Bow Down Before Him (Luke 2:21; Philippians 2:1–13)
Rev. David French
12/31/21

As you well know, tonight marks the beginning of a new year, an event you might even find yourself celebrating later with friends or family. Most celebrations will be festive, as we say goodbye to this year and welcome the new year with hope and optimism. But that’s not really why we’re here this evening. The church is in the midst of the rich Christmas season, and so, has more to celebrate then the passing of time. On this night we celebrate two critical actions for your salvation that God accomplished through our newborn King. First, today is the eighth day after Jesus was born, the day when he was circumcised and first shed his blood for us all. Second, on this day our newborn King was officially given the name Jesus. With one small sentence in tonight’s reading, Luke records, “And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb” (2:21).

Luke’s gospel alone mentions Jesus’s circumcision, but it is significant. Being devout Jews, Mary and Joseph understood that circumcision which God prescribed for Abraham thousands of years earlier was the physical mark on a baby boy’s body that made him an official part of God’s family. If a Jewish male was not circumcised, he was not a part of God’s people or God’s promises. So, Mary and Joseph allowed this first shedding of their son’s blood formally making him a part of God’s family. This eighth day of Jesus’s life is special because those first precious drops of Jesus’s blood are shed for you! And, as you know, this will not be the first time His blood will be shed for you and all who are born of sin.

That’s why we continue to gather in His name and around His word and sacraments. The babe of Bethlehem initiates his holy, saving mission with blood to redeem all of creation from sin. That is why, at his circumcision, the baby is given the name Jesus which means “God saves.” St. Paul also fixes our eyes on the name of Jesus in Philippians as he writes, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (2:9–10).

So, we know there will be a day when “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (2:10–11). That means that one day all people will confess that Jesus is Lord, even those who do not believe. At the end of time, when Jesus comes again on the Last Day, all those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth will know and confess the truth that Jesus is Lord. And even though many of those knees refuse to bow down to Jesus on this New Year’s Eve, giving thanks for what he has done for them, we do. That’s why St. Paul could rejoice, even when he was in chains in a prison in Rome. Paul knew his earthly life and the suffering he endured was nothing in comparison to the joy of eternal life. 

In the end, Paul knew, believed, and confessed that “every knee would bow” down to Jesus. Paul loved and served the Philippians, setting the example for them to do the same, not only bowing down to Jesus, but also “bowing down” to serve one another. He pleaded with them to have the same mind and purpose as Jesus, to think of others ahead of themselves and their self-interests so that the love of Jesus would be shared by them with those around them. And again, our purpose in this world, the reason we exist on this earth is, as we enter this new year, made clear. We are to love God and to love and care for others, because of Jesus’s love for us! That is, we are to share what we receive from Him with those around us.

So it is in that light that, if you’re a New Year’s resolution kind of person, I ask you to consider a couple of questions before you make up your mind. If you’re not a NY resolution kind of person, I ask you to consider them just because. Are you always more concerned about your Christian brother or sister than you are about yourself? Are the interests of your spouse, children, and family more valuable to you than your own? As a congregation, are we always united with the mind of Christ to serve and love those in our community? Now, we all know the answer to each question is “No, not always!” 

The truth is, because of our sin, our first instinct is to serve ourselves and the wants that we call needs because, by nature, we are selfish! Remember, Jesus didn’t think it was robbery to be equal to the Father. Yet, he willingly submitted to his Father’s will and left heaven and took on human flesh, that He might save humanity. Now He asks His children to serve others, not so that we can be saved, but so that others might come to know Him though us and also be saved. 

However, dear friends, I have good news in spite of our weak, sinful natures. First, you are here tonight to bow down. If worship was not important to you, you wouldn’t be here. And every time we come into God’s house to worship, we are—figuratively and often literally—bowing down. We are bowing to God’s third commandment—as the writer to the Hebrews puts it, “not neglecting to meet together” (Heb 10:25). More important, we are bowing to receive God’s blessings.

Think of how often in worship we do that, bowing down, quite literally. The reason some congregations have kneelers connected to their church pews is that kneelers encourage you to bow down. People kneel to confess their sins and to pray. While not all congregations have kneelers, many of us kneel to receive Holy Communion. And do you know why? Because bowing down to kneel at the Communion rail forces you to look up for help outside yourself. You are vulnerable, saying, “God, I need help!”

When you kneel for Holy Communion, you receive God’s help with the rich body and blood of Jesus, the same blood shed at his circumcision and on the cross. But remember, He who is exalted to the highest place for you now, as we still celebrate this evening, was also the babe of Bethlehem, and that He was not always exalted. Instead, His first bed was a filthy food trough used by animals. He was the son of poor, from an earthly perspective, Jewish parents. 

When Jesus began his ministry, He was questioned, ridiculed, abused, laughed at, and spit upon. Yet, Jesus continues to this day love those He was sent to save, that is, all of humanity. That’s why he allowed Himself to be led up the hill of Calvary and die a criminal’s death on the cross. Jesus willingly submitted to the Father’s will to save you, and He who was true flesh and blood did so not only by fulling the law of God for us, but also trusting the Father’s promise of life for us, so that we only need not to reject, but only hold to Him alone who lived and died for all. It is He alone who makes this all possible through the gift that is a miracle of miracles in the water of your baptism where you were washed clean, forgiven all your sins, and made a child of the one true God.

In His name, Amen.