Christmas Characters I

Did you have a dream when you were young?

I bet you had a dream. What was it? What did you want to be? A princess, a fireman, a policeman, a nurse, a Dr.? Or were you on the wild side and wanted to be a missionary, a preacher, a zoo keeper?

As a TV commercial several years ago asked us, did you want to grow to middle management?

We dream. We day dream. Your parents had dreams for you. We parents may have even prayed for you to fulfill our dream, (I mean your dream). Parents want children to be healthy, wise, financially secure. Peaceable.

Rarely do we dream our child will be a pacesetter, a trend setter, in the news, on the front of change, a noise maker, a pot stirrer. We rarely pray, God give me a John the Baptist, or a Paul. Healthy, peaceable, wise, financially secure.

As we look at several characters in the New Testament, and their role in the Christ Mass, you might find they had dreams too. They wanted great things for their kids, they had a dream and maybe just maybe, God would make them come true. Maybe their dreams were ruthless, to rule the world; maybe they dreamt their child would grow in a city without tyranny, horror, or maybe their dreams were simple, to please God and perform all the commandments.

I can only imagine the dream of one named Octavius. A child born around 64 BC. He dreamed of conquering the world. And he did. As he grew he became a soldier and a politician, and good at both. His uncle Julius Caesar was assassinated and he left his kingdom to his nephew, Octavius whom Caesar had adopted. He and his closest counterparts set out on a mission to conquer and take back what belonged to Rome. When they had completed it, they divided it. Octavius holding majority share.

John Ortberg, in his book, “When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box” writes this: Cicero said of Octavian when he was just 16 years old; He is a talented young man who should be praised, honored, and eliminated!” Octavius conquered his first city then second. He conquered the enemies that had run over his governors () eliminated his rivals, and eventually his name was changed to Caesar Augustus, or magnificent one. Before you knew it he had an army of 500,000. He had power and he had success. But how do you pay for such a feat as this? How do you feed such an army and keep them working for you? How do you grow an empire that is already 3 million square miles? How do the people remember to fear you?

Well we find the answer in Luke, Matthew…to be taxed. First you get them to register, then you tax them. says and it came to pass in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus ...

He is now about 60 years old. He has his way about everything. He is smart, like a fox. He is political, he is powerful, he is the King of Kings, so say the people. They named him Augustus: or Venerable

He speaks a decree and 1500 miles away, a mother to be and her husband begin to move. They are going to be registered.

But there is this ancient Hebrew prophecy, that says a Messiah will be born in a small town, the town of Bethlehem. But they don’t live there. They only went there because a decree was issues from Caesar Augustus the people’s King of Kings; or was that the reason?

What king is at work here? Who is really calling the shots?

Picture Rome. Wow, brilliant. City, walls, stone work, a palace fit for a king! Picture Bethlehem, a small city, narrow streets, smell of animals. At least one inn, plenty of stables, working people.

Caesar thought, look at all I’ve built, look what i have accomplished, look at me. But where is his kingdom now?

You had a dream, Caesar has a dream. His dream lies in ruins. His hope was the hope of man, temporary, or as Solomon so correctly stated: vanity, all is vanity.

Caesar had a dream to rule the world. But He doesn’t rule the world. He didn’t rule the world. Unbeknownst to him, his actions were the part of a much bigger plan. He was beating his chest and raising his arms, and calling the shots, in providence after providence, region over region, or was he? Could it be, Octavius, Caesar Augustus, the Venerable, was a pawn in a much bigger scheme?

Over in the small part of the kingdom, a very pregnant woman, and a young man were following the rules. They always followed the rules. They obeyed the commands, they worked at loving the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. They were a part of another society within Rome. The Jewish society.

Two very different worlds, very different people, one with an ego so large, others with humble hearts.

We need our egos to survive

Earnest Becker call it the vital lie He states: we don’t want to admit that we are fundamentally dishonest about reality, that we do not control our lives, that we always rely on something that transcends us.” Man will use money, relationships, prestigious job titles, to make him feel he controls what is around him.

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But we are not in control

There is a famous philosopher that has stated this better than I can. His name is Dr. Seuss! Have you read Yertle the Turtle?

Yertle rules over a little pond of turtles. One day he decides his kingdom needs extending and he sends out a decree. I want all turtles stacked up to make me a throne.

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So the turtles come. They obey. They stack. First dozens, then hundreds! Yertle is on top. He can see for miles! But his throne wasn’t as secure as he thought! For at the bottom of the pile there was an obscure, powerless turtle named Mac. That plain little Mac did a plain little thing. He burped! And his burp shook the throne of a king!

Yertle Augustus had a great fall. And all the kings horses and all the kings men, couldn’t put Yertle the turtle back together again.

The scripture tells us “pride comes before the fall.” Men, guard your pride. Be humble. Give credit where credit is due! lift others up. Serve your hearts out! Brag on others. But don’t believe for a second you are in control.

VIP, MVP, PhD, COE, BMOC, you are one hiccup-up, one burp away from a great fall.

Cesar decrees! Yertle decrees! Last, there went out a decree from me!

Make the beds, get your work done, close your work orders, call the customer back, run it my way!

I’m in charge, this is my little kingdom!

Paul on the Damasus road last week. I’m in charge!

Joseph’s brothers

Joseph surrendered to God’s will

Saul did not

He tried to conquer, hold on, fight for his rights

He lost it all. the Spirit of the Lord left him

3. I am not in charge

I am not in charge

Chris and Brad Autry

We were born into someone else’s kingdom. We hang but from a frail thread.

There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s council-that will stand!

Have you told God it is all his and you know it? Have you given Him praise? Have you surrendered to His will and His alone?

God today i surrender my ambitions, my dreams, my money, my relationships, my status, my time to the one true King! The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings!

What does that mean? That means this: I accept reality. It isn’t mine.

I will build bigger barns and store up, and rest

God let me proclaim my stewardship, before it is all taken from me!

Only true surrender opens our hearts to God’s true Blessing

Christmas time is a time of blessing

Christmas is a time to give it all away

Christmas is a time to properly install God on His throne, and worship Him, as King of Kings!

If a grain of wheat remains alone it dies. If it is planted and dies, then it lives.

How will you enter this Christmas season? In charge, it’s my kingdom, I must do, complete, take on, build, conquer? Or, Surrender to serve God, His kingdom, His way? How will you show God your complete surrender and that He alone reigns supreme?

Caesar Augustus-he thought he was pulling the strings. He said, I will issue a decree. All people should go to their town to be registered. And God said, thank you. That’s exactly what you should do.

O little town of Bethlehem, …How silently how silently the wondrous gift is given. So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin where meek soul will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.

179 What Child is This

Away in a manger

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of Heavenly Hosts praising God and saying: Glory to God in the Highest and on earth Peace! Goodwill toward men!

Make the beds, get your work done, close your work orders, call the customer back, run it my way!

I’m in charge, this is my little kingdom!