God Is For Us

God Is For Us In All Things

12.25.21 [Romans 8:31-32] River of Life (Christmas Day)

What now? For Mary and Joseph, it was always one thing after another. First, they had to navigate the unprecedented situation of Mary gestating (Col. 2:9) the fullness of the deity in bodily form. What now? I don’t think there were any books available to Mary that were titled: What to Expect When You’re Expecting The Son of God.

What now? For Mary and Joseph, it was always one thing after another. Joseph had his doubts at first. (Mt. 1:19) Joseph was a man who was faithful to the law and when he discovered that Mary was pregnant assumed that she had been unfaithful to him. (Mt. 1:18) Mary was pledged to be married to him, but they had not yet gotten married, so (Mt. 1:19) Joseph had in mind to divorce her quietly. (Mt. 1:20) But after he had considered this, he had his own visit from an angel. What now? For Mary and Joseph, it was always one thing after another. The angel assured Joseph that Mary was honest and faithful. (Mt. 1:20) What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. What now? (Mt. 1:20) So Joseph…Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. So that’s what he did. (Mt. 1:24-25) He woke up and did exactly as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife. But he didn’t consummate their marriage until she gave birth to Jesus. What now? For Mary and Joseph, it was always one thing after another. It would be saying too much to say the marriage started off on rocky ground. But you have to admit, the whole things was unusual. For Mary and Joseph, it was always one thing after another.

Then, likely late in her third trimester, they had to pick up and leave. What now? One thing after another. Caesar Augustus, either because he wanted his ego stroked or his purse filled, decreed that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This meant that Joseph would have to travel from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he was from David’s line. Caesar didn’t care if Mary went, but she was Joseph’s wife. How could Joseph leave Mary fend for herself? So he brought her along to Bethlehem.

When they arrived, they came to appreciate how big David’s family tree was. Bethlehem lacked the inn-frastructure to provide all these descendants of David a room. What now? One thing after another. Perhaps Mary and Joseph, traveling at a slower pace, arrived later than the rest of those who went to Bethlehem to register. Maybe Joseph didn’t have the coin or the connections to secure lodging for him and his wife. For Mary and Joseph, it was one thing after another.

While they were in Bethlehem without a place to stay, Mary’s water broke. What now? One thing after another. The time had come. So she gave birth to her firstborn, a son, in a stable. What now? One thing after another. If Jesus was treated like any other newborn child—and we have no reason to believe he wasn’t—the umbilical cord was cut, he was washed clean and then rubbed with a combination of salt and a little olive oil. Then Mary (Lk. 2:7) wrapped him up in swaddling cloths—also traditional—perhaps with a few extra layers because he was a little more exposed to the wintry elements in a stable. Then she placed (Lk. 2:7) her firstborn in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. What now? For Mary and Joseph, it was always one thing after another.

Then, it was nightfall. After labor and delivery and washing and swaddling, any new mother covets a good night’s sleep. But that was not to be had. Suddenly complete strangers came looking for her son. They wanted to see the one who had been born to them. What now? One thing after another. It was always one thing after another for Mary and Joseph.

When they took Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem as a 40 day-old infant for his presentation, a complete stranger took Jesus (Lk. 2:28) in his arms and called him (Lk. 2:30) Your salvation. (Lk. 2:34-35) He said this child was destined to cause the rising and falling of many in Israel…And a sword will pierce Mary’s soul, too. What now? One thing after another.

When they returned to Bethlehem, more strangers came to visit them. Wise men from the east came to their house and (Mt. 2:11) bowed down and worshipped their son and present him with precious gifts of (Mt. 2:11) gold, frankincense, and myrrh. What now? One thing after another. It was always one thing after another for Mary and Joseph.

Shortly after that Joseph had another strange dream. (Mt. 2:13) An angel commanded him “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” What now? One thing after another. It was always one thing after another for Mary and Joseph.

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in this kind of one thing after another cycle? Sometimes the challenges, the setbacks, the sadness and the suffering comes in waves. Sometimes, we dread hearing the phone ring, checking our mailboxes or voicemails or email inboxes because we are so weary of what has been happening to us. Sometimes we feel like we’re stuck in a Murphy’s Law experiment. What can go wrong will go wrong. What now? At times, it feels like we have been left to fend for ourselves. Sometimes it feels like the forces and faces that are against us are too much for us. That they will ultimately prevail.

Part of me wishes I could tell you that by being a believer you have an escape from all these troubles. That if you come and worship Christ the newborn King rightly you won’t have to deal with the hassles and hardships.

But Christmas doesn’t insulate you from problems. You can’t pay the bills with wrapping paper. Strategically placed mistletoe won’t fix a marriage that’s on the rocks. Snagging the latest greatest smart phone isn’t going to transform your moody teenager. And eggnog doesn’t have healing powers.

Being a child of God doesn’t mean life is easy, peasy, lemon-squeezey. That’s what the Scriptures tell us. When Paul asks the question: Rom. 8:31 Who can be against us? The answer is not: No one. The answer is: It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if the whole world is against us. Rom. 8:31 God is for us. Just as he was for the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.

Rom. 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Again and again we are reminded that God is acting for us. He is sovereign over every step of our salvation. He is working out everything for our good. Just as he did for Mary and Joseph and Jesus.

If you look carefully, you see God’s guiding hand throughout each of the hurdles Mary, Joseph, and Jesus faced. Mary was likely afraid to have to explain to Joseph what the Angel Gabriel told her. And at first he was not on board. But God blessed Mary with a righteous man, a faithful man, a man who would do what was right—no matter what other people thought. God didn’t just give Mary his own Son, he blessed her with a supportive, protective, and righteous husband. God is for his people and he graciously gives us all we need.

When they went to Bethlehem, it might have seemed like an incredible inconvenience to have to leave home so far along. But God is for his people and graciously guided Caeser’s edict to keep his promises.

When they arrived in Bethlehem it must have been really frustrating to not be able to find a place to stay. But that’s because God wanted the Christ-child to be easy to locate for his shepherds. A babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger is exactly the kind of thing some countryside shepherds could sleuth out in the middle of the night. God is for his people and he graciously gives us all we need.

When they took the 40 day old Jesus to the Temple, it may have been off-putting to have a complete stranger take your firstborn son into his arms. But God was for his people and graciously gives us all we need. He wanted Mary and Joseph to understand, from the get go, what being Christ, the Messiah, the Lord really meant. God sent his Son into this world for us all. For the people of Israel and the Gentiles, too.

When they returned to Bethlehem and the wisemen paid Mary and Jesus a visit, they got their first taste of what Simeon was talking about with Jesus being a light to the Gentiles. But God is for his people and graciously provided a star to guide the wisemen to the exact right location. Along with their worship, they provided lavish gifts. These gifts were valuable and transportable. When Joseph, Mary, and Jesus had to leave immediately, they now had the financial means to make a go of it in Egypt. God is for his people and he graciously gives us all we need.

Of course the most powerful example of that took place in Jerusalem. When God heard the cries of his innocent Son (Mt. 27:46) My God My God why have you forsaken me? And God did nothing for his Son. You were his answer. You were the reason (Rom. 8:31-32) God did not spare his Son. Because God is for us and he graciously gives us all we need.

And we need to be reminded of that this time of year. Because Christmas this year does not eradicate our problems any more than the first Christmas did for Mary and Joseph. Rather Christmas, God becoming flesh is evidence that God is for us all. Caesars may order you around. Herod may hunt you down. But God is for his people in all things. He has proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt in sending his Son. He has validated that for each one of us, day by day, in providing all that we need for body and life. The Almighty God is for us. He has given us his most precious, uncreated Son. He will not neglect the lesser things. Amen.