The Vigil of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord

1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

5 For to which of the angels did He ever say:

“You are My Son, today I have begotten You”?

And again:

“I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son”?

6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:

“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

7 And of the angels He says:

“Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.”

8 But to the Son He says:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

10 And:

“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

11 “They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment;

12 “Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.”

“When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Our Lord, the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Eternal Word, assumed our humanity. Tonight, and tomorrow especially, we celebrate this. There are some who misunderstand: they think God and man are irreconcilably separated. But the one true God has become man, and by that He fixes everything necessary for salvation. Tonight we celebrate that God has become man. He lived a holy life in our place, and died in our place on the cross, for us to be saved.

He did all that, and now, it is done. In the old Jewish temple a number of priests would stand in line, each in his turn offering someone’s sacrifice. Then they would go get another animal, get back in line, and wait to sacrifice again. After Jesus purged our sin by His sacrifice He sat down! The sacrificing was done, and Jesus assumed His place at the right hand of the Father, with all authority in heaven and on earth.

Tonight we celebrate the story of our Savior’s incarnation. God grant us grace to follow it all the way through to the cross, to the resurrection of our Lord, and finally to His ascension and session at the right hand of God.

Collect: O God, Who has made this most holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant, we beseech Thee, that as we have known on earth the mysteries of that Light, we may also come to the fullness of His joys in heaven; Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.