An unexpected gift (2)

Hi everyone! How are you? Merry Christmas!

How did you go with presents this year?

· 9pm: did you manage to find some good presents? Or did you go the old gift voucher?

· 9am: who’s opened their presents already? Were you happy with what you got?

Every year I think, this time I’ll be organised. This time put some effort in and get everyone really thoughtful gifts. And every year it gets to about the 21st and I panic and think – argh there’s no time!

I hate Christmas shopping. I hate shopping at the best of times – I remember a few years ago I was shopping in Sydney and I got lost trying to find the exit to the car park. Seriously, Warringah mall is a nightmare. I walked round and round and round.

I do like the idea of gifts though. Surprising someone with a good gift is a great feeling. I reckon the perfect gift is one that the person didn’t know they wanted, but when they get it they realise they always needed it.

You know like, it’s like wow I had no idea a fidget spinner would be so life transforming but there it is!

What kind of gift would you want to receive from God?

· My family to be happy and healthy

· No more pain

· World peace?

· A true friend?

At Christmas time we give gifts because we’re celebrating the fact that God gave us gift – the perfect gift. But as we see in our reading in Luke 2:1-14, like all the best gifts, God’s gift catches us by surprise.

God’s gift in an unexpected place

See, God’s gift turns up in very a strange location, hidden and out of the way.

I’ve got a friend who is colour blind. And one year, at Easter, her Dad decided to wind her up by placing a bunch of red Easter eggs on the lawn. Think about that for a second.

Explain

Hiding gifts is not really a Christmas tradition, but maybe it should be because God’s gift to us at Christmas time was kind of hidden away, it turned up in a very out of the way place.

God sends his angel to Nazareth. Which is like saying that God sent his angel to Comebychance or Lithgow (sorry if you’re from there!). Nazareth is a town out the back of whoop-whoop. It’s a hick town. A hole.

And the angel goes to a poor teenage girl named Mary, pledged to be married to a guy named Joseph Davidson (he’s of the house of David you see), and the angel says, you are blessed because you’ve found favour with God. But this girl is so poor, so powerless over her situation that she ends having to travel in late 3rd trimester, ends up giving birth in a stable, and has to lay her newborn boy in a feeding trough.

If I asked the average person on the street, who do you reckon God favours I reckon some would say rich people – they’re obviously favoured by God just look at all the stuff he’s given them. We also talk about winning the genetic lottery – you know there’s those people who are good looking, they never seem to age, they’re always healthy. God’s obviously been good to them. Or what about powerful people? God’s allowed them to rise through the ranks, have control not just over their own lives, but over yours and mine too.

But that’s not what we see here. God tells Mary, this nobody from nowhere, you are highly favoured. But there’s none of the usual signs that we think fit with being #blessed. A poor teenage girl in a rural town in a traditional society, about to get pregnant outside of marriage? Sure, that’s a recipe for a blessed life! And yet, God’s blessing shows up where we don’t expect it.

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Now I look around the room and I see a lovely bunch of people. Some of you may be very important. But not all of us. Some of us are ordinary. We’re not the great ones. We won’t appear in history books. People don’t think we’ve won life’s lottery. Maybe sometimes we feel like no one even notices us.

But what we see all throughout the bible, and especially in the events of Christmas is that God shows his favour to the nobodies, to ordinary, everyday, insignificant people, to teenage girls from hick towns and to you and me.

Transition

But what kind of gift is God giving us at Christmas time? Is this a gift we would actually want?

God’s gift in an unexpected form

Illustrate

These days, giving presents is risky. I was listening to the radio the other day and people were ringing in with their bad present stories. You know, the kind of gifts where you think, wow, it would’ve been better if you’d got me nothing. This gift is actually negative, in fact its offensive. For example, one person received a book on how to clean your house. From their spouse! Another woman rang in to say she’d been given dieting powder.

What kind of gift is God giving anyway?

In the next few verses, Luke tells us a bit more.

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Luke 2:8–14 NRSV

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 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: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth 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 heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

Explain

Whatever this gift is, it’s the kind of thing that can bring joy to all people. Now shepherds were very working class, they were the bottom of the rung. But we know from the rest of the gospels that people from every walk of life were drawn to Jesus.

It’s hard to find someone that appeals to everyone isn’t it? It feels like were more and more divided these days. But the angels promise that Jesus - the saviour will be good news of great joy to all people. But why?

Is it just that babies are cute and royal babies even cuter?

It’d be a mistake if our mental image of Jesus is always of that baby. Because the point is that Jesus’ was to grow up and take the throne of the universe.

Jesus is not like royalty like King Charles who doesn’t have any real power. Jesus was born to be Son of the Most High – this is a term from the OT meaning, God’s chosen world leader. He was born to bring peace and security and freedom and blessing to all. Anyone in his kingdom will experience what life is truly meant to be.

But it’s hard for us to trust our leaders isn’t it? It’s hard not to be sceptical of anyone claiming to have all the answers.

Who really wants a king these days anyway?

Is this announcement of a new king a kind of threat - like Kim Jong Un’s birthday celebrations - you will be joyful! Or else!

Illustrate

We’re reaching that time of the year where all the news programs are starting to do those year in review packages – you know where they recap what’s happened, all the major stories for the year. I was watching the other night and it’s not been a great year has it?

War in Ukraine

War in Israel and Gaza

Flooding in FNQ

Drought in Africa

The hottest year on record

AI making jobs redudant

I think at one point the producers realised it was getting too heavy so they tried to put in some good news. They said, oh yeah Australia’s doing well in the cricket.

Things are a mess. The world is hurting. And that’s just the big news stories.

How’s this year been for you? Maybe has been especially difficult. Maybe this Christmas will be the first without that dearly loved family member. Maybe this year has just been exhausting and you need a break!

Which world leader can possibly tackle all that? Global catastrophies and personal tragedies? Which world leader can bring joy to all people?

Christmas reminds us that God knows that our world is hurting. He knows it first hand.

Jesus is born to be king, but he doesn’t put his feet in a palace.

He gets a blue collar job, walks the dusty streets, mixes with the plebs, sleeps rough, goes around touching lepers, sits down to eat with prostitutes and notorious conmen and cheats.

He knows what its like to live in this world. He learns it first hand. And at the same time teaches us who God is.

But even more than that, Jesus is born to die. God enters our world to give up his life, so that we could share his. That is what Christmas is all about, God’s gift of himself.

Conclusion

I asked you at the start what it would look like for God to favour you?

God wants to know you, and you to know him.

God is THE great gift giver. He knows exactly what you and I need because he made us, and he made us to be together.

The question is, is Jesus your king? Have you actually opened the present God gave you? Do you know him? Or are you just eyeing the box?

Like any present, it’s no good leaving it wrapped up under the tree. You gotta actually open it. You’ve got to meet Jesus, see what he’s about, and accept him as your king. But when you do, you’ll realise he’s exactly what you needed.