For ALL People

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:1-20 (NIV)

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to 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. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

TENSION.

Followers of Jesus who come from the tradition of the monks and the Catholic tradition do something really interesting where they name common temptations that people face as they mature in their faith. Have you ever heard of the 7 deadly sins? The Catholic tradition of naming common sins is where that comes from.

One of the 7 deadly sins is called the sin of sloth, which can also be called laziness. But "lazy" doesn't really capture what the sin that it names means. The old word for it is "acedia." Acedia can mean a few things: boredom, or restlessness. But it can also be translated "inattentiveness."

As we've been going through this Christmas series, I've found that as a person who has been a follower of Jesus for a long time, which means as a person who has celebrated Christmas for a long time, I have been tempted with the sin of inattentiveness to the Christmas story. I'm tempted to become bored with it. To become restless and want to talk about or hear about something else.

But what I'm finding my way back to that I want to invite all of us back to, is verse 10. The angel told the shepherds that the Christmas story would be good news for "all people." So, what's the good news about Christmas for Christians?

TRUTH:

The good news is not just that Jesus came to earth to save us. Although that is very good news. The good news is ALSO that He who came to save us is coming back again.

• The details will be different, but the big idea is the same

• In the Christmas story, God sent His Son, Jesus to come to earth to save us - every Christmas we look back and remember that.

• But for Christians, Christmas each year is not just something to look back on, but gives us something to look forward to, because Jesus is coming again.

The last thing that God says in Scripture in Revelation 22:20 is,

"20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

I am ashamed to say that I have fallen into the temptation of acedia. I've sinned as I often forget that Jesus is coming again. And I've had to repent and come back to remembering that one day soon, Jesus is coming back and I want to be expectant and ready for His arrival. I want to get the people around me expectant and ready for His arrival too. And even though I have good intentions, I have allowed myself to get distracted from that.

RESPONSE:

Maybe you have too. And that's why I want to have a moment to practice communion together so that we can reconnect with our expectation and preparation for Jesus' coming.

Now if communion is new to you or maybe you don’t understand what’s going on when we break out the grape juice and crackers at church, that’s ok! It’s really simple. Communion is a physical symbol that is meant to be a reminder of our spiritual reality. It's something that we do that helps us not to forget.

The bread (or cracker) represents Jesus' body. And that’s meant to remind us of the pain and suffering that Jesus went through for us on the cross. And the juice represents his blood. That’s meant to remind us that we have been forgiven, that because of Jesus we have a fresh slate.

Now let me give a couple of caveats. Communion is only meant for people who have said yes to Jesus and have a relationship with him. And that makes sense if you think about it, because the whole thing is about remembering something that happened previously and reminding us to forward to what's coming. But if you don't follow Jesus and haven't had a moment where you accepted the gift that He's given you, then there isn’t anything to remember yet, and so when we take communion in a moment, don't participate. Go with your group, but don't take the bread or drink the juice. And by the way, if you're in your group and you don't participate, that's respectful, not embarrassing. It means you're still thinking this through and you want to respect how important this practice is by waiting until you know you're ready for it.

And, if you’ve never heard the story of Jesus and you’d like to hear more about what he did for you and how you can have a relationship with him, ask your leader! We would love to introduce you to Jesus. We would love to tell you the story of how much he loves you and show you how to begin a relationship with Him.

So all that being said, I want you to circle up with your groups somewhere in the room. Your leader is going to lead you through practicing communion together, and then we're going to come back and finish in worship. So right now, find your group, and let's remember and look ahead together.