The Advent Series

Peace (week 2)

Luke 2:1-14 “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Christmas is a time to focus on the birth of Christ and the love and generosity of God as we exchange gifts with joy and thanksgiving. If the angels could rejoice singing “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! ” how about us? We who are the favoured ones and recipients of God’s indescribable gift. It is an indescribable gift that is beyond description, and it embraces and meets every human need. It is a gift that not only reconciles us to the Father but also delivers us from evil and fills us with love, joy and peace. For Jesus Christ to be our Saviour meant that He had to leave His heavenly home – His throne in glory – and come to earth as a man. God was ready to do for us what we are not ready to do for our fellow human beings. Which one of us would be ready to give up the comfort of our homes to live on the streets just to be able to help the many street children among us? Or which one of us would be prepared to give up the comfort of their homes for a life in prison to help the prisoner? This was what God did. God left His home and came to live among us. He took on flesh and became one of us to save us and restore our peace. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” We all need a savior.

When Adam sinned all men were contaminated with sin for “just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”. (Rom. 5:12) Since all have sinned no man qualified to pay the penalty for sin. Sin prevented man from exercising the power and authority on earth that God had given him. We needed a man to excercise power and authority on earth and this man had to be without the sin nature and without sin. Only God Himself could meet His own requirements and to do so He had to become a man. Jesus became a man and was tempted “in every respect as we are, yet without sin”. (Heb. 4:15) This was only posssible because Christ depended totally on God. The Psalmist writes about Him in Ps. 40:8 “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” When Adam and Eve choose not to do the will of God but to depend on themselves they rejected the sovereignty and authority of God. This rejection led to their separation from God, their source of life.

Their sin affected man, the world and the whole Universe. God, however, promised salvation, deliverance and the restoration of joy and peace. He promised a Saviour who would undo the effects of sin and restore peace. On Christmas day two thousand years ago a child was born and a Son was given who took over the government on earth whose name is Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. How amazed the angels must have been when they saw the Creator born as a creature, the Word coming as a speechless baby, completely dependent on others so that man could be reconciled to God? As the Lamb of God He was born in a stable and the first ones to hear the news were lowly shepherds in the field. The Lamb of God, born of the Virgin Mary, was without blemish, the perfect sacrifice for the salvation of the world and our reconciliation with God. Through Him we have peace and the Jewish word for peace, shalom, means well-being, health, prosperity, security, soundness and completeness. Shalom was what the people needed as life was difficult at that time just as it is today. Taxes and unemployment were high, morals were deteriorating and they were under foreign occupation. Roman law, Greek philosophy and even Jewish religion could not meet the needs of men’s hearts. So God sent His Son, the only one who could meet that need. Jesus gave up eternity to come to a hostile earth so that we could be reconciled to God and experience peace. As we celebrate Christmas have we been reconciled to God? Have we trusted Christ with our lives and are we enjoying peace? Today is a day of great joy and celebration. Let us be part of it as we put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord.

When God gave us His greatest gift, the news did not even make the headlines. Rather it was the news that Augustus Caesar had ordered a census and everyone had to return to their hometown. But who would have thought that Augustus Caesar was merely God’s errand boy being used to fulfil prophecy about the birth of Christ. was focused on Caesar and Rome, and no one noticed Joseph and Mary travelling from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the most important news event that night was the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the birth of Christ in Mic. 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days”. Although no one apart from the parents noticed the first cries of the newborn child, Jesus Christ, the most important news event of the day was what had taken place in Bethlehem. The world failed to notice the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Just as the news of the birth of Jesus Christ did not make the headlines in those days so the birthday of Christ and the significance of the good news that was proclaimed by the angels does not make the headlines today. Rather it is the news of the parties that are being held, the sales that are being made, the clothes that are being worn, and the places that are being patronised.

All eyes may be focused on new clothes, food and drink, but the most significant event today is the birth of Christ. Great care was taken so that when the Word was made flesh He would be recognised and prophecies concerning Him were fulfilled to the smallest detail. The infinite unlimited God took on the limitations of humanity and was born in a manger by a virgin. This was something the world could not understand. They were used to royalty being born in palaces, the birth announced with parades and celebrations that everyone would notice. The baby would be clothed and laid on the most expensive materials and the best servants would attend to him. However, only bleating sheep and braying donkeys welcomed God’s Son, who lay wrapped in strips of cloth, rags used to wipe down animals, on a pile of hay in a feeding trough for animals. A dark and dirty stable with a disgusting stench is a far cry from what the Christmas cards portray. The only ones who celebrated were the angels who announced His birth and the only ones who took any notice were some shepherds and wise men. Why would the Son of God want to become human? Why would He leave His celestial home to enter our world of pain and sorrow? Why in heaven would God come down and be born in a manger? For God so loved the world and wanted to reveal Himself to us in a way we could understand. He could only do this by coming in the flesh just like you and me. A great event in history happened when the Messiah was born. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men but there was no room for Him in the inn. Today, 2000 years later, millions of people have no room in their hearts for Jesus. Although they participate enthusiastically in the festivities of the Christmas season, they do not put their trust in Him and keep Him out of their lives. Is there room in your life for Christ?

The blessings of the Saviour is available to whosoever believes in Him “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16) To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Belief in Christ is to trust God to fulfill His Word. Today we often equate belief with receiving, welcoming or accepting Jesus Christ into our lives. Belief in Christ is to trust Him with your very life. Trust in Christ is to totally depend on Him and accept His Word by faith. Faith believes God even in the absence of evidence. Faith is life changing and transforming and gives us access to God’s presence as His children. As God’s children one of the greatest joys of Christmas is found in giving.

(Share story of GSL)

It reminds us of God’s generosity in giving us His Son and brings great joy when we also give a gift to Christ. But what is it that Christ wants from you? The greatest gift you can give to Christ is yourself. Today as we look forward to the birth of Christ, let us allow Him to lift the burdens we are carrying from off our shoulders - the burden of unforgiveness, the burden of despair, and the burden of anxiety and the burden of guilt. Let us allow Him to destroy the yokes that have kept us captive and so enjoy freedom this blessed day. Let us come to Christ so that the Prince of Peace can finally give us the peace we need and long for.

Without Jesus in the manger, there is no Christianity. Apart from Christ, Christianity is an empty feeding trough with only wood and straw. For Jesus Christ and Christianity are really one and the same, and Christians, those called by Christ’s name, are people who are personally and individually related to Him. The baby Jesus is the central focus not only in our nativity scenes but also in our lives. However, just as it is easy to lose sight of Christ amid the presents and celebrations of the holidays, so it is easy to lose our devotion to Christ amid the attractions and pleasures of life. Today as we celebrate the birth of Christ, we need to ask ourselves whether He is our Saviour. Do we believe that God came in human form when Jesus was born in Bethlehem? Have we trusted Him and offered Him a place to stay in our hearts or are we behaving like the innkeeper who had no room for Him in the inn? Jesus gave up eternity to come to a hostile earth so that we could be reconciled to God and experience peace. As we celebrate Christmas are we promoting peace and reconciliation through our lives? Let us who have been reconciled to God also be reconciled to one another and experience peace in our lives. Christmas is a day of great joy. Let us put our trust in Jesus Christ, and offer Him a place in our hearts to the praise and glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!