“How to Read the Christmas Story”

Many Christians call this season “Advent,” a word that simply means “coming” or “arrival.” Advent focuses our hearts on Jesus’ first coming at His birth and stirs longing for His second coming. This year our Sunday messages are built around Old Testament and New Testament proclamations of the Messiah under the theme “Good News, Great Joy!” One passage I won’t get to preach is Micah 5:2, yet it remains one of the clearest prophecies of Christ’s first advent. Micah ministered around 735–700 BC, a younger contemporary of Isaiah. He prophesied to Judah while the northern kingdom (Israel) fell to Assyria in 722 BC. Micah warned that Judah would also face judgment for idolatry and injustice, yet he repeatedly pointed beyond exile to a coming Deliverer who would establish an eternal kingdom of peace. Micah 5:2 (ESV) declares: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, God revealed: The Messiah would be born in tiny Bethlehem—fulfilled when Jesus entered the world exactly there (Luke 2:4–7). He will one day rule over Israel and the nations—still awaiting His return. His origin is “from of old, from ancient days”—affirming His eternal existence as God the Son. God’s plan of redemption was settled in eternity past. Jesus, the eternal Son, was born in Bethlehem, lived without sin, died for our sins, rose victorious, and now reigns at the Father’s right hand. He is coming again to make all things new. That truly is good news of great joy for all people!

2 Corinthians 4:6 "For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

John 1:1–5, 10-14 (ESV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. The birth of Jesus is the highlight of all human history. Let’s look at God’s plan throughout history to understand why. First, God created everything, with humanity as the crown jewel of that creation. He created men and women in His image. We can’t know fully what that means, but at the least it means that He gave them intellect, emotions, self-will, self-awareness, authority over creation, and ability to plan. He placed the earth’s resources at their disposal and put all of earth into their care. Second, in addition to all that God gave humanity, He gave them a stewardship to make decisions about their life and community. That ability includes even the option to refuse to follow God’s order for life and society. Instead of following God’s path, people chose to sin. In choosing their own way, they disrupted God’s order and consequently the path of blessing. Humanity’s choice to sin has infected the whole human race and we are all now sinners by birth and by choice. Third, man’s choice to sin has blinded all humans to God and His truth. They cannot naturally see God’s truth through that darkness. As a result, people have become separated from God. Fourth, God’s grace has always been at work to restore humanity to Himself. His crowning act of reconciliation was to shine His light to humans through sending Jesus to earth. He came into a world that did not know Him, and did not receive Him, but He came in such a way that the world could see Him and receive His truth. God’s eternal plan was to send Jesus to earth, born as a human baby. Jesus was God in the flesh. He is the God/man. Fifth, why would God send Jesus to earth to become a man? I recently heard Tim Keller describe Jesus’ birth and life on earth as writing Himself into the story. When an author writes a book, the characters have no knowledge of the writer. But God wanted to have a relationship with His creation. How could the characters in God’s story know their divine author? The writer of earth’s history, Jesus, is real and is all knowing, all powerful, and all present. Although the world was made by Him, He was still unknowable by His creation. Jesus wrote himself into history so he could be known and so that people could be reconciled to Him. Conclusion: John 1 tells us that Jesus came as a human and He began to shine light into the darkness. It goes on to say, that any who would see His light and turn to Him and away from following their own natural path could become the children of God. They could have the relationship that God always intended for them. They could become children of God. Have you seen Him? He came as a human child and lived a perfect and sinless life. But then He did something unexpected. He died on a cross for the human race. That was His humiliation. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus defeated sin and death. He now sits at the right hand of God the Father. This is His exultation. He wants people to know Him. Take time this Christmas to view Jesus and His truth. If you have never accepted Him, please do. For those who believe His truth and receive Him as Savior, He makes us part of His family. For those who have received Jesus, take time to adore Him, and thank Him for providing a personal relationship with God.

Colossians 1:9-14 - " And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We all know the story of the birth of Jesus well. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem because of the census ordered by King Herod. However, when they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no room for them and they had to stay where the animals fed. There, Mary gave birth to Jesus and then laid him in a manger to rest. But this was the Son of God who was to take away the sins of the world. Why would he come this way and why does it matter? There is some speculation as to why Jesus came in this specific way. I think this was not only a fulfillment of scripture, but also a foreshadowing of what was to come. Christ not only showed his humility and fulfilled the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah, he also made himself low so that he could reach those who were considered destitute and insignificant. Shepherds were one of the first people groups to be made aware of Jesus’ coming. Many considered shepherds the lowest of the low, and the religious leaders referred to them as sinners. Jesus had nothing to offer the shepherds other than his presence. He had no form or majesty for them to behold, yet this was enough for the shepherds to go away glorifying and praising God! Jesus was about to shake up all that had been known by the people of the world. But why did he appear to the shepherds on that night, and not to the rest of the people that had been waiting for his coming for generations and generations? The truth is, that many who were waiting for the Messiah had no room in their hearts for him. The majority of the Jewish people believed that the Messiah would come and be a conqueror or a warrior, and would be the one to end their oppression with a mighty hand. They thought that the Messiah would bring them hope by obliterating their circumstances and reigning over them. So, while the people were waiting for someone to end all their physical pain and suffering, they missed out. They had no room for the Savior of the world who was there to proclaim liberty to the captives and break chains of sin and death. Jesus was there to make a better kind of hope than the people expected! He would make a kingdom that would reign forever and ever. But isn’t that what we still do today? It may not be in the same ways as the people in Jesus’ day, but on some level many of us do make Jesus what we want him to be instead of who he is. We get distracted by our daily lives, our obligations, our circumstances, our comforts, and our emotions. We desire for God to just fix everything. It is so easy to just lay back and become complacent because we now know Christ has come. We make him a supplement to our lives instead of the cornerstone upon which our lives are built. So, the question that we need to ask going into this season is: “Will we be like the shepherds who realized the hope of God and in return glorified him, or are we like the rest of the people who didn’t have room for Jesus?” If you need to know or be reminded of God’s hope, remember this: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” -John 3:16-17 Let hope live in your heart and life. Make room.

Luke 2:8-20  And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying; “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! 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.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. You all know this story. When I read it, I hear the voice of Linus, speaking these words from the famous cartoon, “Charlie Brown’s Christmas.” The last verse has always intrigued me. Why were the shepherds glorifying and praising God. What had they seen and heard that had such a big impact on them? Well, I guess it is not every day you meet an angel. That must have been pretty cool. The angel announced good news of great joy for all people. That would have gotten my attention. What is this news? The angel said a baby had been born in Bethlehem. Big deal. Babies are born all the time. Wait. The angel said this baby would be some kind of savior. He would be the Christ which means Messiah. Well, that sounds important. Then suddenly there was a multitude of angels, like a heavenly choir. They were praising God and pronouncing peace on earth. OK. Now what? Well, they decided to check it out. They went quickly to Bethlehem and found the baby. They told Mary and Joseph and others what they had heard from the angel. Then the shepherds left and returned glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen. That last sentence has always intrigued me. What had they actually seen and heard? They saw a baby. Who hasn’t? They saw some angels. That’s impressive. But what had they heard that filled them with praise? They heard a message of hope. God cares about people. He has a plan for this planet. This baby was special. He would be some kind of savior. They had no idea what this meant, but it gave them hope and filled them with joy and praise. This story challenges me. We know so much more than they did. We know the identity of this baby. Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. We know that Jesus grew up, lived a perfect life, and died a perfect death, that we might be saved. Jesus rose from the dead and by faith, we are forgiven, we are adopted into God’s family, and we will spend eternity in Heaven. This Christmas, I pray that we will be filled with the wonder that those shepherds experienced. May we be filled with hope and joy, knowing that we have been reconciled to God and have a great future. Most of all, may we will be filled with praise and worship for our Savior!

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 My all-time favorite Christmas movie is the 1992 classic, A Muppet’s Christmas Carol. In that timeless re-telling of the Charles Dickens novel, narrated by Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. He is shown the consequences of his miserly deeds and his miserable treatment of others, in contrast with Bob Cratchit’s (Kermit the Frog) difficult yet joyful and grateful life, expressed in the Cratchit family’s stirring song, “Bless Us All.” After being confronted with his wretched reality all night, Ebenezer Scrooge wakes up a changed man – one full of joy and mirth, determined to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Oftentimes, Christmas can overwhelm us, not with joy, but with the stress of the expectations that accompany it – hosting family gatherings, places to go and people to see, buying presents, having a clean enough house – and we can unwittingly find ourselves resembling Ebenezer Scrooge. The contemporary concept of Christmas propagandizes happiness but leaves us with little joy. But, the original message of Christmas is “good news of great joy” because Christ the Lord is born! We who confess that Jesus is Lord should be full of joy! So, let us rediscover the Christian idea of mirth - social merriment; hilarity; high excitement of pleasurable feelings in company. “Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that will accompany him in his labor all the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 8:15 Joyfully speak with your family about Christmas. Bake Christmas cookies. Watch A Muppet Christmas Carol. Greet one another warmly with “Merry Christmas.” Sing Christmas Carols. Enjoy extra time with family, great food and gifts. Bless your family and your friends with your joyful and jocular presence! Be people of mirth this Christmas! Jesus is Lord!