Christmas Gifts

Luke The Historian

Good Morning - Now - has anyone had an opportunity to open any of their presents so far today?

(Ask about presents)

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. God amongst us. The greatest present humanity has ever received. However, i can imagine you’re sat there right now thinking “A baby sounds like a pretty rubbish present”. Harder to play with than X, and possibly not on all of your christmas lists.

However - this baby was special.

Today’s reading is in a book of the Bible written by a man named Luke. And Luke wants us to know all of the facts about Jesus’ time. He tells us that he lays down the history of Jesus in such a way that ‘we can be certain in all the things we have been taught’.

So he begins with telling us about a census. A census means that the people in charge want to know how many people are living in their lands - primarily so they can get them to pay their taxes. The Romans loved a census, and would have them fairly regularly.

And in verse 4 notice that Luke wants us to understand that the reason Joseph has to go back to Bethlehem is that this was were Joseph’s Ancestors (his great, great, great, great grandfather) came from. And Joseph’s Ancestory was kind of a big deal. You can read about him in lots of books of the Old Testament, but particularly in the book of Samuel if you want to look him up. David was a great king, and many Jewish people thought he would be the one who put them back in charge of their Lands.

However, David wasn’t that person. He made the mistakes that all humans make. He got tempted to do naughty things, and say naughty things, and eventually after he died his kingdom fell apart.

Yet, in our Old Testament reading from the book of Isaiah, we heard that ‘the throne of David’ will be established and upheld. We heard that a child will be born, and all the rulers of the world will come under him.

Luke wants us to know that the family of David will rule. God keeps his promuses, and that promise comes true that day. And what’s really incredible, is that the book of Isaiah was probably written down about 750 years before Jesus was born.

Imagine if the Magna Carta said “And in 2022 X will be born.” Imagine if Robin hood had stopped and said “and in in 2022 Aaron, Meryl and Hannah will win The Traitors”. We’d spend 750 years wondering what on earth that meant right?

In that guest room, the baby is born that has been promised by God since the moment Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. Has anyone here seen the film “The Santa Clause” with Tim Allen? For those that haven’t, there’s a father in that film who doesn’t believe in Santa, because he asked for a tin whistle every year as a child, and never got it. He thought Santa didn’t keep his promise, so he gave him up. We don’t need to be like that father.

Luke wants us to know that this Baby, that’s the promise that David’s throne will be established. It’s the promise that God’s kingdom has come to earth. It’s the gift we were told we were getting, arrived exactly as promised.

Think of that for a moment. Consider what it is to have a God who is looking after every moment of your life. A God who cares so much that he talks to us through his word, that he tells us what is coming, and what choices take us closer or further from him. I think that’s the first reason why Jesus is the greatest Christmas gift ever - he’s exactly what we needed, and exactly what we were told we were getting.

Now, Luke wasn’t just a historian for the sake of it. Luke wanted us to know that Jesus doesn’t come to save the richest, or the most powerful people. Luke’s book is full of the reminder that Jesus comes for the poor, the lonely, the forgotten, the children, the outsider.

In the world that Jesus was born into, Shepherds were outcasts. It was a job you took if you couldn’t be in the city anymore because you’d made poor decisions and it was dangerous for you. It was a job you were given if you owed someone money and they wanted you to work it off.

It was a job that was overlooked, underpaid and essential. I’m not going to go any further with that, but i’m sure one or two professions come to mind from the news of late.

Luke wants us to know that the first people who are told about Jesus are those shepherds. Look to verse 11. Jesus came specifically for them.

If, perhaps, you are feeling overlooked or forgotten, if the world has told you that you are not worth what you think you are, or that you deserve to be overlooked. Our reading today reminds us that is rubbish. You are made in the image of God, you are worthy, you are loved - and most importantly, this Christmas Gift is for you.

So why is Jesus the greatest Christmas gift ever?

He’s exactly the gift we needed, and was given to us exactly as was promised

He’s the only gift we can be given that’s specifically for every single one of us. It’s the perfect gift because it’s given for you.

And finally, look to the message of verse 14. Their are infinite reasons why Christ is the best gift ever, but verse 14 shows us the third one i want to speak of today.

“on Earth peace to those on whom his favour rests”.

That Old Testament verse didn’t just tell us Jesus was coming (and is one of hundreds of verses that make that promise in the Old Testament books), but it tells us who he will be.

Wonderful Counsellor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Each of these titles shows us something of Jesus.

You see, there is darkness in the world - what the Bible calls Sin. It can tempt us, it can lead us to those poor choices. It can, at it’s worst, make us feel hopeless. and we can’t beat it by ourselves.

But ff we accept him as Lord, then he will work in our lives - he will mediate between us as a Wonderful Counselor. If Sin were simply something that was caused by humans then we could work our way out if it by making good choices. But that’s not enough - we need a gift. God gives us something we call ‘Grace’, through his Son Jesus, that we can know how to avoid Sin. He is a wonderful Counselor.

Secondly, he is Mighty God. We said already David failed, because we can’t defeat Sin by ourselves. Only God can avoid it completely - and so his second title reminds us that he is Sinless, and that he is mighty - nothing can defeat him, nothing can fell him, nothing can get in his way.

Thirdly he is everlasting - Since before creation itself God prepared to send himself to defeat Sin - the words of Isaiah can be trusted because, as Luke tells us, we can have confidence because these things have happened. The promise of Isaiah is shown to us in Luke. And God hasn’t stopped working - he’s everlasting. The promise of Christ to save us from Sin is evident all around us, right now.?

And finally, he is the prince of Peace. Today, we celebrate that we can have ‘Peace beyond all understanding’. Only when we invite Jesus into our lives, when we have relationship with him, can we know genuine peace. He can quiten the storm in our hearts, he can command the worries of our lives to be still. We can bring him all of our worries and our anxieties and our Might God will be the Prince of Peace in our lives.

He’s exactly the gift we needed, and was given to us exactly as was promised

He’s the only gift we can be given that’s specifically for every single one of us. It’s the perfect gift because it’s given for you.

He’s the gift we received without even being able to ask for him ourselves, and all he asks is that we follow him.

So this Christmas, as we open other presents, let’s remember the greatest gift of all. And if you’re in a place where you’re struggling with your faith, or you haven’t come to know Jesus yet - then perhaps this Christmas we can be asking ourselves ‘Do we want that Peace in our lives, that passes all understanding?”

And so I finish with the immortal words of Mrs Dolly Parton, who as so often says it so much better than i ever could.

Just before I go to sleep I hear a church bell ring Merry Christmas everyone Is the song it sings So I say a silent prayer For creatures great and small Peace on Earth, good will to men Is the greatest gift of all

Peace on Earth, good will to men Is the greatest gift of all