275 Sermon Illustrations on Christmas

If the first chapter of Luke is the preface to a great story — the foretelling of a herald, the prophecy of a child, the return of the throne of David — the second chapter is the culmination. The Roman world is called to a census. A young couple journeys to Bethlehem to be counted. A child is born. “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'“ (Luke 2:8-14).

The Christmas story is wonderful in its familiarity, calling forth each year our childhood delight in the monotonous, beckoning our imaginations to place us once more in the stable that changed history. Yet it is also a story we can find surprisingly UNfamiliar each year. Like children delighting in another reading of a bedtime favorite, the Nativity is somehow still startling in its distinctiveness, the child still out of place in the manger.

The first time I walked through the crowded, pungent streets of Bethlehem, I was struck by the disparity between what I was seeing and “the little town of Bethlehem” I had spent my life imagining in pageants and songs. The harsh reality of God becoming a child in the midst of the cold and dark world I knew myself suddenly seemed a blaring proclamation: THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND MADE HIS DWELLING AMONG US.

Upon his conversion, Charles Wesley took to hymn writing as a way to capture the hope of God's nearness persistently stirring in his mind. Though a few of the words have long since been changed, one of his 6,000 hymns is a widely beloved declaration of the Incarnation. Seeking to convey in pen and ink a Christmas story both familiar to our hearts and startling in its wonder, Wesley wrote:

Hark, how all the welkin rings,

“Glory to the King of kings;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!”

The Christ child in the manger is forever an indication of the great lengths God will go to reconcile his creation, a savior willing to descend that we might be able to ascend. “Welkin” is an old English term meaning “the vault of heaven.” All of heaven opened up for the birth of a king and the rebirth of man.

The star of Bethlehem, the wise men, the shepherds, and Mary are amid the inconceivable markers of a God among us. The birth of Christ is the timeless gesture that He has chosen to remain. Our cries have been heard. A savior is born. The vault of heaven is open.

Hail the heav'nly Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings,

Ris'n with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die.

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing,

“Glory to the newborn King!”

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Copyright © 2005 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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Winston Churchill once observed, “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”

The spirit of Christmas often lends itself to the cry of loneliness, the disquieting impression of homesickness. Yet it is tempting to pick ourselves up from such feelings and hurry on to new calendars and resolutions as if nothing had happened. In various ways, we are reminded most poignantly during this season that we are not quite at home, though longing for a place to lay our heads. Yet what we do with this truth that we stumble over is of utmost importance.

It had been over 400 years since the people of Israel had heard God speak of the one who was coming, the Redeemer and his forerunner. “'Behold, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,' says the LORD Almighty” (Malachi 3:1). Through the prophet Malachi God spoke these words that would be the last of the Old Testament. Malachi called the people again to anticipate, to be prepared for the day that was coming. But in the quiet nights of 400 years even faithful men stumble and doubt.

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,” rings the ancient longing not unknown to us (Isaiah 64:1). This cry of Isaiah is one wrought with a sense of longing, yet burdened by a sense of one's own depravity: We are not quite at home, yet nor are we capable of getting there.

Isaiah's words strike me as a prayer a person in Bethlehem could likely have uttered that night, or words you and I might utter when silence hurts. “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies, and cause the nations to quake before you” (Isaiah 64:1-2). I imagine Isaiah's words on a shepherd or the inn keeper's lips, “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him... Yet you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time... We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. How then, shall we be saved? Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray, for we are all your people” (Isaiah 64:4-9).

The restless longings we find heightened on Christmas nights call us to stumble over the truth, and pick ourselves up again — seeing and hearing the sounds of a infant in Bethlehem. Into our fallen, homesick state God Himself fell, a God who became homeless that we might find home. Our cries are not unaccompanied as we weep in a foreign land:

And the infant looked up at the young mother, his cries joining our own. Silence was broken in the cradled arms of a young and homeless mother. And for the first time, humanity heard God weep.

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Copyright © 2005 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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Sometimes the Christmas season can seem so busy that things which are ordinarily important to us get pushed aside. This can happen in our churches as well as our families; there is barely enough time to squeeze in all of the traditions, much less our normal priorities.

But as we meditate on the coming of Christ into this world, we will find that this focus should not be in conflict with the ordinary work of the church. I believe that the wonder of Christmas should not only infuse our worship services, it should propel us toward greater enthusiasm for world missions.

Sadly, the Christmas season is rarely a time that Christians consider missions. We focus so much on home and family at Christmas that leaving these for the sake of the Gospel does not seem like a compelling option. But that is exactly what Jesus did for us at Christmas. He left his father's side and journeyed into an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place. Paul puts it this way:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death —

even death on a cross! (Phil. 2:5-8)

At its heart, Christmas is not a celebration of home and that which is comfortable; Christmas is a commemoration of one who left comfort for the glory of his Father. It is Christ's example that bids us to leave that which we love for the sake of love. The baby born in Bethlehem is the same one who said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). He also promised, “There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30).

We have brothers and sisters other parts of the world waiting to hear the Gospel. We are the means that God has appointed to bring them into his family, either doing the work on the front lines or by sacrificially sending others as our emissaries. This Christmas, I pray that your attitude be the same as that of Christ Jesus. As you consider the Incarnation, consider that God may have other brothers and sisters in other lands that He is waiting to give to you. As Isaac Watts so faithfully wrote, “He comes to make his blessings known far as the curse is found.”

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Copyright © 2005 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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One of the first passages of Scripture we learn at Christmas is, “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7). As we well know, this text tells of the birth of our Lord Jesus. It also tells of the sad place of His birth. Jesus and His family were poor, involved in a transitory migration because of an emperor’s tax plan, and therefore had to give birth to our Lord in an animal habitation.

Isn’t it sad that there was no room for them in any hotel or inn? No one knew that while they enjoyed the warmth and security of a hotel or inn, yards away in a cold, dark stable laid a young man and woman and later the newborn King of Kings. Far too often, this scene has been played out, yet in a different way. Our lives are crowded full like the inn, yet still empty, for there is no room for Jesus. How does this happen? What can we do?

I believe this occurs if we fail to recognize the Christ of Christmas. The angel had announced, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11). It had been foretold, yet many, if not most did not realize what was happening.

He is Savior and Lord and wants to save our world, but many do not recognize and acknowledge Him. They want Him out of the public schools, out of government, out of politics, out of social functions, and now, even out of Christmas.

This also occurs if there is no worship of Christ. The story of the wise men encapsulates the meaning of worship. Jerusalem was the capital of the Jewish people and the center of the religious hope of the world. A short time before Jesus was born, some Magi, whose names and numbers we do not know, started from their homes somewhere in the East and journeyed toward Jerusalem being guided by a star, a peculiar star. They interpreted the sign and looked for the King of the Jews.

Upon reaching Jerusalem, they asked, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). Their question dropped like a lit match on a dry prairie. Soon all Jerusalem was aflame with excitement. This troubled Herod and he demanded that the chief priest and scribes answer the question of the Magi. They said, “In Bethlehem of Judea” (Matthew 2:5). The Magi, upon arrival in Bethlehem, found the Christ child and worshiped Him.

When we truly worship Christ, it is then that He takes His place. When Christ is not the central point of worship, we have crowded Him out and allowed some idol or idols to usurp His throne.

It is my prayer that Southern Baptists will recognize the Christ of Christmas and will worship Him as God the Son! May we point our world to the never-changing message of Christ as the answer for our dilemmas and the source of our hope. I pray that all will have a Merry Christmas as you recognize who Christ is and allow Him to have His place of leadership and lordship in your life.

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Frank Page is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C.

It’s A Party

GUEST OF HONOR: Jesus Christ

DATE: Every day. Traditionally, December 25, but He’s always around, so the date is flexible.

TIME: Whenever you’re ready. Please don’t be too late though, or you’ll miss out on all the fun.

PLACE: In your heart. He’ll meet you there-you’ll hear Him knock.

ATTIRE: Come as you are. Grubbies are okay as He’ll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

TICKETS: Admission is free. He’s already paid for everyone. He says you wouldn’t have been able to afford it-it’s cost Him everything He had!

REFRESHMENTS: New wine, bread and a far-out drink He calls “living water.” This will be followed by a supper, that promises to be out of this world!!

GIFT SUGGESTIONS: Your heart. He’s one of those people who already has everything else. (He’s very generous in return though – just wait until you see what He has for you !)

ENTERTAINMENT: Joy, Peace, Truth, Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness, Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power, Eternity in Paradise… .. and much more! (All rated “G” so bring your family and friends)

RSVP: Very Important! He must know ahead, so He can reserve a spot for you at the table. Also, he’s keeping a list of His friends for future reference. He calls it the “Lamb’s Book of Life.”

PARTY GIVEN BY: His Kids. That’s us! Hope To See You There! Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints)

Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb! — Revelation 19:7-9

*All of you who will be there please share this invitation with someone else.*

One of the wonderful aspects of the Christmas season is the celebration of unique and sometimes quirky family “traditions” that make the season special for each one of us. In my family, we had several Christmas television specials that became part of our celebration ritual. One of my favorites was “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” I loved the music that undergirded the animated characters and plot; I loved the fact that Charlie Brown finds the lowliest Christmas tree for the pageant, and I loved Linus’s gentle, yet poignant reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. I’m sure we all remember his slow walk to the center of the stage with thumb in mouth and blanket trailing behind him.

To this day, his recitation from the second chapter of Luke still gives me goose bumps. Tears of joy and beauty often fill my eyes as I hear his small, childlike voice proclaiming the powerful message of God’s good news:

“And the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I

bring you good news of a great joy which shall 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. And this will be a sign

for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a

manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude

of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in

the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is

pleased’” (Luke 2:8-14).

In recalling Linus’s recitation, I thought about the message of good news the angels proclaimed to the shepherds that starry night. I think about what a contrast that message is to our prevailing “bad news” messages today. The mortgage industry is in collapse; the war in Iraq continues; road-side bombs have killed soldiers and civilians; millions of children are orphaned in Africa because of AIDS; political candidates lambaste and defame one another instead of discussing policy agenda and objectives; drought ravages the southeast; friends lose loved ones to cancer. We live in a world of bad news.

As I juxtapose the bad news of our world with Luke’s message of good news, I had to wonder if it’s just wishful thinking. In light of our bad news world, what is good about the good news?

First, the angel proclaims that salvation has come in one “born this day in the city of David, who is Messiah.” For those poor shepherds, this was indeed good news! Their deliverer had come to rescue them from Roman oppression, and now all of Israel would be restored under the rule of God’s messiah. Second, the good news of God’s promised Messiah demonstrates God’s favor towards us. “Glory to God in the highest,” the angel host says, “and on earth peace among men with whom God is pleased.” The Greek word for pleased literally means “to think well of, to approve, or to take delight in or pleasure.” So often, perhaps influenced by bad news all around us, many of us struggle with a foreboding sense that God is angry with us, smoldering with rage and wrath against us. But the angels declare the exact opposite -- and this is indeed, good news! God sends Jesus, the Messiah, out of a sense of delight and pleasure with his creation. The Messiah coming as one of us, Immanuel, God with us is the greatest good news we could ever hope to receive. Jesus says in John’s gospel, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only, begotten son; that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

In the face of the bad news of our world and in our lives, the good news of God should resound in our hearts and minds as we enter the Christmas season: God is with us, God is pleased with us, and God loves us! Jesus inaugurates the reign of good news, his shalom, even in the face of bad news. We can embrace the good news of God’s reign even in the midst of crisis. And we can live the good news as we continue to hope in the God who has dwelt among us. “In the world, you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Glory to God in the highest!

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Copyright © 2007 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #21426]

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” So begin most Christmas pageants, but from there the story narrows. We meet the characters that we care about: Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. Yet if we would be like Mary, pondering the Christmas story in our hearts, we should take some time to consider the census that took Joseph and his wife (great with child) to Bethlehem.

No one likes to be taxed. It is a necessary evil that we bear because we assume that it will come back to us in some beneficial form: education, military protection, paved roads, etc. Those who are under the control of a foreign power especially hate taxes because they have no choice in how they are spent and rarely receive the benefit. “No taxation without representation,” was the grievance cry of American colonists when they revolted against England, tired of funding King George III’s wars. And if residents of Boston and Philadelphia found colonial life under the British Empire a hardship, they likely would have found living as a people conquered by the Roman Empire even less to their taste.

So Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, the town of Joseph’s ancestors, knowing that what little money they had saved might now be used to gild a sundial in a garden in Rome. The Hebrew people were no longer making bricks for the Egyptians, but the sweat of their backs was funding the marble edifices of Rome, and they felt the need for a deliverer.

Little did they know that the census ordered by Caesar was actually part of God’s plan for deliverance (though not exactly the deliverance they had in mind). God’s ways are not our ways. That can never be said too many times. We recognize that the Eastern mind and the Western mind work in different ways; how much greater must be the difference between the mind of heaven than the mind of earth! It was through a pagan emperor taking advantage of the people of Israel that God fulfilled his prophecies of a Messiah. As one commentator writes,

“We should perhaps reflect that it was the combination of a

decree by the emperor in distant Rome and the gossiping tongues

of Nazareth that brought Mary to Bethlehem at just the time to

fulfill the prophecy about the birthplace of the Christ (Mic.

5:2). God works through all kinds of people to effect his

purposes.” (1)

We need not be discouraged when the powerful people of this world act in ways that seem to us contrary to how God would wish it. Behind any decree of man, there is always a decree of God that cannot be thwarted. The rulers of this world are God’s instruments to accomplish his will, but that does not mean that their purposes are his purposes. God most often works indirectly and subtly rather than in the obvious ways that we expect him to. Through Caesar’s greed He set the stage for a beautiful story of meekness and majesty. And He is at work today.

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1. Leon Morris, LUKE, (Grand Rapids: Intervarsity Press, 1988), 93.

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Copyright © 2006 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

An Australian mining town will always remember the year of the dramatic rescue. News of the mining tragedy shook the small town after an earthquake killed one miner and trapped two others 3000 feet under the ground. For days that would turn into weeks, teams of miners bore through tons of rock; rescuers could only work one at a time on their backs in a cramped rescue tunnel, using hand-held tools to avoid caving. Meanwhile, the two trapped miners huddled in a four foot-tall cage and could only wait for rescuers to break through rock they knew was five times harder than concrete. Five days after the accident, the trapped miners began to hear the sounds of their rescuers. Six days later, the miners were located, contact was made, and hands passed food and hope through a crack in the walls that held them. Fourteen days after the accident, over 300 hours of waiting for rescue, the two miners were freed. “This is the great escape,” said Bill Shorten, national secretary of the Australian Workers Union. “This is the biggest escape from the biggest prison.”(1)

This story is one that fills me with anxiety even as I imagine it, its dramatic ending perhaps all the more vivid for the mining stories this year that did not end the same. I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to freed after such an ordeal.

Over seventy years ago from a pulpit in London, Dietrich Bonhoeffer described the image of a man trapped after a mining disaster: Deep in the earth, dark as night, the man is cut off and alone. The supply of oxygen is limited. Food, water, and options are scarce; silence and fear are not. He knows his situation, and he can do nothing but wait. “He knows that up there, the people are moving about, the women and children are crying -- but the way to them is blocked. There is no hope.”(2) But what if just then, in the distance, the sounds of tapping are heard -- the sound of knocking, the sound of friends, the sound of deliverance?

This, said Bonhoeffer in December of 1933, is the hope of Advent: the coming of a deliverer, the drawing near of God to humankind, the arrival of Christ our rescuer. Those who are caught in darkness will see a great light. Those struggling in silence will stand up and hear the knocking. A voice is crying out of the wilderness: Who will have ears to hear it?

Advent teaches us how to wait. “Can and should there be anything else more important for us than the hammers and blows of Jesus Christ coming into our lives?”(3) In our waiting, should we not cry out as the first believers did, Come, Lord Jesus! This is the ancient cry of palpable hope -- Maranatha! -- Lord, come quickly! Advent teaches us to wait and watch, and to live expectantly, though we sit in the dark, though we find ourselves impatient. “When these things begin to take place,” instructs Christ, “stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).

In the days Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, the people of Israel were living in a period of silence. It had been over 400 years since God had spoken of a coming Redeemer and his forerunner through the prophet Malachi. Malachi called the people again to anticipate and to be prepared for the day that was coming. But in the quiet nights of 400 years even faithful men stumble and doubt.

But listen. In the distance there is knocking. There is the sound of hope drawing near, the sounds of God’s reign in unexpected places. There are the sounds of saints who have gone before us and proclaim their rescuer even in death. There is the sound of a promise: “Because I live, you shall live also” (John 14:19).

The world is still dark and lonely. But in it every day a quiet voice calls out, “I stand at the door and knock.” Christ has come. Christ is here. Christ will come again. Our moment of rescue draws near.

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1. “Trapped Aussie Miners Freed After 2 Weeks,” MSNBC, May 9, 2006.

2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Christmas Sermons (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 89.

3. Ibid., 96.

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Copyright © 2007 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

ADVENT MEDITATION (one Sunday) AND CHILDREN'S SERMON:

CHILDREN’S COMMUNITY TIME

[holding up a candy cane]

Everyone know what this is?

Right, a candy cane. You see these tooth-killers a lot around a certain holiday. What holiday is that?

Right, Christmas.

Candy canes look like shepherd’s staffs, don’t they? And we’re talking about the faith of the shepherds today. The angels told the shepherds to go see Jesus. And that’s just what they did. They didn’t ask why; they didn’t say no; they didn’t throw a tantrum, they just went. That’s faith.

OK, it’s time to have a contest. A little Bible trivia. This candy cane goes to who can tell me the answer to:

What was Jesus’ favorite ... movie? Anyone?

[silence, or someone answers]

Right; it’s a trick question. They didn’t have movies back then.

Everyone gets a candy cane. I think the theological term for that is grace.

OK, so what are some of your favorite movies?

[kids shout out their movies]

One of my favorites is rated R [Pulp Fiction], so we’re not going to show a clip -- I get myself in enough trouble around here. I won’t even tell you what it’s called. But I do want to tell you about one part of it that’s totally rated G and that has to do with shepherds, faith and the Bible.

You see there’s this bad guy, name of Jules. But the bad guy becomes a good guy at the end. He decides to change BECAUSE HE REMEMBERS THE BIBLE. Here’s the verse he remembers: “Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness. For he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.”

Jules tells another bad guy about this Bible verse when he decides to leave his life of crime and walk the earth in search of people who need help. And Jules says to this other guy, “I’m trying real hard to be a shepherd.”

There’s a lot of people in your life that are shepherds. Can you name a few?

[parents, teachers, siblings, preachers, God]

Right, and they teach you how to become shepherds of others when you grow up. So remember how important it is to listen to the good shepherds in your life and let them lead you in faith toward a sweet and minty life.

ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING - WEEK 2, FAITH

SET-UP:

ADVENT WREATH WITH FIVE CANDLES, 4 PURPLE AND 1 WHITE CHRIST CANDLE.

THE CANDLES:

THE HOPE OF THE PROPHETS CANDLE,

THE FAITH OF THE SHEPHERDS CANDLE,

THE LOVE OF THE FAMILY CANDLE,

THE PEACE OF THE ANGEL CANDLE,

AND THE CHRIST CANDLE OF JOY.

Jana: We are preparing for the coming of Christ in our lives.

Eric: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. ~ Isa 9:2

(Adult lights two candles)

Jana: Why do we light two candles?

Eric: The first candle reminds us of the hope of the prophets.

The second candle reminds us of the faith of the shepherds.

Chandler: It tells Jesus is the Good Shepherd and He cares for us.

Dylan: Amen!

Jana: The Shepherds were the first to hear about Jesus’ birth and to worship Him.

Eric: There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around then, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.” ~ Luke 2:8-10

Like love and hope, faith is a verb as well as a noun. It’s putting trust into action. Deciding to have a child is an act of faith. I’m adopted and have never met my birth parents. Having kids is my first experience of another human being that shares my blood.

I love Eric Clapton, of course, because he’s named Eric. He makes beautiful music, is a praying man, and he also never met his biological father.

He said once in an interview about his songs “Tears In Heaven” and “My Father’s Eyes,” songs about the loss of his son that he has now retired from his repertoire: “I realized the closest I ever came to looking into my father’s eyes was when I looked into my son’s eyes.”

We named Number One Son “Chandler,” which was Jana’s maiden name, but more importantly, a character on Friends, but seriously, a chandler is an artisan who makes candles.

We named Chandler’s clone here “Dylan,” for a lot of good reasons, Bob Dylan, Dylan Thomas, and, above all, Dylan McKay from Beverly Hills 90210. But seriously, in Welsh, Dylan is the name of the sea god. Also, David, our last name, is not Hebrew in origin, but Welsh. Saint David is the patron saint of Wales, my adoptive father’s ancestral home.

In the Bible, Paul says we are all Jesus’ adopted siblings, or as Brennan Manning put it, we are all Abba’s children. Er, not the Swedish disco band, but the abba father Jesus taught us to pray to.

The Bible is full of faithful shepherds: David, a shepherd in his youth, wrote the 23rd Psalm about the Lord as our shepherd, which Jesus later echoes in his parable about the lost sheep.

Finally, in John, Jesus says “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Just as we are adopted into God’s family, we are also called to be shepherds, all of us, of each other through this valley of darkness. For then we will truly our brother’s keepers and the finder of lost children. Amen.

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© 1990-2006 Eric David. All Rights Reserved.

THE ADVENT CEREMONY

The home ceremony for the Advent wreath is simple. Each day at home the appropriate number of candles are lit and everyone celebrates around the lighted Advent wreath. As the candles are lighted prayers may be said, carols may be sung, scriptures may be read, etc. The scripture readings should tell the Christmas story from its foretelling in Isaiah to its finish in the second chapter of Luke.

The celebration starts at the evening meal on the Saturday before the first Sunday in Advent with the blessing of the wreath. Following are some facts and ideas concerning the celebration during each specific time period of the 4-week Advent season (including the Christmas Eve celebration).

THE BLESSING OF THE WREATH

This takes place on the Saturday evening before the first Sunday of the Advent season. The head of the household (or the group leader) may say a prayer blessing the wreath and read some scripture (perhaps Isaiah 9:1-2, 6 as these verses speak to the promise of the light in the form of Jesus Christ) before another member of the family (or group) lights the first candle. Here is a simple prayer that may be used for this blessing:

“O God, by whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth Thy blessing upon this wreath, and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from Thee abundant graces. Through Christ our Lord.”

And this is a prayer you might use after the candle is lit:

“O God, as light comes from this candle, may the blessing of Jesus Christ come to us, warming our hearts and brightening our way. May Christ our Savior bring life into the darkness of this world, and to us, as we wait for his coming.”

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Week 1

The first Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of “Hope”. During the first week of Advent we light a single purple candle (the Prophecy Candle which announces the period of waiting), remembering the hope that Jesus gave us when He came to us in Bethlehem and gave light to the world. This is also a time for looking forward to His second coming in power to deliver His people.

Here is a prayer you might use for the first week of Advent:

“O Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, we thank you for giving us promises of hope for our lives and for our family.”

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Week 2

The second Sunday in Advent is the Sunday of “Peace”. We light the first candle as we remember that Christ will come again to fulfill all of God’s promises to us. Then we light a second purple candle (the “Bethlehem” candle which is symbolic of the preparations made to receive and cradle the Christ child) as we remember that He brings peace that surpasses all understanding to all who trust Him.

Here is a prayer you might use for the second week of Advent:

“Loving God, thank you for the peace you give us through Jesus. We pray that it abides with us today and always.”

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Week 3

The third Sunday of Advent is known as “Gaudete” Sunday or the Sunday of “Joy”. We light the candles of Hope and Peace again as we remember that Christ will come again and bring to the world everlasting peace. Then we light the third candle of Advent (the Shepherd’s Candle which typifies the act of sharing Christ). This is a pink or rose-colored candle instead of the penitential purple color. It reminds us of the joy that Mary felt when the angel Gabriel told her that a special child would be born to her - a child who would save and deliver His people. It also reminds us of the joy experienced by the lowly shepherds who first experienced the joyous news of Christ’s birth. As we light this candle, we also remember that Christ brings the promise of a new life, and that He is the bringer of true and everlasting joy.

Here is a prayer you might use for the third week of Advent:

“Loving God, we thank you for the joy you bring us. Help us prepare our hearts for this gift.”

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Week 4

The fourth Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of “Love”. We light the candles of Hope, Peace, and Joy as we remember that Christ will come again and bring us everlasting joy. We also light the final purple candle (the Angels’ Candle of love and final coming) to remind us of the love that God has for us, and how that perfect love is found in Jesus. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Here is a prayer you might use for the fourth week of Advent:

“Loving God, we thank you for your gift of love - shown to us perfectly in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we celebrate the birth of the One who is the light of the world, Jesus Christ, born this night in Bethlehem of Judea. We again light the candle of hope to remind us of the promises made by all the prophets that God would raise up a saviour for His people. Christ is this hope. We again light the candle of peace to remind us that it is only with God and by following in His path that true peace can be found. Christ makes this peace possible. We again light the candle of joy to remind us that God gives joy to every heart that abides in Him. Christ’s birth in us brings us this joy. And we again light the candle of love to remind us that Jesus is God’s gift of love to us - and that in Him, the light of love triumphs over darkness. Perfect love is found in Christ.

Now we light the white candle in the center of the wreath -- the “Christ” candle. This Christ candle marks the culmination of the promise of a coming savior. We light the Christ candle to remind us that the light of the world was born on this night. On Christmas Eve, as that last candle is lit, remember the words of scripture, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

Here is a prayer you might use on Christmas Eve:

Almighty God - you have made this night holy by the gift of your Son, born of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary. Upon Him rested all your grace, through Him has come all your mercy. Let His light shine within our hearts tonight even more brightly than it shines from the candles in this place. Help us to hear your word and to celebrate your everlasting love through Him. Amen

Sermon in "Matthew's Christmas" series. Matthew 1:1-6,16-17

SHAKING THE FAMILY TREE

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I. You have to begin somewhere.

II. Two very different genealogies.

A. Matthew vs. Luke.

III. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

A. Some great heroes of the ancient faith.

B. The bad branches are always the most interesting.

IV. Notorious women.

A. Tamar. 1:3

B. Rahab. 1:5

C. Ruth. 1:5

D. Uriah's wife. 1:6

E. Mary, the "virgin". 1:16

V. Imperfect vessels reveal God's perfect grace.

A. These names were selected for a reason.

B. Salvation is by grace, not merit.

C. Your grandparents cannot get you into heaven. John 1:11-13

Many possibilities have been suggested to explain the astronomical phenomena known as the “Star of Bethlehem” as recorded in Matthew 2:1-12. Is there a SCIENTIFIC explanation for this “Star of Wonder” that remains true to the SCRIPTURAL account?

To answer this question, we must first establish, accurately, the year when Christ was born, which in turn, will allow us to reconstruct the skies at the time of the Savior’s birth. Our present calendar assumes that Jesus was born in the year AD 0, when, actually, the event occurred several years prior to that. In AD 533 the Roman Monk Dionysius Exiguus dated Christ’s birth based on the writings of Clement of Alexander. THIS date was based on the account of the reign of the Emperor Augustus, who, unbeknown to Dionysius, had actually established his reign several years earlier under the name, Octavius.

The Bible indicates that Jesus was born in the days of King Herod (Mt 2:1). Josephus, the Jewish historian writing in the first century AD, states that Herod died a few days after an eclipse of the moon. After a week of official grieving, the Passover was observed. The only lunar eclipse visible in Israel at that time period occurred on March 13, 4 BC.

Furthermore, documents found in Ankara, Turkey, record the occurrence of Roman tax collections. The only date that again fits this time period is 8 BC. Using 8 to 4 BC as our two limits for Christ’s birth, what did the night skies display that would announce the Savior’s birth?

Luke 2:8 states that the shepherds were “keeping watch over their flocks by night.” Shepherds would only watch their flocks at night during the springtime when the lambs were being born. This again narrows the window for the time period for Christ’s birth.

The Greek word for star, ASTER, in ancient literature could refer to several astronomical events, such as a meteor, comet, planet or star. Do any of these fit into the time period?

A meteor, although spectacular, lasts only a few seconds due to the intense friction of the earth’s atmosphere. The Magi, who were well trained in astronomy, would have seen nothing unusual about a short-lived meteor.

A comet has often been suggested as a natural occurrence that would have alerted the wise men. Yet Halley’s Comet passed by in 11 BC, as well as other comet recordings in 44 BC, 17 BC and AD 66, all of which were outside the 8-4 BC time period. In addition, comets were viewed as omens of evil in ancient cultures.

Some have suggested that the Star of Bethlehem was a NOVA , meaning “new star.” Although not really a NEW star, but the explosion of an existing unstable star, it can generate a tremendously bright light in the midnight skies. A supernova, much RARER and 10,000 times brighter than a nova, can produce 100 million times as much light as our own sun.

The only recorded supernova explosions close to this time period occurred in 134 BC and 176 BC, both dates obviously too far removed from Christ’s birth. Although, quite possibly, an unrecorded supernova did occur, any argument from silence is uncertain.

Probably the strongest argument for a scientific explanation to this “First Christmas” occurrence is an alignment of planets, called a conjunction. (The very word planet means “wanderer.”) Johannes Kepler, the official astronomer in Prague, observed the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn on December 17, 1603. Kepler calculated the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn in order to determine past occurrences of planetary conjunctions. He discovered that in 7 BC there was a triple conjunction (three alignments in one year) in the constellation of Pisces, the Fish.

All of this would have had special significance to these educated Magi, who most likely came from the Babylonian area. Jupiter was attributed by many ancient nations to be the wandering star of royalty, while Saturn, also regarded as a wandering star, was considered the protector of Israel. In addition, the constellation of Pisces, the fish, was identified by the Hebrews as representing the nation of Israel. (Other ancient records also associate Leo with the Jewish people.) There was still a Jewish remnant in Babylon, left over from the Babylonian captivity more than 500 years prior to this, from whom the Magi could have learned these details. Most likely, the Magi were also aware of the prophecy found in Numbers 24:17 which states, “A star will come out of Jacob.”

Church tradition says the star guided three kings from the east. The day of their visit is celebrated annually on January 6, the Feast of Epiphany, and the days between Christmas and Epiphany are called the twelve days of Christmas. Supposedly, the kings arrived on camels and their names were Caspar (king of Tyre who brought myrrh), Melchoir (king of Arabia who brought gold) and Balthazar (the black king of Ethiopia who brought frankincense). Their bones are said to be kept in a shrine on the high altar of the Cologne (Germany) Cathedral and their gifts are stored for safe-keeping at the Monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos in Greece. Yet, the Bible does not call them kings, but wise men (magi); the Bible does not mention three men, just three gifts; and neither their names nor their camels are mentioned in the text (Matthew 2).

The first of the three approaches occurred on May 29th of 7 BC. To the Wisemen, this surely would have constituted strong motivation for them to take the four-month journey of 900 miles to see the new king foretold by the event. It is here that the naturalistic explanation for the Star of Bethlehem runs into trouble:

First, this initial conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn would not

be a perfect alignment, but separated by 1 degree, equivalent to

the diameters of two full moons in the sky. This would certainly

not be a single, bright guiding light.

Second, although triple conjunctions in one year are rare (the

other two in 7 BC occurred September 27th and December 10th), a

single conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn (occurring only once

during the year) happens every 20 years. Certainly, this was not

a unique, never-to-be-repeated event to the Magi, who were

accustomed to routinely monitoring the night sky.

Third, regardless of whether the event constituted a comet, a

supernova or a conjunction, when the Magi left Jerusalem Matthew

2:9 states, “the star they had seen in the east went ahead of

them until it stopped over the place where the child was.” The

distance from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is about 6 miles, in the

direction of north to south. Yet all natural objects in the sky

move from east to west due to the rotation of the earth. The

scripture goes on to say that it (the star) led them to a

specific house and “stopped.” Again, no natural object in the

sky follows these patterns. [1]

Finally, why was this star visible only to the Magi? Certainly

there were many other trained astronomers in that day, including

those in Jerusalem. Yet Matthew 2:7 states that. “Then Herod

called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time

the star had appeared.” Obviously, Herod’s trained observers

were unaware of it, so he sought the guidance of the Magi. THE

STAR OF BETHLEHEM WAS NOT VISIBLE TO EVERYONE ON EARTH.

Why do we find this so unusual? Was not the “light from heaven” that shone upon Paul in Acts 9:3 a temporary and supernatural occurrence? Was not the “pillar of fire by night” in Exodus 13:22 that guided the Israelites, a temporary and supernatural occurrence? The Bible calls this Divine guiding light the SHEKINAH GLORY.

The Star of Bethlehem appears not to be able to be explained by science! Not if we are to hold true to the specific characteristics attributed to this star as defined in the Bible. God, in his providence, called forth the chosen Magi to worship the Savior through the supernatural guidance of the Star of Bethlehem. That first Christmas was one of many miraculous interventions, with by far the greatest of these, the BIRTH OF OUR REDEEMER.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Custer, S., 1977 THE STARS SPEAK: ASTRONOMY AND THE BIBLE. Greenville SC: Bob Jones University Press.

DeYoung, D.B., 1989 ASTRONOMY AND THE BIBLE: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Grand Rapids MI: Baker Book House.

Faid, R.W., 1993 A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO BIBLICAL MYSTERIES. New York: New Leaf Press.

Gitt, W., 1996 STARS AND THEIR PURPOSE­SIGNPOSTS IN SPACE. Bielefeld, Germany: Eber Ulm.

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This article was first published in the Fall 2000 issue of BIBLE AND SPADE.

[1] Holwick: This is only partially true. All objects move across the sky as the earth turns, but some objects - especially comets - can move in the opposite direction if tracked against the background stars. This is how ancient astrologers/astronomers would have reckoned "movement". And the tail of a comet provides a nice "pointer" that could seem to point to a nearby location, much as a rainbow seems to end on a specific spot (though when you get to that spot, it is gone!).

Festooning home and hearth with lights, garland, mistletoe and other “Christmas” paraphernalia is a long-standing tradition for many. I have participated in the annual decoration festivities, but only mildly.

Rather than go for glitz and glitter or class and sophistication in my decorating scheme, I have always chosen to opt for meaning.

My yearly contribution to the neighborhood kaleidoscope of color has always been rather simple. A couple of weeks before Christmas day, I place an eight-foot-tall cross in the middle of my yard. The cross is wrapped in lights so as to make it visible at night. At the foot of the cross is placed plastic lighted figurines representing Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus.

No other lights have accompanied my display. It has always been a cross and a simple manger scene.

The message I hope to communicate by my display is that the real meaning of Christmas is found only when the manager and the cross are taken together. Without the cross, the manager is meaningless. Of course the lack of many lights indicates my belief that Christmas should be celebrated with simple dignity and not gaudy excess.

Of course, everyone does not always grasp or appreciate my effort to convey meaning at Christmas. One year I cloaked the cross entirely in red lights. It was my attempt to emphasize that the blood of Jesus was shed on the cross to pay for mankind’s sin. A visitor to our home commented that she thought it looked like the flaming cross of the Ku Klux Klan.

I decided that the message I sought to communicate via the red lights was just too esoteric. Hence, they were donated to Good Will.

Others have interpreted my lack of lights as a sign that I am cheap. Among those leveling this charge has been my children. While they understand and appreciate the message of the cross and the manager, they long have argued that God even sent a special star and angels to announce Jesus’ birth, so a few more lights wouldn’t necessarily diminish my intended message.

This year, my children got their wish for more lights.

When we purchased our new home this past summer, little did we know that it was in one of those neighborhoods in which everyone is expected –- err, strongly encouraged, to decorate (and I mean really, really decorate) at Christmas. As December approached, it became clear from conversations with neighbors that dad’s simple but meaningful display was not going to cut it in our new neighborhood.

I was told that Christmas festivities are a “big deal” where I live. I was told that everyone in the neighborhood decorates their homes with luminaries and the displays are simply gorgeous.

“People come from all over the area to drive through our sub-division,” I was told.

When I mentioned that my usual Christmas décor was simple yet meaningful, one neighbor gleefully responded, “Oh, we will be glad to help you.” The zeal in her voice let me know that she was serious.

Upon learning of the high expectations for Christmas decorations in my new neighborhood, I jokingly considered suing my real estate agent for failure to disclose such a vital piece of information. If nothing else, there should have been some sort of clause in the deed -- it could even be called the Santa clause -- indicating the necessity to adorn one’s house during Christmas.

Rather than risk shunning, I decided that adding a few lights wouldn’t be such a bad thing. So, I have added clear lights that run along the roof line and frame the windows. Our Christmas tree is visible through a double window and our lamp post is ringed with garland and lights. Luminaries have also been added that line the drive and the walk.

However, in the center of the yard is a cross draped in lights and at its foot a simple manger scene -- which I hope will communicate the reality of Christmas to those visit our neighborhood. The manger has no meaning apart from the cross.

“There has only been one Christmas,” someone once observed, “the rest have all been anniversaries.”

The observation of Christ’s advent is the anniversary of God’s greatest gift to mankind –- eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Even with the extra lights that seem to accompany Christmas, the cross and the manager should always be the center of our celebrations.

For most of us, Christmas is a time of great joy, a warm and wonderful family celebration of the birth of our Savior. As we ponder the scene at the manger, however, I doubt many of us think about the impact that starry night had on those who were there. We don’t often recall the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem and their parents’ cries of agony. We also probably don’t consider the dramatically changed lives of those humble shepherds who heard the angel’s good news and who heard the heavenly host singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, toward men of good will.” How those words must have rung in their ears many years after. How that sight of the infant Messiah must have never left their imagination.

These first believers are the subject of an imaginative Christmas novel by Richard M. Barry, titled THE SHEPHERDS’ PRAYER. The book tells the story of an adopted son with a mysterious connection to the Messiah, who seeks the truth about his birth thirty years later. The man, Anam, travels to Bethlehem, where contempt is apparent on the faces of the townspeople when they hear the name Jesus.

Anam also meets a band of shepherds who gather at Bethlehem each year to celebrate what they witnessed upon the birth of Christ.

THE SHEPHERDS’ PRAYER is a story that reminds us of two things. First, we remember that the humble will be lifted up and confound the wisdom of the wise. Recounting the story the shepherds told, an innkeeper in Bethlehem tells Anam, “Is that not the height of foolishness? Why would an angel of the Most High visit such lowly men? ... if he were to send a messenger, would it not be to the important men? To those with power?”

Secondly, Barry’s novel reminds us of perhaps how we often react to the difficult and painful circumstances in our lives. We can use only what C. S. Lewis called the “baptized imagination” in contemplating how many people of Bethlehem must have felt about Jesus’ birth. Likely, as Barry imagines, those who spoke of Jesus and that fateful day of His birth were met with scorn from those in Bethlehem and the surrounding area, because His birth had brought bloodshed.

But if we accept the truth, it is the evil of men — specifically Herod, in this case — that led to the slaughter of innocents. Similarly, it is the fallenness of the world that leads to pain and hardship in our lives — not God. Jesus was born to reconcile men to God, to end this pain, and to bring peace.

But as my colleague theologian T. M. Moore has written, from the beginning, Christ also brought division into the world. “The GOOD News of Christmas,” writes T. M., “is for those who trust in Christ and follow Him as fishers of men. For all the rest — all the liars, deceivers, oppressors, ... greedy, covetous, and selfish — the message of Christmas is one of shame, wrath, and judgment.” That’s the hard truth of Christmas, but one we must not forget.

The shepherds who first believed in Jesus likely faced oppression and were treated as outcasts. Like them, we must maintain our faith regardless of the world’s reaction. And we must never water down the message of Christ’s birth.

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Copyright (c) 2006 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

If you jog backwards, will you gain weight instead of losing it? If so, this is the wrong time of the year to try it.

We had a remarkable Christmas starting with our candle light service at church on Christmas Eve. We hope your Christmas was also memorable.

Now we get back to real life – bags full of used gift wrap to take out for garbage pickup; the paper plates are washed and put away; gifts are under your feet all over the house and you’re frazzled from dealing with kids who are on a sugar-high, but it was worth it all.

Please don’t put the Christ child back in the stable and forget Him for another year. Make Him the Lord of your life this year and start the new millennium with a determination to be the best person you can be with God’s guidance.

One of the best verses I can give to you for the new year is the familiar Proverbs 3:5-6 (nlt), “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths.” Make that your key verse for 2000, and you’ll be a winner.

Lately we’ve been getting a lot of e-mails inquiring about the origins of various Christmas customs. For the next two weeks, we’ll take a look at some of these legends, starting with the candy cane.

>From searching the Web on “candy cane story,” I learned that the confection’s conception is a very hot topic among Christians. On countless home pages (including www.copetv.org/thecandy.htm and http://purestoke.org/candy.htm), as well as in several gift books, every facet of the cane’s construction was attributed spiritual significance. According to most of these sources, a faithful Indiana candymaker developed the treat as a witnessing tool. The candy is hard because God’s church is founded on the rock, white because of Jesus’s purity (or his virgin birth), peppermint flavored as a reference to cleansing hyssop, and curved to represent a shepherd’s staff and/or the letter “J” for Jesus. Accounts vary regarding the red stripes, though they all agree that red stands for Christ’s blood. Depending on which story you read, three small stripes might represent the Trinity, or small stripes could mean the stripes by which we’re healed, or our small sacrifices in comparison to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice (represented by a large stripe). One site even suggested that the green stripe sometimes featured reminds us that Jesus is a gift from God, though why green signifies a gift I don’t know.

The motivation for candy cane apologetics can be seen in a quote from one of the sites: “Doesn’t it seem strange that something we often see as unimportant and insignificant can be turned into something so vibrant, so important, simply by knowing its origin?” Of course, the same site proclaims that candy canes were originally a code between English Christians in the seventeenth century, when all public religious symbols were banned. That’s simply not true, and neither are most of the other stories.

So where did candy canes come from? Tradition holds that in about 1670, the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral was frustrated by fidgety kids at the living Nativity. He had some white, sugar-candy sticks made to keep the youngsters quiet. The sticks were curved like shepherds’ staffs in honor of the shepherds at the stable (score one for the apologists). The idea caught on, and candy sticks became common at living Nativities all over Europe.

In 1847, a German-Swedish immigrant named August Imgard put candy canes on his Christmas tree in Wooster, Ohio. The sweets gained popularity here, too, and around the turn of the century, they assumed their now familiar properties of red stripes and peppermint flavoring. (Though these elements might have been added for symbolic purposes, there’s no evidence to confirm that theory.) In Albany, Georgia, in the 1920s, a candymaker named Bob McCormack made canes as special treats for family and friends, but the confections were difficult to mass-produce. Then, in the 1950s, Bob’s brother-in-law Gregory Keller, a Catholic priest, invented a machine to speed up the process. Other members of the McCormack family worked on new packaging to keep the canes from breaking in transit, and Bob’s Candies (www.bobscandies.com) became the world’s leading candy cane producer.

”… and [Mary] 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 2:7, NIV)

Like most children, my parents told me never to swallow gum because it would stay in my stomach forever — or at least until I died. It was only when I became an adult that I understood that my parents’ warning, well-intentioned as it was, was simply baseless.

I think that believers are no different from my parents in this respect. Like them, we have misconceptions about the teaching of Scripture. I speak from experience.

One of my misconceptions was revealed as I was surfing the Web in search of a topic for the Open Line you’re reading now. After following one rabbit trail after another through cyberspace, I happened upon some Christmas Web sites and looked around. A few of them were discussing Luke 2:7 — which, as you know, gives a brief yet poignant account of the birth of Christ in an ethically challenged innkeeper’s stable.

Or does it? A few of the Web sites I visited pointed out evidence from various New Testament scholars that the word translated as “inn” should actually be translated “guest room,” as it is in Luke 22:11. Interestingly, that text goes on to explain that the “guest room” was a furnished upper room where the Last Supper took place.

These scholars point out that Mary and Joseph probably had family in Bethlehem and would have stayed in the “guest house” upstairs on the roof of the house when they came to town. However, as Luke tells us, the “guest room” was full by the time they arrived from Nazareth, probably because other relatives had also come to town to register for the census. As a result, Mary and Joseph were put up in the first floor of the house where the animals were kept. This setting would have been more comfortable and private than the crowded “guest room.”

Isn’t it interesting that one small word mistranslated as “inn” could spawn a whole host of images that Luke probably didn’t intend (an inn, a rude innkeeper, and the birth of Jesus in virtual isolation)? But if we see that Mary and Joseph were with family that day in Bethlehem, we get a whole new picture. Rather than being without love and support at a pivotal time in their lives, they were surrounded by family. When Jesus was born, I can almost imagine a loud cheer from family members, as well as tears of joy.

It turns out that Luke didn’t tell the story of Jesus’ birth to besmirch the image of innkeepers. In part, he told it to show that Jesus, like the rest of us, was a fully human being born into a fully human family who loved him and cared for him.

So as you gather your own family together this Christmas, think back two thousand years ago to that small child, surrounded by family, who was shown love so that he could teach others to love God. To me that’s a beautiful picture, even if a few Christmas pageant scripts might need a rewrite as a result.

[The primary meaning of the word is that of inn, a stopping place where the animals could be loosed from their burdens and bedded down for the night. The ‘upper room’ can equally well be understood as a rented room in such an inn. This is, however, an interesting interpretation. The word is used in the LXX as inn or lodging, guest-room, resting place or even lair (Exodus 4:24, Exodus 15:13, 1 Samuel 1:18, 1 Samuel 9:22, S Samuel 7:6, Jeremiahs 14:8, Jeremiah 32(25):38) RGH]

Sermon in series "What We Bring To Christmas," #2. Luke 2:8-17

WONDER, THE GIFT OF THE SHEPHERDS

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I. Shepherds are cool.

II. When the wonder is lacking.

A. Not many see wonder in the church these days.

B. Impact of science.

C. Impact of miracles.

D. Impact of sentimentality.

III. Our wondrous God.

A. He is beyond our comprehension.

B. His wonders are all around us.

1) Intricacies of creation.

2) Unknowingness of the supernatural.

3) Our personal relationship with Christ.

IV. Recapturing amazement.

A. Meditate and ponder.

B. Read deeply.

C. Stretch your faith.

In the days following of Christmas it is almost natural to find our mood something like that of the brilliant lights we have just unplugged. Guests go home. Decorations come down. Celebrations cease. And life resumes with a little less fanfare. But I’ve always felt poet W.H. Auden describes the letdown of Christmas almost too well -- reminding me even of things I hadn’t considered:

Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree,

Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes...

There are enough left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week --

Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,

Stayed up so late, attempted -- quite unsuccessfully --

To love all of our relatives, and in general

Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again

As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed

To do more than entertain it as an agreeable

Possibility, once again we have sent Him away...

The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory,

And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware

Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension...(1)

For Auden, in the days after Christmas, we step down from the heights of the holiday and along with our colored lights return to dimmer realities -- daily life and its monotony, despairing headlines, another year of wearisome failures, blind spots, and missteps. Writing in 1942, Auden’s sense of the dismal reality of life after Christmas was likely heightened by the uncertainties of war and the certainty of violence. For many, Christmas indeed serves as a moment of respite in the midst of harsher realities that promise to recommence. For others, the season itself is disheartening and the aftermath is more of the same. Regardless, the picture W.H. Auden paints is one in which most can enter.

Yet Auden’s attempt to describe life after Christmas is far more than an offer of depressing poetry. Auden reminds us that we must come down from the heights of Christmas in order to embrace again the world in all of its brokenness and finitude, in order to truly receive the Child whose arrival was not marked by lights and decoration but a few witnesses in an unknown stable. Auden reminds us that the time after Christmas is the time when Christ can step into the thick of our lives as he intended. Writes Auden:

To those who have seen

The Child, however dimly, however incredulously,

The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.

The Christmas story that sits at the heart of all our holiday efforts begs us to see it as far more than a peak event in December. Christmas is an annual reminder that God is on the move and was on the move long before we knew it. In fact, it was precisely into our dismal, empty, post-festive reality that the Child came near in the first place.

In the bleak moments of late winter, Christmas is not anti-climactic; it confronts us all the more. It is our startling reminder that God has not forgotten, though in the thick of our empty routines, despairing headlines, and blinding self-interest we have forgotten the Child. Yet here, in the quiet and empty days after celebrations have ceased, the sights and sounds of the Child among us can better be noticed and more authentically received. If Advent brings our attention to the sounds of one who stands at the door and knocks, and Christmas marks the culmination of that knocking in the cry of a newborn king, the days thereafter usher us further into the presence of a God who not only knocks and draws near, but has opened wide the doors of heaven.

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1. W.H. Auden, COLLECTED POEMS, ed. Edward Mendelson (New York: Random House, 1991), 399.

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Copyright © 2008 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

Advent Hymn On 18.12.1707 Charles Wesley was born. On his birthday in Advent, here is one of his greatest hymns about The Birthday.

Let earth and heaven combine,

Angels and men agree,

To praise in songs divine

The incarnate Deity,

Our God contracted to a span,

Incomprehensibly made man.

He laid his glory by,

He wrapped him in our clay;

Unmarked by human eye,

The latent Godhead lay;

Infant of days he here became,

And bore the mild Immanuel’s name.

Unsearchable the love

That has the Saviour brought;

The grace is far above

Or men or angels’ thought:

Suffice for us that God, we know,

Our God, is manifest below.

He deigns in flesh to appear,

Widest extremes to join;

To bring our vileness near,

And make us all divine:

And we the life of God shall know,

For God is manifest below.

Made perfect first in love,

And sanctified by grace,

We shall from earth remove,

And see his glorious face:

His love shall then be fully showed,

And man shall all be lost in God.

“Fear not! Do not be afraid!” The angel spoke these words to Zachariah, to Mary, to Joseph, and finally to a group of shepherds on a hillside near Bethlehem.

“DO NOT BE AFRAID; for behold I bring you good news of great joy

for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David

a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”1

DO NOT BE AFRAID

Fear has a way of tying our stomachs up in knots, paralyzing our thinking, inducing panic. Fear, and its cousin worry, can capture our hearts when we see ourselves caught in a vortex of disasters beyond our control.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talks about tiny, defenseless sparrows in the context of fear and worry:

“Therefore I tell you, DO NOT WORRY about your life, what you

will eat or drink... Look at the birds of the air; they do not

sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father

feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”2

In another place he reassures his followers:

“DON’T BE AFRAID; you are worth more than many sparrows.”3

FEAR DRIVES A DOWNWARD SPIRAL

During this Christmas 2008 the entire world is caught in the grip of an economic down-spiral. Houses are being foreclosed on. People are losing jobs. Factories are closing. Food costs in some countries have risen 25%.

More and more you glimpse a kind of bleak fear in people’s eyes. Will I lose my house? My job? What will become of us if this recession deepens into a depression? How will I feed my family?

Though it’s been quoted so often that it’s become a cliché, Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke these words to a nation at the depth of the Great Depression:

“Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear

is fear itself -- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which

paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”4

Fear can grip us, choke all faith out of our hearts. Fear also drives economic depression. Fear causes companies to contract and people to stop buying. It causes runs on banks and panic on Wall Street. FDR reminded a nation that fear itself constitutes a large part of the problems we face.

It was as true in 1933 as it was on the first Christmas.

ON THE FIRST CHRISTMAS

For on that first Christmas, the world was in desperate times, too. A census is being conducted in order to raise already high taxes. Murderous, paranoid Herod the Great is king of the Jews. It is winter on Bethlehem’s hillsides -- and cold. Inside a cave in the town sit a poverty-stricken carpenter and his young wife -- far from home, chilled to the bone. She is in labor. Her child will be born in a stable, of all places. Why is it like this? she may have asked.

And then she recalls an echo of the angel’s words to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary....”5

A SAVIOR IS BORN

On the windswept hillsides outside of town, shepherds are huddling, too. All of a sudden the sky lights up and an angel proclaims:

“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,

which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in

the city of David A SAVIOR, who is Christ the Lord.”6

Fear not. The shepherds’ fear is turned to joy as they hear news that a Savior is born. The Messiah! In Bethlehem, the city of David himself!

And so they run down the hillsides into the town and hurry from stable to stable until they find the Child in the manger, just as they have been told. Tucked in that manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes against the cold, is the Savior himself.

THE SAVIOR WILL PROVIDE

A Savior comes to rescue people in danger, preserve those who are threatened by harm, and protect his people from the troubles that surround them. That’s what saviors do! That’s what Jesus came to do for us.

Do not be afraid because God has sent A SAVIOR to us -- Jesus Christ the Lord. He is the One who will:

• Never leave us or forsake us.7

• Supply all our needs according to his riches in glory.8

• Add to us all the things we need as we seek him and his Kingdom.9

CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT A SAVIOR

Our world doesn’t know. They think that Christmas is about gifts under a tree and a spirit of good cheer, with Christmas dinner and family around the table. But as good as all that may be, it isn’t nearly as good as the Real Christmas.

The Real Christmas message is this: God has sent a Savior for you. To save you from your sins and to help you in this life -- to lift your burden and ease your fears. That’s it! A Savior who is Christ the Lord -- God himself!

The world is gripped by fear. But fear’s hold has been broken in those of us who believe the angel’s words:

“Fear not ... for a Savior is born to you -- Christ the Lord!”

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1. Luke 2:10-11.

2. Matthew 6:25-26.

3. Matthew 10:29-31.

4. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, Washington D.C., March 4, 1933.

5. Luke 1:30.

6. Luke 2:10-11.

7. Hebrews 13:5.

8. Philippians 4:19.

9. Matthew 6:33.

Have you ever thought what it might have been like to live in the time of kings and queens and knights? We know little of what it is like to live under a monarchy or “rule of a king” except through history books, novels and popular movies. We do know that the king was absolute ruler and that appropriate “pomp and circumstance” preceded him.

Imagine for a moment that you are living in a small village during the rule of a wise and beneficent king. One day it is announced that the king is coming to visit your small village. What preparations would need to be made? We can only imagine that all the villagers would work together to ensure the city was spic-and-span and that everyone was prepared for a visit with royalty.

Let me bring the picture to a more recent event with royalty. I had the privilege of doing my graduate study in Cambridge University. My supervisor was Professor C.F.D. Moule, who had a major role in the New English translation of the Bible. I once asked him if he had ever met the Queen in person. He smiled and recounted his invitation to the palace soon after the release of the New English Bible. He was told what to wear, how to bow, where to stand and how to greet the Queen. After all, she was royalty.

Christmas is about the advent of the King of kings. We have so sentimentalized Christmas that we often fail to remember that at Christmas we celebrate the entry of the one true King. It is appropriate that the advent of the King was heralded by an angelic chorus. But we are surprised both by the accommodations prepared for the ruling King and some of those who welcomed His arrival.

• The prophetic promise.

Babylonian captivity had been a devastating blow to Jewish pride. Jerusalem had been sacked and the temple -- the visible earthly representation of God’s presence among His people -- had been reduced to rubble. God inspired Ezekiel the prophet to put these historic events into divine perspective.

Ezekiel explains the devastation in terms of Israel’s disobedience. The people called by God’s name had profaned His holy name (Ezekiel 36:20). Yet we begin to hear a word of hope. God declares that He is prepared to bring restoration for the sake of His own name. He plans to vindicate His name among the nations by proving Himself holy among His people in the sight of the nations. If you read the remainder of chapter 36, you will find promises of revival and restoration that are concluded with the promise of renewed fruitfulness. But the promised restoration has in view convincing the nations of the one true Lord (chapter 38).

The good news of future restoration is continued in the story of the valley of dry bones (chapter 37). Chapters 40-48 contain plans for the restoration of God’s people, including the plans for the rebuilding of the temple. We can forego the detailed measurements and focus on the final promise in Ezekiel’s prophecy: “and the name of the city from that day on will be: Yahweh Is There.” (48:35). “Yahweh is there” is the name “Jehovah Shammah.” The uniqueness of Israel’s religion was that God was present with them at all times and all places (see Exodus 33:13-16). It is therefore critical to note that the last name of God in the Old Testament speaks of God’s presence.

• The promise fulfilled in person.

The New Testament begins with the story of a birth. Not just any birth, mind you, but the birth of one who would be called Jesus (Matthew 1:18-23). Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Joshua” which means “Jehovah is salvation.” The name points to the birth of the Messiah (King) from the lineage of David. He will be the King who will deliver His people and purify them for judgment.

This declaration in verses 18-23 was anticipated by the genealogy which opens Matthew’s Gospel. The lineage is laid out in three groups of 14 generations, indicating that the time of preparation is complete and the time of Messianic fulfillment is at hand. Tracing the lineage of Jesus through the royal line of Judah verifies His status as King of the Jews. Furthermore, it establishes Him as the “son of David.”

You may recall that King David had planned to build a house for God’s name. God informed David that he would not be allowed to build the temple during his earthly reign. However, God gave David a promise that exceeded all expectations. “When your time comes and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me” (2 Samuel 7:12-14a).

The promise to David that one of his descendants would establish a kingdom that would last forever could never be fulfilled in a mere earthly king.

Matthew further clarifies the role and identity of Jesus by linking His birth to another prophecy from Isaiah 7:14. “See, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated ‘God is with us’” (Matthew 1:23).

It is at this point that we begin to see the connection with Ezekiel’s prophecy. The Old Testament ended with the promise that when the restoration occurred, “Yahweh is there” -- Jehovah Shammah. Now the New Testament begins with the word of fulfillment, “God is here” -- Immanuel. Jesus is the one who fulfills the promise of Jehovah Shammah. God is not present on earth in a physical temple but in His Son.

You may recall that at the Passover and the cleansing of the temple Jesus referred to His body as the temple. Jesus answered, “Destroy this sanctuary, and I will raise it up in three days” (John 2:19). The Jews respond that it took 46 years to build the temple, and yet Jesus claimed He could raise it up in three days. The temple where “God is here” is the body of His Son, not the stones of an earthly temple.

The abiding presence of Holy God is now made possible by a personal relationship with His Son!

• Wise men understand.

The story of the visit of the Magi is unique to Matthew’s Gospel and fortifies the claim of Jesus to be the rightful King of the Jews and more. As you read Matthew 2:1-12, you will notice the contrast with the unworthy King Herod. Herod may claim to be the King of the Jews, but Matthew makes it clear through the Magi that the true King of the Jews has been born. “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (2:2). Because the wise men are Gentiles, they have limited knowledge of the Jewish promise and thus seek detailed information.

Further, the introduction of the wise men from the east indicates that Jesus is not simply the King of the Jews; He is the King of all nations. This theme was clearly and regularly articulated in the Old Testament but had been largely ignored by the Jewish people.

The entire episode of the wise men bearing exotic gifts to the King of the Jews may have called to mind the visit of the Queen of Sheba to the throne of Solomon bearing rich gifts. She was prompted by the reports of “Solomon’s fame connected with the name of the Lord and came to test him with difficult questions “(1 Kings 10:1). As the queen presented the gifts, she blessed the Lord God who set Solomon on the throne of Israel.

Much attention has been given to the gifts borne by the Magi. Some interpreters argue that they represented their stock in trade, and therefore indicate that these men are laying down their lives for the true King. Others see them in relationship to the life and death of Jesus.

In either case, it is clear they are gifts fit for a king and that is the primary message we should hear. These men and their gifts would call to mind prophecies like those in Psalm 72:10-15 and Isaiah 60:11-15, which promise that foreign kings will bow before the King of kings. “May the kings of Tarshish and the coasts and islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. And let all kings bow down to him, all nations serve him” (Psalm 72:10-11).

• An appropriate response in the presence of the King.

Matthew’s telling of the Christmas story is immediately followed by the preaching of John the Baptist, who announces that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:1-2). The King has come and thus His Kingdom is advancing. We are now prepared for the first words of the Sermon on the Mount -- “Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:3).

Several of the Kingdom parables, such as the parable of the farmer and the field with the buried treasure and the story of the pearl merchant and the priceless pearl, point to an obvious conclusion. If one discovers the King, he or she will sell all to follow Him.

Do you know the King in personal relationship? If so, have you laid your life and resources at His feet in worship? Are you committed to taking His message to the nations so every tribe and every people group may have the privilege of worshipping their rightful King?

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Kenneth S. Hemphill is the Southern Baptist Church’s national strategist for Empowering Kingdom Growth.

I was born in 1933, on the tail end of the Great Depression, on a forty-acre farm in Western North Carolina. Half those forty acres were almost vertical.

It must have been toward the end of the decade that my earliest memories recall some of the things we did as a family to cope with the economic pressures. I remember things like the CCC camps and WPA projects, established by the Federal government to provide jobs for people who had no other means of support.

My dad worked for his older brother for $2.00 a week, and paid half of that back to his brother on a loan my dad owed. So we lived on that net dollar a week, plus the produce we grew and the milk, butter, and eggs from the animals we fed. We also dined on an occasional careless rabbit or squirrel that allowed my dad to get near enough to shoot it with his single-shot .22 rifle.

We had no utilities – water for drinking and cooking was carried from a spring half a mile away, at the foot of the hill on which we lived. Water for bathing and washing clothes was collected in rain barrels placed beneath gutters that lined the eaves of house and barn. Although we were off the main roads, an occasional tramp came through, doing a few hours of work in exchange for a home cooked meal or a dry place to sleep in the barn. The only stipulation Dad put on those who slept in the barn was that they not smoke inside it.

At the time I was only a child, but somewhere along the path to becoming a senior citizen I realized that we, like that innkeeper in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, were sharing the only space we had with those who had no other place to go.

Sleeping in barns, when that is the only place to hole up, has a long, long tradition.

You’d think, powerful as God is, that he would put His son on this earth in some impressive position – maybe as a prince, the son of the most influential king around. That way the son would have the benefit of the finest education to be had, the best training on earth to be a leader, and would have instant name recognition everywhere he went.

That’s the way we humans think. And that’s why it came as such a surprise to everyone around when the Messiah was born to a poor couple away from home, a couple in a little unfamiliar town a few miles south of Jerusalem, a town known as Bethlehem.

You have it right. The Messiah, the King of Kings, was born to a teen-age unwed mother in a stable behind an inn in Bethlehem. Mary, his mother, had never slept with a man – not even with Joseph, the man to whom she was betrothed.

In fact, when she told Joseph she was pregnant he considered putting her aside and finding someone else to marry, but God intervened and told him some of the details of what was happening to his sweetheart.

Despite her extreme youth, Mary was a very brave person. In that day and time it wasn’t unusual for unmarried pregnant women to be stoned. But when God called on her to carry this baby, her response was, “Here I am, Lord. I am your servant. Let it be according to your word.”

An indication of how she was viewed by her contemporary society can be gleaned from the fact that she journeyed to another town to visit her elderly cousin, Elizabeth, wife of the priest Zechariah. Elizabeth, despite her advanced years, was also pregnant. So Mary, like many another young unmarried pregnant woman, left the town where people knew her, left for an extended visit to a place where only her cousin was aware of her plight.

Then, only a few weeks before Mary was due to deliver, Joseph was ordered back to the home of his ancestors, Bethlehem, where he would be counted in a census, and a tax assessed that he would be required to pay to the Caesar in faraway Rome. Whatever tax was determined, he knew his local tax collector would add on the collector’s own exorbitant share.

The journey was on foot, with their possessions on a donkey, and began in the vicinity of Nazareth. History doesn’t tell us the details of their journey – whether they traveled alone or with others – but if it were at all possible they would have traveled with a group to reduce the risks of being set upon by robbers. On the other hand, with Mary in her delicate condition, it could have been that groups, unwilling to slow their pace, left the couple to their own devices.

The journey was eighty to a hundred miles. They couldn’t travel in a straight line from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the road twisted and turned through the hills to get there. They could have gone south on the heavily traveled Via Maris, the Way of the Sea, or they could have crossed the hills and journeyed down the Jordan River to Jericho, where they would have taken the winding road to Jerusalem, and then on south to Bethlehem.

However they traveled, it was a long journey that took several days. Probably twenty miles a day would have been a pretty good clip for a girl in Mary’s condition.

And when they at last arrived in Bethlehem – well, we know that story well, don’t we? We are not certain what time of year it was, but it was probably not the time we celebrate today. Today’s fir trees, Yule logs, fireplace stockings, holly, mistletoe, tinsel, lights, and Santa Claus came out of the old northern European-Druid midwinter solstice celebration. The church, centuries after the birth of Jesus, selected December 25 in order to take advantage of a holiday people were already celebrating.

Outside Bethlehem, to the east, overlooking the small town and the Dead Sea, was the Herodian, a huge palace built by Herod the Great as his southernmost outpost where he could fortify himself, a place he could defend from attackers. Herod, who owed his land and his reign over it to the Roman Caesar, was well aware of the relationship Queen Cleopatra of Egypt enjoyed with Caesar. Herod, who was habitually paranoid about the people around him anyway, was certain Cleopatra would try to use her special status to obtain some of Herod’s territory. Herod was prepared to defend himself and his possessions.

Between the young couple in the stable and that big towering castle lay farmlands and desert. And out beyond the fertile farmlands, out on the edge of the desert, shepherds kept watch over their sheep. That’s where the sky was suddenly filled with angels – there in the shadow of the Herodian – telling the shepherds about the birth of the Messiah. The irony, of course, is that Herod wasn’t there – he was several miles to the north in the big palace in Jerusalem.

So the birth of Jesus happened right under his nose, between his two southern palaces, and he didn’t know anything about it until almost two years later, when the Kings from the East – the Bible does not say how many there were – came looking for the Baby who had been born King of the Jews. Our traditional crèche of the nativity displays three wise men – doubtless due to the fact that Scripture talks about three gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense. But it is a certainty that the Kings did not show up along with the shepherds on the night of his birth.

Joseph and Mary, of course, had remained in Bethlehem after the birth of their Son, and that’s where they still were when Jesus was a toddler, between the ages of one and two. That’s the age he was when the Oriental Kings came seeking him out.

First, the shepherds were notified directly by the angels. God sought out the most humble people he could find to tell about the birth of His Son. The Kings represented power and wealth and prestige. In no way did they fit the image of the shepherds, the lowly carpenter, the tired mother, and the baby lying in a cattle feed trough.

Second, the Kings first approached King Herod in Jerusalem. They had traveled a lot by night, following the new star they had detected in the sky. We can be sure Herod did not receive visitors at night. So when the Kings from the East sought an audience with the King in Jerusalem, they came during normal visiting hours when Herod would be receiving guests.

Then, too, when Herod discovered that the Kings had not reported back to him after finding the baby, he dispatched his soldiers to kill all the male babies two years of age or less in and around Bethlehem.

The Christmas we celebrate today is nothing like that poor tired couple huddled in a stable, a cave behind an inn, delivering their baby on their own, and then marveling at the parade of shepherds who came in from the fields to see this new baby, this Messiah, Jesus the Christ.

We give that birth a nod in our churches and in our nativity scenes and in the carols we sing. There were no other gifts that night except the one God gave to all mankind – that little infant boy.

Our focus today, however, is on the gifts. We open our pocketbooks and give to our families and our friends – and then, if there is something left over, we give it to Adopt-A-Family, to Toys-For-Tots, or to the Salvation Army.

Perhaps our priorities might be more in order if we celebrated the birth of that infant first, and then took care of the poor among us – acknowledging that he was born among the poor of his time. Then, if we have anything left over, we can decorate our yards with lights and buy whatever gifts have become the fad of the moment for our families and friends.

The theme is, after all, Love -and real love for our neighbors is best expressed when we deny ourselves in order to brighten the lives of other.

Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. —Luke 2:10

When God shows His goodness, He loves to see us respond with joy. For example, when God brought the Israelites back from captivity, He told them to hold a festival to commemorate the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 8). And celebrate they did!

If God wanted the Israelites to rejoice because of His goodness, would He condemn us for a festive spirit at Christmas? Was not the angel’s message to the shepherds one of “good tidings of great joy”? (Luke 2:10).

It’s true that the Bible does not tell us to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. We don’t even know the exact date, and much about the season has a pagan background. But that doesn’t make it wrong to celebrate if Christ is kept uppermost in our lives. We don’t think of mistletoe, holly, and evergreens as being pagan any more than we associate Sunday and Monday with the worship of the sun and the moon gods after which these days are named. Just because unbelievers abuse Christmastime doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy the holiday.

Keep Christ central. Celebrate His birth. Sing carols. Gather for family fun. Even make shopping an occasion for remembering God’s goodness. When we love Jesus and put Him first, He blesses our festivities. —HVL

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With the angelic hosts proclaim,

Christ is born in Bethlehem. —Wesley

We can enjoy Christmas because we know the joy of Christ.

Two women who were dressed in their finest were having lunch together in a very exclusive restaurant. A friend saw them and came over to their table to greet them. “What’s the special occasion?” she asked. One of the women said, “We’re having a birthday party for the baby in our family. He’s 2 years old today.” “But, where’s the baby?” the friend asked. The child’s mother answered, “Oh, I dropped him off at my mother’s house. She’s taking care of him until the party’s over. It wouldn’t have been any fun with him along.”

How ridiculous! A birthday celebration for a child who wasn’t welcome at his own party? Yet, when you stop to think about it, that’s no more foolish than going through the Christmas season, with all of its festivities, without remembering the One whose birth we are supposed to be honoring. And that’s the way many people celebrate Christmas. In all the busyness—the party-going, gift-shopping, and family gatherings—the One whose birthday they are commemorating is almost completely forgotten.

As you move into this holiday season, in all of your good times with family and friends, make sure you don’t leave out the Lord Jesus. Give Him the honor He deserves. —RWD

Among the tinsel, trees, and toys

Are many signs of Christmas joys,

But where’s the Christ, whom God sent down,

Who laid aside His throne and crown? —Hess

There is always the danger of keeping Christmas and losing Christ. —Ironside