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

     Why is it that we can celebrate Christmas, and still feel empty? How is it that you can do all the things our society and culture say you should be doing to make Christmas special, and still be lost, forlorn, barren? The truth is, many in our world get to Christmas feeling, shall we say, less than fulfilled? And not just those who are homeless, hungry, unemployed. Not just those with no Christmas tree, let alone presents under the tree. People who have homes, jobs, income, Christmas cards taped to the refrigerator door-still, can be empty, and wondering, with Cindy Loo-Who in the Grinch movie, "Where is Christmas?" We may have looked for Christmas in the Holiday Lights parade, and in the decorations adorning our neighborhood, and in the ambient Christmas music at the mall. We may have looked for Christmas in the shopping, and the gift-giving, and the holiday parties. We may have even looked for Christmas in the family gatherings, and the visits with friends, and the annual gift exchange at work-and still, felt empty. And the more some folks look, the less they find-Christmas. And then, the more empty one can feel. Which surely, is why so many adults end up, during and after the holidays-depressed, unhappy, unfulfilled. Because we've looked for Christmas, and found it lacking! Because we've done all the things we're supposed to do-and still, found little joy and peace and fulfillment. Which can leave, even well-meaning folks saying-this year, or next, or the year after that, "Bah, humbug!" Because a world that only looks for Christmas, in decorated trees, in twinkling lights, in piles of gaily wrapped packages; in malls and shopping centers and holiday parties, will be sadly disappointed. Oh, there may be moments of warm, gushy feelings; there may be a flush and a rush of good cheer-but really, for all that we've been taught, in spite of how we've been conditioned, Christmas is not to be found, in commercialism, or holiday-do-goodism, or the best of family intentions. In fact, Christmas is not to be found in the crèche under the Christmas tree, no matter how life-like the plastic baby Jesus might appear. Because Christmas isn't-things. Christmas hasn't ever been, and never will be, things. Christmas is, a person.a living, viable, flesh and blood, person-who is Jesus, the Christ.

     At times, even we Christians loose sight of that fact. Like some of our neighbors, and family members and friends, we, too, get caught up in the distractions and the obsessions that make us think Christmas is about the right things-the right décor, presents, activities. But we come together, at Christmas to be reminded of the fact, to hear it proclaimed, again-that Christmas is-God become human, in Jesus Christ. Indeed, Christmas is nothing more or less, than the Mass of Christ-the Mass of God becoming human, in Jesus. Which is why, if you haven't noticed, I've become less and less enamored with our use of the word "Christmas". Because while "Merry Christmas" is infinitely better than the generic "Happy Holiday", still, even the word "Christmas" has become generic, secular, meaningless-because what is Christmas, strictly speaking, but the Christ-Mass?! The word itself, Christmas, comes from the words, Christ-Mass. And what is Christmas, without celebrating the Christ-Mass? How can people have Christmas, without coming to church to worship Christ, the new-born King? And for that matter, how can you have the Christ Mass, without the Mass? I'm baffled by Lutherans who have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services without Holy Communion, whether it's supposedly because it's too time-consuming, or too-bothersome, or whatever. Because where else do we find God become flesh, at Christmas, but in the Holy Communion? Yes, God comes to us in His Word, whenever it is read and proclaimed-but the Word which comes to us in Holy Scripture, is an aural word, human in that it comes from divinely inspired human writers, through human preachers, to human hearers. The Word becomes flesh, for us, in that way, to be sure. But Christmas is about John 1:1-14, our Gospel text for Christmas Day. The Christmas good news is, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father."

     And how did this Word become flesh? How did this Word of God, enter into His creation, not in abstraction, not in some kind of spiritualized, ethereal way, but concretely, tangibly, real-ly? The Word was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, and nine months later, God the Word, was born of flesh and blood-to be human with us. God the Word was born as a baby, grew to be a child and a teenager, learned a trade at the side of his foster father, lived in a house, sat at a table, ate meals, yes, went to the bathroom, just as we do-to be, Emmanuel, God with us. But then, after his saving death and resurrection, He ascended. And people were bound to ask, "where is He now, this Emmanuel? Where, now, is God with us?" And from His birth on, God was preparing us for the answer. For the answer is, now, God is with us-on the altar, in the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper, that become His incarnate presence, in flesh and blood, in the sacrament-the mystery of His presence among us. That's why Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which translated, literally means, "House of Bread". Which is why, St. John, in the very same Gospel he begins with the verse, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.", also includes in chapter 6, the words of God incarnate, saying, "truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. As the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven."

     Christmas is to be found, in the Christ-Mass, and the center of the Christ-Mass is the Lord's Supper, where the Living Father, incarnates himself for us through the living Son, who becomes flesh and blood, true food and true drink for us, in the Sacrament of the Altar, in Bethlehem, literally, this "House of Bread". And when we touch the flesh and blood of this Living Son, we touch Christmas; when we receive the Lord's Body and Blood, we receive Christmas; when we eat and drink the sacramental elements, we are eating and drinking, we are partaking of, we are celebrating, Jesus Christ, born of Mary, the Word become flesh to dwell among us. So that there is no better way, no more appropriate way, no more Scriptural way, no more faithful way, no more fruitful way, for us to observe Christmas, than through the Christ Mass, through the eating and the drinking of the presence of, yes, the baby of Bethlehem, born anew for us, today, at this feed trough, where the Word will become flesh, in Jesus Christ-for us and for our salvation.

     So that, those who are empty, may be filled. So that those who have not found Christmas yet, will be found by Christmas. So that we who may be experiencing darkness and despair, will be fed, with joy and peace. So that we may have life-and have life abundantly, because Christ the Savior is born-because Christ the Savior incarnates Himself, again and again for us, every time we come, every time we kneel within this house of the Living Bread. So--may we never celebrate Christmas without the Christ-Mass-and may we celebrate the Christ-Mass, not once a year-but every Sunday throughout the year, as the Word becomes flesh for us, every time we gather, hungry for Christmas!

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