Christmas Eve 2022

Intro

Several years ago, the TV late night host Jimmy Kimmel issued a YouTube challenge to his viewers - wrap up a terrible Christmas present for your kids, give it to them a few weeks early, record their reaction as they open it, and upload it to YouTube so he could show it as a bit on his show

The kids would get things like a half eaten PB&J sandwich or a can of beans and they reacted exactly as you’d expect

Tears, outbursts, “This is the worst Christmas I’ve ever had!”

He got his fair share of criticism for the bit, but the original video has 56M views on YouTube

Show video from time stamp 0:37 to 2:06

Some of the reactions were pretty comical, I think because even as adults we can sympathize with the emotions the kids are feeling.

For a kid, Christmas is the best. 2 of my 3 kids favorite holiday - even more than their birthdays - is Christmas

The 3rd kid is weird like me because we like Thanksgiving the best

So, if you were to get a half eaten PB&J as your gift on what was supposed to be the best day of the entire year, that’s about the worst news a kid can get

Bad news, unfortunately, is something that as we get older we get more and more of

I read an interesting article the other day that was talking about the bad news cycle it seems we’re stuck in right now - 1

This journalist was citing that news engagements (us seeking out news) on all platforms is down in 2022.

There have been 50% less news articles viewed on social media, cable news viewership is down 19%, and traffic on the top five news websites has dropped 18%

We don’t want to read the news because its not good.

Think of what we’ve seen in the last year - a bloody and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan that echoed the end of the Vietnam War, the start of a new brutal war in Ukraine, threats of war between China and Taiwan. Economic struggles including record inflation, high gas prices, and continued supply chain disruptions. School shootings, natural disasters, a water crisis in the west, and countless social issues fill our news feeds.

It’s no wonder that Reuters reported that over 42% of Americans say they try to actively avoid the news

2 out of every 5 of us don’t just ignore it, we go out of our way to avoid reading any news

Washington Post Journalist Amanda Ripley theorized that the news cycle today lacks “hope, agency (or the idea that we can change the course of events by our actions - 2), and dignity.” - 3, and that’s why engagement is dropping so significantly

Bad news also comes at an individual level because we all have struggles and issues that we deal with

Being in ministry and working at a church, I get a lot of calls/texts/emails about the different heartaches or struggles or difficulties people face

You don’t get a lot of texts that say, “Hey Pastor, just want you to know things are great, I’m walking with the Lord, my family is good, life is good!”

It’s usually the opposite - “My health is not good.” “My coworker lost their brother” “My marriage is crumbling and I don’t know if we can fix it”

So we watch the video of the kid getting a can of beans for Christmas and throwing a fit and we chuckle because deep down inside we empathize with them.

We may not react that way on the outside when we get bad news, but on the inside we might be experiencing the same reaction that those kids have

2,000 years ago, another nation was living in an era of bad news and distress

The nation of Israel, who had been through all kinds of ups and downs in their history, had been conquered by the Roman general Pompey.

They had just gained their freedom back from the remnants of Alexander the Great’s Empire not long before this, but now were back under the bondage of the occupying Romans

They had many rights stripped from them, they had Roman soldiers pushing them around and violently squashing any hint of uprising or discontent, and a heavy financial burden was placed on them with the taxes that Rome required

Author Will Durant, in his book The Story of Civilization, describes life during this time like this,

“The lusty peninsula was worn out with twenty years of civil war. Its farms had been neglected, its towns had been sacked or besieged, much of its wealth had been stolen or destroyed. Administration and protection had broken down; robbers made every street unsafe at night; highwaymen roamed the roads, kidnapped travelers, and sold them into slavery. Trade diminished, investment stood still, interest rates soared, property values fell. Morals, which had been loosened by riches and luxury, had not been improved by destitution and chaos, for few conditions are more demoralizing than poverty that comes after wealth. Rome was full of men who had lost their economic footing and then their moral stability: soldiers who had tasted adventure and had learned to kill; citizens who had seen their savings consumed in the taxes and inflation of war and waited vacuously for some returning tide to lift them back to affluence;” - 4

Spiritually things were bleak too

God had not spoken to this nation for nearly 400 years, remaining silent since He sent the prophet Malachi to them

Worship at their temple had been corrupted. The priests of the day stole from the people and oppressed them, gaining riches and power instead of serving them

The news cycle of their time was bad, there was no hope or dignity, and they felt that they were powerless to affect any sort of change

And then something happened, the greatest news story that ever could have been broken came and was announced because the greatest event in history had occurred

Verses 1-7

Many of us are familiar with this story, but we pick up here in the middle of real life history

Caesar Augustus, sole ruler of Rome since 27 BC, had instituted several revenue reforms in the Roman Empire, one of which was to bring the expanded Empire (or occupied lands) under consistent, direct taxation from Rome. - 5

The way he would do that was through census. Get all of the people to go register and then charge them a tax

This one in particular occurred around 6 BC

Now normally, the Romans wouldn’t require people to travel to their hometown to register for a census, they could just register in the town they currently lived in

But the Jews hated the Roman occupation of their land, and were already on edge about taxes, so in Judaea King Herod disguised this by making a call to be registered by tribe - 6

The Jews were very patriotic, and very proud of their heritage. They tracked which of the 12 tribes they had descended from, so a call to go to your home tribe, would appeal to their pride

This news would cause a man named Joseph, a member of the tribe of Judah, a descendant of King David, to have to pick up and travel with his wife, Mary, to the city of David, Bethlehem

And as we know, Mary was pregnant for this 80 mile trip the couple would have to make on foot

And it was during that time, that Mary would give birth to her firstborn Son

All alone, in probably what was a cave that was used to keep animals in, this 16 year old girl brings forth a baby, wraps Him up in strips of cloth she would tear up out of something she had to make Him comfortable, and lays Him down in a feeding trough to sleep

This baby was brought forth in poverty, obscurity, and disregard

But it’s while all this is happening that the greatest news story ever is broken to an unlikely group

Verses 8-14

Have you ever had a gross or messy job before?

Several years ago I was working as an engineer for the Forest Service, and our staff archeologist had received a grant to restore some historic buildings in our campgrounds.

For some reason, I don’t know why, one of the buildings she picked was a historic pit toilet that was built by the CCC in the 1930s.

This log cabin-like structure had good bones, but it wasn’t functional anymore. The waste in the concrete vault hadn’t been cleaned out in years, and we found out the campground host would throw pinecones in there to help with the smell.

So my job was to put a design together to fix up the structure, repair the vault, and get this thing back in service again (the things we do for a paycheck…)

Step 1 - clean the vault out

We hire this septic company to come deal with the sludge in the vault but we couldn’t get any of it sucked up into the tank

So the guy running that crew decides to get a power washer out, jump into the vault, and start power washing the sludge to break it up and then be able to suck it out

Nasty stuff is just spraying everywhere as he does this

I remember looking at him after he jumped out of the vault and just mouthing the words, “I’m so sorry”

There are a lot of jobs that many people would look down on or never do, and back in this time, shepherding was one of those jobs

You would have to take care of a herd of dirty, stinky, dumb sheep

You’d be outside day and night, rain or shine

You’d have to protect them from predators

You’d never be at home

And your social life was basically non-existent

They wouldn’t be able to to observe the different religious practices of the time and were considered “unclean”, so they’d be cast out from any sort of worship

And they had developed a reputation for being unreliable and despised.

In fact there was a law that a shepherd couldn’t be trusted to testify in a court of law because of this reputation

I don’t think these guys got much good news in their lives

They were stuck working for the man in a dead-end job, had little money, and were considered unclean and outcasts in society

And yet, God chooses to announce the birth of His Son to these shepherds first

More than likely, these shepherds were taking care of the flocks that were being raised for the sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem.

The rabbis had a rule that flocks of sheep had to be kept in the wilderness unless it was a sacrificial sheep for the temple, and those were to be kept between Jerusalem and Bethlehem (only a few miles apart)

So when Luke tells us that the shepherds were in the fields (not the wilderness), we can assume they were watching the lambs that were to be sacrificed for the Passover just a few months later, when the announcement about the Lamb of God, the ultimate and final sacrifice would come.

As they were out in the fields, this angel shows up out of nowhere, and God’s glory is shining around them, and these shepherds are afraid

Understandably so! I would be too if I saw all of that!

But then the angel speaks up to bring them good tidings, or good news

Because a Savior had been born

Mankind at this time was looking for hope and for someone to save them from the mess the world had become

The hope within the Roman empire was that Gaius Octavius, nephew of Julias Caesar, would be that person

When he took charge of the Roman empire, the Roman Senate would allow him to change his name to Caesar Augustus, the majestic or great divine god - signifying the hope they were placing in him to save the world from the years of civil war and distress and hopelessness that had plagued the region

But God had a greater plan than a human leader, He sent the true Savior of the world

Not a reformer, a politician, or a brilliant thinker, but a Savior

This Savior was for all mankind

Not a certain class, or certain ideology, but for all people

Why did we need a Savior?

Yes, at the time the world was a mess, and needed fixing. Just like today, our world is a mess and needs fixing

But even greater than the events happening in the world, each one of us, we have a problem, we are a mess

War, pain, oppression, violence - all of those things come out of the hearts of mankind.

We struggle with feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, pride, or judgement. Anger, hatred, fear, and guilt.

We have sin in our lives. Sin is simply missing the mark - it’s an archery term.

If you shot an arrow at a target and missed the bullseye, where it was by 1 cm or by 20 yards, it was considered a “sin”

God, on the other hand, is perfect, He is sinless. We’d say He’s holy.

And because He is holy, nothing that is unholy, or has sinned, can be in His presence.

He wants us to be in His presence, but we can’t.

A part of being perfect includes being perfectly just

So just as a judge couldn’t let a murderer go because he felt bad for the person who committed the crime, God can’t let our sin go unpunished

That punishment is an eternal punishment

But He loves us. He cares for us all. So He sent a Savior to save us not from this world, but from our sin.

The news of that Savior should cause in us great joy

Joy, different and better than happinesses, is something that is assured, it’s something we can hope in

With all of the bad news we are constantly bombarded with, there is definitely not much hope in this world.

A 2022 poll by APM Research Lab stated that 84% of Americans are worried about where our country is headed.

18% of us are extremely hopeful, but the majority of those people place their hope in politics. So in reality, they’re even less hopeful than the rest of us.....

25% of Americans, 1 in 4 people, say that there is nothing that makes them hopeful.

The Brookings Institution even has some research that links the rising rates of premature mortality with a lack of hope

Maybe you’re here tonight and that describes you. You don’t have joy or hope.

You look at the news and you wonder where this world is headed, how can things ever possibly be fixed?

You’re worried about what kind of world your kids or grandkids will grow up in

Or you feel like you’re in a dead-end place in life. Things haven’t gone well at work, or in your marriage

You feel lonely, you feel like an outcast, or unclean like those shepherd did.

Maybe you feel guilt in your heart for things that you’ve said or done to others, and that guilt just eats you up

One of the songs we sang tonight, “O Holy Night” has this phrase that has been stuck in my head for the past few weeks

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new a glorious morn

I’ve really been chewing over that phrase, “a thrill of hope”

I think for us, in a world that is constantly full of bad news and hopelessness, any sort of hope brings us a spark, a thrill. It’s exciting because we don’t see it that often.

This news the shepherds received is good news, it brings great joy for all mankind, it is news that sparks a thrill of hope, because a Savior has come.

He came in the form of a Baby, to a humble couple from a no-name town called Nazareth, who couldn’t find anything more than a cave and a feeding trough to take care of Him as He drew His first breath

That Baby, who wasn’t created that night, but who was God, and chose to come surrender some of His rights as Deity to come live as one of us

The One who would heal the sick, love the brokenhearted, and restore the outcast

The One who, even though He was sinless, would be sentenced to die

The One who would leave behind an empty tomb

The One who would offer forgiveness to each and every one of us, because He took our punishment and traded His life for ours

Lamentations 3:22–24 CSB

22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! 24 I say, “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in him.”

This good news and message of hope presented the shepherds with a choice of how to respond

Verses 15-20

The shepherds had a choice of what to do in response to the good news - ignore it and go on with life as is, or look into it

There was something desirable in that message. A promise of a Savior. Hope for the whole world in the form of a baby.

Instead of ignoring it, or even being amazed by angels that had appeared, it was the message of Jesus that tugged at their hearts

The Bible tells us that we were all created in the image of God, but our sins separates us from Him. Therefore there’s a part of us that’s missing, a hole in our hearts or our souls so to speak that is empty and looking to be filled.

We try and fill that emptiness with so many things - money, work, relationships, self, but none of it every satisfies.

We go to the well of those things time and time again, looking to quench the thirst of our souls, and while we might walk away satisfied in the moment, we get thirsty again, and we have to go back for more and more or look for something different

The shepherds had that emptiness, and they thought maybe this news could finally fix it

So they go to Bethlehem, they find the Baby, and their response?

Their hearts are changed.

The shepherds who looked after lambs were the first to see the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

They were glorifying and praising God, and sharing the news of His birth to anyone who would listen

Zechariah 2:10 NKJV

10 “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord.

This year, I pray that you look at this story with new eyes

That you do more than just head home, watch a Christmas movie, maybe open an early present

But that you would consider the news that you’ve heard, just like the shepherds did

And that you would respond to this message of hope

These shepherds had to put their faith in the message that they heard. So to do we need to put our faith in this message of good tidings

If you’re here tonight and this news is tugging at your heart, much like it did to the shepherds, you’re going to have a chance in a moment to respond.

Close & Pray

References

1 - Klein, Charlotte, “Many Americans are Fleeing the Bad News Cycle”, Vanity Fair, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/07/many-americans-are-fleeing-the-bad-news-cycle, July 12, 2022

2 - Bandura, A. (2006). Toward a psychology of human agency. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1, 164-180.

3 - Ripley, Amanda, “I Stopped Reading the New. Is the Problem Me - or the Product?”, Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/08/how-to-fix-news-media/?utm_source=pocket_mylist, July 8, 2022

4 - Durant, Will, “The Story of Civilization”, Volume III - Caesar and Christ, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1944

5 - Bunson, Matthew, Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire, New York: Facts on File, ISBN 978-0-8160-3182-5, 1994

6- Morris, Leon. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 3. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988.