YouTube video sermon
Luke 2:1-7
Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Luke 2. On these Sundays of Advent, leading up to Christmas, we’re considering the light of Bethlehem. Of course, Bethlehem’s Light is a reference to none other than Jesus. And the idea behind this series is to remind us that the Light of Bethlehem still shines on us today.
All that Jesus came to offer: love and forgiveness, grace and mercy, joy and peace, yeah, even a way to be made eternally right with God. Salvation is still available to us today in the light of Bethlehem. So, this morning I want us to think about the light of salvation amidst the darkness of oppression. Follow along with me as I read these oh-so-familiar words from the true Christmas story:
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 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, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 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.
Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem for one reason. It’s mentioned four times in these seven verses (vss. 1, 2, 3, and 5). The sole reason – besides fulfilling prophecy and ultimately God’s plan of redemption – was “to be registered.” In case you didn’t know; that’s short-hand for “keeping track of everybody.” It’s slang for “making sure we get all the money that’s due to the state.” It’s akin to “signing up for military service.” The Greek term is apographesthai. It’s a compound word made up of a prefix (apo – meaning “away from”) and the root verb (grapho – meaning “to write”). In this case it’s specifically referring to entering into the public records the names of men, their property and income, and to enroll them for possible military service.
The bottom line was this – everyone was living under the oppression of Rome. It had been that way for centuries. First, the surrounding enemies had conquered Israel, then Judah, then came the deportation to Babylon. That was followed by a time of freedom under the Persians. Soon the Greeks came, and then the Romans. The Israelites were oppressed. They needed a Savior and they knew it. The irony is, the Savior came, and yet many didn’t even know it.
The salvation that Jesus brought would be greater than any political freedom. It would be broader than the borders of any kingdom or empire. The light that Jesus brought into the world – the light of salvation; folks, it still shines. It shines into the darkness of any, and every, kind of oppression.
Are you oppressed today? Oh sure, we don’t think of ourselves as oppressed. After all, that’s what we call defeated and persecuted people – not people that live in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Or are we? Oppression comes in many forms, you know.
How many of you (if you were honest with yourselves) are oppressed by fear? You’re just scared. Scared about tomorrow. Scared about what could happen, what might happen, what will happen. Scared to live but also scared to die.
Or perhaps fear isn’t you’re thing. How many of you are oppressed by sorrow? Sure, we think of Christmas as a fun and festive season, but there are countless people out there for whom this season is nothing but tears and sadness.
Maybe your flavor of oppression is failure? How many of you are still haunted by the fact that you just couldn’t cut it? You flunked out of school and that cloud still hangs over your head? Your business endeavor has taken a hit with this economy and the thought of bankruptcy and losing your retirement is crippling? You weren’t the parent you wished you’d be and the only thing you see in the mirror is failure?
Or maybe, just maybe, your oppression is physical suffering that just won’t quit. You have doctor appointments every day and twice on Monday. Radiation and chemo seem like they’re never going to end. Aches and pains aren’t an inconvenience anymore; they’re your constant companions. You finally came to grips with one diagnosis only to receive another. You recovered from one surgery only to be told you needed another.
Oppression was real for Joseph and Mary. It was real for the Israelite nation. And it’s real for you and in our world too. But Christmas brings to all of us the good news of the Savior’s birth. There’s a way out of the darkness of oppression, because the light of salvation still shines.
Let me suggest three things that enable us to receive the Savior and stand in the light of salvation this Advent and Christmas season:
Look For Jesus Expectantly
That’s something basic. Yet, if we don’t do this, we won’t find Him. We won’t see Him. We won’t know of His coming to us if we aren’t looking for Him expectantly.
Think about the birth of a baby. Most parents look forward to the birth of a baby. That’s why we use the term “expecting.” But that says nothing about the reality of the situation. The reality is that a baby is on its way into the world.
Mary was pregnant, and she and Joseph were expecting that little fellow to arrive immediately. They went to Bethlehem knowing He could be born at any time. There’s no doubt that ride on the donkey encouraged Him to arrive even sooner… All of the people involved in the first Christmas had this same sense of expectancy. Not only these parents, but the shepherds and the wise men. They all came to Bethlehem expecting to find Jesus.
That’s what we need, this sense of expectancy. So many of us have such a low sense of expectancy. We have no expectations. We feel like we’ve already seen it all and done it all. Been there, done that, have the t-shirt. Isn’t that what we say? In many cases we live like that day-to-day. We spend our lives aiming at nothing and hitting nothing. We’re not looking for anything, not expecting anything.
We have to work on our sense of expectancy. One of my favorite hobbies is fishing. Many of you have seen me hauling my kayak around in my pickup truck. I also have access to my father-in-law’s 17’ bass boat and little John boat, but the reason for the kayak is because there are so many smaller bodies of water, little farm ponds, little backwaters that can only be accessed by a personal watercraft like a kayak.
Unlike the professional kayak anglers out there, I don’t have my kayak rigged with a fish finder (yet). So, when I go fishing in my kayak a large part of my fishing experience – whether it’s going to be a good day or bad day – is based on my expectancy. Am I going with this state of mind that is looking forward to hook “the big one,” even though I’m not outfitted with all the gear that would lead me to it.
It can be hotter than blazes or the wind can be pushing me all over the place, but as long as I have that expectation that the “next cast” could be the one, then I’m okay. When that expectation begins to wane, then it’s over. I know it’s time to head for the house.
In all areas of our lives, we have to expect something to happen. This is especially true of Christmas and what it can mean to us. We’ll only get out of it what we’re expecting.
There’s a great little book by author, Joseph Girzone, called Joshua: A Parable for Today. It’s the story of Jesus as told through a modern lens. At one point, Joshua explained to a man how we see what we are looking at differently. Joshua earned his living working with wood. He told the man we look at life with different vision. We see what we want to see. Three men may look at the same tree. One sees valuable lumber to build a house. Another sees firewood to keep warm. And the third sees a work of art waiting to be carved.
That’s the way Christmas is. We must cultivate within ourselves the sense of expectancy about the Savior being born anew in us.
Prepare For Jesus Thoroughly
First, look for Jesus expectantly. Second, prepare for Jesus thoroughly. We’ll miss Him if we don’t do this. Again, think of the birth of a real baby. We have to make the certain and necessary preparations for a baby. So, too, with Christmas.
Mary and Joseph made the best preparations they could. They were traveling all the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem – a trip of about 80 miles (walking and riding a donkey). And sometimes you just have to do the best you can with what you have and where you are. Mary and Joseph did that.
Maybe the question we face isn’t, “How would you like to experience Christmas?” but “How would you like to completely miss Christmas?” How would you like to not be affected by Christmas at all this year? That’s a danger many of us face.
It doesn’t matter whether you were born in the 30’s, the 60’s, the 90’s or even have small kids today, there’s a game we all played and enjoyed called Hide and Seek. That simple game where somebody closes their eyes and counts, while the other players hide. The counter signals that they’ve finished counting and they’re getting ready to seek by saying (what), “Ready or not, here I come.”
That’s the way it is with Christmas and the birth of Jesus. Ready or not, Christmas comes. Have you made proper preparations? Have you opened your heart and your mind to this great truth about Christ being born:
God’s only Son coming into the world…
Becoming God with us…
Getting down to our eye level…
Taking upon Himself the human experience…
Identifying Himself with us and all we suffer through
Enduring all our sins, sorrows, hurts, and shame, even death…
And then winning a victory over all of this for us because He is the
Savior. Have you prepared to receive Jesus? Are you preparing now?
There’s an old story about a slave woman who had a great Christian faith. She couldn’t read, but the children she cared for had taught her to recognize the name of Jesus. She knew it when she saw it. Every evening she would sit down with the Bible and run her fingers up and down the pages searching for the name of Jesus.
In that same spirit, let us be preparing ourselves thoroughly for His coming.
Welcome Jesus Graciously
Look for Jesus expectantly. Prepare for Jesus thoroughly. And welcome Jesus graciously. We’ll never know that Jesus has come if we don’t do this. Again, just think of the real-life birth of a baby.
One of life’s most memorable moments is in the delivery room. When a baby is born those parents open their arms and welcome that little one into their family. Mary and Joseph opened their lives to this baby. They received Him as a precious gift.
Now, we know that everyone didn’t receive Jesus that way. Most folks in Bethlehem never even knew what had happened. Of course, Matthew’s gospel tells us that king Herod tried to kill baby Jesus by having all the boys under 2 years of age murdered. But most people just missed it entirely. We, on the other hand, need to receive Him in a gracious way.
A number of years ago, on Christmas Eve, the Atlanta airport was iced in. Anxious passengers were hoping to catch their flights home. For a while, all flights were cancelled. But, things began to open up. Passengers listened for their flights and rushed to board them. A couple of people spotted a man in a fine business suit who seemed unconcerned: going about his work, reading reports, his first-class seat, probably, confirmed. They thought he was another Ebenezer Scrooge.
Then a young soldier appeared with a low-priority ticket, hoping to get a seat on the flight to New Orleans. He was told there was little hope. He was almost frantic. He was going to Afghanistan in less than a month and he said this might be his last Christmas at home.
The agent was sorry, but there was nothing she could do. When the boarding began, the seats were called out and the plane began filling up. The businessman walked up to the agent and said, “I have a confirmed ticket. I’d like to give my seat to this young man.” Tears ran down the soldier’s face as the man told him, “Good luck. Have a fine Christmas. Good luck.”
What if, this Christmas, you and I could open up a place for the Savior? What kind of glow might burn in us if we could open our lives to the light of Bethlehem? Won’t you give Him a place? He has a confirmed ticket waiting just for you. That’s the reason He came in the first place – to buy your pardon, to suffer God’s punishment for your sin. The price has been paid in full. Would you receive His free gift of grace for you this day?