First, I want to approach this time of year
‘positively’. Sure, there is much we
can complain about with crowded stores, traffic jams, greed and materialism,
and lots of distractions from what’s important… but there is also much to be
grateful to God for. So… we’re gonna stay positive!
Second, I want to really look for Jesus this
year! I want to slow down and seek ‘God’ – in the littlest of things. We’re
winding up 2012, where our church has had the theme ‘KAIROS MOMENTS’ – moments
where God has made Himself real – moments where God has shown up – moments
where God has interrupted our lives. I want to spend this final season of the
year… really seeking Jesus, and recognizing Him in everything I’m
doing.
With all that in mind, let’s dive into our text…
Luke 2:8-11 - HCSB
In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields
and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood
before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were
terrified. But the angel said to them,
“Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will
be for all the people: Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for
you in the city of David.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been in an accident… or better yet, a
“crash”, but if you have then you know it can be quite surprising. You are on
your way somewhere, your mind is imagining that certain things will take place…
and then suddenly… CRASH! It’s not expected. It’s not something you thought was
going to happen. It catches you off-guard. It catches you by surprise. Even
though you have auto-insurance and you pay money each month towards it… even
though you’ve been warned by driver’s-ed teachers, and parents, and a multitude
of signs and advertising that a crash could occur at any moment… it still
catches you by surprise. And after it’s happened, many times, the person
involved is so caught by surprise that they are fumbling through their
glove-box for paperwork, or completely at a loss as to what to do. Maybe it’s
just… ‘shock’.
Years ago, in 2003, after the massive tornado
that rocked this area I climbed out of my basement to see that our home was a
wreck. The doors had blown open, mud and water and wind had wrecked much. Our
bedroom window was gone, and our entire roof had lifted up and then dropped
back down suddenly causing lots of damage. It was shocking to say the least.
Then we remembered our friends, the Sharps, who lived just over the hill. I got
on my mountain bike and rode over there as fast as I could to see if they were
okay. When I arrived, their house wasn’t just messy… it was gone! I’ll never
forget seeing all that chaos and then seeing Mark… bending over and picking up
little potted plants and placing them in a row. I thought, “Mark! What the heck are you doing? Who cares about those
plants, your house is gone! Your family is freaking out!” But… he was in shock.
He had experienced a crash… was totally surprised... at a loss as to what to
do.
When God crashed into this world… when God became a human being…
this world wasn’t expecting it to happen like it did. To many… that believed
they were ready… who had supposedly been anxiously awaiting His arrival… it
just didn’t happen like they had envisioned at all. And that’s why I call it a
‘crash’. It wasn’t exactly a smooth landing.
First… He came crashing in... as a baby.
Our text says, in Luke 2:11 , that He “…was
born…”. I mean, maybe it is just ridiculous
to think that the Promised Deliverer – Liberator – Messiah… wouldn’t
come as a baby… but it sure seems to have caught some by surprise… not all…
but some. Later, in Jesus’ life, it
would be asked about Him, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t
His mother called Mary, and His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?” (Matthew
13:55). That He would
be born and ‘crash land’ into an average family was surprising… and speaks of
how He came in humbleness.
Our text says that the angels announced that He was born “…in
the city of David David
is widely known to be the city of Bethlehem , which was the city that Israel Judah ;
One will come fromyou to be ruler over Israel Bethlehem
Despite all the peaceful scenes of Bethlehem Bethlehem , and three days later, on Christmas Eve, the city came under the complete administration
and military control of the Palestinian National Authority in conformance with
the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip in 1995.
("Palestine Bethlehem
This phenomenon, which occurs only in “frontier” towns like Bethlehem , may explain the wording of Luke 2:8
that the shepherds were “out
in the fields”
nearby Bethlehem Bethlehem area also suggests another
interesting insight: that they were Temple
The Mishnah (the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral
traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work
of Rabbinic Judaism)
tells us that only sheep from the flocks
of Bethlehem were to be used for Temple
The angels didn’t just call Him a Savior, but went on to call Him
“…Messiah the Lord”. The World English Dictionary defines ‘Lord’
as: “a person who has power or authority over others, such as a
monarch, king, or master”.
Interesting: So… God crashes into the world as a;
BABY,
BREAD of
LIFE,
SACRIFICIAL LAMB OF GOD,
and… KING.
So... do you buy all that? I mean,... really?
Maybe you say, “Well… so what?” Picture that for a second, because it means that every person in the Christmas story — whether Mary & Joseph, the shepherds, the Wise-Magi, Simeon & Anna — they’d all have to “buy into” the idea that this poor child was the true King of the world, when King Herod’s presence was so obvious and ominous nearby. I mean, they’ve got this massive shadow looming over them… literally… reminding them of who the king REALLY was – and yet you see each of these people completely buying into the fact that Jesus… this poor, little baby – was the real KING, sent from God!
It certainly took a lot of faith to be part of that first
Christmas story set in Bethlehem
How about you and I today?
How is our faith?
How is our hope?
What exactly
are we putting our trust in?
Who
exactly are we trusting our lives to?
·
The Baby of Bethlehem
·
The Bread of Life? – The
One Who can truly satisfy the hunger and cravings within each of us?
·
The Lamb of God? – The
One Who suffered and died and paid the price for our mistakes?
·
The King?– The
One Who truly has all power and authority, yet unconditionally loves His
subjects… enough to die for them?
When we slow down and take a good look at Christmas… at how God
crashed into this world… as our HUMBLE – SUSTAINING – FORGIVING & REDEEMING
– KING…we should be surprised. We should marvel
at the incredible LOVE of our
God. Maybe that's one of the reasons the angels declare in our text: “…Don’t be afraid, for
look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people…” Someone wiser than I has said that the opposite of fear... is love. Love crashing into the world... THAT really is good news… especially if it is for all
people.
Listen, if we’re celebrating the fact that God crashed into the world… and
we can so easily see and read that “God is love” (1 John
4:8)… then Christmas is a time when LOVE has crashed into the world. May we not only celebrate it... but live like it.
You may view the video shown at church by clicking below:
You may view the video shown at church by clicking below:
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