The Cast of Christmas All of us

Christmas Eve

The Cast of Christmas

The Arrival and Invitation

The story is told of an old gentleman who always traveled to his favorite restaurant in his hometown for his holiday breakfast. He would always have the eggs Benedict. Just before they would bring out his order, he would make a special request. He’d hand over the hubcap from his old Studebaker and say, “Would you mind serving my breakfast to me on this?” The waitress always complied. But one year, she said, “I just have to ask. Why do you always have me serve your eggs Benedict on this hubcap every Christmas morning?” “Well,” he said, “There’s no plate like chrome for the hollandaise.”

I think we could all say, there’s something special about being home with family and friends for the holidays. Being around some traditions you’ve maybe grown up with since you were little. You younger kids here tonight…enjoy this time…you might just look back on it and remember some of the specialness of it.

Christmas eve for kids…wow…when I was younger I remember thinking…yes, this is about Christmas, Jesus birthday…but in the back of my head I was truly thinking about what?....kids? Answers? Presents....

I’m sure some of you are also thinking about what you might be getting…or you might be excited to give that special gift too!

Luke 2:6–7 NIV

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 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.

Jesus’s arrival says so much about who He is and how He operates in our lives. The Gift first presented Himself in a similar way to how He presents Himself to us right now. His parents had left their hometown of Nazareth to be registered for the census, and they couldn’t find a place to stay. It’s a remarkable event if you consider who Jesus is. He is the Almighty One.

John 1:3 (CSB)

All things were created through him...

He has the ability to peel back the heavens, to stop time, immense power and authority. Yet there was no room for Him when He arrived.

The way He was received—thousands of the angels of heaven…and a few shepherds—speaks so much about how we can respond to Him even at this moment. The manner of His arrival reminds us that Jesus doesn’t force Himself upon any of us. He doesn’t make threats, doesn’t beg, doesn’t make a grand display.

Instead, in His arrival that night and in His arrival right now, He offers us all a quiet invitation—a call to be welcomed in and welcomed home in the dark night of our own hearts and homes.

The circumstances of His birth show how people throughout the ages would misunderstand and reject Him. More often, though, people simply wouldn’t have room in their lives and would just ignore the great gift and the great invitation that He offers everyone.

For the last four weeks, our church has been looking at the cast of characters in this amazing arrival and rescue mission.

As we remember each of their responses to Jesus’s arrival, let’s consider our response to the fact that Jesus has arrived right here in this place as well.

Jesus is here right now, wanting to be a greater part of your life or to become part of your life for the first time. In fact, if you’ve never responded to Jesus’s invitation and arrival by giving your life to Him, I will give you an opportunity to do so in just a little while. Perhaps you can already sense He is knocking at the door of your heart.

The prophets, angels, shepherds, and wisemen all had an important part to play in this wonderful arrival. They all responded to Jesus in a unique but wonderful way. Let’s consider their responses to His arrival as we consider how we will respond this Christmas. What part of the cast of Christmas do we play? I think we’ve been offered a part.

Misguided Responses

Before we look at those responses, let’s consider a couple of common responses people have to Christmas today. Many people feel that God is primarily concerned with our behavior. We feel that God is pleased with good people and mad at bad people. Many of us think about being “less bad” than others…and in that sense we’re ok.

As we consider Jesus’s arrival on earth, many of us hope in the idea that we aren’t really bad people. We like to compare…but in reality, up against the holiness of God…we probably more on the “bad” side aren’t we?

Let’s say the planet Mars represents the goodness of the average person. Comparatively, your goodness is quite a bit greater—your goodness is the size of Earth, which according to Space.com is about twice the size of Mars.[1] Well done.

The problem is that, in comparison to us, God’s goodness is closer to the sun. According to experts, you can fit 1.3 million Earths into the sun.[2] You can quickly see that in light of the goodness and holiness of God, the little differences we see between one another aren’t perceptible.

Romans 3:23 CSB

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

This is the holiday where we remember that God took a huge step toward us.

We were in trouble. Although we were created to be with Him, our hearts turned from Him. There was a barrier between us and our Creator that had to be dealt with.

If a couple thousand years of Jewish history teaches us anything, it’s that the answer wasn’t going to be found in our own effort try harder to be better people.

God took a big step toward us by coming to live with us, show the way, and remove the barrier through His death for us. It’s not about being good.......

it’s about being near to God through Jesus! Unto us a child is born.

If you find yourself here with family and friends…and you’re unaccustomed to church stuff…let me say this...

This simple story of Christmas isn’t about this church or even a religion. It’s about relationship with God. Plain and simple.

It’s about love, life, and freedom. If you’re here and you haven’t been sure about this Jesus thing…I would invite you to take a free gift in a bit.

Out in the lobby, we have a table with some Bibles on it, and we’d love for you to take one if you don’t already have a Bible.

Read through the Gospels (Matthew Mark Luke and John)

In fact, reading through those books is a good thing for all of us to do…it gives us a very clear picture of the one we’ve come to celebrate tonight.

This isn’t a question of what church you go to. This is a question of what eternity holds for you. It’s a question of who God is, what God wants, and what your life could mean within the answers to those questions. The stakes are high enough that it’s at least worth taking a serious look.

Like the Prophets

God had been talking about the arrival of this gift for thousands of years before it took place. It’s amazing to think that specific words about Jesus’s birth and death were recorded hundreds and even thousands of years before He was born.

Through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, the prophets knew we needed a Savior, and they spoke of His arival.

We can respond to Jesus this Christmas as the prophets responded to Him. We can eagerly and earnestly look for Him!

The best response we can have is to eagerly look for Him and His grace. The prophets have left us a powerful example. They believed in Him even though they never saw Him—even though He hadn’t yet been born!

We can respond like the prophets who believed that the Messiah would come from God to save us from our sin because we can’t be good enough on our own.

Like the Shepherds

We can also respond like the shepherds. They saw the angels appear before them…sang there before them. Can you imagine that sight....that sound.

Some of you might be wondering…how can I experience Jesus…get to know more about Him…well, you don’t need to be a “good” person, you don’t need special knowledge, or anything like that…Jesus is here for everyone… Not all of us have every experienced something like those shepherds did…but Jesus is still here for us. He arrived for us.

An angel appeared to the shepherds, announcing a Savior had come and that He’s nearby in a stable.

In their curiosity, the shepherds didn’t just stand there pointing at the sky. They said to each other, “Let’s go see this thing that has happened.” Maybe you’re a little curious. Maybe you’re wondering if there is anything in this story for you.

To you, I would say, just respond to Jesus and engage the Christmas story a little more than you have in the past.

Maybe you’ve experienced the beauty and order of the world…but you’ve also seen and experienced the brokenness in it. Maybe even in your own heart.

Allow for the idea that the cross of Jesus is the great intersection of two important truths about God. First, sin keeps us at an arm’s length from God. Second, God’s love provided the way back... through the death of Jesus. He is reaching out to you in love right now.

Romans 2:4 (NIV)

...God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance...

So wherever you are in your walk or your thoughts about God, if you’re curious like the shepherds, I want to encourage you that you can respond by opening your heart to the nativity story...

... and allow in the possibility that the first Christmas was simply God’s expression of love and kindness toward you. God showed that love by sending His Son, Jesus, to make a way for you to have full life…and to be with you forever.

Take a moment to respond to Him right now with what you’re really thinking and feeling about it all. It may just be a simple prayer, where you say, “God, I really do want to know who You are; please start showing me.”

God cares about the pain and brokenness that you’ve seen and felt—and even that you’ve caused. Because He cares about you, about all of us, He took a giant leap toward us all on Christmas when He born as a baby. All He wants in return is for you, for us, to take a step in His direction.

Like the Magi

Some of us are here right now like the Magi who were waiting and watching for God to move on their behalf. When they saw a sign in the stars, at just the right time, they traveled hundreds of miles from the east and said

Matthew 2:2 (NIV)

Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

Like those wisemen, some of us are waiting expectantly for God to move in our lives. With great faith, we’ve come here tonight just as they did to worship Him. They brought gold, spices, and perfume. You may be wondering what gift we can possibly bring in response. I want to encourage you that what you have is enough. The whole reason Jesus came was so that He could be with you. The point of Christmas isn’t really gifts as much as it is connection. God is pleased to just have your heart and your affection and build a relationship with you.

Your response is a gift more precious to God than gold, frankincense, or myrrh. You can bring a wonderful gift by allowing God even more space in your life. Your response is simply to give more of yourself over to Him, to tell Him thank you, and in that thanks to give Him a little more devotion and space in your life. When you do that, He will meet you and give you even more of the abundant life He wants you to have. This is what He wants for you.

A Chance to Respond

We’re going to look at one more response to Jesus’s arrival that we can all make together, no matter who we identify with from the first Christmas. Before we do that, I want to give everyone a chance to respond in your own way to Jesus’s reaching out to you right now.

Dear God, we all pray that no matter where we are in our walk with you, you’d help us to see the enormity of the gift you gave so many years ago. If we’ve received that gift years ago, but we’ve not focused on it much lately, allow this Christmas to be a time when we can rekindle our friendship with you. If we’ve never made a decision for you, help us to make one right now where we’re sitting. Help us to realize that our sin separates us from you and that you want us to simply receive the gift of your son. In His name we pray, Amen....

Now maybe in the time of that short prayer, you made a quick decision to do life differently. Or even, maybe you thought about checking into this story a bit more. Either way, let me know sometime …even this evening…of what happened in your heart right here in the pews tonight.

Like the Angels

Whomever you most identify with in the first Christmas, all of us can close our service like the angels…who sang, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests...

We can wrap up this part of Christmas by carrying our praises out into our Christmas celebrations. Give Him glory in the way you treat one another. Give Him glory in the way you celebrate. Give Him glory in the way you sing. Give Him glory in the way you live.

When we are looking to anything other than Jesus for our fulfillment, we are guaranteed to be disappointed. You can have the experience of a lifetime. You can go to a restaurant on the moon—but you’ll still be disappointed. Have you heard, by the way, about the restaurant on the moon? The food is terrific, but there’s no atmosphere. See, even that disappoints. There is nothing better than Jesus. There is no other who deserves our praise!

Wherever the simple and remarkable story of Christmas finds you, I am so glad and thankful that you decided to share its remembrance with us. I’m so honored that at this special, holy time, you chose to be here. Now that it’s finally here, I pray that your Christmas is calm, quiet, and full—and that it brings you one step closer to the One who came to be with us so that we can be with Him forever.

Let’s close with a prayer, a song, and candlelight....that helps us remember that God wants to shine through us. We’re part of the cast of Christmas. We shine so others might see His love and His light…most importantly…His gift of His own son…all because He loves us so much.

Father, we declare Christ has come. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests. For the light now shines in the darkness, and darkness has not overcome it. We want to respond to Your arrival by drawing closer to You. Please don’t stop drawing near to us until You are our everything. Praise You for coming to rescue us…what an incredible gift, and praise You for coming to rescue us today. We glorify You, and we love You. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen.