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Christmas Eve, DECEMBER 24, 2006 |
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. This year, our church has an outdoor manger scene – an open invitation to the neighborhoods around us to come and hear, see, smell, feel, and experience the manger of the Christ child again. I’ve seen outdoor nativities nearly all my life, and I think like most people there are times where I most identify with different characters from the Gospel of Luke. Sometimes it’s the shepherds. Outcasts of society, dirty to be sure, with whole portions of the Torah dedicated to keeping some checks and balances on their behavior (see Lev. 18:23 for a humorous reference and ask, why did this even need to be said?). Imagine drifting off to sleep in the cool air night, after night, after night (of course always with one eye open guarding your flock), but just sitting there as you always have waiting. I believe shepherds from Bethlehem could put our television weathermen out of business. The lives of their flocks and themselves depending on reading the skies above them: storm, rain, tornado, sleet, snow, wind, enemy, & predator. Perhaps a touch more than the average man, a shepherd knew his fate and that of his flocks were in the hands of a God more powerful than anything. You don’t sit for years under the stars without noticing such things. And Luke 2 tells better than any other what they noticed: mighty angels, a lighting up of the heavens, and praises to the Messiah who is here! And Luke 2 also tells us what they felt in that moment: fear, but not just fear, curiosity and wonderment. So they went, full of fear to be sure, but they went to the manger in droves. Perhaps you’re not a shepherd kind of guy. Joseph has had a long couple of months. His fiancé is mysteriously pregnant. Dreams in the middle of the night from God. A journey 100 miles away to his hometown with his young, very pregnant wife. And of course, the birth of his son in a stable. Long journey, even longer road ahead. It’s difficult enough for me to imagine whom will raise our kids if something would happen to my wife and myself. We’re talked long and hard lately about our will in such circumstances. God the Father came to Joseph and said, you are my son’s stepfather. Raise him well. Imagine being called to raise your sister’s kids. Long road ahead, right? Now imagine being called to raise the Son of God. When I look at a nativity scene I am in absolute awe of the task set before Joseph. And remember, the journey back and forth to Egypt to save Jesus’ life from Herod hasn’t even started. The most amazing position to be put in of course is Mary’s. Divinity in womb. Begging for trust and compassion from parents and husband. A visitation to her stable made into hospital room by none other than homeless shepherds, animals looking for hay, angels from on high, and of course the brightest star anyone has ever seen. Nursing, holding, embracing, diapering God. Holding God in her arms. No wonder we sing “silent night, holy night”. No wonder we sing “what child is this”. No wonder we scream “joy to the world”. We’ve all got stories from Christmas. My most powerful memory was from 8 years ago. Earlier in the year I watched a friend’s heart softened by God. It seemed like I was always answering his questions with simple thoughts, and then the Holy Spirit would come along and *wooosh* change him from the inside out. It’s like you could physically see his faith growing. Blossoming. Blooming. God changed him faster than I could have ever imagined. I’m not really sure how it all got started. Guys are not supposed to be good at talking about anything important or deep. Somehow our talks did get deeper and deeper, inner secrets were shared, and amazingly tears even accompanied words at times. You have to understand this guy relationship - We didn’t do that on our own, that was “a God thing”. I remember that Christmas I had come into town and we hadn’t talked yet. I was sitting in my church on Christmas Eve and in he walks. He sat down next to me. Throughout the service I felt a little weird. I sang out during the songs I loved – Joy to the World, Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem. I felt weird because I could feel him watching me, what I did, how I did it. He was watching me “do” church. I realized something that night. He was relearning Christmas. He was trying to figure out what Christmas means when you have faith in Jesus Christ. A virgin that is pregnant is not a character out of a story. Angels in the sky are not from a movie. The baby in the manger is more than a holiday decoration. Jesus was more real for him. Jesus became more real for me. It was not a ritual, not a service, not a community event, not even a holiday. That night I felt the presence of God come over that place. That night was the first time I ever heard my friend sing. Not all of the songs, not all of the words but a few that he knew, and very quietly. I thought to myself, I can’t ever remember hearing him sing before. And he was singing about God coming into our world to change it forever. He was worshipping his savior. I realize something else that night. Whenever you truly have the manger, you have the cross. We have to sing out at Christmas to our savior because it naturally proclaims and announces the very reason He is here – to save the world from our sins. Think about Jesus for a second. Do you think of him as this: - former carpenter - suddenly homeless - traveling man When you add all of that together you see a number of things. First, Jesus expected much in this world to change. Secondly, God has a profound and lasting love that cannot be overtaken by sin, death or the devil. Nothing could stop Jesus from getting to the cross. And finally, none of the above is possible without the incarnation. God is with us. God was here folks. Christmas tells us so much about the nature of our God. Others seem so confused about gods floating around in the heavens, but not Christianity. Our God came here to rescue us. Merry Christmas! I want us to worship our savior tonight. I want us to know Christmas this year in a way we have never before. Luke 2:20 - And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. What will you do when you return to normal life? What has Bethlehem changed in you this year? The shepherds glorified and praised God, but they didn’t stop there. In verse 18 others were impacted by their stories. If you return to your life with same wonderment and worship in your life God will use that with others. His grace will funnel through you. And perhaps the most beautiful part, personally, is when you get to hear your friend sing “silent night, holy night.” Read the words of the Christmas hymns tonight as we sing. You will quickly see that their words are some of the most beautiful ever penned. But more than that, read again the words of Luke 2:1-20. Read it throughout the days of Christmas. God is with us friends. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, you bring us good news of great joy that will be for all people. We praise You for the birth of Your son Jesus and for all His life, death, and resurrection mean for the world. Protect each of our families this Christmas and inspire faith and great joy in each of us. In the incarnate name of Jesus the Christ, Amen. The Rev. Jim Mueller, Pastor |
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