In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     Have you been listening--really listening to the Advent Gathering hymn we've been singing every Sunday in Advent? I know that the cacophony of Christmas music that bombards us, now, from Halloween through Christmas Eve tends to drown out whatever Advent hymns our feeble voices attempt--but that's why we decided to sing that hymn as our opening, not one Sunday, but each Sunday in Advent. But the question remains, even after four times through, did the words get through to you? Did you listen--did you hear? I got the point where the words were almost haunting me. It is a hymn filled with yearning, with pleading, as the Church and the world wait for the coming of the Christ. "Here in this world where darkness surrounds us," we sang, "Show us your face, O promise of dawn.we seek a sign that you are among us. Show us your face, O Lord, Jesus, come." And then the pleading continues, "Where is the peace you promised the widow? Where is the home you promised the orphan? Where is the road you promised the exile? Where is the good news preached to the lowly?" And finally, the song ends with a prayer, "Come, O hope of your people. Come among us and stay. Shine in our darkness, be here today."

     And having sung that throughout Advent, having pleaded and prayed--you would think that tonight, Christmas, miraculously, all of those promises would be fulfilled. You would think, finally, with the coming of Christmas, the widow would have peace, the orphan would have a home, the exiles would have been led back, the good news would have been preached to the lowly. But, have the promises, been fulfilled? Can we say that all the grieving have found peace? Can we say that orphans have all been adopted into loving homes? Are there now no exiles wandering the earth? At the same time, can we say that fear has been cast out, that war is no more, that the broken have been restored? Can we say that the fighting has stopped in Iraq, the bombings have ended in Israel, that peace has come to all the troubled places in our world? And tonight, can we say that we are at peace? That our homes are without trouble or turmoil? That our relationships have super-naturally been healed, by the coming of Christmas?

     I suppose not. Though the message of the angel is, "I bring you good tiding of a great joy which will come to all the people"--though the song of the angels is, "Peace on earth, good will to all..." The truth is, we are still looking, searching, yearning. We are still pleading and praying, "Show us your face, O Lord, Jesus come.shine in our darkness, be here today." And we pray that, because the darkness persists. That is our prayer, because terrorism, and turmoil, and war, and illness, and grief, and loneliness and shame, and broken-ness, persist. Because they don't magically disappear, because Christmas Eve has come. In fact, they don't magically disappear, just because Jesus has come. Contrary to what those with an immature faith might expect, the seasoned disciple of Jesus Christ, the one who has gained the wisdom and insight of faith--knows that Jesus' coming at Bethlehem, didn't all of a sudden cure the world's ills--didn't, poof, make it all better. For those who look at the world with the eyes of faith, we know that the troubles, the violence, the un-Godliness in the world, will only come to an end, when Jesus comes again in power and glory, to judge the world with justice and righteousness. Like it or not, this old world will continue pretty much as it has from the beginning, until Jesus returns as Lord of all--and His birth at Bethlehem, doesn't really change that. Though there are some Christians who have claimed that we are supposed to build the kingdom of heaven on earth--Lutherans have never believed that. Yes, as the prophet Isaiah proclaims in our first lesson, the child who has been born for us has inaugurated God's kingdom on earth--and He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. But anything good that comes about in this world is His doing, not ours. And His work will not be completed--His kingdom will not be fully realized, until the Father says so, and sends the Son to earth, not as a baby--not hidden in human form, but as Christus Victor. In the meantime, as Paul wrote to Titus, we continue to wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. But, if that's the case, why did Jesus come at Bethlehem? Why was He born in the city of David, to be the Christ--if not to change the world for the better?

     The good news of Christmas is not that Jesus was born, to change the world, in one fell swoop--but that He was born, to change hearts, and so, to change lives, one, by one by one. Jesus came to be the Savior of the world, indeed--but not with a sword and a hammer, beating nations and peoples into submission. Rather, He came to save the world, one soul at a time. And He does that, by being born, now, not in a manger, in a stable--but in the human heart--in the hearts of all who have room for Him, and who will receive Him.

     Speaking of songs and hymns, have you ever noticed how many Christmas hymns and carols, talk of the Christ child being received into the heart? "Joy to the World" says, "Let every heart prepare him room." "What Child is This", says, "The King of Kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone him." "O Little Town of Bethlehem" says, "So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven." The beloved Christmas hymn written by Fr. Luther himself says, "O dearest Jesus, holy child, prepare a bed, soft, undefiled, a holy shrine within my heart, that you and I need never part." This is no coincidence--it stems from the fact that the Savior, first born into our world of Mary, comes to be born again, and anew, in each of us, in our heart of hearts, to be our Savior--to bring God's own heart to be one with us, that we may be loved, and redeemed, and yes, changed. Bishop Klaus Hemmerle, of Aachen, Germany, proclaims this good news, writing, "When the Word became flesh, the Word became heart. God incarnated himself in the human heart of Jesus. God's heart now beats in the countless human hearts that have received Him. Not only did God want to know what is in the heart of humanity--he also wanted to experience it. What is in our heart may be troubled and disturbed, but there is in it always a longing for the answer, 'yes'--'Don't write me off!--'Forgive me!'--'Give me another chance!' --'Accept me!' And there is even more than this in every heart--an even deeper mystery," Bishop Kemmerle says, "It is not just a longing--it is reality. Every heart is a heart that is loved. For every human heart is worth God's own heart, and God has offered himself up for every human being."

     The last verse of our Advent Gathering hymn asks, "where is the heart whose "yes" is salvation? Where is the child whose life is our future?" And the answer is, the child is not, tonight, to be born in Bethlehem, but to be born here, in us, in our hearts. And He enters our hearts, he is conceived in us, not in some abstract, spiritualized way--He is implanted in us, as we receive His very body and blood, that goes from mouth, to stomach, to blood, to heart. Which is what the Lord was saying to St. Teresa of Av'ila, when he said to her in a vision, "And should by chance you do not know where to find Me, do not go here and there; but if you wish to find Me, in yourself seek Me."

     Now, when we pray, "Show us your face, O promise of Dawn--show us your face, O Lord Jesus come", we have only to look to our own hearts, where now, the Christ is born; where now, the Christ has come to live; where now, the Christ is at work, if not to change the world, then to change us.

     Tonight, in this world where darkness surrounds us, the Christ child shines His light in every believer's heart--from every believer's heart--and now we know, we need never part.from the Savior, who is Christ, our Lord.

     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.