12/25/08 - Christmas Day - Luke 2 & Matthew 2

COME & SEE!

Luke 2:8-14
The angels must have been astonished at what the Lord had just done. Their Almighty God, their Creator had now become one of those whom they were supposed to help and protect. Help God? Protect their Lord? But there he was, God himself lying in a manger! And even one of their own, the angel Gabriel, had been sent months before to announce this incredible miracle to Mary and then again to Joseph. And so the angels knew it was coming but now it was actually here! God had become a man! God had been made - as the book of Hebrews says - “a little lower than the angels” (Hebrews 2:7). How could this be? How could the immortal God now be a mortal human being with flesh and blood and pain and tears? But there he was, on a pile of straw, in a little town, in the middle of the night.
And the angels were sent to proclaim it. They were sent to announce the miracle of Christ’s birth to the shepherds on nearby hills. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” The angels must have been ecstatic! “The Lord is here! Listen to us, shepherds! Our God, your God is actually here on this earth! You better go see him! You have the privilege of gazing upon the Lord himself with your own eyes! Don’t pass it up! He is here! Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!”
I’m sure the angels tried to catch of glimpse of that baby Jesus every chance they had that night. Salvation for mankind was finally underway. It had been prophesied for centuries, but the angels didn’t know when exactly he would come or exactly how. Even the apostle Peter, when writing about the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Christ, said that “even the angels long to look into these things” (1 Peter 1:12). They knew God was going to save the human race in some way. They knew he was going to come to earn forgiveness for the sins of the world. But I don’t think they ever expected to see their God as a little human baby, born of a real sinful woman, umbilical cord and all. But that was their Lord! That was their God. And that is yours. Come and see. Come and see with the astonished angels “a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”


Luke 2:14-18,20
The shepherds were just minding their own business. It was just another night on the hillsides of Bethlehem. Their sheep were grazing or sleeping or starting to settle down for the night. But the stillness was violently interrupted by an actual angel of God! A real live heavenly angel! Just like the ones they had heard about in the Old Testament! There in the air speaking to them! And oh, what a message! “A Savior? Christ the long expected Messiah? The Lord? Could it really be true? What are the chances?” the shepherds were probably thinking to themselves. “Out of all the eras in which to come, are we lucky enough to have the Savior come in our lifetime? And not only that, but in the little insignificant town right in front of us? Could it really be true? And if so, why tell us? Why would God bother with us? We’re just shepherds. We’re working the graveyard shift while other people sleep!” But they had to believe it. Because the angel was right in front of them speaking the word of God himself. And then an entire army of angels appeared glorifying and praising God. And so the shepherds went to see their Shepherd. And they found him exactly like the angel had said: in a barn, in a feeding trough, wrapped in cloths, accompanied by Mary and Joseph. And so it was true. God was here. And he had come for them. The Good Shepherd had come for normal, regular, every day sheep herders. And the Good Shepherd has come for you: normal, regular, every day people. No one special - except to the Lord, your Shepherd. You are his little lamb. And he will do everything it takes to guard you and guide you, protect you and lead you home. Come and see. Come with the shepherds of Bethlehem and see the Shepherd of your souls.


Luke 2:19
It must have been a strange night for Mary. It must have been a strange 9 months! An angel announcing that she was pregnant when she knew full well that she had done nothing to put herself in that category. Her husband-to-be, Joseph, receiving a similar message about this miraculous conception. A long-distance trip from Nazareth down to Bethlehem on the verge of her due date. An unfamiliar town without a hotel room available. A barn. A manger. A baby. One that doesn’t cry or fuss or whine. A perfect baby as far as she can tell. And then some of the local shepherds burst into the opening, most likely telling Mary and Joseph what the angels had said to them, worshiping and praising the new-born son, and then the shepherds rush out, intent on telling this wonderful news to anyone who would listen. And Scripture says that Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
It must have been a strange 9 months. It must have been a strange life with Jesus. What would it have been like to raise the Savior? Mary must have struggled to be his mother on the one hand and his servant on the other. And I’m sure she stepped over the line once or twice. She probably scolded him when he was in the right. She probably worried about him when there was, of course, nothing to worry about. She probably used a tone of voice with him at times that was not appropriate for one of God’s creatures when addressing their Creator. Mary treasured up all of these things that happened at his birth in her heart, but she certainly forgot about his glory compared to her sinfulness on quite a few occasions.
Don’t you? Don’t you forget about God’s glory compared to your sinfulness on quite a few occasions? I do. I question the Lord’s plans when he is in the right. I worry about things when, of course, there is nothing to worry about. I use a tone of voice with the Lord that isn’t appropriate when of his creatures is addressing his Creator. There are times in our lives when we don’t treat God like God. We have a hard time sitting back and letting him take the reigns. We have a hard time holding our tongues when we think he should have done things a little differently. We have a hard time remembering that he is God himself and we are nowhere close.
I’m positive that Mary entertained quite a lot of guilt in her years just like we do. Who wouldn’t as a sinful parent of their perfect Savior? But Mary treasured up all these things in her heart. When she faltered, she found forgiveness. When she sinned as a parent, she remembered who her son really was: the Son of God. She knew that the one she sinned against was the one who had come to take away those sins. Treasure up these things in your heart as well. Remember who this son is: not just Mary’s, but God’s Son. Sent for you. Sent for your forgiveness and peace and eternity. And so although you will sin in this life, the Son of God will always forgive you. That’s what he came to do. That’s what he has done. Come and see. Come and see Mary’s son. Come and see God’s Son. Come and see your Savior.


Matthew 2:1-2,7-12
The Magi - men of wisdom from an eastern land - see a star. And it’s no ordinary star. It hasn’t been there before and it seems to be moving in a pattern unlike anything they have ever seen before. And they must have received a special revelation about this star from God himself because they somehow knew it would lead them to the Savior. And so they loaded up their camels or donkeys or carts, made sure they had some nice gifts for their arrival, and they followed that star. Possibly for almost 2 years they followed that star - based on the age of the boys whom King Herod wanted killed when the wise men arrived. But for however long the Magi traveled, they finally made it to Bethlehem. And these wise men, these wealthy men, these Christian men, bowed down and worshiped a little boy. They thanked him for coming. They honored him as their King. And they laid at his feet costly gifts of gold and incense and a special oil called myrrh. A long trip considering the distance. A costly journey taking into account all the supplies they needed and the means of income they put on hold back at home. And they were certainly valuable gifts for a boy who couldn’t really appreciate them yet. But it was all worth it. Because this boy was their King.
I pray that that the birth of this boy moves your hearts as it moved the hearts of the Magi. I pray that you are motivated to make an effort for your King, to praise him, to thank him, to worship him, to offer him your gifts of appreciation for what he has done and who he is. Because this boy is your Ruler. He is your Lord. And he deserves everything we have and more. Because you know that this boy in a barn is Christ on the cross. And he not only received the praise of angels and the thanksgiving of shepherds and the love of a mother and the gifts of wise men, he received their sins. And as their King and ours, he conquered that enemy who had pinned us down and rose victoriously to his heavenly throne. Come and see. Come and see your King before the throne, before the victory. Come and see him small and humbled and unnoticed in a tiny town in a far off land. Come and see God in flesh and blood. Come and see your King begin his rule and your salvation.