The King Is Coming

Prayer

Conspiracy Theories

Like a lot of other people, I’m fascinated by conspiracy theories

idea that there’s some nefarious plot going on behind the scenes, something bigger but unseen that’s really driving the events

Mind you, I tend to be super skeptical when it comes to conspiracies, but I am fascinated by them. Clearly, I’m not the only one - start going through the list of conspiracy theories, it gets long quickly.

UFO’s and whether the government is hiding information that they truly exist (Area 51)

Jeffrey Epstein - did he die of suicide - or was it murder made to look like suicide, someone trying to cover their connections with him

Conspiracy theory about New Coke - remember when that came out? Some think that was an intentional marketing effort, putting out a product they knew would fail in order to drum up interest in classic Coke.

One of the most commonly cited conspiracy theories has to be the John F. Kennedy assassination. One person estimated that there have been over 1,000 books written on JFK’s murder, and at least 90% of them support a conspiratorial view (it was CIA, Mafia, CIA & Mafia, KGB, LBJ was in on it).

We haven’t even started talking about Illuminati, Freemasons, disappearance of Malaysian air flight 370, vaccines and chips being inserted, 9/11 attacks as an inside job. Whew!

Let me add one more to the mix - the conspiracy that it is the granddaddy of them all, and what our Advent sermon series is all about…The Christmas Conspiracy. This one I’m not just fascinated by, I’m a believer.

Here’s what I want to suggest - that the Christian story is one great Conspiracy, and no where else is that as obvious as in the events of the birth of Jesus, the Christmas story.

That there’s something far bigger and far greater going on here - and very few people have any idea. They don’t see it. There’s a conspiracy going on, as Dallas Willard describes it, a divine conspiracy.

He says one of the problems with the Christian story (the Christmas story) is that we’re so familiar with it. Overfamiliarity breeds unfamiliarity - that we actually miss the significance of what’s happening here because it’s so familiar to us. Too commonplace (yeah, I’ve heard that story). That leads to contempt. We dismiss it. One of my seminary professors used to call this inoculation. We’ve been inoculated against the Gospel - we think we know what it is, but we really don’t. Whatever it is that we think we know - that’s what we reject.

But over the season of Advent, I want to invite you to look at the Christmas story with new eyes. I want you to join the great conspiracy. To be one of those kooks who actually believes it’s true - and lives their life based on what they believe (that’s the real test)

This is really our main point this morning - are you in? Will you join the Christmas Conspiracy?

To talk about this great Divine Conspiracy - begin where we normally end (Christmas Eve), story in Luke 2.

Pick up in the middle of story, Joseph and Mary have traveled to Bethlehem, Joseph’s ancestral home, being from the tribe of Judah, in order to be counted in Roman census. While there, Mary gives birth to Jesus. We’ll pick it up there: Luke 2:8-15.

I want you to enter into story with me, to get a sense of what’s really happening here. Starts with these shepherds, working the night shift, taking care of their sheep on the outskirts of Bethlehem.

I’m not sure what your impression of shepherding is, but it was not a glamorous job. Kind of on the low end of working class.

It’s just another night on job, watching sheep, making sure they don’t wander away, guarding against any predators who might want lamb for dinner.

In midst of all this, an angel appears.

Now most of the time, when angels appear in Bible, they appear as human. In story of Abraham and Sarah when the angels come to tell them about the pending birth of Isaac, they appear as three men. Story of Sodom and Gomorrah, angels appear as two men. This is such a common tactic, which is why in Hebrews 13:2 we’re warned: Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

But not this time. It’s immediately obvious that it’s an angel. No disguise going on. The Bible tells us that the glory of God shone around them - the shepherds as the angel delivers his message. The shepherds find themselves immersed in majesty and splendor of God. Something big is going on here.

They’re freaked out. They’re not just scared, they are terrified.

This angel comes as a messenger. He makes an announcement that’s actually a common one, one we still make today - a birth announcement.

Right near by, in city of David, a boy has been born. He’s wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Now, your parents might have thought you should have gotten an angelic announcement and God’s glory shining brightly when you were born, but you didn’t. But this child does, because this is no ordinary child. This birth announcement is no ordinary announcement. Listen to description. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.

Here’s where the conspiracy really starts to kick in - remember, this news isn’t just so the shepherds can go celebrate with Joseph and Mary over the birth of their new baby boy. The angel tells them that this is good news of great joy for all the people. A Savior has been born to you. He is the Savior. The rescuer.

And He is the Messiah. Messiah and Christ mean the same thing, Messiah is Hebrew word, Christ the Greek word. They both mean the Anointed One. It’s a reference to King. Kings were anointed ones. He is the King. This baby is Savior. He is the King.

And he is the Lord. The Master, the boss. Savior. King. Lord. Good news of great joy for all the people. Born to you.

Do you see how conspiratorial this is? This is a huge announcement. The True King has been born. The one who is Lord of all is right there in Bethlehem, lying in a manger.

He’s only true king if he’s in charge. If he reigns. He’s coming to take over. To establish his reign.

Type of news you would think would be blasted everywhere - messengers going to all towns throughout Israel - certainly to the big city, the capital, Jerusalem, blasting their horns, listen up everybody! You would think there’d be parties in the streets, people celebrating, dancing, impromptu parades.

But there’s not. None of that. The announcement comes in the middle of night to a group of virtual nobodies, shepherds out in the middle of a field with a bunch of sheep who probably just kept right on eating away at their grass.

But heaven is in on it. Here’s another clue to how big, how conspiratorial this all is - right after the angelic announcement, an angel army shows up.

Normally, the multitude of angels that appear is portrayed as an angelic choir - this is the way we tend to imagine them, sky filled with angels, wings spread out, singing in beautiful harmonious praise of God (Glooooooooria in excelsis deo…)

But if we pay close attention to the text, that’s not what it says. It describes angels as a great company of the heavenly host. Host was a military term. It’s describing them as an angel army.

And they are not singing their praises of God, they are speaking them. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When we encounter angels in the Bible, we see them either as messengers (as in first angel) or as guards, protecting. Warriors ready to fight. That’s what we have here.

When angel armies appear, it’s in readiness to battle. In 2 Kings 6, the Aramean king surrounds the city of Dothan with his army of horses and chariots and infantry in order to get Elisha the prophet. Elisha’s servant is freaking out. But Elisha tells him not to be afraid and prays that the Lord would open his eyes. God does, and servant sees what Elisha did - the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. An angel army to protect them.

There’s the great angel army fighting alongside Michael against Satan and his angels in Revelation 12 (and winning).

Here we have this great show of force, a company of angel warriors coming to bear witness to this event that’s happening here on earth. Look at the contrast - virtually all of earth has no clue what’s happening, oblivious - and yet all of heaven is rejoicing at what God is doing.

As far as heaven is concerned, this is the biggest news ever, the True King, the Savior, has come. He is Christ the Lord.

This is the Christmas Conspiracy: on a quiet night in a small corner of the world, in this nobody nation, near a backwater town, lying in an animal feeding trough, is the Savior of the World. The True King, come to reign over heaven and earth. Christ the Lord.

And only a handful of people are even aware (young couple and some shepherds and a few foreigner wise men staring at the night sky). It is the greatest conspiracy ever. And it’s still happening.

Here’s Key Question. Are you in? Are you a true believer? A fellow conspirator? Have you joined the conspiracy?

To be a Christian is to be a part of the conspiracy. To affirm and live out the fact that there is a greater reality at play here, and only a few see and recognize it. That God’s Kingdom is right here among you now - and way into Kingdom is through this baby boy born in a manger that virtually no one knows about.

This was everything Jesus did in his life (and what his death and resurrection were all about) - inviting others into the reality of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom that was already right there, among them, and that they could enter into that Kingdom through him.

Why Jesus would proclaim - the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe.

Whole purpose was that we could enter into life that is truly life. That our ordinary human existence - wouldn’t matter if you are a shepherd working night shift or you work in retail or you sit in front of a computer screen all day - that our lives can be infused with divine life and power and love. That we can experience glory of the eternal God in us (glory that shone around shepherds)

Remember, this is big, big enough that an angel army comes to see birth of the one who’s going to make it all possible.

C.S. Lewis put it this way: The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.

Here’s where we have to be careful - because familiarity of story can make us dismiss it. But it’s such an unbelievable claim - it was back then. You asked anyone - high priests have all power. Romans are in charge - they have power, huge trained armies. That was claim - Caesar is Lord!

But this angel is telling this small band of shepherds out in their fields - no, he’s not far from here, lying in manger. He’s the Lord. He’s one that will save you. That’s true King.

Even as adult - Jesus came from tiny little town, Nazareth, worked as a laborer until he was 30, had no credentials, no academic degrees, no family ties or connections. He spent most of his time traveling in rural areas of Israel. His followers were fishermen and tax collectors.

Yet he went around to these towns and villages - I am the Way and the Life and the Truth. No one comes to the Father except through me. I am the Resurrection and the Life, The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Those are insane claims!

No less a conspiracy today. I would venture that most people today consider God to be pretty irrelevant to their lives. They may believe that he exists, but on a day-to-day basis, don’t see need for him. Because they’re convinced life and power and significance and happiness are found somewhere else. Wherever we look, that’s what has become our god.

Heard a promotion for a TV special called Forever Young: Searching for the Fountain of Youth.

Politics are so contentious - because we’re convinced that the right political party in power will make everything right, we have power to govern our way to good life (why we get so worried about rising power in China or Russia or wherever else)

Money. Or my life passion. Just a nice quiet life doing things I enjoy.

Christmas Conspiracy - all this is found in Jesus.

Spiritual Disciplines - How much do we live out our day-to-day lives being conscious of reality of the Kingdom of God?

Heed the wisdom of the shepherds: Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about.

Go see this thing. Look at it. Investigate.

Advent discipline (devotional) - reread the Gospel narratives, reaction to Jesus.

Attention to God, his presence, the reality of Kingdom

Huston Smith - Just as science has found the power of the sun itself to be locked in the atom, so religion proclaims the glory of the eternal to be reflected in the simplest elements of time: a leaf, a door, an unturned stone.

Smith’s point is this: sheer amount of energy found within a single atom, that’s power that fuels our sun, nuclear fusion, atoms of simple elements combining to form heavier elements, difference in mass is energy released. All that power in simple atom.

We proclaim glory of God, his eternal glory is found in simplest elements of time…a leaf, door, unturned stone.

Dallas Willard adds, in the complex as well - galaxies, music, mathematics, and persons.

All that to say - signs of the Conspiracy all around us. The life and power and glory of God all around us - if we have eyes to see it.

Shel Silverstein: The Giving Tree - all that trees provide for us. Contemplating trees - how they grow, renewable, all products they provide for us (paper, lumber, firewood), some trees provide fruits, maple syrup, medicines…shade…their beauty throughout the different seasons…animal habitats...

Take time to sit and look and reflect...

Let Me Finish with this final thought

The Christmas Conspiracy: I am one in whom Christ dwells and I live in the unshakeable Kingdom of God.