Let's take a moment and pray that the Lord would speak to us by His Holy Spirit.
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming as a baby more than 2000 years ago. Thank you for stepping down out of the majesty of heaven to endure scorn and squalor beyond comprehension. You could only have done it out of love. There is no other motivation that could cause One who is perfect and has all things to leave it behind for a chance to redeem ones who rejected You from the start. Your compassion knows no bounds and Your glory will know no end. All praise to You, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
I don’t know how you find Christmas. When you stop to think about it, there are a couple of ways to take the question, “How do you find Christmas?” I imagine my meaning is not quite what you would expect. At first, what I mean to say is given all the hubbub and commercialism and fictional storybook trappings, what do you think of Christmas and what the season has become? What impressions do you take away from the entire Christmas experience? What is Christmas like? How do you find Christmas to be?
Stop for a moment and think of what you would say if you met a person who had never experienced an American-style Christmas before, and they asked you, “What is Christmas? What is it like? What sort of things do you do?” What in the world would you say? It’s not an easy question to answer is it?
Maybe the pious among us would start by explaining the Christmas story. The birth of a baby born king, not born a prince. A birth foretold for centuries. A baby boy born to a virgin in the harshest poverty visited by shepherds who were advised by angels to attend the birth of a Savior. The most important birth ever. So important that we celebrate that birth each and every year.
So far so good. But, what would happen if this person asked you, “Well, how do you celebrate? What sort of activities or rituals do you follow or observe?” What would we say?
Well, it’s like this you see. First, you need to cut down a tree. It has to be an evergreen of some kind. It has to have the right size and shape. You need to place it on a stand in your house. Then, you need to put lights in it and decorations all over it. As a matter of fact, you need decorations to go all over your house. Among the many decorations, you will find some stars patterned after the star seen after the baby Christ was born. There also may be one or more Nativity scenes portraying the place of Jesus’ birth. But that’s not all. There will be decorations of red and green. There will be candy canes and lights. There will be decorations featuring fictional characters, too. And don’t forget, you need to hang up some socks above the fireplace, too. The bigger the stocking, the better.
It doesn’t stop with decorations. You also need to make and eat ridiculous amounts of food. Plan on gaining a pound or more. We haven’t even mentioned what probably consumes the majority of most people’s time. Shopping. Some folks begin their shopping months in advance. Buy presents for family and friends. Struggle to find gifts that are either wanted or useful. Maybe this is peculiar to me, but I think men in general struggle to wrap presents in such a way that you don’t look completely inept. We also listen to special music that in large part has nothing to do with the baby Christ. From Thanksgiving on, this music is on every radio, in every store and restaurant. It’s as if we derive some special benefit from hearing these songs at this time.
Another key for millions of Americans is to take your children to talk to a man in a red suit, convince them to sit in his lap and get their picture taken. It is customary to take that picture and mail it to all your family and friends. At a minimum, you could put it up on Facebook.
Now if that weren’t enough, you also need to watch special television shows and movies about all these strange activities that you yourself are doing, not to mention an endless stream of shows and movies about the fictional characters that have attached themselves securely to the celebration of the first coming of Jesus Christ.
I am confident that any one of us here could easily talk for half an hour or more about what we “do” to celebrate Christmas. Out of that vast dissertation, how much would relate back to the coming of Jesus as a baby? What would our friend think of our celebration? Wouldn’t he be completely bewildered?
There is another meaning for the question “How do you find Christmas?” It is likely what came to mind when I first mentioned it. “How do you find Christmas?” It sounds kind of strange because the question implies that Christmas is lost or at least hard to find. How do you find it? Where do you look for it?
Earlier this December, I couldn’t find something that I consider to be an integral part of Christmas.
A couple of weeks ago, I needed to buy some Christmas cards. I considered this a relatively simple task. I would go to the store and choose some reasonable cards with at least some reference to Christ, something that at the very least said “Merry Christmas” as opposed to “Happy Holidays.” I needed quite a few cards, so I wanted to buy them in boxes rather than individually.
My first stop was at a drug store. They had plenty of cards sold individually, but not many in boxes. I wasn’t going to find what I needed there. I moved on to Wal-mart. Wal-mart, that bastion of American consumerism, that pinnacle of purchasing power. I was in a hurry, but surely I could dash in and out with a box or two of cards. Right?
But, no. It was there in the endless rows of Wal-mart that I lost Christmas. There were individual cards for sale like I saw at the drug store. Then, there were rows of plates and cups. Rows of tinsel and lights. Rows of wreaths and garland. Rows of bows and wrapping paper. Rows of candy and gifts. Prewrapped packages ready to dispense. Guys, you don’t even have to wrap them! In my haste, it felt like the minutes turned into hours. No single image of Christ did I see. No manger. No stable. No wise men three. I passed a young couple near the Christmas dishes. The wife cheerfully said, “Look honey, they have Christmas dishes.” The husband grimaced, apparently hoping to escape without purchasing a set of dishes destined for no more than a couple of uses per year.
I was unsuccessful after combing every row I could think of. I was so disturbed that I gave up and left the store. I got in my car and began to drive away. Then, I thought no, I don’t have another chance to do this. I’ve got to do it now. I remembered one last place where I had failed to look. I turned around, went back in, and there on the farthest row in the deepest recesses of the lawn and garden section, adjacent to the water sprinklers, I found them: box sets of Christmas cards, some even marked “religious” with actual Bible verses inside.
The good news was: I managed finally to find Christmas. It’s still there if you will look for it. The bad news is that it can be an unnecessarily difficult job. Culturally, there’s a lot that stands between us now and the real Christmas story. So much so that I nearly gave up.
Let’s watch a short video clip from the Advent Conspiracy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IN0W3gjnNE
I like this video because it captures a bit of what’s wrong with Christmas, but I don’t think it goes quite far enough. The ideas they propose are great. It is wonderful to do good. Jesus is very clear that you are much better off to give to one who cannot return your gift than one who can easily repay. But we also should be energized by the Christmas story. Our spirit should rejoice, the Holy Spirit in us should rejoice. We are not just “free” to worship. We ought to be compelled to worship. More about this later.
So … How do you find Christmas? The easiest way to find Christmas is in the original recording of the story. Let’s look together at Luke chapter two.
"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. " Luke 2:1-3
"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child." Luke 2:4-5
"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:6-7
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." Luke 2:8-9
"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” " Luke 2:10-12
"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”" Luke 2:13-14
"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger." Luke 2:15-16
"When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:17-19
"The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." Luke 2:20
It is usual that we step through a passage verse by verse, but I wanted to read the story completely through. Those verses are so familiar and yet my heart leaps to hear them again and again.
Even from the beginning verses, we see this is no fairy tale. This is about an identifiable moment in time. It was the year of the census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. This is a story about real people, Joseph and Mary from Nazareth who due to the unusual event of the census were forced to travel the several days journey to Bethlehem. Since Joseph was descended from David, his family was also descended from David. Shouldn’t they be in Bethlehem, too? We get a sense of the isolation and rejection Joseph and Mary both endured. Why didn’t Joseph and Mary stay with his family? We are not told, but clearly it was not possible. The child born king was born not in a palace but in the most humble, no most humiliating of circumstances. In our hyper clean anti-bacterial culture, to be born in a stable and laid in a manger is practically a death sentence. And yet, our Savior would come by no other way. Not one of us can ever say that Jesus cannot understand our trials, our temptations, or our circumstances even from his very birth.
Then, the angels visit our poor shepherds, apparently the only ones awake and available to receive the news. The silent night pierced by a great company, “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” “Glory to God in the highest.” I love the detail captured in their response. A simple phrase: the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” This could have easily been left out. After receiving clear direction from the angel, of course they would go. What’s to discuss? The fact that Luke captures it makes me wonder how it would have been said. Is everyone talking simultaneously like some family reunions? Were they urging one another to hurry up? Were the younger in their energy calling back from half way to Bethlehem? “Let’s go!” Were the older calling out to the younger? “Let’s go, together.”
The next verse indicates how strongly they were affected. When they had seen him, they spread the word… There was no delay. Once they saw, then they told others. Are you quick to tell others how you have “tasted and seen that the Lord is good?”
There is no better Christmas special than A Charlie Brown Christmas. In his anguish, Charlie Brown belts out, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” To which Linus patiently replies, “Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about,” and he goes on to recites these same verses from Luke 2. Then, Linus concludes, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
Do you all remember what Charlie Brown does in response to hearing these verses? He picks up the scraggly Christmas tree while O Tannenbaum plays softly. He walks outside and looks up at the twinkling stars. He declares that he will not allow his Christmas to be ruined. Then, he proceeds to decorate the tree.
It isn’t a bad thing for the Word of God to encourage us to press on in the midst of difficulties, but if the arrival of a Savior allows us only to have the courage to decorate our Christmas tree, I’m afraid we’ve missed the point.
The shepherds themselves set a clear example for us. They heard the angels. They received the message. They believed the message and went to Bethlehem. They experienced the truth for themselves. They tasted. They spread the word, told others about Christ. And then, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. They worshiped God.
There is nothing which builds your confidence like finding out something you’ve been told is true, especially when it is something that’s hard to believe. Luke does not follow the rest of the story for the shepherds. He is writing an account about Jesus. But I think it is safe to say that the shepherds are not the same after this event. They have encountered a great multitude of the heavenly host and have seen the arrival of their Savior. From Jesus’ birth to His resurrection, more than 30 years will pass. Likely many of these shepherds died before Jesus’ resurrection. Perhaps in their old age, they are ridiculed for believing that a Savior has come. And yet, they know what they have seen and heard and found to be true. Their belief is unshakable. We have the benefit of seeing the whole life of Christ, including the resurrection. Our belief can and should be unshakable as well.
The title for today’s message is “Today in the Town of David.” You find it there in the angel’s words in verse 11. That word “today” put me in mind of another familiar passage.
"So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion …" Hebrews 3:7-8
"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Hebrews 3:12-13
"As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” " Hebrews 3:15
"Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” "Hebrews 4:7
Repetition is used as a means to get our attention. Usually, a very critical point is repeated three times. “Verily, verily, verily” or “Truly, truly, truly” Here in just a short few verses, the word “today” is used five times. There is something critically important about “today.”
We’ve talked before about the creation event. There is a phrase used by one of the original Big Bang scientists to describe the beginning of the universe. He called it a day without yesterday. Before that point in time, there was no time. That’s a macroscopic day without yesterday. Likewise on an individual level when a child is conceived, for their life it is a day without yesterday. The day before, they were not alive and the day of conception they are alive. For each of us, there was an initiation point of our lives. For each one of us, there is a unique day without yesterday.
Now, there is another point to consider. A corollary, if you will. If our lives begin on a day without yesterday, then they end on a day without tomorrow.
Carl has talked about this concept as well, but in a slightly different way. Most believers are familiar with the verse in Mark (3:29) about blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Young believers especially can worry that they will somehow and perhaps even unknowingly blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. I know that early on in my Christian life the thought crossed my mind every time I read that passage.
Looking at the verses from Hebrews and seeing the warning, “do not harden your hearts.” We get a chance today to make a decision to believe in Christ or to reject Him. The shepherds made the choice to believe. Right now, today, if you hear his voice, I encourage you to act and ask Jesus into your life as Savior. If you have already asked Jesus into your life, then you are saved and the Holy Spirit dwells in you. Do not be afraid that you can blaspheme the Holy Spirit. However, if you have heard His voice, if you perceive Jesus is calling you, but you make excuses or delay your decision, be forewarned. There is a day in each one of our lives without tomorrow, and we don’t ever know which day that is. That is why today is so important. Today a Savior has been born. If he is born today, then receive him today. Don’t delay. The book of Acts says it this way:
"In the past God overlooked [our] ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. " Acts 17:30-31
If you take Jesus as your Savior and put your trust in Him, then you will receive new life.
Do you guys remember the story of Ezekiel and the dry bones? I think it gives a great picture of what happens to our lives when we turn them over to the Lord. Ephesians 2:1 says that we were dead in our transgressions. Galatians 2:20 says that the life we live in the body we live by faith in the son of God who loved us and gave himself for us.
Ezekiel is taken by the Lord out into a valley of dry bones. The Lord asks Ezekiel an interesting question about the bones. The Lord says to Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?” Now, Ezekiel’s answer doesn’t have anything to do with the message, but I want to point it out because it’s important. If the Lord happens to ask you a direct question, even if and probably especially if you think the answer is no or if it appears impossible, there is a good answer which is honest and also not wrong. Ezekiel’s answer to the Lord’s question “Can these exceedingly dry bones live?”: “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” This is the right answer. Carl might possibly call it the optimal answer.
If I had been in the valley of dry bones and the Lord asked me if they could live, I would have said, “Nope.” And I would have been sent back from the valley, and what I really wanted to talk about this passage would have never gotten into the Bible. So, what do you say if the Lord asks you a direct question, and you don’t know the answer? Let’s practice together: “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
The Lord then commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones to come to life. Ezekiel does. First the bones and flesh come together but they still have no breath. This is weird because God said the first time that he would put breath into the bones. Then the Lord commands Ezekiel to prophesy again specifically about the breath. Then, the breath comes into the bodies and they are alive.
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD." Ezekiel 37:5-6
When we turn away from our sins, when we ask Jesus into our lives, when we trust in Him as Savior (all those are part of salvation) then we will receive new life. God will put his Holy Spirit in us as a deposit guaranteeing our salvation. Not only that, in the new life that we live by faith, we will know that God is God, that He is the Lord.
There are two more points about our modern day Christmas that I want to touch on. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this. There are a great many Christmas specials and movies which depend on the idea of belief. You gotta believe. If you don’t believe, Santa’s sleigh can’t fly. If you don’t believe, you won’t get any presents. If you don’t believe, the fictional characters endowed with magical or super abilities are somehow weakened or lessened. The idea is that belief is some kind of consumable fuel for the supernatural. Some of you are going to say, aw come on John, we all know that it’s just make believe. That may be true, but these movies we watch over and over and over, so it is important to know what messages we are putting into our own heads rather than just soaking up the message without processing it. Be careful.
I hope it is clear that God does not work that way. Our salvation is contingent on our belief. If we don’t put our trust in Christ, we cannot be saved. But the fact of Jesus being born 2000 years ago and the fact that He rose from the dead are not dependent on how well or how diligently we believe. How hard you believe or dis-believe in Christ does nothing to enhance or diminish His reality or His divinity.
Okay, here’s my last hurrah. We (and when I say “we,” I mean our culture) has invented a Christmas fantasy that is external to the true Christmas story. By Christmas fantasy, I’m talking about reindeer and elves and Santa and all that. It is a truly strange phenomenon. Within our culture, it is regarded as a noble purpose to create and perpetuate a fictitious world in which our children can experience something greater than our day to day existence.
Why do I say that it’s a strange phenomenon? Well, we have in our hands the greatest story ever told. Not only is it the greatest told, it is the truest story ever told. A greater narrative has not been written by men. You can’t out think, out write or out orchestrate God. Through Scripture and the Holy Spirit, we have access to a real supernatural realm where old and young; man, woman, and child can experience things greater than our “day to day” existence. If you want to know more about that spirit-filled life, please ask someone after the service.
"All of us also lived … gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. " Ephesians 2:3-7
And with a real future like that, who needs fantasy. Let’s pray:
Lord Jesus, You are real. You did come. You were born. You lived a perfect life and died a tragic guiltless death. Your sacrifice was perfect and You rose from the dead. Thank You that we have the whole story before us. Transform our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit. Make us strong in faith and action that others might come to be part of Your story in the coming ages enjoying the incomparable riches of Your grace. We praise Your Name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment