Not Political, Week 1 - “The Battle”

  A few years ago someone gave me a collection of different writings throughout the history of the Church. This past summer I began to read through the early Church Fathers, a collection of writings written by the disciples that followed after the first disciples of Jesus. And it was the topics and issues that those early Church writers brought up through which God led me to speak to you today and for the next few weeks. 

If the last year has done nothing else, it has put an exclamation point on how easily it can be for us to set ourselves into camps. Since the beginning of this country Americans have been divided into at least two political parties, and at times, even more. For the last hundred plus years, the two major parties have been Republicans and Democrats. Since roughly the 1960s, the ideas of being a liberal or conservative, began to dived as well. Then in the beginning of the 2000s, progressivism began in full swing. And today, we have things such as inter-sectionalism, masker vs non-maskers, locker-downers vs non-lock-downers, and more.

In fact, this last year has put a point on how quickly we are willing to divide on issues. Now, I believe that there are points on which we should divide. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus gives these very harsh words when he said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

When we follow Jesus, there will be an automatic division between those that do, and those that do not. If the world is truly lost in sin as the Bible states, then those who accept Jesus as their Savior and move away from sin into his righteousness, there will a division with those who do not. In fact, in the first chapter of John’s Gospel, it says this of Jesus, “11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…(John 1:11-12)”

And so, for the next few weeks we’re going to take a look at a few issues that we as Christians should be divided from the world on, and not from each other. In doing this we will make people mad, that is inevitable, but my desire in doing this is to walk the same road Paul did in 1st Corinthians. This past summer our church went through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Church, where he dealt with the tough issues the church was dealing with. The purpose of his letter was to bring about unity in the body of Christ, and it is that same purpose that we are moving forward in. True unity is not conformity by sweeping the hard issues under the table, rather it is dealing with those tough issues together and seeing where God wants us to be.

In doing this, we will be talking about the issues facing the Church today, mostly our western cultural. Some of these issues have become seen as political and therefore shouldn’t be spoken about from the pulpit in the church. And so, we will be looking at these issues both from a biblical perspective and from a historical Church perspective. Because, even though our modern society believes some of these issues to be political and should not be spoken of in the Church, they are really beliefs that the Church has dealt with for centuries, because they speak to deeper issues of humanity’s lostness. And wherever you find yourself politically, as Christians, we must seek to do what Paul calls us to in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

If we divide on the world’s divisions, we are being conformed to the world, instead, since we are going to have divisions, we must have divisions that are following God, against that which is not.

As we begin this series we must first lay a foundation. Most of you know that love shooting. I love developing the skills of shooting, and for the last few years my family has made a week long trip to do just that. We skipped this year, because the place we go to is closed, but we’re already looking forward to making that time up this coming summer. 

Being in the world of shooting, support of the Second Amendment is high. I follow several news outlets that follow gun laws throughout the US. Many of which have talked about the what-if of a full-blown civil war. On one of our drives, Marika and I were talking about this very thing, and she asked what I would do. I told her that in our area, we would probably end up being a place for refugees, as people would flee from the cities, whether that be Phoenix or the L.A. area. 

But the tension of a coming war is prevalent. Back in July the Washington Times ran a story that talked about a poll that showed 34% of voters believed a civil war was coming (https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jun/17/civil-war-looms-stats-survey-say/). Keith Mines, an individual who has worked for the U.S. Army, U.N., and U.S. State Department, shared with the New Yorker, that there is a 65% chance that within ten years we could see a civil war in the U.S. (https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/is-america-headed-for-a-new-kind-of-civil-war).

With riots, the political atmosphere, and everything that is linked with COVID-19, tensions are rising higher and higher. But this is nothing new. Jesus said in Matthew 24:4-8, “…Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

These things are inevitable, because it is the sin condition of this world to be in conflict. It’s the default setting of humanity apart from God. When we seek sin, rebellion is what naturally follows. 

But as followers of Jesus, we must be careful to not be swept away by the world’s desire for conflict, at least not in the way the world sees it. We must put this world into the perspective that God calls us to. In Philippians 3:20 Paul writes, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…”

In Hebrews 13:14 were reminded that, “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”

And in 1st John 2:17 John writes, “15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

I am an American. I love my country, I will do everything I can to make sure my country endures, because I believe that it was founded on biblical principles that have shown through even when evil men use it for evil purposes. Yet, as a Christian, it isn’t my home. I was not saved to be an American, I was saved to be a citizen of heaven. Every decision therefore that I make here, has to be inline with that eternal perspective. 

And with that eternal perspective I can begin to see what’s really going on around me. And it’s not like I am having the first epiphany about this, those Christians who followed after the original disciples had this very perspective, and they knew what was really going on. Athenagoras (A-th-en-a-gor-as) writing in the mid 100s, wrote this, “The Maker and Framer of the world distributed and appointed….a multitude of angels and ministers…to occupy themselves about the elements, and the heav­ens, and the world, and the things in it, and the godly ordering of them all…. Just as with men, who have freedom of choice as to both virtue and vice….so is it among the angels. Some, free agents, you will observe, such as they were created by God, continued in those things for which God had made and over which He had ordained them; but some outraged both the constitution of their nature and the government entrusted to them (A Plea for the Christians, pg. 10).”

Origen, about a 100 years later, wrote this, “[A Christian] affirms that even now my Lord Jesus Christ wars against opposing powers and casts out of their cities, that is, out of our souls, those who used to occupy them. And he destroys the kings who were ruling in our souls ‘that sin may no longer reign in us,’ so that, after he abolishes the king of sin from the city of our soul, our soul may become the city of God and God may reign in it, and it may be proclaimed to us, ‘Behold, the kingdom of God is within you.’ (Hom 13.1 [125])”

The early church writers understood what is really going on. This world is seeing the physical repercussions of a spiritual battle. This Scriptures attest to this in Ephesians 6:12, where it reads, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

And what is the war? It’s rebellion against God led by Satan. In 2nd Corinthians 4:4 Paul writes, “4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

This world is dominated by the devil, in fact Jesus speaks these words in Matthew 12:29, “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.”

In this description, Jesus is the thief, the devil is the strong man, and the house is the world/our souls. It’s because of this, that later on John would write this in his first letter, “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (3:8).”

And so we must put into perspective what is going on in our world. It’s not just civil war brewing, because of a divide between progressives and conservatives. It’s not riots over the treatment of black Americans, or as an excuse by others to cause destruction. It’s not even one political party over the next. Those are the results of the spiritual war raging around us. But when we see the world’s conflict around us as purely physical, then we are falling right into the trap the devil has designed for us. It’s then that we take our eyes of God and the true reality that is happening all around us, and place them on the things that are passing away.

Does that mean that we do nothing, or that we allow evil things to go unanswered? No! But we must prepare for the war as it really is, and not as we perceive it to be. This is why the Scriptures tell us things like this in Ephesians 6:10-11, “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

And in 2nd Corinthians 10:3-6 we’re told, “3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

And so, we must wake up to the reality of the spiritual war who’s effects we see all around us. If we do not, then we will be trying to put out a raging inferno with two gallon water buckets. And we’ll end up swept away by the fires of pure war raging around us.

And so my challenge for you this week is to read through Ephesians 6:13-18 where it reads, “13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

So on Monday, read through the text and then speak with God about what it means to put on the full armor and have the belt of truth on. 

On Tuesday, read through the text again and then speak to God about what it means to have the breastplate of righteousness on.

Then on Wednesday, read through the text and then speak to God about what it means to have feet ready with the gospel.

Follow that on Thursday, read through the text and then speak to God about what it means to take up the shield of faith.

Then on Friday, read through the text again and speak to God about what it means to have the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

And finally on Saturday, go to God and ask, about how praying in the Spirit connects with the armor of God.

We must open our eyes to the spiritual battle that surrounds us that has repercussions in the physical world. This isn’t not political, it’s biblical, and we need to be following what the Word of God says is happening, and not what the world wants us to follow. Amen.

That Night Christmas Series, Week 3 - “Radical Moment”

  My kids have always wanted a cat. I personally have had cats in the past, but I’m not a big cat person, I prefer dogs. But they asked so often, that I finally told them that, when we owned our own home, then we could get a cat. I told them this, because we had always rented, and then when we moved to Quartzsite, we always lived in a church supplied home, and I thought that is how it would be. But, by God’s providence and through the help of family, we were able to purchase a house this past year. Well, the kids brought up getting a cat again, and I remembered my promise. So, being the good dad that I am, we got a kitten yesterday. A little, scrawny, barley anything on him cat, and we named him Skippy, after a series of books called Skippy Jon Jones. And from the time I left Yuma, where I got him, to the time I pulled up to the house, that cat sat in my lap and I petted him. This frail little thing, that was scared, and didn’t look like it would make it through the night. But the kids love him and made a bed for him, my wife loves him, and the dogs, well they’re trying to decided, treat or toy.

And it’s this idea of frailty that brings us into our final week of our Christmas series, where we will once again return to the Christmas story found in Luke chapter 2, starting in verse 1. And as we return to Luke 2:1, let’s recap the series. 

In the first week we talked about how we were going to look at three moments in the Christmas story. The first moment was the angels’ singing the praise of God. In that moment we noticed that throughout the Bible, angels are only recorded singing three times. Once at the creation of the world, once when God becomes man here at the first Christmas, and once when God makes a way for humanity to have their sin forgiven and be gifted eternal life by way of accepting what Jesus did through his death and resurrection, or to sum that up in one word, salvation. Three times the angels sing in the Bible, and all three of them are monumental moments in history. And from that, we talked about how we must be like the angels, singing the praise of God for creating us, coming to us, putting on our flesh, living with us, and dying for us. We must join with the angels in singing the praise of God for that monumental moment.

Then last week, we looked at a second moment of the Christmas story that dealt with the shepherds. These salt of the earth people who worked their ordinary jobs of taking care of sheep. These people who knew of the sacrifice it took to both look after those sheep, because those sheep were very important to the world in which they lived. Not only were the sheep needed for their wool, milk, and meat, but also for the sacrificial system that showed the people of Israel their need for God to save them. These shepherds understood the need for the sacrificing lambs, and it was to the birth of the Lamb of God, Jesus, that they were invited to witness. We walked away last week, with the understanding that we too need to fully understand the sacrifice that Jesus came to do on our behalf. That he was and is our lamb, sacrificed for us.

And it’s with these two moments covered, where we’re now going to look at our last moment in the Christmas story as recorded in Luke chapter 2, starting in verse 1. Let’s read it together.

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius [ke-i-re-nee-us] was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’

“15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Now, we’ve covered the angels, we covered shepherds, now let’s talk about the baby. One thing that stands out to me in the passage is that there are two items that we get told twice about this baby. These two things are first brought up in verse 7, “…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

The second time these two items are brought up is in verse 12, “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

These two items are cloths and manger.

The cloths here are literally a swaddling wrap for a baby. That makes it seem like either Mary had known that the possibility of the baby being born on this trip was going to happen, or someone from the home, who’s stable they were in, furnished the cloth. Either way, the wrapping of the baby in a baby’s swaddling cloth is important and we’ll come back to why in a moment.

The second item we see is the manger. This is literally a feeding trough for the animals. Hopefully I’m sure that they cleaned it out before putting the baby in there. 

Now to understand the importance of what the cloth and the manger mean, we must understand what is being wrapped up and what is being laid down. The baby is not any other baby. Let’s let the Bible describe who he is. 

In the prophet Isaiah’s self-titled book, chapter 9 verse 6 we get this description of the child, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

When prophesying about Jesus’ eventual coming to earth, Isaiah describes the child as one who will carry the government on his shoulders. Literally this means that, Jesus will be the one that carries the burden of kingship, and he will eventually rule with all the authority of a king. 

Then Isaiah gives him four names. These four names each carry with them an understanding of who the child is. First off is, Wonderful Counselor, this understanding points to the child being wise and his words carry with them the knowledge that comes from God alone. Then we get, the Mighty God, literally pointing to this understanding of the child being God who has all strength of a valiant warrior. Third is the Everlasting Father, which points to this understanding that the child isn’t made at the conception within Mary on earth, but is eternal, having no beginning nor an end. The final name is Prince of Peace, which points to this understanding of the child being the one who will bring about creation’s complete peaceful existence. 

These names show us just who the child is. This child is the Wise One who contains the Wisdom of God. This child is the God who fights for his creation. This child is the Eternal One, who was before the creation of the world, and through whom the creation happened. And this child is the Shalom, the Peace that the world desperately needs and longs for, but only comes from God himself. 

And it’s this Wonderful Counselor, this Mighty God, this Everlasting Father, and this Prince of Peace, that is wrapped in a baby’s swaddling cloths, and lying in a feeding trough called a manger. 

Do we see the monumental moment that this is? The God of creation, who needs nothing from that creation, because everything is created by him, and in fact it’s us who are in need of him, it’s this God that allows himself to be wrapped up by his creation and laid in a place made to feed animals. 

This is the humility and love of God on full display in this moment. In the first week we talked about the angles singing the entrance music of God coming to earth. In the second week, we talked about the shepherds being the ones who understood the sacrifice that the child was given to provide. Here we see just who this God and sacrifice is, he is the humble one that is wrapped in the flesh humanity, and who allows humanity to wrap him in its cloths. He is the loving one who comes down from his perfect throne, and allows himself to be laid in a dirty feeding trough. 

It is this same child, who Isaiah later speaks about in his 53rd chapter of his writing. When Isaiah describes the purpose of the child, “2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

This is what the humble, loving God, who became a child, wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger came for. To save humanity. To break us free from a prison of our own design. To bridge a gulf that we ourselves created. And this is what we celebrate at Christmas, that anyone who would put their trust into Jesus as their Savior, would gain what Jesus has come to offer, eternal life that begins now to deal with the failing world around us and carries into eternity with him apart from any pain or suffering.

No matter if its in our mundane life, or in the pandemic landscape that we find ourselves currently in, it can be really easy to lose sight of what is Christmas. But we must realize what Christmas is, the loving humble God come down to take on human flesh and save us from ourselves. From our sins that lead to broken relationships, wars, hatred, and ultimately to both our bodies dying and an even worse, eternal death. Each of us is on that path to an eternal death apart from the God who came down at Christmas. But our path can change, if we accept what this God has to offer. If we accept Jesus’ work on our behalf that happened on the cross. He took our punishment for our sin, so that we would not have too. He took the ultimate death on our behalf, so that we can have eternal life. And that’s what those cloths and manger point us to. To the God who came for us, and did everything possible to bring us to himself.

As we celebrate Christmas this week, I want to challenge you to recognize three things of Christmas. First, the loving humbleness of God that is found in the cloths and the manger; this perfect God who is need of nothing  came to die for you and me, to bring us out of death and into life, because of his great love for us. 

Then once you recognize what he has done, ask yourself, have I accepted it personally. What is required of each of us, is that we must personally accepted Jesus’ offer of the forgiveness of our sins and his eternal life. A pastor can’t do it for us, our family can’t do it for us, not even our good deeds can do it for us. We must accept the free gift of salvation on our own, relying solely on Jesus for it. 

Finally, we must live for Jesus. We must begin to do his will and not our own. This is done through prayer, through Bible reading, through gathering with other believers as the Church, and most importantly by learning to rely on God’s Holy Spirit to bring us closer to him. 

So, as we walk the last few days towards Christmas, I want to challenge you to take time and focus in on what Christmas really is. God come down, wrapped in human flesh, to save us from ourselves, and an eternity lost in death.

The first Christmas was a moment in time that radically changed the world, and it is that same moment in time that will radically change our lives if we trust in the humble loving God, who allowed himself to be wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger by the creation he came to save. What are you going to do in this moment, in light of all that God has done for you in that first Christmas moment?

That Night Christmas Series, Week 2 - “Extraordinarily Mundane”

  There are some strange happenings in our world. Back in 1937 a street sweeper named Jospeh Figlock lived in Detroit Michigan. On day Jospeh was out walking, when out of nowhere he was struck in the head. No it wasn’t an attack, it was something very strange. A toddler had fell out of it’s fourth story window and struck Joseph on the head and shoulders. Both were injured, but there was no fatality. But that’s not the strangest part of the story. A year later, Jospeh was out again, this time doing his job, when a second toddler fell from his window. Again it struck Jospeh with injuries but no fatalities. This story goes to show you that even in our mundane living, extraordinary events can occur. 

 

And it’s with this understanding of the extraordinary happening in the mundane, that brings us to our second week in our Christmas series, where we’ll be returning to Luke chapter 2, verse 1. And as we return to the Christmas passage found in Luke 2:1, let’s remind ourselves where we’re at in our series. 

Last week we began our Christmas series by looking at one of three moments found within Luke’s Gospel. We looked at the angels’ announcement of Jesus’ birth. We noticed, how only when God was doing something extraordinary within human history, does the Bible record them singing. We saw that there were in fact three major historical moments that the angels sung about: the Creation, the Incarnation, and Salvation. The angles sung when God created the universe. They sung when God came down to take on human flesh. And they sung about God saving humanity from its sin that leads to eternal death.  And so Jesus’ brith, God the Son wrapping himself in our flesh, is as important as the creation of the world, and sets in motion the saving of humanity through Jesus’ death on the cross.

And with the angels’ announcing such an important event as Jesus’ brith, let’s look at our second moment, as we return to our Christmas series in Luke chapter 2, starting in verse 1.

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius [ke-i-re-nee-us] was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’

“15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Last week we talked about three groups that we were going to zero in on in this Christmas series. The first was the angels, now let’s focus on the shepherds. The shepherds are probably my favorite part of the Christmas story. The reason for this is because they’re the ones I can imagine the best. I grew up in the foothills of California. It wasn’t rural like Wyoming rural, but for the area it was rural. Farms and ranches took up the majority of the open land. We had local and county wide rodeos. And driving through the area, the unmistakable smell of the country was on the wind. And you know you’re from the country when just talking about that smell, fills your nose with it.

I can imagine the shepherds the best, because they’re the ones I feel closest to in the Christmas story. These guys were hard workers. Day and night, taking care of their animals. Keeping them safe from the predators and putting their own lives on the line for them. I’ve known people that have done this very thing, even some in our congregation. As the old saying goes, these were salt of the earth type of people. 

But there’s more to these shepherds than just being the hardworking country folk, their job was important. Not just for the wool, milk or the meat that those sheep supplied, but they were important to the religious institutions that God had set up for the nation of Israel. Bethlehem was on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Those hills were the perfect place to graze animals, and so many of those sheep would one day wind up as temple sacrifices.

In the traditional writings of the Jewish Rabbis called the Talmud, it is said that one day, King Agrippa in the first century called the high priest to count the kidneys of the sacrificed animals as a way to take an informal census of the population. The number of kidneys was counted at 1.2 million animals slaughtered that day (https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/belief/articles/daf-yomi-48). Even if we cut that number by three quarters, as an estimate of how many animals were slaughtered on an average day, that means that the number could be about 400,000 animals that would be sacrificed everyday for the temple rituals. 

And a lot of the sheep that were grazing on the hills in Bethlehem would being going to that fate. So the work of the shepherds was not only important for their own sake, but for the religious requirements of the Mosaic Law on the people. 

This realization of what the shepherds were doing out in the fields, might give us an understanding of why they were specifically invited that night to see Jesus.

See in Genesis 22, God called Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test to see if Abraham was willing to sacrifice the one thing he had always wanted. In that passage we get this interaction between Abraham and his son. “Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, ‘Father?’ ‘Yes, my son?’ Abraham replied. ‘The fire and wood are here,’ Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ 8 Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together (Genesis 22:6-8).’”

The passage goes on to tell us that Abraham bound Issac with rope, made an alter, surrounded it with wood, and then placed the boy on it. It was as Abraham was about to lower his knife on Issac that God intervened and supplied the substituted sacrifice of a ram.

In this passage we see the parallel of God the Father and the sacrifice of God the Son, Jesus, on the cross. Abraham might not have known that his words to his son Issac, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering…” were prophetic. 

John the Baptist on seeing Jesus declared this as recored in the Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”

In the passage we read last week, where the angels sang the praises of God in the book of Revelation chapter 5 verse 12, they sang this, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

In response, the book says that every creature in heaven, on the earth, under the earth and in the sea responded saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

On that first Christmas night, the angels came to the shepherds, who were surrounded by sheep that were future sacrifices. These angels came to these shepherds to announce the coming of the ultimate sacrifice. The Lamb, not given by sinful humanity to God, but rather given by God on behalf of humanity. Jesus was truly the substituted sacrifice that God provided, as prophesied by Abraham.

And do you think for one moment that when those shepherds went out that night they knew that they were going to meet both an angelic host and the Savior of the world? It was just another night to them, up until that moment that it wasn’t.

No where do we even get a hint that these shepherds were anything less than ordinary salt of the earth type of people. Anything less than just doing their job. They weren’t King Herod in his palace a few miles down the road. They weren’t governors, or Cesars. They weren’t anyone of note, but they were the ones who were recored as having a direct invitation from God on that night. These shepherds of sacrificial sheep were invited to witness the purest and most spotless lamb, the sacrificial Lamb provided by God himself, Jesus.

It can be so easy for us to miss the immensity of this moment in time. That these were ordinary people, going about ordinary work, until the extraordinary broke in. See we can easy forget that God doesn’t just work with the important people of this world, but rather he works with anyone who is willing to respond.

Right now in our society, we tend to think that those that represent us are the ones that need to be used by God to change the direction we feel like this world is headed in. But the reality is, it’s the everyday people of God who are called to do just that. It was the regular Joes that were Jesus’ first disciples. It was the ordinary, the mundane, the people just working to make ends meet, that were called to the glorious life of God. We are the ones being called to the stable, and we are the ones that are called to do as the shepherds did when Luke writes their response in verse 17, “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child…” We are called to experience God in relationship and call people out of death and into his life. 

The shepherds responded to the angels by going and meeting Jesus, then they got out and told others about their experience. That’s what you and I are supposed to do. We cannot rely on the leaders of this world to call people to God, because most of them care nothing for God. No, we must declare, as the shepherds did, the wondrous works of God. We, the ordinary people of this world, we must declare Jesus the Lamb provided by God for humanity’s salvation.

And so, here’s my challenge this week. First, recognize the Lamb who was slain for you. We must praise God for Jesus who was provided on our behalf, to be our sacrifice that brings us out of our sins and into a right relationship with God. And second, by verbal, or written communication, share the Christmas message of Jesus the Lamb of God. That there is a rift between us and God, which is our sin, our rebellion, that desire to do it our way apart from God. That rift leads us to both physical and eternal death. But God provided the Lamb Jesus to take our punishment for our sin. That he would be the bridge that would span the rift we set up between us and God. That the innocent Lamb of God came specifically to die for us. And that the Christmas story is the arrival of that Lamb on earth. I challenge you to share the Lamb part of the Christmas story, so that people would know the reason for the season, that God provided the Lamb and that the ordinary shepherds, who knew about that need for that sacrifice, were invited to come and see if first.

We are called by God to first come to him and trust him as our Savior and then to be his witnesses to the world, because the Lamb of God, Jesus, was given on our behalf, and now we are to share that sacrifice with others. If we really want to talk about the reason for the season, we must talk about the Lamb that God provided. Amen.

That Night Christmas Series, Week 1- “Entrance Music”

  If you’ve ever watched pro-wrestling or attended any type of sports event, you know that when the players come out, they play music to hype up the crowd. In pro-wrestling and in baseball, each athlete has their own theme music as they make their way to the ring, or to the batter’s box. 

And it doesn’t just happen in the pros either. In fact, while I was in college, and we would have a home game, they would play music for us as we headed to the batter’s box. Most of us, had regular songs, that we would pick out prior to the game, but for our shortstop Cody, who was basically the captain of the team, someone decided to change his music without him knowing it. As Cody emerged onto the field, the music started and as soon as those first words were sung the crowd started to crack up. His regular song wasn’t playing, instead it was “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” by Aerosmith. But instead of missing a beat, Cody just took it in stride and waved to the crowd. He got up and, if I’m remember right, hit the first pitch and got to second base.

Music can really add to an event, and that became a memorable day for our team.

It’s this idea of music adding to an event, that brings us to our Christmas series that we’re calling “That Night”. A lot happened on the night that Jesus was born. And we want to take a look at three specific moments that occurred as God came into this world. 

Each of these three moments that we’ll be looking at, are all contained in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2. So if you would, open with me to Luke 2, where we’ll be beginning our Christmas series in verse 1.

Now as we open to Luke chapter 2 verse 1, Let’s talk about the background of the writing. Luke wasn’t one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus, but rather was a traveling companion of Paul, who’s writings make up the majority of the New Testament. Luke was a doctor, and would have been well educated for his day; this is reflected in the way in which he puts his gospel together. He very meticulously describes events to give us a robust understanding of the chronological events of Jesus’ life. 

Luke gives the reason for his meticulous writing in his opening in chapter 1, verses 1-4. Luke writes, “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus (the-o-phil-us), 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”

Luke’s purpose in writing is to give an orderly account, so that people may be certain that the teachings being taught about Jesus are true and accurate. In fact, I heard once, that the Gospel of Luke may be the most accurate historical document of the ancient world, based on the geographical, cultural, and historical moments recorded.

So as we open up to Luke chapter 2 verse 1, we must take extra care in noticing the details that Luke provides us.

So let’s read through the passage and see what we can discover.

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius [ke-i-re-nee-us] was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’

“15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

There are four principle groups that are contained within this passage. The first group are the parents, the second are the angels, the third are the shepherds, and finally there is the baby. Since we only have three weeks, we are only going to focus on three of these groups. So, we’re going to have to say sorry to the parents, we’ll be leaving you behind this year; better luck next time.

Instead, this week, let’s focus, on the angels. The term angel is translated only about 290 times in the Bible. Out of those, the majority of the references deal with direct human interaction with a being called an angel, just like we see the angel here interacting with the shepherds. And other than the specific roles of the angels in the book of Revelation, there is only one other role the angels play throughout the Bible. That role is the praising of God.

In Job 38:6-7, it reads, “On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—7  while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” This passage is referring to the time of creation and how the angels were singing for joy as God created.

In Psalm 103:20 we get this, “Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.” And later in Psalm 148:2 we get something similar, “Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.” Both of these are in reference to calling on the angles and all of creation to praise God for who he is.

In Hebrews 12:22, the author describes coming into God’s presence, when they write, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly…”

And in the book of Revelation we get a great glimpse into the happenings of heaven. And twice in these glimpses, we get this first insight in chapter 5 verses 11 and 12, “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’”

Our second insight looks like this from two chapters over in Revelation 7:11-12, “All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: ‘Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’”

Do you see the momentous occasions that the angles break out in song? They sing when creation is being brought into existence. They sing as a chorus with all of creation. They sing to praise God for his work and wisdom and power in fulfilling the salvation work of bringing people out of their death and into his life. And it’s not a few voices joining in the singing, it’s thousands upon thousands upon tens of thousands. 

The moments where we see the angels singing in the Bible, are times of great honor and glory being given back to God for the great things he has done.

And so, when we come to this moment where the angels are bringing the news of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, what do see?

Verse 13 and 14 of Luke chapter 2, “13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’”

The first coming of Jesus to earth, which is called the incarnation, is a moment that parallels the creation of the universe, and the majesty of who God is. Why? Because it is God coming to his creation. It’s his entrance music. It’s an event that, with the angels singing, shows it to be a monumental moment in the world’s history.

As we are looking towards Christmas, after the year we have had, we must remember the monumental event that it was and is. We sing the carol, “Silent Night,” but in reality, the night was anything but silent. It was a theme music blaring on the speakers at the highest setting, as the God of Creation took on the flesh of humanity to walk with us.

Sometimes we can forget that the announcement of Jesus being born was anything less than praiseworthy. And when we forget the joy that the angels were sharing that night, the pain and problems of this world can rush in and take our eyes off of the God who is greater than any struggle we face. 

Instead, God wants us to join in with the angels and their singing of praise. Because in the praise of God, peace is found, and triumph is achieved. 

So my challenge for you this week, is to praise and thank God for at least 5 minutes a day specifically for Jesus’ birth. Praise him that with Jesus’ birth, we see that the sting of death would be destroyed. Praise him that with Jesus’ birth, we see our sin paid for in full. Praise him that with Jesus’ birth, no virus, no pain, no defeat of this world is greater than our God. Make up your own song, or sing a classic, either way, sing or shout your praise back to God for the glory of him coming down to earth to walk with us.

And let us find ourselves this Christmas season, being a part of that angel choir singing praises back to God who is deserving of all our celebration. Amen.