The Exclamation! Of Christmas Week 4 - “Creation’s Crescendo”

  For the last three weeks I have been introducing you to songs about Christmas. One was about the joy of Christmas (Born is the King), the next was about the hurt that surrounds Christmas (Shepherd’s Lament), and the last one was about the personal nature of Christmas (Here With Us). This week I want to share with you a song about the future of Christmas; the song is called He Shall Reign by Chris Tomlin, watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVN2bnjBlCU.

This song speaks of the eternal reign of Jesus over his creation. And it’s this eternal reign that we’re going to talk about today. So if you have your Bibles we’re going to be in the book of Romans chapter 8 verse 22. And as we open up to Roman 8:22, let’s look back on the last three weeks of this sermon series.

In the last three weeks we’ve been talking about the Exclamations of Christmas. Those moments in the Christmas story where people exclaimed songs and prophecies about Jesus and what his brith was about.

The first of these exclamations came from Mary, who, upon hearing the words of the angel, and who saw those words confirmed in her relative Elizabeth, broke out into a song, thanking God for using her and fulfilling his promises to his covenant people, Israel. In that, week we talked about how Christmas is the fulfillment of God’s spoken word for thousands of years. Christmas is God fulfilling so many prophecies and promises of the Old Testament, which means those promises yet to be fulfilled will come to pass.

Zechariah’s song was the second exclamation we read. It was from a place of doubt that his song erupted. Zechariah couldn’t believe that God would give him a child in his old age, though he knew the story about how God did just that with Abraham, Zechariah couldn’t believe it could happen to him. Yet when the child was born, and Zechariah accepted the work of God in his life, his song of thanksgiving flowed from his lips. Showing that God is still at work even today. That though you might feel like God has given up on you, he hasn’t, he still wants to work as he did in Abraham’s day, as he did in Zechariah’s day, because that’s what Christmas is, God is still at work.

Finally last week we look at Simeon’s prophecy. Simeon was a man who followed God and was promised to see the Messiah, which he called Israel’s comfort. And when he saw the baby Jesus in the temple of God, he exclaimed how gracious was God. Then he spoke to Mary about what this child would do, bringing forth a watershed moment for humanity. Either to fall away from Jesus, or to rise with him. And that Mary herself would see the pain that would have to occur in order for humanity to have this salvation path opened. It was a very personal moment, for both Simeon and Mary, which is what Christmas is. It’s the personal God coming personally to the world, so that each individual would have their heart revealed, to which we either follow or fall from Jesus.

This brings us to our final exclamation of Christmas, an exclamation that is brewing right now. Let’s read together Romans chapter 8, starting in verse 22.

“22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Like we’ve said before, when we think of the Christmas story, shepherds, wisemen, donkeys, stars, angels, and things like that are what we think of. But there is so much more to the Christmas story than those things. The shepherds are important, because it shows us that Jesus has come for the lowest of society. The wisemen show us that Jesus also comes for the highest of society, and also for those that seem the furtherest away. The animals remind us of the humility of God, that he was born in their feeding trough. The angels remind us that Jesus is God and deserves all praise and glory. Jospeh and Mary remind us that God worked through Israel to bring about his fix for the sin of humanity. All these things have their place in the Christmas event, but at the heart of it, what is this event?

This event is called Advent. That word’s definition is “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.” The Christmas story tells of God coming to earth, this is why in Isaiah’s prophecy, written almost 700 years prior to this moment, stated, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (7:14).” The name Immanuel translates to, “God with us” This is a monumental event, because unlike the gods that so many worshiped at the time, this God was coming as fully human. 

This is what is called the incarnation. It’s God wrapping himself in the flesh of his creation. This infinite God, restricting himself to having a human mother take care of him. To needing food, water, sleep. He walks with people, talks with them, he reaches out and touches the untouchable lepers; he speaks with the rejected of society in the prostitutes and tax collectors; he speaks to kings and governors, soldiers, enemies of Israel. Because he is their Creator. And their Creator was there with them in the muck and mire of the pain and suffering that happens in this world.

Jesus saw it all; first hand the results of our personal sin that adds to the great suffering of this world. The jealous actions we take, the angry thoughts we let fester, the lustful passions of our sexuality, Jesus saw it all. And through his incarnation on earth, his wrapping himself in our skin, he heads to the cross. Because at the cross, the infinite God of love, and the corrosive plight of sin met. The payment of sin that was needed from every individual was paid on the cross. Sin has in bondage the creation that God made perfect, and at the cross, through Immanuel’s death, that bondage was broken and humanity now had two paths, where once there was only one.

Three days later, Jesus arose because death cannot hold the infinite God who lays down his life for his creation. And now, Jesus works in anticipation for the day when he will return, a second advent event. 

This is where our last exclamation of Christmas comes in. Creation’s exclamation. Where the other three exclamations have come and gone, this final one is brewing within the world even now. The very universe in which sin has so marred it from its Creator’s original perfection, groans and anticipates that day when the promise of Christmas will be fully realized. 

See God’s intention has always been, that Advent would be a daily occurrence. That his walking and talking with his creation would always occur. He created a space for that with his first humans Adam and Eve, and there will be a day where he will do it again with all those who put there trust into him as their Savior.

It’s not just creation who’s exclamation is brewing, but God’s people too. Every praise, and thanks, that is given to God is a hum that awaits the crescendo that is to come.

At Jesus’ second advent, it will be a fulfillment of promise, like Mary’s exclamation. 

At Jesus’ second advent, it will be a realization that God is still at work in this world, like what Zechariah experienced.

At Jesus’ second advent, it will be a personal event and a comfort to those who seek him, as was Simeon’s.

At Jesus’ second advent, it will be a joyous day for those who’s exclamation was brewing in anticipation of their Savior’s return.

This is what Christmas is, fulfillment of God’s promises, God’s mighty work today, personal and comforting, and pointing to the final chapter of God’s work on behalf of humanity, it’s second coming.

I want to invite you this Christmas season to participate in creation’s brewing exclamation. The reason Jesus came is because you and I needed it. God created us to be with him, which means he created us to follow his boundaries within that creation. It’s when we go outside of those boundaries that we sin. When we lie instead of telling the truth, we’ve gone outside the boundaries. When we’ve held on to anger towards the people around us instead of forgiving them, we’ve gone outside God’s boundaries. When we’ve lied, cheated, stolen, degraded others, gossiped, we’ve gone outside the boundaries that God created us to live in and we have sinned.

But God loves us too much that he would leave is in that state. He himself comes down to us, wraps himself in the very flesh that surrounds our spirits, and lived the life within the boundaries he set out for us. Our lives that we live outside God’s boundaries lead us to only one place, and that’s an eternal death beyond the physical one all people experience. One man, Adam, started this whole thing of sin leading to death, so all it took was one man Jesus to live the life Adam was supposed to, to break sin’s death grip. Jesus didn’t deserve to die, because he didn’t sin, but he chose to die as a payment for our sin. So now, we can either agree with him, that we are sinners in need of his sacrifice, or we can reject it. 

Christmas is either the advent of God coming to earth because his creation is lost in sin,  and therefore we should turn to him and accept his payment for our sin, following him for the rest of our lives. Or Christmas is a holiday where we have a brief glimmer of happiness, but that runs up debt and too often feels empty by New Years Day. And all one has to do to be forgiven of sin, to join with creation’s brewing song is to go to God and accept. Accept we have sinned, accept we need a Savior, and follow Jesus in what he says from now until the crescendo of creation’s song is met in Jesus’ second advent.

No greater words were spoken but that come from the mouth of the Incarnate Jesus at his first Advent, “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

My challenge to you this Christmas Day, is parts. First if you do not know what it means that Jesus is Savior, or that you want to know, or you have questions, please take one of those “Connect With Us” cards that’s in your bulletin. Fill it out, and allow me to call you this week to speak with you. I want your questions to be answered, your thoughts to be heard, because I want you to join with me at that crescendo. 

For those of you who have trusted in Jesus as your Savior, today is Christmas Day, your Savior has come and is coming again. Warm up those vocal pipes, praise him today for all that he has done and will do. Sing your favorite Christmas song and prepare for the crescendo of creation’s song. 

Let us celebrate the first advent as we look forward to Jesus’ second one. If the first was a sight to be hold, just think about what the second one holds to come. Amen 

The Exclamation! Of Christmas Week 3 - “Simeon’s Exclamation”

  We kicked off this Christmas session recognizing that there are a lot of Christmas songs out there. Some are like Born is the King (It’s Christmas Time), which is a joyful exclamation of what Christmas is about: God coming down to save. Then there’s others like Shepherd’s Lament, that deal with how too many people feel lost at Christmas time.

This week I want to give you another song, it’s called Here With Us by Joy Williams, take a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OXauOgNV2M.

The writer of this song contemplates the closeness of God. In the song, there are thoughts of things like the baby’s hands. Hands of an infant that are compared to the hands that created the universe. It’s a personal song that speaks to how personal Christmas is. And that’s what we’ll be talking about today, the personal aspect of Christmas. 

So if you have your Bibles, we’ll be in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2 verse 29. And as we open to Luke 2:29, let’s look back on the last two weeks to bring us back into our Christmas series on the Exclamation of Christmas.

In our first week we talked about the joy that is Christmas. Christmas is a moment in time that sees the fulfillment of many prophecies and promises of God. One of the things that sets the Christian faith apart from the vast majority of others, is that it is rooted in recorded historical events. The historic birth of Jesus’ fits within a time frame of prophecy that is unparalleled. Because Jesus’ birth fulfills so many prophecies and promises of God, it tells us that those promises yet to be fulfilled, will be.

Then in our second week we looked at the doubt that too often surrounds Christmas. A thought that God once worked, but now is silent is prevalent throughout our society. Where Christmas speaks of hope, many see no hope because the world is so dark. This is why we talked about how Christmas is the assurance that God is still working, because he is working in the believer’s life. We are a testimony to the work of God in Christmas, and we need to share the hope we have with the world around us.

Promises fulfilled and the assurance of God’s work brings us back to the Gospel of Luke. Let’s read together from chapter 2, verse 29.

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
     you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
     and the glory of your people Israel.”

This exclamation is the shortest one we have seen so far, and it comes from a person that isn’t usually connected to the Christmas story. 

Usually when we think of the Christmas story, we think of angels, wisemen, shepherds, donkeys, stars and things like that. Yet this man Simeon is the last exclamation we get in the Christmas story. Within a few verses after Simeon’s exclamation, the story ends where it began, in the temple of God.

But like what we saw with Mary and with Zechariah, Simeon’s exclamation at the sight of Jesus doesn’t come out of the blue. Now we don’t know much Simeon’s background, but what we do know, points us to something a lot of us have trouble with.

 

Let’s go back a few verses and get some insight into who Simeon is. Verse 21 reads, “21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.”

So the scene is set with Jospeh and Mary fulfilling their religious duty. They’re taking their son into Jerusalem to be circumcised and presented to the Lord as all first born males were to be. It’s while they're at the temple that they meet Simeon, our exclaimer. And here’s what we know about him: 

Like Zechariah and Elizabeth last week, Simeon is called righteous and devout. That means that he is faithful to God’s commands and God accredited righteousness to him because of that faithfulness.

But unlike Zechariah who wasn’t expecting any movement of God, Simeon was. It says he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. That word consolation is the greek word paraklésis (par-ak’-lay-sis), and it means a call to aid, encourage, or comfort someone. So Simeon is waiting for the call of comfort for Israel. But why? Why are we told that he’s waiting for this? Zechariah wasn’t waiting, Mary wasn’t expecting, but why was Simeon?

The reality is that there were several groups of Jews waiting for God to move in this time period. The reason for this was because of the book of Daniel. In the 9th chapter of Daniel’s book, he had been given a prophetic timetable of when God’s Messiah would appear. Simeon is living in that time period and so is prepared. In addition to this, we’re told that God specifically told Simeon that he would not die before seeing this Messiah. 

In fact, it’s because of all this, that Simeon was in the temple courts that day, God was working, fulfilling his promises, and Simeon was ready to see it.

So this is Simeon: a man of righteousness devoted to God, a man trusting in what God had revealed, and a man who got to see God’s work in action and the promise fulfilled.

But that’s the not end of it. After Simeon’s initial exclamation, there’s more, let’s move back to the end of Simeon’s exclamation, picking it back up in verse 33.

“33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’”

It’s a blessing and a further insight into who this baby will be. Jesus will be a point of diversion. Some will rise with him, which is an allusion to his resurrection, but some will fall away. Jesus will be one that many will disregard, which we see throughout time and even more so today. And this baby will be the litmus test as to where humanity lies. In other words, Jesus is the fork in the road. He points to a very specific way to God, and all other ways diverge away from him. He is the fulcrum of history, the point of which all things pivot. Either a person comes into the presence of the God through Jesus, or they fall to utter darkness away from him.

But this comes at a price, which Simeon alludes to in his statement to Mary, “And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Not a literal sword, but a pain. We talked about this in our communion time a few weeks ago. The baby that Mary held in her hands, who was bloody from the birthing process, would again be bloody in his mother’s arms at the crucifixion. But, from the Bible’s perceptive, all that pain is a blessing. Salvation’s path has been been opened now that the Messiah has arrived, what a glorious moment.

And what a personal one. There’s one thing about Simeon’s exclamation that I find fantastic, the scope. Simeon praises God for his fulfilled promise to this man. It’s the pinnacle to his life and now he asks God to take him. Simeon asks God to take him, because that consolation is here. God’s aid, his comfort has arrived in this baby, and the world, not just the Israelites, but the whole world now has its Savior. And that Savior will go to the cross, of which his mother Mary will see, and through that cross will provided the payment for sin.

To me, Simeon’s exclamation is the aspect of Christmas that we cannot over look, it’s personal and communal. Christmas is for me, because I needed God’s grace to bring me out of the realm of death. I need it. It’s personal. But not just me, there’s a whole host of other’s that it was for and who I will stand with someday, fully in the presence of God. And it’s for even more than that, which we’ll talk about next week. 

But let’s stop at this point, Christmas isn’t about trees, though I love the tree sitting in my living room. It’s not about presents, though I love a good gift. It’s not even about family get together, though there are some memorable things that happen. It’s about God who descended, took on human flesh, lived the human experience without falling to sin, paying a price that he didn’t have to, yet wanted to on behalf of his creation, and is now seeking a personal relationship with those that would accept. 

Christmas is a personal call of God for comfort. Comfort for what ails the world, sin which has its grip, but breaks at the name of Jesus.

My challenge for you this week is to answer a question and make a list. We hear about Santa making his list, let’s make one of our own. Personally, how has God comforted you? What things have you gone through that you can say, God got me through it. I want to challenge you to make that list this week. Remember how the comfort of God has worked through your life. Once you make the list, check it twice, and then hang it at the entrance to your home so that you can see it everyday, and maybe even add to it.

And if you’re at a point where you’re thinking, I’m not comforted right now, I’m hurting and it seems hopeless, re-read Simeon’s life, God promised comfort to him, and through Jesus, he promises comfort for you. So call out to God for his comfort, seek him as he intends to be sought this Christmas, and trust him. Simeon was at the end of his life before he saw his comfort, but faithfully followed God even before that.

Let us also faithful follow God in good and hard times, so that we might be a people who are known for their trust in him, for the glory of Jesus our Savior. Amen.

the Exclamation! Of Christmas Week 2 - “Zachariah’s Song”

  Last week I shared that there are roughly 50,000 registered Christmas songs and I introduced you to the a kick off Christmas song called, Born is the King (It’s Christmas Time). It was a song that speaks to the heart of Christmas. That the whole point of the Christmas story is to bring hope and joy to the world, because God himself descended to his creation so that the power of sin would be broken and the path to everlasting life would be opened. 

This week I want to share with you a different type of Christmas song. It’s a song by a guy named Kirby Brown. If last week got you excited for Christmas, this might make you feel the opposite. The song is called Shepherds’s Lament; take a listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhjbL8n1IUU.

Not everyone has joy at Christmas, and there can be a lot of doubt that follows the Christmas story. And it’s that doubt that we’re going to talk about today. So if you have your Bibles, we’re going to look at Zechariah’s exclamation in Luke chapter 1, starting in verse 67.

And as we open up to Luke 1:67, let’s talk about last week. In the first week of our Christmas series we looked at Mary’s song and the events that led to it. We saw Mary’s reaction to the angel’s words that she was going to bear the Son of God. She accepted her role, but sought a confirmation of what the angel said through her relative Elizabeth. After meeting up with Elizabeth, Mary saw that the angel’s words were true, because the angel had also said that Elizabeth, who was barren, would be pregnant, and sure enough she was.

Mary’s song then points us to the God who looks out for the humble, takes away from the proud, and fulfills his promises. And so we walked away from last week with the uplifting understanding that Christmas is promises fulfilled, which gives us assurance that God will fulfill his promise that Jesus will return again.

This then brings us to another song that is interwoven with the Christmas story, Zechariah’s song. Let’s read Luke chapter 1, starting in verse 67.

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
     because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
     in the house of his servant David

70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

71 salvation from our enemies
     and from the hand of all who hate us—

72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,

73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
     and to enable us to serve him without fear

75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
     for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
     through the forgiveness of their sins,

78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
     by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

79 to shine on those living in darkness
     and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Now you might be thinking, where’s the doubt in Zechariah’s song. It sounds really similar to Mary’s song. It has praise to God, just like Mary’s song. It has a focus on what God has done in the past, with emphasis on God fulfilling his covenantal promises to Israel. So where’s the doubt. To answer that, we need to go back to the event that proceeded Zechariah’s song, the event that led to the joyous exclamation.

62 verses early we get Zechariah’s story. We find out a few things about Zechariah. He’s a priest, and so is a descendant of Aaron. He’s also married to a woman named Elizabeth, spoiler, she’s the same Elizabeth that we talked about last week. And were told that both of these individuals are considered righteous by God because they walk “blamelessly in all the commandments and status of the Lord (v. 6).” So these are pretty faithful followers of God. 

We also know that Elizabeth is barren, she has no biological children nor any adopted children. This we know plays a huge part in Mary’s story later on. Which gives credence to the idea that sometimes God allows us to go through hard times, so that we can play a role in the life of someone else. 

Now that we have the backstory for Zechariah, we’re told that his division of priest were serving at the temple of God and Zechariah, “8 was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.”

This was a huge honor, and most likely was the most important moment of his priestly life. This is because there were thousands upon thousands of priests, so not every priest got to go into the temple. They had to be chosen and the most fair way was to cast lots, which is akin to drawing from a hat. So they would choose two priests a day to perform this specific ritual; one in the morning and one in the evening. Once you were chosen for one of the rituals, you couldn’t do anything again. It was literally a once in a lifetime moment. 

And what would happen is that a priest would go into the temple in Jerusalem, light the incense which was right before the curtain that separated the holy of holies from the holy place, say a brief prayer, and then come out and give the blessing from Numbers 6. But when Zechariah went in, it took longer than usual, and the people had to wait. That’s because, when he went in an angel appeared to Zechariah standing next to the incense alter. And here we can start seeing similarities and differences between Zechariah and Mary.

Both encounter the angel, Mary is said to be troubled at the greeting, where Zechariah falls down in fear at the mere sight of the angel. Both are given assurance by the angel to not be afraid, and both are told about a brith. For Zechariah, the angel encourages him that his prayers have been answered and that his wife would bear a son in her old age. And like Mary being told the name of her son, Zechariah is told that his son will be named John. 

Zechariah is also told that his son will be great in front of God, will not drink wine or any strong drink, and will be filled with the Holy Spirit even in the womb, something we see when he meets Mary. Zachariah’s son’s job will be to turn people back to God and prepare the way for the Savior in the vein of Elijah. 

But here’s where there’s both a parallel and a divergence in Mary and Zechariah’s encounter with the angel. Mary’s response to the angel was, “How will this be…since I am a virgin (v.34)?” While Zechariah’s response was, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years (v.18).”

Both make ask questions of how the angel’s statements would work out. Both are questions of physical ability, one being a virgin, and one being old. Notice he doesn’t call his wife old, just along in years, this is a smart man that’s been married a while. But both questions seem to say the same thing, yet Zechariah is met with a rebuke from the angel, and Mary’s is met with an encouragement. Why? I think it’s because of the heart. Zechariah, though he is a priest, though he is righteous before God, though he walks blamelessly in the commands of God, is held back from trusting in God. He asks, how can I be sure what you’re telling me is true? 

Mary’s question doesn’t come from a place of non-trust, but from a desire to know deeper things. Whereas Zechariah’s question seems to come from a place of non-trust. Sure he believes it all and is willing to do everything that is asked of him from a ritual religious perspective, but something is holding him back from believing what the angel is saying.

So because of this lack of trust in what the angel said, the angel makes it so Zechariah can’t speak. And that last around nine months. From this moment until the day his son is circumcised, Zechariah doesn’t speak, but had to communicate through hand gestures and the like. 

Fast forward to after Mary is met by the angel, and after Mary came to see Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth, all the way to eight days after his son’s birth. This new born boy is being circumcised and is to be given his name, and Elizabeth states that the boy’s name is John. To which her relatives question, because not one of her family members has that name, and it’s only when Zechariah confirms that this name is John by writing on a tablet that it says, “his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God (v.64).”

And that’s when we get Zechariah’s song. A song that praises God for his redeeming work. A song that recognizes that God is bringing the Messiah into this world. A song that recognizes that God is fulfilling his promises. A song that understands that God has given Zechariah and Elizebeth a son who will make way for this Messiah and that sin will be forgiven, mercy will flow, light will show into dark places, and it’s all because God is good.

Zechariah’s song comes from a man who, though did everything right religiously, still doubted. He doubted that God could do something that seemed impossible. Sure he must have read that God did such a thing for Abraham and Sarah, when God gave them their son Issac when Abraham was 90, but how could it be possible today for God to do such a thing for just some random priest? Sure Zechariah had been praying for a child, but for how long? How many days had gone by, how false positives did Elizabeth have? The cruel reality of so long without a child, must have hardened Zechariah’s trust that what the angel said was possible, and so he needed more proof that it was going to happen.

But for nine months, as that baby, who he didn’t think was possible, was growing in his getting along in years wife, this praise was welling up inside of him. And the moment he was able to speak it gushed out by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Christmas is that! It says that the God, who has done marvelous things, is still doing marvelous things today. A woman who wants a child but can’t have one, can still be blessed. A family going through hard times can still come out of it. A person who feels lost and alone, can find a loving family. Bodies can be healed, addictions can be broken, relationships can be mended. Christmas says there is hope for the hopeless of humanity. There is a praise for the lament, joy for the despair, and certainly for the doubt.

It doesn’t matter if your Mary who trusts in God fully and follows without faltering, or Zechariah who doubts the words of God, Christmas says, your welcome at the manger of the Savior. Christmas says, come anyways. Bring your doubts, your hurts, your waining faith to this Jesus who came from heaven to bring peace to all mankind. 

Christmas isn’t just a celebration of the greatness of God wrapped in humble baby cloths, but a cure to what ails the human race. To truly celebrate Christmas, is to celebrate God who sees our plight and says, I’m not giving up.

My challenge for you this week, if you’re struggling with something. Doubts about your faith, fear of the social or political landscape, broken relationships that seem to far gone, family or friends or neighbors lost in themselves or addictions, be silent for ninety minutes. Stop talking, questioning, or fighting with God and just sit there and seek him to speak to you. Zechariah was forced to not speak for nine months, I think we can voluntarily not speak for an hour and a half. 

Because too often we question and talk to God, but rarely do we take a significant amount of time to allow him to talk with us.

This Christmas season, let’s not think that we have to have it all together to celebrate Christ’s coming, if that were true then there would’t have been the first Christmas. Instead let’s seek God in our doubts, in our failings, remembering that it was at the manger that the perfect God took on the flesh of his creation, to walk perfectly with us, to then lay his life down for us, so that we may be resurrected with him someday. And though we may feel discouraged, depressed, or in a perpetual state of disaster, God is still true to his word. Amen.

The Exclamation! Of Christmas Week 1 - “Mary’s Song”

 

Did you know that there are over 50,000 Christmas songs as recorded in the Blocker research database? So what’s your favorite Christmas song? A modern Christmas song that I have come to really like is called “Born is the King (It’s Christmas)”. Several artist have their renditions, but I like Philips, Craig, and Deans version the best. It’s a get your heart pumpin’ kick off to Christmas type of song. Take a listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlsMzzvbH3g

 

Christmas songs that focus on Jesus, are exclamations about the excitement that is Christmas. And it’s that exclamation that brings us into our Christmas series where we are going to look at four exclamations that come about because of Christmas.

The first of these is Mary’s Song, or as it is also known, the Magnificat. This first exclamation comes from Luke chapter 1, verse 46. Let’s read through this exclamation and then walk through why Mary sings what she does.

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,

49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
     holy is his name.

50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.

51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
     he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
     but has lifted up the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel, 

remembering to be merciful

55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,

just as he promised our ancestors.”

This song comes after Mary experiences two events. First in verses 26-38, Mary is visited in the town of Nazareth by the angel Gabriel. It’s here that she is told that she is highly favored by God, and will conceive a boy who will be called Jesus. 

She asked how could it happen since she’s a virgin. The angel Gabriel tells her, that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, the power of the Most High will overshadow her, therefore the child she conceives will be called holy and the Son of God.

It’s here that the angel then directs Mary to Elizabeth; an aunt of Marys’, who is much older and who was thought to be physically unable to have children. Through God’s power though, Elizabeth was now carrying a child herself. 

At this, Mary makes a life changing step of faith when she says, “I am the Lord’s servant…May your word to me be fulfilled (v. 38).” At this Gabriel leaves Mary.

This leads into the second event that Mary experiences. After being told that she would conceive a child who would be called holy and the Son of God, Mary leaves to visit her aunt Elizabeth. Though Mary is trusting what the angel has said, it seems that she wants confirmation. There she finds her older, supposedly barren aunt, pregnant. And she is strongly greeted by her aunt, “42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!’”

And it’s from this greeting by Mary’s once barren aunt that the her song rings out. And the first words of that song are the Magnificat, “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Her very being is erupting in magnified praise of God. She has seen with her own eyes that the angel’s words about her would come true, because they were confirmed by her own aunt.

Within her magnified praise, she recognizes how low she is. She’s not a queen, or an aristocrat. She has nothing to offer God Most High, yet through her, she recognizes that generation upon generation will call her blessed. Because she is. And though nothing has happened so far, she recognizes the work of God being already accomplished even before it is fully seen. And she calls God holy, because he does what he does for great purpose.

What comes next focuses on the un-yet seen fulfillment, but already accomplished reality. God’s mercy is for those who pay him reverent fear; who recognize his power and bow at his feet. Them and their children and their children are shown mercy when they also pay God the reverence he is deserving.

Then she sings of a dichotomy. God scatters the proud and brings rulers to nothing. Yet he lifts up those that are humble, those who acknowledge God as he is, greater than all. And those who are hungry, they are filled with the good things of God, while the rich lose it all. 

Finally, Mary recognizes that what God is at work doing in her, is what he always does, fulfills his promises to his covenant people Israel. Though it has been over 400 years since God spoke through a prophet in Israel, God did not die; he was not defeated; he did not slumber. No, God was at work bringing about his mercy to his people. He was at work fulfilling his promise to Abraham’s descendants.

And that’s where the song ends, in the promise of God being fulfilled. In this child, who will be Jesus, who will be called holy, and the Son of God, the promises of the covenant with Israel will be realized. From that moment that God called Abraham away from his father, every step the nation of Israel took, through Egypt, past Sinai, into Canaan, and to and from Babylon, led to this moment. The promised prophet of Moses, the coming king of David, the long awaited Messiah is merely months away.

And everything in Mary sees that moment ahead and she exclaims that the promise is right before them, growing in her womb. This is Christmas, not the lights, the trees, the presents, or even the day; Christmas is the fulfillment of almost two thousand years of preparation by God through the covenant he made with Israel. Christmas is a promise fulfilled by God who is the Keeper of Promises. 

As Christians, our very beings should be magnified in praise of God for what he has done. Because we stand on the other side of that first Christmas, we stand on the side of so many more promises of God fulfilled in the cross and the resurrection. We stand with one promise on the horizon, a second Christmas, one in which Jesus does come as a child to die, but as the universe’s King to bring his people to himself in eternity. 

As we celebrate this Christmas, let us celebrate it whole-heartedly. Mary recognized it for the magnificent work of God that it was, let us do the same.

My challenge for you is this, for the next week, start your mornings off with Mary’s opening line to her song, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” Recognize all that God has fulfilled, and look forward to what lies before us that is yet fulfilled. 

Every worship song to Jesus is a Christmas song, it is an Easter song, and it his returning of the King song. Let those songs well up in us that our souls might magnify our praise to God our Savior. Amen