"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer."
Luke 2:1-20
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph 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. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And 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.
8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
15When 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." 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
INTRODUCTION:
A four-year-old boy watched his mother change his baby brother's diaper. When she overlooked sprinkling the baby's backside with baby powder and hurriedly put him into his diaper, the four-year-old hollered, "Hey, Mom, you forgot to salt him!"
Have you ever noticed how babies can turn ordinarily intelligent men and women into complete morons as they make all those googley noises and funny faces? I've often wondered what the babies think of it all. This is Christmas eve, the season of the baby, the Christ child. We celebrate partly because babies equal hope, they equal the future and they spice up our lives.
I. A MOTHER'S EXCITEMENT:
A. This IS the season of the baby, the season of the birth of Christ. In one sense, Christ did come to spice up and season our lives. He calls us to be the salt of the earth just as He is the salt of our lives. The world has been a better place and we have been better people because of Christ.
Can you imagine how excited Mary was? Not just the normal excitement of a mother with her first child, but the excitement of a mother who has had a glimpse of the future and knows what her child will become. That night must have been something else. That year in Mary and Joseph's life must have been something else. Both of them visited by angels; the events that lead them to Bethlehem; the disappointment of finding the inn full; the pain and anguish, sweat and tears of child birth in a barn; the angel choirs singing of her son's birth; and then that magic moment when Mary finally got to hold her newborn child in her arms.
But there was more to come. I'm sure it caught them by surprise when the shepherds nervously bumbled their way into the stable and told their unlikely story of the angels who had visited them in the dead of night with an amazing revelation of the birth of their savior. If it had been anybody but Mary and Joseph, the shepherds would have been thought crazy. But Mary and Joseph knew. I imagine that in her joy, in the awe and magic of that night, Mary might have made the ultimate gift of sharing with the shepherds. In my mind, Mary looked lovingly and knowingly at the shepherds and said, "Would you like to hold him? Would you like to hold the baby?"
And you can bet, that even though they were nervous, even though they were a bit frightened and apprehensive, I mean this was the promised Savior, they reached out in love and held the newborn Christ child. They wouldn't have missed it for the world. They held him close and looked at his peaceful infant face, and they were never the same. The world was never the same. How could it be?
B. But for awhile, not much changed. After everybody "Oohed" and "Aahed" over the baby, they went back to their regular lives. They stored away the memory of that night, because the events of that night could never be forgotten. All it took was the right breath of winter air or one star shining brighter than rest and the marvelous vision of what was promised and what could be would come flooding back. It made their steps and hearts lighter. It made them remember the night they had held salvation in their arms. And they would wonder, "Whatever happened to the baby? Did Herod's troops get him? Will He ever claim His inheritance?"
By the time 30 years had rolled around, even those who had been young boys had young boys of their own and had nearly forgotten. Their minds were filled with family matters, business problems and day to day stuff. They didn't have time to sit and daydream about a baby they'd seen 30 years ago. Besides, with the passing of time, it all seemed more like a splendid dream than reality.
But occasionally, the anticipation was there. Every now and then, all those delicious memories would come dancing back across their hearts and minds, accompanied by the longing for the salvation which God had promised. They would remember that night and the young mother who asked, "Would you like to hold him? Would you like to hold the baby?"
II. WHY HE CAME:
A. I wish I'd been there. But then again, maybe it really is better to go there by faith and imagination. Sometimes you can speculate a little and actually see more than if you were physically there.
You see I know it's all true. I know Christ came and I know He's real. I know He was and is the Son of God and that He put on human flesh and became one of us. I know that He is the incarnation, "God with us." But sometimes I can't get this skimpy little brain of mine wrapped around such a big concept as the incarnation. How do you describe Jesus being fully human and fully divine all at the same time? It's easier for me to get my mind around the concept of a baby. That's something I CAN hold onto.
I think God realized that. I think that's why Jesus came as an infant, born to a man and woman in the natural way; in a specific time and place; so there was no question about his being a real human being. Joseph and Mary didn't find Jesus in a basket on their doorstep one morning. He didn't just appear out of the wilderness with no past, no family and no connection to you and me. Jesus had earthly parents, relatives and a history. He didn't just appear to be one of us, he truly was one of us.
B. There's a story from World War II about an Army chaplain who finally made it back to America on the first Christmas Eve after the war was over. He'd been overseas for nearly two years and hadn't seen his family in all that long time. He called his wife and told her that he was home and if everything worked out Okay, he would be in sometime late that night. That meant he would be home in time for Christmas.
The two of them decided, though, not to tell the children, just in case something happened. And also, so it would be a surprise on Christmas morning. The next morning - Christmas morning - when the children were all gathered around the tree to open their presents which were lying under the tree, suddenly the white sheet on which the presents had been placed stirred. And then from among the packages arose the children's father, like a Christmas present come to life. The children went crazy with excitement. They had only expected presents but instead their father had given himself to them for Christmas.
And that's exactly what God did for us. You see, this baby, this infant whose birthday we celebrate tonight is the embodiment of God; the embodiment of our long awaited, long needed salvation.
God came to dwell among us. God came first as an infant, something we CAN hold onto. God put on the moth eaten, sin corrupted rags of our flesh and blood and became one of us. Not for God's joy but for our benefit. God came to give us the gift of salvation and new life.
III. GOD SURPRISES US:
A. And that's something we desperately needed and continue to need. The sad truth is that God HAD to do something. We'd become so sin-filled that we just kept getting in deeper and deeper. So, God sent His son. We don't like to admit it but we're still that way today. We try to cover it all up with clothes, make-up, the toys of success, the ornaments of the good life, with position and prestige. But inside we're like those cheap chocolate Easter bunnies; hollow and empty and we long for something else.
We've all had those same hollow feelings of inadequacy and emptiness. We've tried filling that emptiness with things and nothing works. There's not enough stuff in the world to even make a dent in it. Our greatest need is not on the outside, but on the inside. We need something to fill that emptiness. We need something or someone to heal those inner scars.
And that's why Christ came. That's the whole meaning of Christmas. Through the birth of this child laid in a manger, God tells us whose we are and that we're loved. We are persons to whom God sent His very own Son. We don't need to feel inadequate or insecure ever again. We don't need to try and prop up our under-inflated egos with alcohol, drugs or anything else.
This tiny little baby, who is the Son of God, gives us self-worth and gives meaning to our lives. God surprises us with this baby that melts our hearts and fill us up. That's the miracle of Christmas.
Toward the end of the movie "Scrooged", starring Bill Murray, Scrooge says "For a couple of hours out of the year, we ARE the people we hoped we would be!" I really like that line. I believe that in those couple of hours, we become the people God created us to be, and that fills us with hope and a vision far beyond our own limited vision, all because God surprised the world by stepping out of heaven and into a manger.
That's why Mary's imagined words, "Would you like to hold him? Would you like to hold the baby?" hold so much meaning. When we hold the Christ child in our hearts, the Son of God is able to transform our life into his image. That's the Good News. Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, came as an infant, as one of us, so that we might be set free from sin and enter into new life with him. And all we have to do is hold the baby in our hearts.
CONCLUSION:
In a Peanuts comic strip, Snoopy is feeling great. He comes dancing into the first frame saying: "Sometimes I love life so much I can't express it!" He keeps dancing and says: "I feel that I want to take the first person I meet into my arms and dance merrily through the streets."
Then, into the scene comes grumpy old Lucy. Snoopy freezes, sits and tries to be as inconspicuous as possible. And then in the last frame he's dancing again and saying: "I feel that I want to take the SECOND person I meet into my arms and dance merrily through the streets."
I know how Snoopy felt. When you think about all the possibilities that God offers to us through this Baby of Bethlehem, it makes you want to kick up your heals and dance.
But there are folks who are afraid to dance. Something in life has made them afraid; afraid to trust life; afraid to trust other people; afraid to trust God. Some people are actually afraid of joy, elation, pleasure or the other positive emotional states. Being joyful causes them to have feelings of guilt, shame or unworthiness.
There are some people who are just afraid to be happy. They nurture their fears, resentments, and hurts. They shut themselves off from others and seek to live as little islands unto themselves. They are not ready for Christmas because they've never let Christ season their lives with his love. And they can't dance because they won't let Christ set them free.
But in my opinion, if there was ever a time for dancing, it is at Christmas. The Lord of all the heavens and earth has come into our world as a tiny baby. And that's Good News. That's cause for celebration. And you can celebrate by simply holding the Christ child in your heart and letting his love be the seasoning of your life that re-creates you in His image.
"Would you like to hold him? Would you like to hold the baby?"
Let God give you the gift He has prepared just for you.
"Would you like to hold him? Would you like to hold the baby?"
This is the Word of the Lord for this day.