Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

The greatest invasion of enemy territory in human history started not with any battle cry that you or I know. No “Allahu Akbar!” No “Remember the Alamo!” Unlike the Finnish, no one yelled"Hakkaa päälle!" (literally "Cut them down!" or "Hack on”). No, the greatest invasion in human history started with a whimper, or maybe a cry, but not from the invading king -- from His mother.

As the carol so poignantly points out, “little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.” True, His mother Mary may have cried out in her labor pains, perhaps even Joseph, if he was privy to the beginning of the end of Satan’s reign on Earth, perhaps Joseph yelled out encouragement to his young wife, but not so for the King. The commander of the angel armies did not cry out. He did not herald His own coming. No gaudy “Geronimo!” for Him. Though He did intend to sacrifice Himself, He did not shout “Banzai!”

True, nine months before His messenger had heralded a virgin and announced the beginnings of His plan to take back what was rightfully His. Also true that He had been hinting for hundreds of years, since the beginning of time, truth be told. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

John Donne wrote,

BATTER my heart, three person'd God; for, you

As yet but knocke, breathe, shine, and seeke to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow mee,'and bend

Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new.

I, like an usurpt towne, to'another due,

Labour to'admit you, but Oh, to no end,

Reason your viceroy in mee, mee should defend,

But is captiv'd, and proves weake or untrue.

Yet dearely'I love you,'and would be loved faine,

But am betroth'd unto your enemie:

Divorce mee,'untie, or breake that knot againe;

Take mee to you, imprison mee, for I

Except you'enthrall mee, never shall be free,

Nor ever chast, except you ravish mee.

This Feast of the Incarnation we celebrate our ransom. This is our first hope, our chief hope, our only hope, that on a night like tonight, some two thousand years ago there came into the world a Savior for mankind. We had long ago and every day since surrendered ourselves to one who wanted only to destroy, besmirch, and damn us. But God, in His infinite mercy and grace sent His Son into the world. Not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. And since that day to this, and until His return someday, the King has been about His business reclaiming what is His, freeing the hostages, through blood offering rebirth, preparing for the last day when He will cast our enemy and His into the lake of fire. On that day there will be great rejoicing among His people and a feast which is foreshadowed at our altars today.

And so, from the Jones family, with deepest regards and most heartfelt joy, merry Christmas.