Getting Dressed for A Christmas Celebration - Isaiah 61: 10

The text is Isaiah 61:10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

This morning is our last Sunday, the last day of Advent. I know, your calendar says it is Christmas Eve, and it is, but in the church we do things a little bit differently. This morning it’s still Advent, so we are still getting ready. Tonight we celebrate; now, we prepare, even as we look forward, more than ever, to the celebration of the Nativity tonight.

I hope you’ve decided what you’re wearing tonight. I think I’ll wear all black. How about you? Brilliant blues, radiant reds, glamorous green, a mixture of them all, or none of the above – maybe something maroon, or lavender, or creamy-white, instead.  We don’t wear just anything to church, and that’s especially true on Christmas. We wear the outfit picked out a few weeks ago when we were out grabbing some gifts for the kids. Speaking of the kids, they’ll be wearing what mom lays out on the bed shortly before heading to church and the same can be said for many a husband here tonight. I want you to know, even now, even while we are still preparing, you look amazing, even if it’s your mom or your better half who deserves the credit.

And it’s important to look your best. Tonight, tomorrow, Monday, there’s probably a trip to grandma’s on the agenda, a nice dinner out, or a get-together with dear family friends. And through it all, pictures will be taken, a few gifts will be exchanged, and–Lord willing–some great memories will be made. Tonight is a big night. And on the big nights, the important nights, we make sure to wear our nicest attire.

And might I just say, you look amazing.

Tonight’s a big night not just because of the festivities you’ve got planned and the new pajamas that await you. Tonight is a big night–the most amazing of nights–because tonight we watch and wait for a great exchange to begin. This time of year, that word, “exchange” conjures standing in line at the store with an overly stressed customer service rep and trying to get store credit for the clothes that didn’t fit. But tonight’s exchange is so much greater. It’s an exchange not of gifts between you and your family but between God and man.

This morning’s Gospel, Gabriel proclaiming to Mary, leads us nine months later to tonight when God takes on our flesh.

Gabriel’s promise leads us to tonight when God becomes incarnate, wrapped in skin and blood, flesh and bone and takes on human form. But more than merely taking on our flesh–as if that wasn’t enough–in the birth of Jesus Christ God takes on our position, our station, our very posture in creation. And what is that position and posture? It’s one of weakness, of vulnerability, of exposure to the elements of a sin-soaked and violent world. Tonight God is robed in flesh; he is born naked and small and offered to the elements, given over to everything from a cold wind whipping through the Bethlehem air to the hurt and heartache that comes with living in close proximity to you and me, the utterly depraved.

But do not forget, this is an exchange. God isn’t the only one gaining new garments and a different address. The prophet Isaiah, who was Adventing before Advent was cool, spoke on God’s behalf some 700 years before the incarnation of Jesus, foretold of the “year of the Lord’s favor,” a time when God’s servant, the Messiah, would arrive and bring good news and everlasting joy to the world. In fact, in the Gospel of Luke chapter 4, Jesus, some 30 years old and launching his public ministry, quotes this very section of Isaiah. He opens the scroll in the synagogue, finds the 61st chapter and reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Isa. 61:2; Luke 4:18-19). He then sits down and says, in a way that feels every bit like a mic-drop moment, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Jesus couldn’t have been any clearer. He is the one foretold by Isaiah, the one bringing God’s greatest blessings to mankind.

But back to this great exchange.

The prophet Isaiah goes into beautiful detail about what was coming, the “year of the Lord’s favor,” and what it means for those who receive the Messiah. In verse 10 he writes, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness…” (Isa. 61:10).

Are you grasping it? I hope so, because this is what makes our Advent preparation for Christmas Eve so incredible.

Isaiah is telling us that when the Messiah arrives he brings with him the good news of God’s extravagant blessing and with it a whole new wardrobe. Those who receive him, who are connected to him in belief and baptism, will be wrapped in salvation and–this is the best part!–robed in righteousness.

Those who belong to the Messiah will be covered (head to toe, because that’s how robes work) in a rightness, a goodness that we have not earned. They will be so completely covered, in fact, that when God looks at those who receive this Messiah he will no longer see any of their evil deeds, any of their terrible choices, or any of the countless times when they’ve rejected him or failed him.

He will see none of it. He will only see goodness. Talk about looking your best!

And that exchange begins tonight.

Jesus takes on your humanity, your flesh and blood, along with your heartache, hardship, and even your death. And he will be faithful while you have been faithless. He will reject every expression of sin and live perfectly in your place. He will confront death and wring out every ounce of God’s wrath in his own flesh and blood on the cross. And he will rise out of his tomb declaring that your tomb has been totaled and that death, for all those who belong to him, has been defeated. He will take your place, plod your plight, and set you free. And when it’s all said and done he will wrap you in salvation and goodness that you did not earn. He will take what rightly belongs to him and graciously bestow it upon you. And the only thing that will be left to do is marvel at your new wardrobe and give God thanks, for it indeed will be the year of the Lord’s favor.

And it all begins tonight, with the baby born in Bethlehem.

But let’s take this further, shall we? Let’s back up, and start Adventing even before Isaiah, deep in the Old Testament, long before the incarnation of Jesus, Moses was given instructions for the tabernacle and the garments of the priests who would minister there. The tabernacle, at that time, was the place of God’s promised presence, the means through which he would dwell with his people. It was a  tent—yes, a tent—carried around by the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. Detailed instructions were given for each aspect of the tent and we are told that the garments of the priests were to be made from the same materials. The priests were, in some sense, the embodied presence of God.

In Exodus, Moses tells us that sewn into the priestly garments–onto the breastplate to be exact–were twelve different precious stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel, with the names of the tribes inscribed on them. The purpose for this was beautiful and personal: “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord” (Ex. 28:29).

Think about that: each time the priest entered the tabernacle and ministered in God’s presence the names of God’s people would be on the priest’s heart and before God’s eyes etched in beautiful stone.

We are told in the New Testament that the one being born tonight is the greatest of the great high priests, greater than Aaron and even greater than Moses (Heb. 4:14). And in his incarnation we have God, once again, dwelling with man. Jesus Christ is both the ultimate expression of the tabernacle and its priest. But this time the clothes of the “priest” are different. Rather than wearing fine linen and exquisite jewels, this high priest is wearing flesh and blood. The tent of God and the clothes of the priest are human flesh, blood, skin and bone.

And that’s because this tabernacle and great high priest has come not to adorn himself in jewels but to make us the jewels. He has come to take our place and earn for us the holy garments. While Aaron stood before the Father with the names of God’s people written beautifully over his heart, Jesus will show us God’s heart. And he will live, die, and rise so that we can stand before the Father–bearing the name “forgiven”–as diamonds and as rubies ourselves, as sapphires shining with a holiness we haven’t earned but desperately need.

Yes, even you. You are a jewel shining in the light of Christ’s holiness. Tonight’s a big night not just because of the festivities you’ve got planned and the new pajamas that await you. Tonight is a big night–the most amazing of nights–because tonight we watch and wait for an incredible exchange to begin.

Tonight, in the words of the famous advent hymn, “Christ, from heav’n to us descending, And in love our race befriending; In our need, His help extending, Saved us from the wiley foe.” Tonight, God himself takes our place and is robed in our flesh, to take on our plight and to be our tabernacle and our priest. And in exchange we receive–you receive–the greatest gift of all, incredible, invaluable, and beautiful garments of grace.

This morning, as we complete our Advent journey, no matter who you are, what you’ve done, what sins you’ve committed, doubts you carry, or issues you have, this Jesus has come for you. And the exchange he makes is for you. Wear what he offers with joy. And know that from now on, in the eyes of God the Father, you look amazing. Amen.