Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

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All babies are special, but the most special baby ever born was born on Christmas day. Never has there been a birth that was more anticipated and awaited than this one. Every generation beginning with Adam and Eve, spoke about His birth to the next generation. Each generation described the child to be born in the most incredible terms. They said He would be savior, redeemer, ruler, Prince of peace, Lord of lords, and King of kings. As time went by, anticipation grew, expectations increased. Men and women who had been told, and who believed what they had been told, were all anxiously "waiting for the consolation of Israel."

And then one day, a baby was born. Or rather, THE baby was born. "And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger." (Luke 2:7).

The way St. Luke reports it, for all the anticipation, there's really nothing spectacular or fantastic about His birth. For all of the build up, the long expected baby arrived into the world in a most unnoticeable and unspectacular way. How many thousands of babies have come into this world under similar conditions as these? And, how many ordinary and normal babies have come into this world under much better conditions than these?

Just think of the birthing centers with the luxury suits that your baby may have been born in. Doctors and nurses on hand and ready to deliver. And the excited father in the room, filming the whole thing as it happens. But not for the most special baby ever born. His birthing center was a stable, his bassinette a feeding trough, because incredibly, "there was no place for them in the inn."

The only clue that tells us that this is a special baby is when Luke tells us that he is the "firstborn." The "firstborn" is always special. Maybe you understand this just by your own children. Your 'firstborn' is just special. Maybe you understand this from your own experience, because maybe you weren't the "firstborn" among your brothers and sisters and you always felt like mom and dad liked the oldest better.

The specialness of the "firstborn" goes back a long way. The first time the word appears in the bible is in Genesis chapter 4. We're told, "Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering." (Genesis 4:4) Abel's offering to God was that which was most precious and special to him and God was pleased with his offering for that reason.

The idea of the "firstborn" as special is really established in the bible when Israel was in Egypt living under the harsh rule of Pharaoh. Moses told Pharaoh that God said, "let my people go." And Pharaoh said, 'phooey on your God.' To make a long story short, God finally forced Pharaoh to "let my people go" by striking down all of the firstborn in Egypt, man and beast. Even Pharaoh's firstborn was struck down. You can imagine what a painful thing that had to have been for the Egyptians. A whole nation lost their most precious children in one night.

But, wherever there was a house in Egypt that was marked with the blood of a lamb, a year old, male lamb without blemish, the angel of death "passed over" that house and every "firstborn" child inside those homes was not struck down. Ever since that night, the "firstborn" really took on special significance.

Even before this 10th plague on Egypt took place, God told His people that they were to make a distinction between their "firstborn" and all of their other children. The first one to open the womb was special. Every "firstborn" was to be dedicated to Him. "Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both man and of beast, is mine." (Ex.13:1-2).

That word "consecrate" is one we may not be too familiar with. To "consecrate" means to "set apart to God for a sacred purpose." In the bible, people are consecrated, buildings are consecrated, things used during the worship service are consecrated. When God created the world, He consecrated one day of the week – the 7th day. The Sabbath day is set apart to God for a sacred purpose. All firstborn babies were to be consecrated. Even the firstborn of the livestock was consecrated to the Lord.

The "firstborn" son was to be an object lesson for God's people. "When in time to come your son asks you, 'what does this mean?' you shall say to him, 'by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem." (Ex.13:14-15).

Of course, God's people aren't the only ones who attach a special significance to their firstborn. As Israel made its way through the desert and as it settled into Palestine, they would meet lots of other people from lots of other religions who also "consecrated" their firstborn. But the pagans would consecrate their firstborn by sacrificing them. God called that 'detestable' and forbid His people to kill their babies.

So, for God's people, the consecration of their firstborn was definitely not an act of human sacrifice to gain God's favor. For them, it was always and only God's way of commemorating and reminding them that God had done a great thing for them in Egypt. It was a powerful reminder that God had set apart His people for a sacred purpose.

They way He saw it, they were all His firstborn children, from the least of them to the greatest of them. And they were all special to Him just as all firstborn children are. He desired not their death, but that they live. And even though they were sinners just like the Egyptians, God spared them the unspeakable grief of the death of their firstborn by redeeming them.

So, every time a father and mother brought their firstborn to the Tabernacle or Temple, it was like the Passover had just happened again, and the parents were so thankful that God had spared their baby. Every rite of dedication was a reminder to God's people of God's mercy and love for them.

Last Sunday, we turned to 1 Samuel chapter 2 and read the account of a woman named Hannah. We said that Hannah's song about her pregnancy and the baby she gave birth to was the basis for Mary's Magnificat. The baby that Hannah had was her "firstborn." She named him Samuel. After Samuel was weaned, Hannah consecrated her 'firstborn' to the Lord, and just as she promised she would do, she brought him to the tabernacle and left him there to serve the Lord under the priest Eli.

But it didn't always go like that. In fact, it usually didn't go like that. God provided a way to "consecrate" the firstborn without leaving the child off at the temple. The temple was never meant to be a childcare center. The "rite of consecration" was established whereby the parents would bring their firstborn child to the Temple, and the priest would accept a substitute for the child. A lamb was the standard offering, but for those who were poor and couldn't afford a lamb, two pigeons or doves would be acceptable. The parents would leave their offering at the temple and take their firstborn child home with them.

So, when we hear that Joseph and Mary brought Jesus "up to Jerusalem to dedicate Him to the Lord," we understand that what they were doing. He was Mary's "firstborn son."

And for all who may have been daydreaming through the sermon so far, Luke says, "as it is written in the Law of the Lord, 'every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord' and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, 'a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

Next Sunday, we'll hear about the time when Jesus was 12 year old, and he came with His parents to the Temple for the Passover. And Samuel of old, the firstborn son of Mary wanted to remain in the Temple. But His parents wouldn't go for it.

Jesus is the firstborn of Mary – according to His human nature. Born under the Law, He was consecrated at the Temple when He was 40 days old.

But He is conceived by the Holy Spirit. And so He is also the firstborn of God – according to His divine nature. "He is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation." (Col. 1:15)

He is the firstborn of the whole human race. He is the first born of all first borns. And so we humans ought to regard Him as the most precious and most special child that the world has ever known.

But it's right there that we learn something hard and painful about ourselves. Our human nature has been terribly corrupted and we act just like pagans. What did we do with "the firstborn of all creation?" We sacrificed Him. We put him to death just like the pagans do with their firstborn.

But the firstborn of God was not consecrated to be redeemed like we are. He was consecrated to be the Redeemer. In His baptism, God the Holy Spirit consecrated God the Father's firstborn Son, setting Him apart for this sacred purpose. Jesus Christ was set apart from eternity for the sacred work of redeeming. And not just the people of Israel, but all creation, all humanity, even pagans like you and me.

Jesus carried out the work that He was consecrated for by shedding of His blood. He is the young, male lamb without defect, whose blood marks the threshold of the cross so that all who live under it are redeemed by His blood.

No longer is God pleased with Abel's sacrifice, firstborn of the flock that it may be. All of the firstborn animal sacrifices in Old Testament were only a sign pointing to the firstborn son of Mary. By the offering of His body and blood, once for all, God the Father is well-pleased.

So pleased, that on the 3rd Day, the Father raised His firstborn Son from the dead. And so the "firstborn of creation" is also the "firstborn from the dead." (Col. 1:18) He is the first to open the womb of the grave. He is the "firstborn of the dead" so that He may be the "first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1Cor.15:20).

He opens the grave for you. Paul writes to the Romans saying, "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:29). These "many brothers and sisters" are what the writer to the Hebrews calls, "the Church of the Firstborn." "The assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven." (Hebrews 12:23) You belong to this "assembly of the firstborn." For all who believe and are baptized are "enrolled in heaven."

Jesus is the firstborn son of Mary and the firstborn Son of God, for you. And your life has been redeemed. And you have been consecrated for a sacred purpose, to honor God the Father with your redeemed life, for the sake of God the Son, by the power of God, the Holy Spirit.

Related Entries:

» Sermon – Christmas 1 – "Simeon Meets Jesus" – Luke 2:22-38
» Sermon Index – Lutheran – LCMS
» Sermon – 2nd Lent – Genesis 28:10-17 – "Jacob's Dream" – 3/12/06
» Sermon – 4th Advent – "Divine Revelation" – Matthew 1:18-25 – 12/23/07
» Sermon – Christmas Eve – "Twas The Night Before Christmas" – Luke 2:8-12 – 12/24/07
» Sermon – Advent 4 – "The Faith of Mary" – Luke 1:26-28 – 12/21/08

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 7:23 pm and is filed under Sermons - Lutheran - LCMS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.