12.19.21 Sunday Worship
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In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
I love the Christmas season because it forces me to be reminded again of the depth of Christ’s condescension for a rebel like me.
The depth is infinite because my sin is infinite. And his righteousness is infinite because his value is infinite.
What a striking scene Luke captures with his pen. It’s filled with irony and theological beauty. There is Mary, the mother of Jesus, wrapping up the second person of the Trinity in swaddling clothes.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Son of God became the son of a virgin. The Creator comes to dwell among his creation.
The one who swaddled the stars with darkness (Job 38:9) is now clothed in cloth as a baby. Christ, the Lord God, becomes a man and dwells among us (John 1:14).
We cannot stare long at the manger before it begins to change. Informed by the rest of Scripture, we begin to see the looming shadow of the cross emerge upon it. Jesus was born to die (Matt. 1:21).
We see the baby here, swaddled in rags, but in due time he will be clothed in the rags of my demerit, my sin (Is. 64:6; 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Cor. 5:21).
He did this so that we could be vested with his infinite merit (Rom. 4:4-5; 5:1; 2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus who was wrapped in the garments of humility dresses his children in the merits of his righteousness.
This Jesus will, by his perfect obedience, earn the everlasting righteousness that will be credited to people like me and you.
I have tagged this morning’s text Christmas in the Key of C. The key of C is the most common used key in music compositions and this morning’s truth’s are common and begin with the letter C. No new truths only more serious reflection on what we already know.
CHRISTMAS REMINDS ME THAT GOD CONTROLS EVERYTHING.
CHRISTMAS REMINDS ME THAT GOD CONTROLS EVERYTHING.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
God is more interested in declaring than explaining.
He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt
and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
CHRISTMAS REMINDS ME THAT GOD COMPLETES HIS PROMISES.
CHRISTMAS REMINDS ME THAT GOD COMPLETES HIS PROMISES.
And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
It stands to reason that God would abandon us because of our constant sin, but if that was a reason for Him to leave us, then there never was a reason for Him to have been drawn to us… If He was came to us when we were aliens and hostile in mind, how could He abandon those whom He now calls His children?
CHRISTMAS REVEALS THAT CHRISTIANITY IS CHALLENGING.
CHRISTMAS REVEALS THAT CHRISTIANITY IS CHALLENGING.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
How long would it have taken to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem? People could perhaps travel about twenty miles a day. However, given Mary’s late stage of pregnancy, that number would have been much less, perhaps around ten miles a day. This means their journey likely took place over a ten-day period.
The hazards were many. Wild animals, bandits, desert robbers—all these and more factored into the nature of the trip. The valley of the Jordan river was a forested refuge for lions, bears and wild boar. Archeologists have uncovered signs warning travelers of these kinds of dangers.
Our faith is not meant to get us out of a hard place or change our painful condition. Rather, it is meant to reveal God’s faithfulness to us in the midst of our dire situation.
CHRISTMAS REINFORCES CHRIST CLAIM.
CHRISTMAS REINFORCES CHRIST CLAIM.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Anyone can experience Christmas
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Anyone can explain Christmas
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew’s gospel begins by telling us that Jesus is Immanuel “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) and closes with Immanuel reassuring us of who he is when he says “I’m with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
In an article in Fortune magazine, David Whitford wrote of the shocking discovery prior to his father's death that his dad had amassed a six-figure debt on high-interest credit cards.
There had been clues that his father was having financial problems, but when Whitford had tried to talk about it his father immediately changed the subject. “At one point,” Whitford writes, “he put his hands over his ears and made a humming noise.”
Yet two days after his father's death, Whitford found these words scrawled on his father's desk: “Help me. I'm drowning.”
Whitford's story illustrates a tragic reality. There is little we can do for those who refuse our help.
Our command is to explain salvation; their experience of salvation is Christ work.