God's First Homecoming

As we begin our service tonight, I want to begin with a question. And I want you to answer this question honestly. You don’t have to answer out loud, but I do want you to take note of your answer. In other words, I want you to write down, or take a mental note of what pops into you mind, when I ask the question.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Christmas?

Now I think for most of us, and this is certainly true for me, when we think of Christmas the first thing that pops into our minds is home and family. Christmas conjures up those magically childhood memories of racing down the stairs on Christmas mornings. Or as we get older, it brings up the memories of our Children’s excitement as Christmas day approaches. It brings back memories of having everybody under the same roof as we decorate the tree, or we prepare the holiday meal. For most of us Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year” as the famous song says.

And there is a word that is used to describe these sentimental feelings that we feel around Christmas time, and the word is nostalgia. What is nostalgia? Here is a definition from chat GPT

Nostalgia is the warm, emotional feeling you get when you remember something from the past—often something meaningful, comforting, or joyful.

It goes to say that Nostalgia is:

It’s that mix of:

Fondness: (“Those were good days.”)

Longing: (“I wish I could go back.”)

Emotion: (A tug on the heart)

Simply put, we might say nostalgia is “memory wrapped in affection. And here is a point I want to make about nostalgia.

You see, Nostalgia can be a good thing when it reminds us of God blessings in the past. But it can also be a trap if it keeps us from seeing what God is doing in the present and in the future. For many people, and maybe for many of us here, nostalgia keeps us trapped in the past. In other words, it puts us in this “Longing” category. It puts us in the mind set of “I wish I could go back” or “those were the good old days”. So, the point I want to make tonight is that Christmas shouldn’t keep us trapped in the past. Of course, there is nothing wrong with having fond memories of the past. But don’t get trapped there. Christmas should give us an amazing hope and excitement for the future.

Here is the point. This Christmas when we think of home and family we need to think beyond just our blood relatives.

Christmas is about the steps God took to make us part of His family.

We need to understand that Christmas is about the steps God took to make us part of His family.

Do you realize that when a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life that they become a part of God’s family. Let me put it this way. When a person believes in Jesus Christ they become a child of God. Listen to what the Apostle John writes in the first chapter of His Gospel.

John 1:12 NKJV

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

John says, as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God. Isn’t that just amazing. When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ, we become children of God. And I want to be extremely clear on how we receive the Lord Jesus Christ, because John is very clear. He explains how a person receives the Lord Jesus Christ. He says to receive Christ means to “believe in HIs name”.

Again, every person who believes in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ is born into God’s family. So, when we celebrate Christmas this year. Let us be filled with all those happy family memories. Let us remember the good times, let us cherish those precious moments with our loved ones, but let us also rejoice because we now belong to the family of God, Amen. Let us rejoice because God took on flesh, to become our kinsmen redeemer. Let’s us rejoice that God plans to spend eternity together with His family here on earth.

Let us remember as we celebrate birth or our Lord, that on that very first Christmas day in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ came home. We need to remember that before the world was created and before there was anything in the universe except God, that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit planned to create a race of people called men. He planned to put men on a tiny little planet called Earth. And here is the most amazing part of His plan. God planned to live with men on earth forever and forever. In other words, God plans to live forever with His children. God Himself will dwell with His family for all of eternity. And this is what Christmas should bring to our minds.

You see, Christmas is a celebration of God’s first homecoming which will ultimately result in God’s second homecoming. And both of these homecomings will eventually result in God dwelling with His family here on earth. This is what the book of Revelation tells us. Listen to what John writes in chapter 21.

Revelation 21:2–3 NKJV

2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

This is what we celebrate as we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate that we are apart of God’s family. We celebrate the miraculous birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is nothing less than God coming home to the place where He will dwell forever. You see, on that very first Christmas, Jesus Christ joined the family of humanity so that as many as believe in Him can become a part of God’s eternal family.

So, yes Christmas is an occasion for us to spend time together as a family. Yes, Christmas is a time to cherish memories, and yes Christmas is a time for nostalgia. But Christmas is also a time of hope. Christmas is a time of excitement. Christmas is a time of eager expectation as we await the Lord’s second homecoming when He will establish an eternal kingdom for His family.

And here is something else I want you to realize about being in God’s family. And this is so amazing it is hard to believe. Not only do we become children of God by faith, but do you know what else? When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ He becomes our brother!

Listen to what the author of Hebrews says.

Hebrews 2:11 NKJV

11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Did you catch the last part of this verse? It says that Jesus, the Lord of all glory, is not ashamed to call us brothers. You see, the Bible tells us that once we believe (once we are saved) God has planned for us to be like His son. His plan is for His children to become like the firstborn, which is His only begotten Son Jesus. God’s plan for His children is to transform them into the image of their older Brother. This is where the Christmas story is leading.

Who can imagine this type of love? God Himself steps into creation and took on flesh so they we might become His siblings. Christ was born into humanity so that we could be born again into God’s family. Oh the marvelous grace of God. Yes, Christmas is about family. Not its not just about our blood relatives. It is about being apart of God’s family. Christmas is athestory of the lengths God went to, to save His family.

So, as we celebrate Christmas this season. As we spend time with family around the tree. As we create memories and remember with fondness “the good old days”. Let us also remember our older Brother. Let us remember Jesus Christ, “the Firstborn among many brethren”.

Church don’t get trapped in the past, but get excited for what Christmas is leading to in the future.

Ok, I have a few minutes left here, and I want to spend that time studying the first few verses of Luke Chapter 2. But before we turn our attention to our text. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.

There are two characteristics that stood out to me as I studied the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. These two characteristics are humility and submission.

Luke 2:1–3 NKJV

1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Luke 2:4–5 NKJV

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

Here on this very first Christmas, we see the parents of Jesus traveling miles. How many miles? Somewhere between 80 and 90 miles. That is approximately 34 hours of walking. One source I read said the journey probably took 4 to 7 days of travel given the terrain and Mary’s condition.

Joseph and Mary traveled all this way to submit to Roman authority. You see, the Romans wanted to have all these families counted so that they could pay taxes. Think about this for a second. God’s parents are in submission to an earthly authority. God’s parents have to come all the way to Bethlehem so they could be registered to pay taxes. This is how Jesus story begins. It begins with His poor humble parents submitting to Roman authority, and getting registered to pay taxes. You see, we don’t often think about this, but Jesus perfectly submitted to Roman authority. Jesus never broke the Law of Moses, and Jesus never broke a Roman law either.

Here is my point. What does your life look like? Is submission one of the outstanding characteristics of your life? Because let’s be honest. Submission is not exactly a subject we like to talk about it. In fact, I think the idea is heavily frowned upon. Whether we are talking about children submitting to parents, wives to husbands, or people to the government. Submission is a sore subject. But, let us remember what our older Brother looked like. You see, if you search the pages of your Bible you will see the image of your elder Brother. And when you see His image you will unmistakably see the features of submission: submission to God the Father, submission to earthly authority, submission to the needs of mankind. Submission to your needs and mine. Church, let us look to the model of our older Brother.

And moving on to verse 6 we read,

Luke 2:6–7 NKJV

6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Here is the second characteristic that stands out about the birth of our Lord. Humility. Mary and Joseph come all this way in subjection to Roman authority, and when they get there Mary goes into labor. She goes into labor and there is no where for them to stay because there was no room for them in the inn. This begs the question. Where did they stay?

Because of most of the nativity scenes we see today, we often think Jesus was born in a stable, but I’m not sure that was the case. I think it is more likely that Jesus was born in a cave behind the inn. This would be where shepherds kept their livestock. And in that cave there was a feeding trough. That is what a manger is. Their was a feeding trough that became a make shift crib for the Creator of the universe.

I don’t know if you’ve ever spent time on a farm or around livestock, but it doesn’t get any dirtier than the ground around a feeding trough. In my mind, I cannot think of a more humble place to be born than in a manger. You see, we can never escape the overwhelming impression of the lowliness and humility of Jesus Christ. If there was ever a child in the history of the world who deserved to be born amid the gorgeous surroundings of a royal palace, this was the Child. If there was ever a child who should have entered the world with trumpets, fanfare, and the applause of nations, This was Child.

And yet—He came in silence. He came in obscurity. He came in humility.

The King of glory chose a manger. The Lord of heaven chose the lowest place.

My prayer is that this Christmas season you will look past the nostalgia. My prayer is that you won’t spend all your time longing for moments that have already come and gone. My prayer is that you lift your eyes to your older Brother—the One who came in humility, who stepped into our world, who took on our flesh, who entered the lowest place so He could raise us to the highest.

He came not to stir up sentimental memories, but to create a new family. He came not to remind us of the past, but to transform our present. He came not simply to be admired, but to be imitated.

So as you celebrate His birth, ask yourself:

Do you look like your Elder Brother?

Is your life marked by the same humility, the same submission, the same willingness to take the lowest place for the glory of God?

May this Christmas not just warm your heart— may it reshape your life to resemble His.

Let’s pray.