believers in Rome those who are loved by God. He says they are called to belong to Jesus and set apart as holy within God’s household.

18. These words are not spoken only to the church in Rome. They are spoken to all of us gathered here today. Children in Sunday school, youth students, and adult believers alike—no one is an exception. Christmas gives us a new name.

19. We are no longer mere spectators. We are people invited into God’s household, and we are called to live as those who truly belong to that house.

Conclusion: Christmas Is an Invitation to Live in Gratitude

20. Beloved brothers and sisters, Christmas is a day when we receive gifts, but before that, it is a day when we receive a direction for our lives. Though it may sound difficult, the event in which God humbled himself, came down to our level, and took on human flesh to save us offers an absolute direction for how we are to live in this world.

21. Just as God humbled himself, our gaze must always be directed toward those who are lowly. Today, the lowly include the poor; immigrants struggling to build their lives; refugees living in daily anxiety just to survive; victims of war, including children; those who, against their own will, have withdrawn from the world due to excessive competition and deep wounds; people barely enduring each day with no economic hope; and wounded souls who condemn themselves in despair, believing their lives to be failures.

22. Fixing our eyes on all these people, caring for them—or, if we find ourselves in that very place, holding firmly to the assurance that our lives are shaped by God’s comfort and saving purpose—this is the meaning of Christmas that we confess. This is the direction for living in the world that God commands us.

23. Now our lives must become a response of gratitude to that calling. May this Christmas Thanksgiving worship remain with us all in this way: God has come to us, and we live in gratitude in response to that calling. This is the gospel of Christmas. Amen.