Christmas Wrappings

Luke 2:8-14 - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Christmas Wrappings Doug Partin, The Christian Church, 12/20/2020 Most of us participate in the tradition of exchanging gifts at Christmas time. We may not like the commercialism that it has produced, but there are a lot of us celebrating, and it would be nice if there were even more us. So we do have an economic impact because of our gift giving, and we don't want to give up this part of our Christmas celebration; the Magi, after all, showed up with gifts, right? And wasn't the Christ child, Himself, God's gift to the world? And besides, giving and receiving gifts is a love language, and as God's children that should be our native language, sort of like deception and lies is Satan's native language. If you are wondering, the other four aspects of our love language according to Gary Chapman are "Words of affirmation," "Quality time," "Acts of service," and "Physical touch." And you are probably good at receiving and understanding these expressions of love as well, even if you're not completely fluent in speaking them yet, but you'll get there. We use all five of them, even if one of them might be your primary means of expressing and feeling loved. However, some people still believe that giving and receiving gifts at Christmas is purely secular and materialistic, and we need to get rid of it. They say that our gift giving is the reason that the meaning of the season gets lost in all of the wrapping paper that gets scattered around on Christmas morn, but I don't believe that this is necessarily true at all. Let's take a look at gift giving by considering an exchange of gifts between a husband and wife during some other time of the year. By doing so, you will see that these gifts, although they never made it under a tree, communicate love. Some gifts, little knickknacks, will even take on sentimental value, and just seeing them later on, even if they are covered in dust, will take you back to the reason it was originally given and received, and it will fill you with love all over again. These gifts do so in the same sort of way that wedding rings work. It is not about how big the diamond, or how pure the gold, a nylon band can express and symbolize the same depth of love. It is about the intent, the meaning of why it was given and how it was received. And it stands as a constant reminder, a symbol of that love. Let's say John sees a candy bar in the store that he hasn't had since he was a little kid. Maybe a "Cherry Mash" or a "Zagnut." There are many fond memories attached to this candy for John, and just seeing it brings those memories to the surface, and he mentions it to his wife. A week later, Jane surprises John when she comes home from the store with one of those candy bars. The other groceries she purchased that day were much more important, and cost a lot more. But that cheap, little candy bar is what made John feel loved in that moment. Not only because of the past memories associated with it, but because his wife had gone out of her way to give it to him, as an expression of her love. It didn't hang around collecting dust. It is only when our selfishness or our poor self-worth gets involved that expressions of love are rejected. The gift and not the reason it was given becomes the focal point. In some cases, it might not have been given out of love in the first place. Marci used to work as the book keeper in a flower shop, and on Valentine's day there was a line of men trying to get a bouquet of flowers because, if they didn't come home with them, their wives would kill them. She has told me several times that I had better not ever give her flowers because I feel like I have to. Its not that she doesn't like flowers, but she wants them to be an expression of love. But let's move on in our consideration of giving gifts at Christmas time. I want you to meet tiny Tim, who is afraid to acknowledge that he feels loved when he receives a present. He doesn't want to be seen as greedy or materialistic, but he just can't help himself. He, like the rest of us, was created to be loved in this way. I think that God made us this way, so we could express His love to others, and experience His love when it is given to us. Tim, with wide-eyed wonder inspects every Christmas present under the tree. They are discerning eyes - He is looking, and asking himself, "Are any of them for me?" And when he discovers that some are, then he begins to wonder, "Do they contain what I was hoping for?" We all have a list of things that we would like, regardless of whether we've been naughty or nice; even if what we desire was the result of a slick marketing campaign. No one would ever give a chia pet as an expression of love unless some marketer had convinced us that it was be the perfect way to do so. But we are gullible in that way, so Tim might be hoping for a Lego set. Still, they are cautious eyes - "Would what I want fit in that size box?" So, begins the investigation, "Does it make the right sound when I shake it?" "Does it have the right weight to it?" "Would anyone even give me such a gift? Did I deserve it?" But they are also patient eyes - I only have 5 more days to wait until Christmas. I can wait, it won't be easy, I'm so excited, but I can do it. Every parent wants their child to feel loved, which is why they put so much time into trying to get the right gift. They get them, like God, not because their children deserve it, but because they love them. Of course, as I've already said, the problem with gift giving is the possibility of running into unmet expectations or disappointments. Or comparing what you got to what your brother or sister received. So, it can cause problems. But, I hope, at the heart of every present given and received this Christmas is the desire to love and be loved, and that this language of love is being spoken in every home. For love is what makes this the most wonderful time of the year. Each year, we celebrate the God of love who keeps on giving what we need and long for. At times, we become His hands and feet, and His voice expressing His love to a world in need; and other times, we are the ones receiving His mercy. It is nice to be in the shoes of the Good Samaritan, but we are often the person who was beaten up and left for dead and in need. With this in mind, I want you to consider the ancient shepherds who were watching their sheep by night in the fields in the same region where Mary and Joseph found a stable where she would give birth, and a manger where she would lay her baby after swaddling it, not only because there was no room for them at the Inn. But because God was fulfilling His promises exactly as He had revealed them. God was loving us. Shepherds may have been among the outcasts of that ancient society. Considered so untrustworthy and easy to bribe that their testimony was not even permitted in their courts. But the good among them knew how to love on their sheep so well that they became the model of what their own governmental leaders were supposed to be doing for the people, being their shepherds and not just the authority figures above them making demands. It was Jesus who would one day compare Himself to to a good shepherd. Seeking the lost, caring for the sick, saving them. And it was King David who compared the Lord to a good shepherd in Psalm 23. But on that night when the angel came to them in the fields, they were more like sheep than shepherds. They were among those hoping that their heavenly Good Shepherd might do something for them. Something beyond taking care of their basic needs of bread and drink and clothing. They longed for an expression of love that would break through the hold of sin in their lives, and in their society. It is hard to imagine the sort of anticipation that these shepherds, not to mention the rest of Israel, experienced as they waited for God to keep His promises. Given the political upheavals, the threat of war, the oppression of religious legalism, and the social divisions based on faith, race, health and wealth. The very fabric of their society seemed to be unraveling. While their expectations of what God might do to bring them relief might not have lined up with what God was planning to do, they still clung to the promises God had made to them. And they hoped. What promises? The promises of Deliverance, Forgiveness, Restitution, Protection, and Peace, just to name a few. Thinking about it, don't we hold on to similar promises from God? I've always had a love-hate relationship with those little books listing "God's precious promises." I love them because God has made some amazing promises, but hate them because a lot of the verses that get used as "proof" of the promises are often taken out of context. I found one list online that provided 3000 promises, another one, more to my liking provided one promise for each book of the Bible; but probably the most popular list is the "Twelve Promises" that originally appeared in the devotion guide, "Our daily bread," and it is supposed to be read on January first. They are: 1. God's presence- "I will never leave you" (Heb. 13:5) 2. God's protection- "I am your shield" (Gen. 15:1) 3. God's power- "I will strengthen you" (Isa. 41:10) 4. God's provision- "I will help you" (Isa. 41:10) 5. God's leading- "And when He sends forth His own sheep, He goes before them" (John 10:4) 6. God's purposes- "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil" (Jer. 20:11) 7. God's rest- "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28) 8. God's cleansing- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9) 9. God's goodness- "No good thing will He withhold from them that work uprightly" (Psalm 84:11) 10. God's faithfulness- "The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake" (1 Sam. 12:22) 11. God's guidance- "The meek will He guide" (Psalm 25:9) 12. God's wise plan- "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28) But God's big promise to Israel was to be their God, and make them His people. He would accomplish this by restoring them, enlarging them, establishing justice and peace among them, and pouring out His Holy Spirit upon them; and as a result they would bring about a blessing to all nations. ... but, these shepherds would have also been wondering as they wandered with their sheep, would God's promises be for them? They who were outcasts and for good reason? They who had been disappointed by men who claimed to be the one God had sent, but they secured no salvation, forgave no sin, and offered no help. All they did was led lead rebellions that ushered in more oppression. So, life trudged along grinding away at their very souls. It was to these shepherds, who hoped against hope, that the angel came that night, unwrapping God's promise of a Savior. What was once a mystery (how, when, where) was made known to them. The night shift, with its dark hours, was illuminated with the glory of the Lord. And the shepherds... were afraid. Who wouldn't be in their situation? They were unworthy to be in God's presence, and had been told that it would be His judgement that would be unleashed upon them next time He came. But the first words out of the angel's mouth was "Do not be afraid." What comforting words those must have been. Don't be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy for everyone. Not just the rich and powerful. Not just for the ones doing well. But for the poor, the grieving, the imprisoned, the victims, the hungry and thirsty, the restless, the persecuted, the sick, the lame, the blind, and the lost. They whose only hope for something better in life was in the Lord alone. Hope is an interesting thing. When reason and experience and emotion inform us that there is no way things will change for the better, we can still hope they will. We can believe in miracles. And that is what these shepherds did, they hoped for something better. God's promise to send a savior, the long-expected Messiah, the Lord, they were told, had been kept that day. It was no dream, no vision, no trick of the mind. They were told that an actual baby had been born. A baby who was Christ the Lord. They could see Him with their own eyes, handle Him with their own hands, this Word of life. And they were told exactly where they could go to find this sign from God that His promise had been kept. Then what to their wondering eyes should appear ... but a heavenly host of angels filling the night sky and praising God. You've probably heard quite a few renditions of their praise. The Greek is quite simple, but it doesn't come across easily into English. So, its expressed slightly different in various English translations. Their praise spoke of three places: heaven, earth, and people; and three things that would happen in each place: glory, peace and goodwill. When you put it all together we have: In heaven, glory to God; on earth, peace; among people, goodwill. God was accomplishing it all by giving the gift of His one and only son, that whoever should believe in Him might become His child, and He their God, and they will live together in love forever. I hope that you unwrap, again, God's love. Prayer: Thank you for the gift of your Son whose mercy has been unwrapped, may we receive His Salvation. Amen.