Christmas Is Over. What Now?

Introduction

Good morning and welcome back!

Hopefully everyone had a good Christmas holiday.

And hopefully, everyone was able to get just a little bit of rest.

This morning though, if you will start turning back to in your Bibles.

If you will recall last week, we looked at the story of the birth of Jesus found in .

And we looked very closely at the Shepherds and their role in the announcement of the birth of Jesus.

This morning we are going to continue with the story, but we are going to look at the part of the story that often gets left out.

And that part is what happens when all the hubbub is over.

When all the hustle and bustle and excitement is over and things start to “get back to normal,” if there is such a thing.

And we need to take a closer look at this because the time after Christmas is often a difficult time for people in general as well.

There is all of the running around and excitement and stress of getting ready for Christmas.

There is always something to do or somewhere to go.

And while it can be very stressful and exhausting, it can also be something that keeps us busy and keeps our minds off of all the issues and problems we face all the other times of the year.

And when it is all over with, we learn very quickly that all of the stress and problems of “normal” everyday life are right there waiting on us.

All of the things that we struggle with are right there.

For some this could cause a great deal of stress and loneliness in itself.

People often sink into a time of depression, fear, and anxiety immediately following the holidays.

And instead of slowing down and recognizing these things that are happening, we tend to bury it and pretend it’s not there and move on to the next big thing.

And the next big thing will be our New Year’s resolutions.

All those things that we are going to change in 2019!

Here for the next few weeks the gym is going to be so packed that you won’t even be able to get into it.

But around February, things will get back to “normal” there as well.

Because sooner or later, everyday life catches up to us.

And that’s okay, because we don’t need to be living our lives in an altered state of reality.

Pretending that things are not happening or that they are not problems are not going to make them go away.

It is just going to make it harder for us to admit that there are things in our lives we need help with.

And makes it harder for God to penetrate into our lives and deal with those issues.

And this morning, we are going to look at the events that happened after Jesus was born.

When things were sort of in that transition period between the birth of Jesus and the normal everyday life that there is even a large gap in Scripture about.

Sort of that time between Christmas and New Year’s for us.

So, if you have found in your Bibles I’d invite you to stand with me.

I will be reading verses 39-40 this morning but we are going to cover verses 21-40.

Luke writes this . . . .

Scripture Focus

Luke 2:39–40 NIV - Anglicised

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Presenting Our All To The Lord (vs 21-24)

It was a nice way to sum things up a bit but nothing to spectacular.

They took Jesus home and he grew up.

It should come as no surprise to us that . . .

Luke 2:40 NIV - Anglicised

40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

But after this there is not too much said about Jesus until his adult life and the beginning of His earthly ministry.

In verses 41-51, there is an account of Jesus when he was 12 years old, when his parents returned to Jerusalem for the Passover and accidently left Jesus there in Jerusalem.

In fact the account goes that they traveled for an entire day before they noticed that Jesus wasn’t with them.

Which tells us that either he was a pretty good kid or his parents were pretty lousy.

When our boys were growing up, we would have known they were missing after about 30 seconds.

Not because we were super stellar parents, but because they would have been doing something to let their presence be known!

But, other than this one account we don’t hear anything else out of Jesus until he is an adult and comes to John the Baptist to be baptized.

So, from a history standpoint, Jesus’ childhood, we can assume was pretty normal and uneventful.

But remember we are talking this morning about that time in between the birth of Jesus and the normal everyday life that comes.

And the first event comes shortly after his birth.

Starting in verse 21, Luke writes . . .

Luke 2:21–24 NIV - Anglicised

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. 22 When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons”.

So a Jewish tradition that is still carried out today, even outside of Judaism.

They don’t wait 8 days now, but the first thing they do is give Jesus a name.

And then Jesus is circumcised and finally he is presented to the Lord (God the Father for those keeping track).

And this presentation to the Lord is similar to what we do when we dedicate a baby to the Lord.

Parents would take their child and present them to the Lord dedicating that child to be brought up and raised in a Godly home and promising to give that child over to whatever work God saw fit.

Which is something that we do not emphasize enough when we essentially do the same thing with baby’s today.

When a person brings a child to be dedicated by the Church, the parents and the Church are agreeing to bring that child up in the ways of the Lord.

Also, when the parents are also agreeing to relinquish that child to God trusting God to open doors to do God’s work in and through that child.

And it is a beautiful thing to present a child that God has given us back to God, but we need to understand what it means that we are doing.

And Mary and Joseph understood this.

They were following all of the proper Jewish traditions, up to even offering a sacrifice.

And their sacrifice is interesting because they offered either a pair of doves or two young pigeons.

Typically, this sacrifice, which was for Mary’s purification after Jesus’ birth would be a lamb without spot or blemish.

However, Mary and Joseph could not afford a lamb so they brought either doves or pigeons, the Bible doesn’t tell us which.

And the significance of this is the fact that on top of everything they had been through just with the birth of Jesus, they had the added pressure of not being particularly wealthy.

In fact, some have even said they were poor.

Encouragement in Times of Fear (vs 25-38)

We don’t know that to be fact, all we can glean from the actual Scripture is that they didn’t have a lot.

And now, we have this young couple, trying to start life out together, who really don’t have a whole lot.

Now, they have a newborn baby to think about and take care of.

And on top of that, they are not even at home, so they have to start thinking about travelling back home.

And for just a minute, all of you with kids, think just for a minute about the day you left the hospital with your first child.

Excited? Sure.

Scared because the support of the nurses would not be there anymore? Sure.

Well, Mary and Joseph had these same fears about travelling home with this newborn baby.

And on top of it, they had the stress of financial hardship on top of it.

It was a great time of joy for them when Jesus was born, but just like we talked about in the beginning, everyday normal life and life’s problems was quickly catching up to them.

And the closer it got the more fear set in.

But then something happened to offer them a bit of encouragement.

Luke 2:25–32 NIV - Anglicised

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

Luke 2:25-

But wait there is more . . .

Luke 2:33–35 NIV - Anglicised

33 The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Luke 2:33-

And Simeon was not alone in is blessing on Mary, Joseph, and Jesus . . .

Luke 2:36–38 NIV - Anglicised

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

And here is the point that I want to make with this.

Sure, they were afraid.

Sure, the newness would eventually wear off and they would have to get back to everyday life.

Sure, things would be difficult at times.

Sure, things would not go perfect for them in life.

But the one thing that they had to fall back on, and so do we is the fact that the Messiah came.

Jesus came and because of His coming, there is hope.

Because of his coming, when all of this Christmas/New Years Hubbub wears off and we get back to everyday life with all of its problems and challenges, we still the same hope that we have always had.

Going Home (vs 39-40)

Altar Call

But the one thing that they had to fall back on, and so do we is the fact that the Messiah came.

Jesus came and because of His coming, there is hope.

Because of his coming, when all of this Christmas/New Years Hubbub wears off and we get back to everyday life with all of its problems and challenges, we still the same hope that we have always had.

And you may be here this morning and you may already have the post-holiday blahs.

You woke up this morning and realized that the Christmas tree has to come down and you have to get back to everyday life.

And you realize that 2019 will be just as hard as 2018.

Well, this morning I want to tell you that it’s okay.

The Jesus that helped you make it through 2018 is the same Jesus that will be here in 2019 and all the days of your life.

So, this morning if you are discouraged, I would ask you to come and lay those burdens on the altar.

If there are things in your life that are causing you fear, come and lay those things down here as well.

Maybe you want 2019 to be different in that you want Jesus in your life in 2019.

If you need to come to Christ, do that this morning.

Maybe you need to come back to Jesus for 2019, you can do that as well.

I am sure the needs are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Rest assured though Jesus can meet that need, if you are willing to come and give it to Jesus.

Are you willing to do that this morning?

It is 100% your choice. Will you do the same thing in 2019 as you have done all the years that have went by?

Or will you give Jesus a try this morning?

The Altar is open, will you come?