Jesus

 Mary & Joseph left Nazareth, 1,200' above sea level. To get to Bethlehem, they walk 8+ hrs. / day for 90 miles in winter's dusty cold. 70 mi. later, at Jericho, they've descended to 800' below sea level. But from Jericho, the 15 miles to Jerusalem is a hard, steep 3,600' climb. The last 5 miles to Bethlehem aren't hard. But after the 1st 85 miles, they're spent. And poor Mary is 9 months pregnant! Finally, they reach a relative's house in Bethlehem. Upstairs are two bedrooms. One is a guest room. But with everyone coming home to register, it's already full. And that's when Mary finds out. Joseph didn't tell anyone they were coming! No reservations! They'll have to sleep downstairs <slide> with the animals. And that's when Silent Night began. Let's look at Lk 2:1-20, the real story. 1aIn those days Caesar Augustus (Octavian) ruled all the inhabited earth. He's a great-nephew of Julius Caesar. A born fighter, he clawed his way to power by thrashing Mark Antony & Cleopatra. By genius & force, he founded Pax Romana. Peace-or else! He brutally beat every foe into submission to keep a peace that lasted centuries. He was the 1st Caesar titled 'Augustus.' 'Holy,' 'Revered.' Till him, only gods got the title. Now, he's so powerful people gave it to him. Some Asian Greek cities call him 'savior' & make his 9/23 birthday their new year's day. Archeologists found an inscription calling him 'savior of the world.' When he died, many comforted themselves that he's 'a god, & gods don't die.' This world's ruler is a self-proclaimed, widely accepted god & savior. To fund his ambitions, he squeezes taxes out of everyone. Even tiny towns at his empire's ends . That 1bAugustus issued a decree. 1cTake census of the entire Roman world. Register everyone for taxes. 2(It's the 1st census while Quirinius was Syria's governor.) 3Everyone went to his hometown to register. 4Joseph went up from Nazareth, Galilee, to Bethlehem, Judea, David's hometown. Why? He belongs to David's house & line. It's his hometown. 5He went there to register with Mary, betrothed to him & expecting a child. Wearily, they arrive at a relative's house. Just in 6time for the baby to be born.. Urgently, they need a room. But 7bthere's no upper room for them. They'll stay downstairs. She's only 13-14yo, & at 1st doesn't recognize her labor pains. Pain erases doubt, she tells Joseph, crying. Giving birth to God's son isn't supposed to be this way! Joseph goes to find a midwife. As he hunts in vain, he cries too, from shame. Her pain, the animal stink, their poverty, people's indifference, their utter helplessness... He sobs in shame. He can't even provide for Mary in her labor! As she labors, the Lord, God's Son, our Creator rises from His glory. He pauses at the universe's edge & dives thru the galaxies. Past the Milky Way. Finally, He plunges into Earth's atmosphere. In Joseph's absence, Mary keeps looking to God for help as she labors. Her pain mutes the stink of sweat, blood, manure, & stale straw. Beneath her, cold, hard ground. Around her? Suffocating odors. Animals huddled for warmth. God's Son chooses that moment to enter the world He created. Born into poverty. The Creator, one of His creatures. The Lord once asked Job, "Where were you when I laid earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand..." (Job 38:4, 9). This is incarnation's wonder. The omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God becomes a baby! All so He can live perfectly for 30 years, then offer his life to pay for our sin. Before Joseph can return, 7aMary gives birth to her 1stborn, a son. To keep Him warm, 7bShe swaddles him in cloths. The only crib? She 7cplaces him in a manger. Meanwhile, 8ashepherds are living out in the fields nearby. As usual, they're 8bkeeping watch over their flocks at night. But tonight, it's different. As they huddle close to a fire, 9aan angel of the Lord appears. In His mercy, God held back the rest. For even one angel, 9b they're terrified as the Lord's shekinah glory suddenly shines around them. It's as if the sun explodes in the sky above. In fear, the shepherds fall face down. 10aThe angel speaks. "Don't be afraid. Easy for him to say! Not so easy to do when God's glory bursts into the dark night sky! 10bI bring you good news of great joy. At this, shepherds look up. The good news came 1st to people despised by good, respectable Jews. But the news isn't just for them. 10cIt'll be for all the people. All. Everyone, everywhere. 11aToday in David's town (Bethlehem) a Savior is born to you. A Savior! In Bethlehem? Not far away. Who is He? 11bHe's Christ the Lord. Christ-the Messiah! 12aThis will be a sign to you. By now, they're listening excitedly. 12aYou'll find a baby wrapped in cloths & lying in a manger." All moms swaddle their newborns to keep them warm. But no mom ever puts her newborn in a feeding trough. Shepherds will know when they see. 13aSuddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel. How many? Literally, a multitude. Countless numbers. All of them? I think so. Heaven's brilliant light turns the dark night into brilliant daylight Angels are arrayed from one horizon to the other. Jesus' birth is the most amazing thing ever to happen in the universe. History's climax. The angels all 13bpraise God. Singing. 14"Glory to God in the highest. On earth, peace to men on whom his favor rests." Not peace to everyone. God's favor rests on all who will accept His son. They have peace with God. From horizon to horizon, singing & brilliant light entrances the shepherds. Before the shepherds were ready, 15aThe angels left & went back into heaven. 15bThey said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem & see this thing the Lord told us about." That night, outcast shepherds care enough to go check it out. Gentile magi care enough to set out for a year's journey to come check it out. But all Judea? Maybe they saw the light. Maybe a few heard the singing. But none cared enough to go see. Only these outcast shepherds. 16They hurry off. Bethlehem is small. Not many houses to search. When they find the one, they head in to the common area for animals. There, they found Mary & Joseph, & the baby, lying in the manger. I think they worshipped. Why? Look what happens. They witness to others. 17When they've seen him, they spread the word about what they were told about baby Jesus. 18All who hear are amazed at what the shepherds keep saying. In part, they're amazed at the news. But mainly, who's speaking. Shepherds are outcasts & know it. Yet here they are.. Do the people go see Him? No. If they had, Luke would've told us. 19aBut Mary treasures up all these things that happened. 19bShe keeps pondering them in her heart. Soon, 20the shepherds return to their flocks. The people's lack of response may have discouraged them. But as they return, they keep glorifying & praising God for all they've heard & seen. It's just as they've been told. What can we learn from this story? To begin, there's a cost for being in the center of God's will. Mary & Joseph were godly people. Picked to raise His Son. But look at all they endured. Will it be easier for us? Nope. But the reward will make it all worthwhile. 2nd, who can even remember Caesar Augustus' real name? Most powerful man in the world. But if he wasn't mentioned in Baby Jesus' story, would we know anything about him? Not likely. And that brings us to the 3rd point. What does real power look like? The wealthiest, most powerful emperor in his world? Fanboys reporting his every move? Fawning sycophants, following everywhere? Or a helpless baby, born into poverty? Ignored by everyone & later crucified by His subjects? And that brings us to the impossible. God sent an angel to tell Mary & Joseph something impossible would happen. Mary's a virgin, but she'll give birth to a Son. It happened. Later, God sent an angel to tell shepherds about something highly improbable, & just where to go look. A mother put her baby in a manger. That's all they were told. But they went. The lesson? God may tell us something that looks impossible. Or improbable. The lesson? Believe it. It'll happen. Lastly, & maybe most important, look at all that Jesus chose to endure for us. He did it all sinlessly. All so He could offer His body to be tortured & killed. For you. For me. For all of us. If that isn't the best Christmas gift ever, I don't know what is. There's just one thing. With any gift, we have to unwrap it. I invite you to unwrap His gift again this morning. Let's accept Jesus anew as both Savior & Lord. Let's take Him into our hearts. He is the gift of Christmas. Jesus - Luke 2:1-20 Page 1 of 1