Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth includes some interesting detail, while omitting other details that we might expect in
the telling of a divine birth. We read
of the city and location of his birth, and why they might be there instead of
at home with the family in attendance.
We read of the “birth announcement” to the most unusual collection of
men that you will ever fine, but not why God’s arrival in this world was kept
from the upper and ruling class of the nation.
We read of the humble beginning of Messiah, but not why this child, the
Son of God, couldn’t, or even shouldn’t, begin in a way that would be fitting
for his heavenly lineage.
And yet, within the humility of Christ’s entry into human existence, the glory
of God, and humanity’s reaction to Him, is so obvious, and almost predictable.
And so, hear the Lord’s story of his coming to save us.
Read Luke 2:1-20
The Lord has a way of giving us the words, and
concepts, and details that we need to hear, and omits all of the extraneous
details that we don’t need. That doesn’t
mean that we don’t wonder about that which has been left out - just that
we either don’t need it, or aren’t able to comprehend it. Scholars love to debate these missing
details, such as – 1. Why can’t historians find any significant reference to a Roman
census that covered all of their territories at this time. 2. Did Christ’s birth really occur at the end
of December. 3. How does Quirinius’s service as governor fit in, as
historically, his term didn’t begin until several years after the time that we attribute
to Christ’s birth. 4. Why didn’t Joseph and Mary go to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s
house to stay – after all, it was very possibly in the area of Bethlehem?
So for tonight, we will let the scholars deal
with these and the rest of the unknowns, and we’ll consider those things that
we have been given!
Jesus came to us as God Incarnate to be our
Savior. As we read of his ministry in
the gospels, he never denounces the Law that had been given to the people at
Mount Sinai, but He did let us know that, as important as the Law was, adherence to the Law would never be our way to
eternal life. He came to be salvation
for all, simply by faith in him. But how
do we know that He came for everyone?
After all, He is God – God is all powerful, God is all knowing – and we
are insignificant compared to him! Why
would He care anything for us unless we were doing everything exactly like He told
us to?
And that is the attitude that a lot of people
have, so God came to earth in a very human way, that we might be more accepting
and understanding. A humble birth is
exactly how we began, and by that, we should feel more in tune with the
Lord. Unfortunately, all too many folks
feel that this made God too familiar – that He should be demanding, absolute,
punishing as well as blessing, destructive of his enemies and not loving of
them. But God is how God is, and our
expectations have nothing to do with how He interacts with us.
He came as a humble and human child, as well
as the Mighty and Perfect God. And while
human leadership may expect that we should act and think as they do, God knows
that we are unable to be all that He is.
So he came to be Savior, not by our perfect obedience, but by faith and
love of all that He is, all that He gives, and all that He has told us.
Jesus came in a humble and dependent way. He needed human parents to care for Him, to
love Him, to help Him grow in a human way, and He needs us to be His
people. In Jesus’ ministry, it was more
than just to teach us what He was all about – it was to prepare us to carry on
for Him after He left this plane of existence.
God could have done it all by Himself in a very human way – he could
have forced everyone to either follow the divine way, or suffer the
consequences of His wrath! But He chose
a better way – He lets us exercise our “free will”, and choose to follow
and obey Godly truth, as laid out for us by Jesus Christ.
And His offer of salvation by faith is given
to everyone – good or bad! Think about
it – who did the angel chorus come to?
Shepherds! These were ranked in
the lowest class of all Israel – because of their occupation, they were physically
filthy, and considered to be spiritually unclean – at least by human
standards! And because of their “unclean”
status, they were not allowed to enter the Temple, and because of that
limitation, they couldn’t make sacrifices for their sins. It was the proverbial “Catch-22” – there was
no way they could be saved through the law.
But through faith in the Child of Bethlehem,
and through the joy that they felt at just seeing Messiah, their Savior, in the
flesh, they would know the grace of God, while those who put their faith in adherence
to the law and the good things that they did would never know the glory of
Almighty God.
And these humble, ignorant, and rejected men began
to spread the word of Jesus to all they met.
They weren’t great theologians,
they weren’t priests who served in the temple, they weren’t educated rabbis who
had studied the scriptures and debated with others as to the meaning of each
word and phrase – they told of what they had seen, had heard, had felt whether
others believed them or not. After all,
they knew what had happened, and it had been such a powerful experience in
their lives that they just couldn’t help but share this Good News with everyone
who they met.
And then there was the Christmas couple, who
also were anything but high and mighty!
Joseph was a simple carpenter, and his fiancé was a small-town girl, and
we can easily assume that neither had ever journeyed very far from home. And talk about trusting in God! Mary had become pregnant in a way that, for
all practical purposes, was impossible, and whether family, friends, or
neighbors believed them or not, they knew without a doubt who it was that was
coming into the lives of this world.
And they must have been awed at being chosen
by God Himself for this hallowed task.
They had listened to the Lord and believed all that they both had been
told, and this wouldn’t be the last time that they would hear God’s word for
their lives. They would be told to leave
town immediately and go to Egypt until the hatred of Herod would die with him. They would be led by the Spirit to find their
Son in temple after a trip to Jerusalem for sacrifice. And I have to believe that the heavenly Voice
guided them and encouraged them throughout the years of being the human parents
of God in the flesh.
Can any of us even begin to imagine how
humbling, and frightening(!), that this experience must have been for
them? To actually being given the
responsibility of raising Messiah, the Christ, God in the Flesh, to be the Man
of God for the world! We can if we know
what it feels like to take on the ministry and mission that the Lord has
planned for us! And I’m not referring to
only those who have accepted the call into pastoral ministry – it is about all
who now call Jesus Lord and Savior, for all who have given their life to the
Lord and surrendered their place and dependency in the world.
This isn’t about becoming special or gifted or
prestigious in a human way. It is about
humbling and submitting yourself to God’s call, allowing Him to be your guide,
your purpose, your direction, your glory, your Savior right here and right now. Jesus
had become fully Man and fully God, and before He could do that, He had
to surrender all that He had ever known and all that He had always been, and to
humbly accept the limitations that human life would place upon Him. And He did that for you and me.
If we are to truly call ourselves Christian,
we have to do some surrendering ourselves – we must give up our life as one of
the world, with worldly pleasures, worldly activity and thoughts, and begin learning
and living in a way that Jesus did.
Jesus had lost His understanding of God’s plan
for his life, and had to depend on prayer to stay close to His Father. So do we.
He had to set His apprehension and fears
aside, and follow the way that His Father had prepared in the task and purpose
that Jesus was to do. And so do we.
He had to trust that the Godly way was why He
was sent to earth, and that this was the only way that could ever make any
sense for Him. And so do we.
The problem is that none of us is worthy of
God’s call, and that is the first thing that we have to surrender – those excuses
that we use for not following the Lord.
And if you have a desire to be His today, I’m going to give you a moment
right now, in silence, to let your Lord know that you understand that you have
no worth except in Him.
We can have no legitimate expectation of salvation without faith
in Christ and his teaching. If you are
willing to commit to the way of Christ today, take another moment right now, in
silence, and tell Him that you freely acknowledge that He, and He alone, is your
Lord and Savior, and that His great sacrifice at Calvary is the greatest gift that
you will ever receive – the gift of God’s forgiveness for the sins that you
have committed throughout your life.
We will never be able to carry out the call
that Christ has placed in our life if we try to do it with only our own abilities
and wisdom. If you have a heart-felt desire
to follow and serve Him today, take a moment right now, in silence, and tell
Jesus that you will put your dependence and life in His hand, and will follow
in His way, in His truth, and in His life – and that He is your only hope for
eternity.
We are incomplete, even as flesh and blood people,
without Jesus in our lives. If you love
Jesus, take a moment right now, in silence, and tell Him that you want Him to
fill the void in your life, and that you will proclaim His wholeness wherever He
leads you.
If you
have given it all over to the Lord, you have just accepted His call to life and
mission and ministry. It will probably be
different than mine, and you may very well find that it is different than
others, but it will have the same purpose – to lead others into a humble,
faithful, and glory-filled life with Christ.
May your Christmas be fulfilling in a Godly
way, and not in the secular one that is so prevalent throughout this world, and
may the glory of our Almighty God surround you and fill you this day and
always.
