Written by: Mark Leadbeater - Church Army
Luke 2 v 1-3
At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order that all people in the countries
under Roman rule must list their names in a register. This was the first registration;
it was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to their own
towns to be registered.
Notes
The last Saturday before Christmas. What will you be doing today? Rushing round
to get the last bits of shopping done? Trying to get ready so that your Christmas
will be exactly how you want it to be?
Joseph had no such luxury. A foreign governor ordered a census and everyone had to obey. Whatever Joseph had planned, he had to drop it and travel with his future wife to his home town in order to give his name and be counted.
Christmas is the hardest bit of the year to organise. There are people to see, presents to buy, dinners to cook and decorating to do. Modern society seems to put pressure on us to get everything as planned and perfect as possible. Christmas shopping starts earlier every year. Television bombards us with images of wonderfully decorated houses stacked high with presents.
Whilst a lot of the Christmas paraphernalia can be fun, for many Christmas is a very stressful time. Like Quirinius’ census, it places huge and seemingly inescapable burdens on people. If we let those burdens get on top of us, we can end up spending all our energies on the trimmings of Christmas and end up missing the really important things.
What are the really important things? You are probably going to have to decide that for yourself; everyone will have different priorities. But I think that two are universal. Make sure that you have some significant quality time with God - if you don’t, then the season will lose too much meaning. And make sure that you spend some quiet, quality time with yourself. Get out and have a break and don’t let yourself get too overwhelmed.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help this Christmas to centre on you. As we celebrate your coming
into the world in human form, come into my life in new ways and help me to recognise
those new ways in the midst of the pressure and busyness of the Christmas festivities.
Amen
Luke 2 v 4-7
So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem
in Judea, known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from
the family of David. Joseph registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and
who was now pregnant. While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to
have the baby, and she gave birth to her first son. Because there were no rooms
left in the inn, she wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid him in a
box where animals are fed.
Notes
I’ve preached at a number of Christmas services and one of the things that I
often feel the need to emphasise is the hardship and difficulty that Mary and
Joseph must have suffered. They had the long journey, the trudge around the
town looking for accommodation, the birth of their baby and the nights spent
in that stable with the animals.
But when I read this short section, the first thing that struck me was the simplicity of the story. They go, have a baby, wrap him up and put him in a manger and that’s it. They don’t say anything, they aren’t described as tired, dirty or upset. Everything simply happens.
The greatest event in the history of the world takes place and Luke describes it in less than fifty words. The King of the Universe is born in a stable and Luke makes it sound almost everyday. Jesus just arrives.
Maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised at this. Maybe the most natural thing that ever happened was the King of the Universe arriving in his kingdom. Maybe Jesus’ arrival was more like a sigh of relief than a crash of cymbals. Of course these days were hard for Mary and Joseph, and for baby Jesus. But maybe Luke sat at his desk, pen in hand, and finally decided on these simple sentences. God came home. Simple.
Jesus belongs in the world. He makes it, fills it, is it. Jesus belongs in our lives. He makes them, fills them, is them. There doesn’t need to be fanfare. It’s the most natural, simplest thing possible.
Prayer
Jesus, take your natural place at the centre of my heart, my life and my world.
Slip in quietly and fill my world. Amen
Luke 2 v 8-9
That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. Then
an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around
them, and they became very frightened.
Notes
Previously I wrote about the quiet way that Jesus slipped into the world. He
might have arrived quietly, but as soon as he’s here, his arrival is announced
with a bang. His place on earth might be entirely natural but that doesn’t stop
the world celebrating.
Jesus might be hidden away in a stable but the world says “party”. What more fitting guests could there be at the birthday party of the Stable King than shepherds. At this time, shepherds were one of society’s lowest groups of people. Homeless hill dwellers whose lives revolved entirely around their flocks are suddenly confronted by heaven’s excitement as the angel, God’s messenger, arrives.
There’s a lovely contrast in this story. Jesus is born in the simplest of surroundings. His birth is announced to the simplest of people. The angel comes surrounded by the very glory of God that has quietly filled the stable in the town. Humanity falls down in fear at the sight of that glory. In one place, God’s glory is accompanied by quiet simplicity. In another, by terror.
Jesus quietly arrives. The ripples spread out across the world and the impact sinks in. God’s glory, revealed in Jesus, turns the world upside-down and humanity falls down on its knees in absolute fear.
Jesus’ arrival is something to be rejoiced about and something to be feared. Jesus isn’t coming here to make things all happy, but to put things right. When those shepherds see the glory of the Lord shining around the angel they know that nothing is ever going to be the same for them again. We need to read on to find out if they run in fear from the challenges of that impending change, or whether they step forward and embrace God’s glory for themselves.
Prayer
Give me a glimpse of your glory, Lord Jesus. Let me know some of the fear of
seeing you face to face. Then give me the courage to step forward into that
glory and have my life turned upside-down by your love. Amen
Luke 2 v 10-12
The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that
will be a great joy to all the people. Today your Saviour was born in the town
of David. He is Christ, the Lord. This is how you will know him: you will find
a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.”
Notes
If you had great news that you wanted to communicate to the whole world, how
would you go about it? You might try to get the ear of some important celebrity.
Once you’ve convinced them, then they could go on television and tell thousands
of people what they’ve heard from you. Everyone would hear your news, and you
might hope that tens of thousands of people would respond to the voice of your
celebrity and embrace your message. That’s why so many adverts have a famous
person in them. Carol Vordeman sells loans; Michael Winner tells us he insures
his car with a certain company; Linda Barker assures us we can buy a washing
machine cheaper in one place than all the others.
But what do we really think of those adverts? Powerful and moving? Unconvincing and cheesy are more like it!
Which adverts would we describe as powerful? They are actually the ones that star real people describing the real effects that a particular thing has had on their lives. The adverts showing the work of aid charities in developing countries can have a huge impact. They show real people benefiting from the work of the charity. Real people, real effects. God got it right. Find a celebrity to announce his message and he runs the risk of a seriously unconvincing and cheesy Jesus. Get real people sharing how this event has changed their lives and he ends up with a powerful message.
So the message of the Saviour of the World comes first to real, simple people. They will see the Christ in that feeding box and their lives will be changed. Then they will tell others and slowly, getting ever faster, the message will spread, changing more and more lives as it goes.
Prayer
Father God, help me share how you have changed my life. Show me the differences
you have made, inspire me with words to say and give me courage to speak out.
Amen
Luke 2 v 13-14
Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel, praising
God and saying:
“Give glory to God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace among the people
who please God.”
Notes
From the simplicity of the stable where Jesus, Mary and Joseph are staying,
through the quiet peace of the mountainside and the shepherd’s flocks and the
arrival of the first angel, we move to the climactic finale of this little scene.
A huge crowd of angels arrive, praising God. Heaven explodes with joy at the
arrival of the King of the Universe on earth.
From their song we can begin to see the universal effect of Jesus’ reign on earth. Heaven rejoices, praising and giving glory to God. Peace fills the world, at least amongst those who please God. Everything is filled with God’s presence.
It seems a bit unfair, though. Why can’t we party as well? Why do we have to be peaceful?
I don’t think that the angels mean “peace” in the sense of “tranquility”. After all, we know that Jesus’ life was far from tranquil. The “peace” that the angels are promoting is about assuredness of purpose, of God’s presence, of God’s salvation. No longer need anyone fear separation from God. No longer need anyone feel unloved or unlovable. No longer need anyone even fear death.
That is true peace, not a quiet life but rather knowledge that God is there with us, through everything. When we share the peace in church, we are not just saying, “Have a nice week!”, but, “Know how close God is to you, know the depth of his love and his care for you!” That is what real peace is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, teach me what your true peace means. As I learn,
help me to be a symbol of that peace to all I meet. Amen
Luke 2 v 15-16
When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to each
other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s see this thing that has happened which
the Lord has told us about.”
So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was
lying in a feeding box.
Notes
After the angel announces the birth of Jesus, the shepherds decide to go and
see the baby. There is an important pattern demonstrated here. First we decide,
then we go, and then we see.
Our whole lives are journeys towards God, following this pattern. We need to decide that we want to become followers of Jesus. Then we need to begin that journey, modelling our lives on Jesus’ example and trying to do what we think he wants us to do. Then we will see Jesus.
That doesn’t mean we see Jesus only at the end of our life’s journey. The shepherds set off quickly and find Jesus. That is only the start of their next bit of the journey. The journey to the stable might be over but the journey of life goes on. Decide, go, and see. These three steps repeat over and over, day after day, possibly even minute by minute. We constantly face the decision whether or not to follow Jesus in any one circumstance. If we do decide to follow him, we then have to carry that decision out. But if we do, at the end we will see where Jesus was acting in the situation and what difference following him made.
After we decide to follow Jesus, how do we know what he wants us to do? For major life decisions, we probably need to spend a lot of time in prayer and consultation with mature Christian advisers. But for the everyday things, read the Bible, get a feel for the kind of person Jesus was, and then go with the heart. A lot of it is about listening carefully to what’s going on and using a bit of common sense, trusting that Jesus is close by, whispering almost silently into your inner being.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, give me the courage to decide to follow you in all circumstances.
Guide me to do the things you would do in those circumstances and let me see
you in everything. Amen
Luke 2 v 17-20
When they had seen him, they told what the angels had said about this child.
Everyone was amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured these
things and continued to think about them. Then the shepherds went back to their
sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything they had seen and heard.
It had been just as the angel had told them.
Notes
The amazed reaction of all in the stable to the shepherds’ news seems amazing
in itself. Mary had been told quite clearly what was going to happen by the
angel at the start of her pregnancy (see Luke 1 v 26-38) and so had Joseph (see
Matthew 1 v 18-25), but the shepherds’ news still comes as a surprise.
I think there are two important lessons to learn from this. Firstly, no matter how spiritually blessed we are, we sometimes need assurance that what we are doing is right. After the visit of the angel to Mary, she ran to tell her cousin all about it. She was overjoyed. Now, nine months later, after the pain of labour, she hears shepherds telling her what she already knew and she treasures the words in her heart.
Mary, the Mother of God, who has had dramatic encounters with angels, who has grown God’s Son in her womb, has doubts and needs reassurance. If she can, then so can we. Doubts are part of life, but God seeks to reassure us. We must be prepared to accept his reassurance from wherever it comes.
Secondly, I wonder what those shepherds would have said a day earlier if you had told them that they would be the ones chosen to bring reassurance to the Mother of God. If we need to be able to accept God’s reassurance from any source, no matter how unlikely, then we also need to be prepared to give reassurance, even if we feel like an unlikely source.
Think about who you might meet today who could need a word of encouragement and reassurance. Don’t be afraid to offer it!
Prayer
Father God, look into my heart and see my doubts. Help me to accept them and
give me encouragement that you are still close in spite of them. Show me where
I can be a source of reassurance to others and give me the courage and wisdom
to offer that reassurance. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken
from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993
by Word Publishing Milton Keynes