Christmas Eve, 12/24/2010

Sermon on Luke 2:1-20, by Jennifer Gold

2In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see-I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah,^* the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.' ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,^* praising God and saying,
¹⁴ ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!'^* 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.' ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. NRSV

The Greatest Gift: The Word Made Flesh

*Going to begin the sermon by bringing out a gift and talk spontaneously about how everyone loves presents at Christmas time, especially my boys (ages 6 and 4)! I'm going to invite someone I've chosen to unwrap the gift and inside will be a Bible for them to keep.

This Bible-the Word of God- is to remind us that this Christmas we come to celebrate the greatest gift ever given! John 1:14 says, "And the Word became flesh and lived among us..." Martin Luther once said, "The Bible is the manger in which the Christ child is laid. Be careful that when you find the manger that you do not worship the wood and straw, but you worship the One you meet there-Jesus Christ."

Tonight, this Christmas, we come to worship the Word that became flesh and lived among us - Jesus Christ - Emmanuel, which means "God with us."

The story of Jesus is found in the Bible and it begins with the Christmas story - a story that would change the whole course of human history. Notice that the word "history" is pronounced as "his" "story"!) But his story-Jesus' story-is part of our history, so his story is our story too! We are part of the Christmas story so let's take a look at it more closely...

God's Perfect Timing

Read Luke 2:1-5

What's interesting here is that Mary and Joseph didn't live in Bethlehem. They lived in Nazareth-about 70 miles from Bethlehem. But the prophets of old had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem-the city of David. It's amazing how God orchestrates every detail of history. And by this decree from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered for the first time - talk about perfect timing - God's timing - Jesus was born in the very town that four-hundred years before the prophets prophesied for his birth even though his parents did not live there! God orchestrates the details of history to make that happen, just as God still orchestrates details in our lives today to make good things happen. Have you ever noticed that?

There is No Room for Jesus

Read Luke 2:6

⁶While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

*Here a person dressed as an "inn keeper" breaks in with a loud frustrated voice, "Hey! Can't you see that it's way over-crowded in here! Get out of here! Go away! Leave! I'm sorry but I don't have room for you! It is way too crowded! There is no place for you here! There is no room in the inn!" Then he walks out.

Now you know what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph on that first Christmas Eve. As they walked from house to house to house completely exhausted after such a long journey on foot and by donkey 9 months pregnant, they were told by countless strangers and family members, "there is no room in the inn." Bethlehem was their ancestral town so there should have been family members to stay with. And an inn, in this Greek form of the word, was the guestroom part of a house. But whether it was a family member or an innkeeper, they were relentlessly told, "There is no room for you here. Because of the census, we're way too overcrowded!"

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are no different from the innkeeper and others who told Mary and Joseph "There's no room for you here" because our lives are way too overcrowded. Overcrowded with people and work and meetings and choir practice and soccer games, basketball games, football games, baseball games, or any kind of games whether it's on TV or on a live field; then there's Girlscouts and Boyscouts, Little League, 4-H, FFA, ballet/dance, school functions, volunteer functions, homework, running a business, running a church, running a family, running our own lives, and SO MUCH MORE that JESUS CAN'T YOU SEE that our everyday lives are so overcrowded, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR YOU HERE!!! There is no room for you, Jesus, in my overcrowded life!!! Wow! We are no different from the innkeeper and others on that first Christmas Eve!

God Makes Room

But you know what? It's a good thing that it didn't stop God! God still made a way for Jesus to be born into our chaotic and overcrowded lives in this world!

And there, on that first Christmas Eve, Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger. And it wasn't quite the picture we see when we look at our lovely nativity scenes and what we hear or sing about in our pretty carols. Nobody said, "Oh by the way, there's no room for you here in the inn here, but let me put you up in the pretty little wooden stable outback where the cattle are all lowing and the hay has just been freshened up, and there's a beautiful little star etched into the wood just above the door! Aaahhh!" - NO!

People were cave dwellers in Bethlehem in those days, and people typically lived in the front part of the cave and their animals were kept in the back part of the cave to house them and protect them from thieves. So historians believe that Mary and Joseph were put up in the back part of the cave where all the animals were kept and it was dark and dirty-filthy to say the least. And a manger was a feeding trough for animals that was carved into the rock wall of the cave, and when you visit Bethlehem (as I did in 1998), you still see this today.

People would never expect that this would be the birthplace of the promised Messiah. They thought their Messiah King would have been born in royal surroundings. But you know what? Everyone was too busy to notice anyway because their lives were overcrowded. There was no room for Jesus so they didn't even notice! Hhhmm...

From Lambs to the Lamb of God

So again, God did something about it!

Read Luke 2:8-9

God chose to reveal his Son, the Savior of the world, to shepherds! To shepherds, of all people, God came to them! As a common stereotype for shepherds of that day, historians tell us that shepherds were always on the fringes of society because of their outright vulgarity and horrifically sinful behavior. And because of this, they were considered "low lifes" of society and unclean; therefore, there were not allowed in the temple. Yet, they were the ones who supplied the very lambs that people purchased for the temple sacrifices that were performed for the forgiveness of sins. And here, the angels invite the shepherds (and us the sinful people that we are who are no different from the shepherds) to come and the greet the Lamb of God would eventually put an end to temple sacrifices and take away the sins of the whole world forever!

But of course, when the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, there were terrified. In our words, they were freaked out!!! Wouldn't you be?!

The Angel's Birth Announcement

And the angel said, (voice over microphone) "Do not be afraid; for see-I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah,^* the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.'

What a birth announcement! The shepherds were freaked out, but their fear turned to joy as the angels announced the Messiah's birth. This is the message of Christmas for all people - the message that all of the world needs to hear including you! Did you hear it? Do not be afraid. To YOU is born this day a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord! To YOU...to YOU...to YOU is born this day a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord!

Savior, Messiah, and Lord

Jesus is "Savior," "Messiah," and "Lord"- three names that reveal the identity and ministry of the baby born on that first Christmas 2,000 years ago.

He is called "Savior" because he came to "save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).

The significance of Christmas is that it points to Good Friday and beyond that to Easter. There was a cross in the manger that night, and behind the cross, an empty tomb, and the promise of the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life for sinners like the shepherds, and you and me. He was born to die so that we can be born again.

He is called "Messiah" - the name that identifies this baby as the long -awaited Messiah King - the One who will fulfill all the Old Testament prophecies. He is "the anointed one" - the King who came not to conquer the nations as they expected, but the King who came to conquer death for us and to bring us life now and life everlasting.

And He is "Lord" - the name that portrays Him as The One in control. He is the Savior but also the Sovereign. He is the Lord of the Earth and he wants to be Lord of our lives, if only we will let him!

This special baby, God's Word in flesh, the Savior, the Messiah, our Lord and King wants to change your life! For that is what Jesus does! Every person who meets him and who gets to know him comes away changed. He takes our imperfect lives and makes them new. He is a life-changing Lord!

Shouting Shepherds

The Shepherds can testify to that! After the shepherds heard the angel, they left their flocks and went with haste to see what the Lord had made known to them, and what they found was Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger (Luke 2:16). And their lives were never the same again for it.

They told others what had been made known to them about this child. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them! The shepherds were the first evangelists - the first witnesses! They may have heard and seen the Good News first, but they would not be the last! When those shepherds met Jesus, their lives were changed and they were no longer the same. What they had seen transformed those shepherds into shouting missionaries for the Glory of God, and they went right out and told others, who told others, who told others, who told others until one day someone told you and me. That is how the story of Jesus is spread! What they saw, they saw with eyes of faith. And like the shepherds, when we see God's Son - Jesus - with eyes of faith, we too cannot be silent. There was no more "silent night" once the shepherds visited the manger! Then how can we be silent now, for we are the shepherds today!

His story is Our Story

His story is our story - we are part of history in the making! The story that began there at Bethlehem on that first Christmas 2,000 years ago has never ended. And it never will! The baby born in the overcrowded Bethlehem all those years ago changed the world - changed the course of history! His birth, his life, his message, his death, and his resurrection - his story is part of your story. Share that with others - with people you know - and in so doing - you will be part of "his-story" in the making! Amen

Rev. Jennifer Gold
Zion Lutheran Church of Helotes
San Antonio, Texas
E-Mail: jgold@zionhelotes.org

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