12-19-10 Christmas

The problem we run into with the account of the birth of Christ

is that we all know it so well.

We know all of the players in the story,

we know how the events unfold,

we know who said what and why.

And even more than that,

we know it as part of the Biblical record of the life of Christ,

and because we know it all so well

we simply don’t really hear what’s being said,

we don’t see what’s really going on.

It seems perfectly reasonable to us

to picture baby Jesus lying in a manger.

It all seems rather cozy, and warm, and friendly, and...well, right.

So what if there wasn’t any room at the Inn for Joseph and Mary...

Having Jesus born in a stable actually seems far nicer

than if He’d been born in a hotel room

with a doctor present,

or a midwife,

with lots of clean towels,

and warmth,

and security.

To our minds the whole manger thing is...

well, its just a really nice bit.

And as we assemble our Christmas displays each year,

and put on our Christmas plays,

and sing Away In The Manger,

we miss so much of the power of what’s really going on

in the account of the events surrounding Jesus’ entrance into this world.

And in an attempt to help us see a little more accurately

what was really going on with all of this

I want us to take a few minutes this morning

to try to help us see how things must have looked to those

who were actually involved in these events when they first occurred.

But before we do that

I need to ask you a question

that may at first seem totally unrelated to the Christmas story.

But before I finish today

I promise I’ll bring it all together.

But here’s my question - are there some things taking place in your life

that make you think God simply doesn’t get it,

things that make you feel as if...well, of course you would never actually say this,

or maybe never even allow yourself to think it,

but are there some things going on in your life

that make you rather disappointed in your God?

Well, OK, that’s probably going a little to far.

So let me put it this way...

are there some things going on in your life

that, if YOU were God for a day,

you would handle very differently?

Well, if so,

then I think there are some aspects of the account of Christ’s birth

that you have not seen up to this point,

things that, if you can see them correctly,

will be of tremendous value to you.

And let’s begin with Mary

and walk through her part in this whole thing with her

so that we can see at least a little of what we may not have seen before.

Both Matthew and Luke give us information about Mary,

but we’ll use Luke’s comments this morning.

And let me read Luke chapter 1, beginning with verse 26.

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."

OK, before we go any farther,

I want to be sure we understand what’s really happening here.

This is not a vision,

it’s not a dream.

Mary didn’t fall into some kind of trance

or take some kind of out-of-body trip.

She was simply a girl, most likely in her late teens,

who was at home during the day,

with her mind filled with the hope and expectation of her approaching wedding.

She wasn’t famous,

she wasn’t rich,

she wasn’t the daughter of royalty.

She was just a devout, unknown Jewish girl.

It is reasonable to assume

that she was busy about the household duties of the day

when suddenly this being enters the house unannounced, uninvited

and says, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."

OK, we are not told what this being looked like,

but we know there was something about his appearance that told Mary this wasn’t just some new neighbor in town.

In fact, though his basic appearance was similar to human form,

everyone who ever met Gabriel had the same initial response - FEAR.

Gabriel makes his appearance a total of 4 times in the Biblical record,

two times to Daniel in the Old Testament,

then once to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist,

and then here in this passage to Mary.

When Daniel saw him he said, “... I was frightened and fell on my face...” (Dan 8:17),

when Zacharias saw him we’re told, “... fear gripped him.” (Luk 1:12),

and we know when Mary saw him she too was afraid

because the next thing Gabriel says to her is, "Do not be afraid”.

I mention this simply because it was obvious to Mary

that whoever or whatever had just entered the room,

this at least she knew - she was in the presence of a supernatural being.

Nobody ever asked Gabriel for his credentials.

No one ever said, “Oh sure, you can claim to be from God Himself, but I’m not buying it until I see some proof.”

Such thoughts never ever entered their minds.

And it certainly didn’t enter Mary’s mind.

All she was concerned about initially

was why in the world this incredible being who had just entered her house

would begin his communication with that greeting, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."

And we know that because Luke goes on with his account by saying, But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

And this is just a tiny sidetrack,

but I believe every child of God who has ever lived,

when we first hear the way our God addresses us,

will respond the same way.

More times than I could count during the past quarter of a century

I have told you that God’s favorite title for you is “My holy one.”

We translate it as “saint” in the English Bible,

but the literal meaning is “My holy one”.

And when we hear our God address us in that way,

if we truly hear what He’s saying,

we too are very perplexed at this statement, and keep pondering what kind of salutation this is.

Our God’s perspective on us

is so much different than ours is on ourselves.

Well, the angel goes on to say,

"Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." Luk 1:26-33

OK, in that one sentence

Gabriel communicates a tremendous amount of content about Jesus.

He will be great,

He will be the Son of God Himself,

He will sit on the throne of King David,

He will reign over the Nation of Israel,

and His kingdom will have no end.

Now, everyone of those statements

just cries out for added information,

but I have to tell you that I just love Mary’s response to what Gabriel has just said

because there was one part of his communication

that troubled her, and impacted her life more than all the rest.

Do you know what Mary said in response?

Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" Luk 1:34

Now isn’t that just great!

Loosely paraphrased,

that’s Mary saying, “Hey, Gabriel, I’m sure all of that stuff about Him being a great ruler is important,

but could we just back up a little bit

to that first part about me bearing a son?

I’m just a little bit unclear about how that part works

and any added information you can give me would really be appreciated.”

And Gabriel gave her the information she asked for.

The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. Luk 1:35

And I just want to point out here

that even in this remarkable statement

we have trouble hearing what Mary heard that day.

Chronologically, this is the first time ever that this phrase “Son of God” appears in the Bible.

When we hear that phrase today,

we think about it in the context of the Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

But that is not what Mary heard.

That title meant just one thing to her -

it meant that this baby she would bear

would literally have been fathered by God Himself - the literal, physical Son of God.

And we can’t pull out of this account

without remembering Mary’s remarkable response to the news she’d just received.

And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Luk 1:38

It is that response that justifies Mary receiving

all the honor that’s been poured out on her

by the people of God for the past 2000 years.

And here again let me paraphrase what she said.

What she was really saying was, “Gabriel, what you’ve just told me

will destroy my life as I have known it.

You and I may know that God is the Father of my baby,

but we both know that no one else is going to believe it.

But I will trust my God,

and I will submit to His will for me

even though it will destroy the life,

my reputation,

possibly my marriage,

and my future.

But if my God is asking me to bear public shame for Him,

than "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word."

Submission to God so often

looks so much different than we are lead to believe.

And at this point in my life, looking back over more than 40 years with the King beside me,

I would go so far as to say

that most of the time

true submission to our Lord

will bring about the loss of what we believe we need

so that He can then give us

what our spirits truly long for.

Now, I’ve walked us through this event in Mary’s life

in part because it’s just filled with so much truth.

But I’ve also done it

because I want us to see something that we can so easily miss.

And maybe I can communicate this best

by asking you a question.

If you had been Mary,

knowing with absolute certainty

that the child that was growing within you

was the literal Son of God Himself,

and knowing that God Himself had told you that this child was coming into this world

to establish a Divinely appointed Kingdom - the literal Kingdom of God that would have no end,

if you knew that you had been granted a crucial part

in the most significant intervention of God into human history ever to take place,

what sort of expectations would you have had

about how your life would unfold in the months ahead?

Of course there was going to be some really awkward social stuff,

and some very difficult talks with your fiancé

about this child growing inside you.

But don’t you think it would have been reasonable to assume

that God would go before you in all of that stuff

and give you the strength and grace and wisdom and courage you needed?

But more than that, how would you have expected the practical details of your life to unfold?

I’ll just tell you that

I think Mary would have expected to see clear, visible proofs

of the Father of that baby going before her,

protecting her,

working out the details of her life

in a way that made sense.

And yet just look at the little bit of the story we have preserved for us.

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. ...And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. Luk 2:1-5

Talk about bad timing!

Mary was nine months pregnant

and Nazareth and Bethlehem were 80 miles apart.

But that wasn’t the worst of it.

Between Nazareth and Bethlehem was Samaria,

the land of the half-breeds,

those Jews and their descendants who married Gentiles

and mingled their Jewish heritage with pagan rituals and beliefs.

The tension and resentment between the Jews and the Samaritans was so intense

that no Jew would consider setting foot in Samaria.

And so what Joseph and Mary faced

was perhaps a full week of travel on foot

to get to Bethlehem.

And by the way, do you ever find yourself getting frustrated...or angry

at the governmental structures God has established over you?

Do you think the will of God for your life

is dependant upon those in authority over you

understanding and respecting and honoring your submission to Christ?

If we had the time

it would be a fascinating study

to trace the role of the pagan and sinful rulers in the life of Christ

and to see how they were used by God to fulfill His will.

For now I’ll just say that what we would see

is a collection to men who were corrupt to the core,

men who abused their authority,

men who both at the time of His birth and throughout His public ministry

were committed to His destruction,

and we would see how God used even their blatant evil and corruption

to perfectly fulfill His purposes in every detail.

I’m certainly not suggesting that corruption in government should not be addressed

whenever and where ever we can confront it.

But I am saying that no human government ever has or ever will

prevent the will of God from being fulfilled in your life.

But let me get back to our story.

Don’t you think that agonizing week-long trip must have caused Mary and Joseph

to wonder about their God,

and about His love,

and about His wisdom,

and about His care?

And of course it got worse...lots worse.

While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luk 2:6-7

A full week on the road,

the birth of this chosen child is imminent,

and the only place they could find for shelter was a stable -

not the nice, tidy, fresh, stable-imitations that we put up in our Christmas displays,

but the real thing - filled with the stench of real animals and all that comes with them.

And where is the Father of this child now?

Where is His care, His oversight, His protection?

I know we love the account of those shepherds who visited that barn that night,

and rightly so.

And I know that we mostly focus on what God was saying to them

and doing for them

through His late night intervention into their lives.

But I believe God sent those shepherds to that barn that night

more for Mary and Joseph’s benefit than for their own.

You see, I think that night,

following that traumatic birth experience for those two,

with this tiny baby wrapped in a blanket and wedged into a feeding trough to help keep him warm,

with their bodies exhausted and their minds filled with questions,

they desperately needed a clear voice from God Himself

assuring them that He knew exactly what He was doing,

and that He knew exactly where they were,

and what they needed,

and how to keep them safe and bring them through.

And that assurance came in the form of a little band of shepherds

sharing with Mary and Joseph the words that God Himself had just spoken to them...

..."Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luk 2:10-12

So He did know where they were,

and what was happening in their lives.

And it continued to get worse before it got better.

Just a few days later

they received word from the Father of this child

that yet another government ruler

was determined to destroy this baby

and that he would stop at nothing in his determination to fulfill his purpose.

And so their two or three week trip away from home

was suddenly extended for years

as they were forced to flee for their lives,

driven into hiding in Egypt.

Of course I know what we’ve done with the Christmas story.

I know how warm and cozy and friendly and NICE we’ve made it.

And I know why we’ve done it.

We’ve done it because it makes it easier for us to relate to the whole thing.

But if we’d been there,

if we’d been THEM,

I’m certain our minds would have been filled with unanswered questions

and our emotions would have churned inside us.

Because, you see, it is a very dangerous thing

to look to the circumstances of our life

in our pursuit of the truth about our God,

or about His love and intimate involvement in our lives

because those circumstances look nothing like what we expected

and certainly nothing like what we wanted.

I began our time together this morning

by asking you a question.

I asked you if there were some circumstances in your own life right now

that are causing you to question the love or the integrity of your God.

I asked if there were some things happening right now

that, if you were God,

you would handle very differently.

Well, if so let me say again that it is a very dangerous thing

to look to the circumstances of our lives

in our pursuit of the truth about our God,

or about His love and intimate involvement in our lives.

Mary and Joseph’s life certainly did not unfold

in a way that was anything like what they would have expected

given the promises God had made to them

and given the true identity of the child that had been entrusted into their care.

But it did unfold in the way that was in every way perfect

both for what God was doing in their lives

and for what He was doing for the entire human race.

And this is the same God who is at work in your life as well,

doing exactly what needs to be done

to bring you from where you were to where you truly long to be.

A few days ago I pulled up behind a truck

and noticed a decal on the back window that said, “NOT OF THIS WORLD”.

Below the words, almost hidden in the graphics, was a cross.

I don’t know if the driver really understood the significance of that phrase

or where it came from,

but I loved it.

That phrase is a portion of a quotation from Christ Himself

recorded for us in John 18:36 where He says, “My kingdom is not of this world.”.

That doesn’t mean His Kingdom isn’t absolutely real,

or that it is not powerful beyond anything we could ever imagine,

because it is absolutely.

But it does mean that if we attempt to understand the workings of that Kingdom

by looking at the circumstances and events of this physical world around us

we will always get ourselves in trouble.

And only when we begin to see the circumstances of our lives here and now

in the light of His amazing work both in us and for us

will we understand the depth of His love for us

and the security that can only be found in the palm of His hand.