Isaiah 9:2-7    OT p. 606 or 852

[1] The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness--
on them light has shined.

[3] You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.

[4] For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.

[5] For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

[6] For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

[7] His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

[NRSV]

Luke 2:1-20    NT p. 55 or 1256

[1] In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.

[2] This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

[3] All went to their own towns to be registered.

[4] Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.

[5] He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.

[6] While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.

[7] And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

[8] In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

[9] Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

[10] But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:

[11] to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

[12] This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."

[13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

[14] "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

[15] When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."

[16] So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.

[17] When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child;

[18] and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.

[19] But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

[20] The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

[NRSV]

INTRODUCTION:

A couple of years ago, in the Family Circus comic, little Billy is watching Dad put up all the Christmas lights and he says, "Christmas lights up the world doesn't it, Daddy?" (1)

Billy is right, Christmas does light up the world. This is the night of all nights. A night holy unto itself. We've recounted and rehearsed the events so often that they are a part of the very fabric of life. This story of the newlywed couple having to uproot themselves to travel to the little town of Bethlehem to be counted and taxed touches our hearts.

As it unfolds we find mother and father huddled in a stable because there was no room at the inn. We sit in silent anticipation, waiting to hear the Good News once again. Each home, each Sanctuary becomes a waiting room. And then it happens.

The King of the world, the King of the universe comes bursting upon the scene, proclaiming the coming of His kingdom through the tears and laughter and trauma of child birth. The birth announcement goes out to be sung by the Heavenly Host, an army of angels. Lowly shepherds hear and come running to meet their newborn king. They peek in, and there, wrapped in swaddling clothes, is the King. They are awed and overwhelmed by the love they see there. One look and their lives are never the same. For they have looked upon the light of the world. CHRIST IS BORN IN BETHLEHEM.

I. BREAD AND LIGHT:

A. In the book, Dear God, Children's Letters to God, one young man wrote, "Dear God, was there anything special about Bethlehem or did you just figure that that was as good a place as any to start a franchise? Your friend, Jim age 12."

Jim, God had some very good reasons for choosing Bethlehem. God chose Bethlehem because it was small like the infant in Mary's arms. And God likes to use the small to confound the great.

God chose Bethlehem because it was the birth place of King David; this babe wrapped in swaddling clothes is a distant cousin.

And God chose Bethlehem because God wanted to provide sustenance for the whole world. And Bethlehem means "house of bread." So what better place to "open the franchise" for the one who is and will become the Bread of life for a world hungering and thirsting for God.

B. This poignant scene of the manger in Bethlehem which is indelibly etched on our hearts and in our thoughts is the light of which Isaiah spoke. The light of the World. The Light that dispels the darkness of our souls. It casts out fear and helps us see.

This night fills us with hope and helps us make sense out of life and all of its twists and turns. This child who is named, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace; this infant in Mary's arms is the great light that shines in the darkness. Christ is the lights our lives. And through the power of Christ we are called to reflect the light for others.

II. GUERRILLAS:

A. A number of years ago, there was a cartoon Christmas special that featured "Casper the Friendly Ghost" .I don't remember much about the special except for one thing, one of the ghostly characters kept referring to Santa as Sanity Claus. I like that. It has stuck with me. And it's pertinent, Christmas is the sanity clause of the world. This night, this event brings sanity to a world lost in the darkness of sin and death.

And when we give our lives to Christ, we're called to do the same thing. We're called to be instruments of that sanity. We're called to bring light into the darkness of those around us. We're called to be guerrilla's of grace, if you will. We're called to go a little ape and wage war against the darkness of sin with the light and grace and love of Christ.

B. When you walk down the aisles of any toy store, you see all kinds of action figures. There's Power Rangers, Ninja Turtles, Batman & Robin, Street Sharks, and Monsters from Monsters Inc., Plus you'll find all the archenemies that go along with them. You couldn't tell that this is the season of the Prince of Peace could you.

But this night of our Savior's birth, this night when Christ Was Born In Bethlehem changes everything. No longer will darkness prevail. No longer will sin win out. No longer will death have the last say. This night changes everything.

But mostly it changes us. And it challenges us to become more like Christ. It challenges us to let the light shine in and through our lives. This night challenges us to be reflections of the light of Christ for others to see.

You see, the world is weary of cures that don't cure, blessings that don't bless, and solutions that don't solve anything. The world and the people around us need a word of hope. They need the Good News of God's love; of God's forgiveness; of God's Grace. They need to see love and hope and grace in action.

III. RANDOM KINDNESS:

A. A couple of years ago a quiet, subtle movement was started. A movement of heart and spirit and grace. Maybe you saw a bumper sticker that says: "Commit a random kindness and a senseless act of beauty." I like that. I think it is just that philosophy of life that caused the person who was lucky enough to find one of the three, million dollar instant winner pieces in the McDonald's Monopoly game a few years ago to send it to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

It's that attitude coupled with the grace and love of God in our lives that can fill this world with hope. All we have to do is allow the light of this night, the joy and the hope and the grace which we experience to invade every aspect of our lives. Then we will be able to commit those random acts of kindness and grace that will brighten other people's lives and reflect the light of Christ.

It doesn't take much. A smile. A kind word. Letting someone in in traffic. Waving 'thank you' when someone lets you in. It can be helping someone with their groceries. It might even be providing those groceries or a blanket or a warm coat. There are hundreds of ways you can let the grace and the light of Christ shine.

You don't have to be a pushy evangelist. You don't have to go door to door asking: "Are you saved?" You can proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ through lifestyle evangelism. You can proclaim salvation through living the love of Christ for others to see.

That's what we do when we bring blankets for the homeless. That's what we do when supply toys and clothes and food for our adopted families at Christmas. That's what we do when we invite our neighbors to Church. Whenever our lives reflect the light of Christ, and God's love is made manifest, we are guerrilla's of grace.

B. Dr. Fred Craddock tells the story of when he was invited to lead a lecture series in Winnipeg, Ontario. He arrived on Saturday night, and a snow storm blanketed the area. On Sunday morning his host called and said, "This is a surprise to everyone. We can't even get to the motel to help you. In fact, we had to cancel the lectures." Craddock said, "Well, what am I to do?"

His host said, "Well, about a block and a half to the right is the bus depot. In that bus depot is a little coffee shop. Perhaps you can go there and find breakfast."

The place was packed. Everyone was trying to find a place to stay warm. As he entered, there were a few that scooted over, and he was allowed to sit down.

A moment later, the door opened again. "Shut that door! You're letting out all the heat." A lady came in. They scooted down a little more and she found a seat.

A large man with a greasy apron came over, "What do you want?"

The lady said, "May I have some water, please?"

He brought her the water. "Now, what do you want?"

"Water is fine."

"No, I mean what do you want?"

"The water will be okay," she said.

"I mean, what do you want to order, Lady? We've got paying customers here. What do you want to order?"

"Nothing."

"Listen, Lady, if you don't order, you can't stay."

"Can't I just stay long enough to get warm?"

And then real loud he growled, "Listen, Lady, order something or leave."

With that the woman got up to leave, but as she got up, the people on each side of her got up. Then the people on each side of them got up and then the whole table. As she started to leave, the entire restaurant got up to leave.

Then the large man with the greasy apron said, "Oh, now wait a minute. Everybody sit back down, she can stay." He even brought her a bowl of soup. Craddock asked the man next to him, "Who is she?"

The man said, "I never saw her before in my life. But if she ain't welcome, ain't nobody welcome."

Craddock said in that new atmosphere he began to eat his soup and found to his surprise, it wasn't too bad. In fact, it was almost good. As he finished the soup, he had the feeling that somehow he had tasted it before. Something in the soup reminded him of something. As he walked out the door and looked back upon that group of people, and saw that woman sitting there, he remembered. It reminded him of bread and wine.

You see, it doesn't take much to be a guerrilla of grace.

CONCLUSION:

Wiley's Dictionary in a 1995 B.C. comic defined "Manger" as: "A feeding trough large enough to contain 'the bread of life'." (3)

Tonight we come to both the manger and the table of our Lord. As we peek into the manger the light and hope of all eternity fills our lives. As we come to the table, through the bread of life, we are fed. This night is the SANITY CLAUSE of hope to the world.

And little Billy was right, Christmas lights up the world because the Light and the Bread of this night empower us to reflect the light of Christ for others to see and to make a difference in this world.

Christ Is Born In Bethlehem. That changes everything. Let it change you. Be a guerrilla of grace. Live and proclaim the hope of this night in all that you do.

1. Bil Keane, Family Circus, 12-20-95

2. The story shared by Dr. Fred B. Craddock was told at the gathering of The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church held at Albright College from June 7-9, 1991.

v3. John 6:35 Hart, B.C., 12-23-951.