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Christmas with Jesus Luke 2:8-14 |
December 12, 2004 Pastor Tom Marcum |
As we look back across the course of human history we can identify certain events whose impact was so powerful that they left on us a permanent mark. Events so momentous that they literally changed the world.
--The invention of the wheel.
--The harnessing of electricity.
--The creation of nuclear weapons.
--The development of the silicon chip and The Internet.
Each of these events ushered mankind into a new era. They changed the world forever. And so too did Christmas.
One night, 2000 years ago, in an unremarkable town called, Bethlehem the world was changed forever. And that fact, alone, makes Christmas important. That fact alone makes Christmas worthy our attention. But that fact alone doesn't account for the sense of wonder that surrounds Christmas. Think about it: the Internet has changed the world but the Internet doesn't inspire awe and wonder. Yet, Christmas does. And the reason that Christmas fills us with a sense of awe and wonder is because of the way that it changed the world.
Christmas changed the world forever through one of the most common, ordinary experiences of life: the birth of a baby. Every single year millions upon millions of babies are born. Over the course of human history billions upon billions of babies have been born. Yet, since this particular babies' birth, history itself has been divided into two eras: pre-birth and post-birth. The birth of this baby changed everything.
Which has to lead us to this question: What was it about this birth that was so special? What was it about this baby that was absolutely unique?
In his book, The Everlasting Man, G.K. Chesterton offers this answer. He writes, what happened "…in that fold or crack in the great gray hills was that the whole universe had been turned inside out…all the eyes of wonder and worship which had been turned outwards to the largest thing were now turned inward to the smallest…God who had been only a circumference was seen as a center; and a center is infinitely small."
Did you catch that? Chesterton is saying that the thing that makes this birth special and this baby absolutely unique is that the birth of this baby changed forever the way we think about God. With the birth of this baby the God who surrounds us and encompasses us and watches over us suddenly became the God who is with us; God who is one of us. God was no longer conceived of as being somewhere "out there." Suddenly, God was "right here." The world could not possibly remain the same after this event. God was here.
What's more, He was here not as a warrior or a king. He was here as a baby. He was here in a form that could reach deep into the heart of people of every age group, every ethnic group, and every social group.
--Everyone would feel welcome in the presence of a God who comes as a baby.
--Everyone can understand something of the mind and heart of a God who comes as a baby.
We've been working our way through the Christmas story by looking at the main characters within the story. Two weeks ago we focused our attention on the baby's father, Joseph. Last week we turned our attention to the baby's mother, Mary. This morning, we're going to give all of our attention to the baby who was given the name, Jesus.
--What is it about God coming to us as a child that touches us so?
--Why, after all these years, does the image of this baby continue to soften our hearts and lift our spirits?
--And, most important of all, what lessons do you suppose that God would want to teach us through this child?
Let's carry those questions with us as we read the part of this baby's amazing story found in Luke 2:8-14.
"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. 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.'
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.'"
Do you want to know why Christmas continues to capture our attention, touch our hearts and stir our spirits as it does? The answer, I believe, is there in verse 10. It's because Christmas truly is good news of great joy for all people. I think that's it.
--I don't know anyone who gets tired of hearing good news.
--I've never heard anyone say, "That's it! I've had all the joy I can handle!"
We're just not wired that way. All people delight in hearing good news. All people long for that deep and abiding sense of satisfaction that is only found when our hearts are filled with joy. And, folks, when we take the time to linger in the presence of this baby; to look into his face and reflect upon the reality of God coming to us as a baby and to contemplate all that his presence means to us--folks, if we will take the time to do all of that, our head will tell us that this must be good news and our heart will respond with joy. So, I want us to take the time, this morning, to do just that. To linger in the presence of this baby and discover some of the lessons that we can find there.
And the first lesson we find here is about the relationship that exists between joy and humility. More specifically, that the gift of joy is given to those who remain humble before God.
Many of you are parents and, as such, you are well acquainted with the broad array of challenges that come with that assignment. One of those parenting challenges lies in simply coming to grips with the reality of being someone's parent. We all arrive at the parenting assignment with years of experience at being someone's child, but no experience at being someone's parent. Consequently, over the first weeks, months and even years parents tend to experience a number of sobering moments as the scope of this parenting task becomes real to them.
One day, as you look down into the face of this beautiful child, that warm and wonderful feeling that every proud parent knows is suddenly replaced by sheer terror as you realize the power of influence that you have over this child. This child is looking to you for guidance. This beautiful baby is counting on you…of all people…to show them the way.
Now, a few years from now this sweet child is going to discover the joy of rebellion. They're going to feel the call to independence. One day, this child will look at you through the eyes of a teenager and wonder how it is possible that you could be so old and so dumb at the same time.
But there's no hint of any of that in the face of a baby. The face of this little one is radiant with the purest form of humility. And this humility makes them eager to learn, quick to follow and imminently teachable.
And this little baby that we see in the manger embodies that same quality of humility. This little child of God was eager to learn, quick to follow and imminently teachable. But what's really incredible about this child is that he retained that sense of humility as he grew up. There was no rebelling against his father. There was never a moment when he sought to distance himself from his father or assert his independence. Even as an adult, humility continued to be a primary attribute of his character and a powerful force in his life. And because of that he was always eager to hear the words of his Father and always willing to do the will of His Father.
God sent His son to us to bring "good news of great joy for all the people." And He sent His son to us as a baby to show us how we can experience God's joy for a lifetime. The gift of joy is given to those who remain humble before God.
A second captivating quality that is unmistakably present in the face of every baby is innocence. Pure, sweet, noble innocence. When you look into the face of a baby you are looking into the face of one who does not yet bear the burden, the responsibility or the scars that come with guilt.
--This is a life that is not yet marred by any sense of regret.
--This is a life that has not yet tasted the bitterness of remorse.
A newborn child is the very essence of innocence. An innocence that, as we've all discovered, is brutally and inevitably demolished in the process of growing up.
I have always been a fan of that TV show, America's Funniest Home Videos. I still get a kick out of the reruns that I'm able to catch from time to time on some obscure cable channel.
A while back I saw a clip of a terrified little 5-year-old boy who was sobbing uncontrollably at the prospect of losing a tooth. His mother was doing her best to console him but she was not having much success. Finally she decided that he might be less frightened if she could somehow demystify the process. So, she knelt down beside him, put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Honey, it's going to be OK. Everybody loses their teeth. It's just a natural part of growing up." At which point the little guy lifted his tear streaked face and sobbed, "But I don't want to be a grown up."
And I thought to myself, "Boy, can I relate to that." I can't even guesstimate the number of times when I have felt exactly like that. And I bet you have, too. As I've walked down the road towards being "grown up"…
…I've seen some things I wish I'd never seen;
…I've learned some things I wish I could unlearn;
…and I have willingly walked into some experiences that I would give just about anything to undo.
And you have, too. The truth is, growing up is tough. There's a lot about growing up that causes real heartache and leads to real regret. And one of the most painful of those experiences is the loss of our innocence. It's a process that leaves scars that last a lifetime.
And we carry those scars with us every time we come to the manger and look into the face of this baby and that's why we can't help but notice that none of those scars are present in this face. This is the face of pure innocence. And one of the reasons that the birth of this innocent child is "good news of great joy for all the people" is because unlike us, he would retain his innocence throughout his life. No regret. No remorse. No guilt. And eventually this innocent child would become an innocent man who would willingly die on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin so that all of our guilt could be completely washed away.
Our innocence may be gone forever but there's no need for anyone to live under the burden of unforgiven sin. And there's no need to let remorse rob us of the joy that God wants each of us to experience. Folks, the "good news of great joy for all the people" is this: if we will confess our sin and accept the forgiveness that God offers through this child, we will be freed from the burden of our guilt and free to experience the joy that only God can give.
Finally, I think there's something to be learned in noticing that, present in the face of this and every baby, is a degree of trust that is unmistakable. The trust that children have in their parents is simply astounding in its scope.
--"Why be afraid? Dad's here."
--"What have I got to worry about? Mom's here."
How do you account this unqualified trust? Simple. The trust that you see in the face of a baby is the trust of one who's never been given a reason not to trust. And that's the trust that we see in the face of this baby in the manger. And the "good news of great joy" that he brings to "all people" is that His Father…our Heavenly Father…has never given anyone a reason not to trust Him.
--He is absolutely true to His character;
--He keeps all of His promises;
--He is absolutely faithful to His word;
And His word tells us that He knows everything there is to know about us and He still loves us. In fact, He loves us so much that He sent His son to us so that we could know Him and know the fullness of life that can only be found in a relationship with Him. The good news of Christmas is that Jesus has come to us to make that relationship possible.
William Sloan Coffin said it like this, "We have learned to fly through the air like birds, to swim through the seas like fish, to soar through space like comets. Now it is time we learned to walk the earth as the children of our God."
And folks, that's what Christmas is all about. Sending His Son to become one of us was God's way of showing us how to walk the earth as the children of God. And the Good News is that God delights in pouring out His joy on His children.
2000 years ago a baby was born in Bethlehem. A baby who came to bring Good News of great joy to all people. And the baby born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago can be born in us today if, in humility we will admit our need and in trust, accept His forgiveness.
And if that were to happen this would surely be a Christmas to remember.
© Copyright 2004 Pastor Tom Marcum