Matthew 2:13-23
The First Melancholy Christmas
Introduction – I Heard the Bells
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was filled with sorrow at the tragic death of his wife in a fire in 1861. The Civil War broke out that same year and it seemed this was an additional punishment. Two years later, Longfellow was again saddened to hear that his own son had been seriously wounded as a lieutenant in the Army of the Potomac.
Sitting down to his desk, one Christmas Day, he heard the church bells ringing. It was in this setting he wrote:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.
At this Chirstmas time whether you are in sorrow or in joy you can know that God is not dead, nor does he sleep. He knows your every need and longs to comfort you and be that special friend you need. Seek Him this year instead of the outward manifestations of the season. He will give life real meaning and your heart real peace, the peace that passes all understanding.
Death, illness, and personal losses occur often during the holiday season.
I. It was a time of Identity 2:13-15
Lost in the difficulties of life is the fact that trials reveal who we are. Trials, troubles, and tragedies allow us to grow in the grace of Jesus and discover our strength in Him.
A. Joseph – he was a man of integrity. God asked Him to live by faith in raising His Son. Joseph cared for Jesus because of his love for God.
B. Jesus – he was a child of royalty. This Christ-Child was in the care of one young couple, but also in the hands of a sovereign God. He was praised by the low in life (shepherds) as well as the mighty in life (wise men). Eventually, all will fall at His feet.
C. Herod – he was a man of animosity. This man hated anything that potentially threatened his throne. Three dead sons and many family members later, even this small child was a threat.
Ill - Valuable Toy Story 2 or San Diego Chicken Loses His Identity
Valuable Toy Story 2
In the movie, Toy Story 2, the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen once again bring to life the animated heroes Woody and Buzz Lightyear, two action-packed toys owned by a boy named Andy.
The movie begins as Andy prepares for a week at Cowboy Camp. But just before he leaves, Woody’s arm tears at the shoulder, so Andy leaves him behind. Feeling lonely and worthless, Woody wonders if he is nearing that time when a boy abandons his favorite toy for the next high-tech fad.
While pondering his worthlessness, Woody sees fellow toys being taken out to the family yard sale. Woody attempts to rescue his friend, but he is spotted by Al, a greedy toy collector. Al, recognizing Woody’s incomparable value as an antique, steals him and takes him to Al’s Toy Barn where he is met by a cowgirl named Jessie, who is ecstatic at his arrival.
Woody asks Jessie why anyone would make such a fuss over him. Jessie shows Woody a video. He watches in amazement as it dawns on him that the image on the TV screen is his own. He is the original Sheriff Woody, "the rootinest, tootinest sheriff in the West," and the star of a popular 1950’s TV show, "Woody’s Roundup."
Woody, boggling over his identity, looks around the room filled with lunch boxes, kids’ toys, record albums, even a yo-yo that bear his likeness. "Just look at all this," he exclaims.
Jessie responds, "Didn’t you know? You’re valuable property!"
OR
San Diego Chicken Loses His Identity
You probably know Ted Giannoulas even if you’ve never heard his name. He has been the San Diego Chicken for 30 years. But Ted is getting older. At age 50, being the Chicken has been his life and his whole identity. His face is never photographed unless he is in costume. No one knows the real Ted. He has no family.
At first, he loved his alter ego. "I discovered an untapped personality in that suit," he said. "It was like, now I have freedom. Now I’m no longer Ted."
But there is a price to pay. Dave Raymond, who for years wore the costume of the Philly Phanatic, said, "[Giannoulas] was the first and the funniest, and I have nothing but respect for him. But if you’re not careful, you can lose yourself in that suit."
Ted himself says, "I have plenty of Chicken stories. I’m afraid I don’t have any Ted stories."
Many people live life being someone God didn’t create them to be. They lose themselves in other things instead of finding their identity in Christ.
Everyone needs to know who they are. We searched in the 60’s and 70’s but it still comes back to Jesus.
II. It was a time of Adversity 16-18
Every one faces adversity. We will grow more through adversity than we do prosperity. Chuck Swindoll stated once that for every 9 people who handle adversity only 1 can handle prosperity.
A. Herod created Headaches. All Jerusalem was troubled. 2:3 Herod did not invent stress but he did create stress.
B. Herod created Heartaches. When the infants were slaughtered, there were voids in the families because of his sadistic heart.
B. Herod created Hurt-aches. There were hurts beyond description! The cryingreached heaven itself! Some hurts go beyond the heart to the very soul of who we are.
Ill - Adversity and the Lesson of the Coffee Bean
A daughter complained to her father about how hard things were for her. "As soon as I solve one problem," she said, "another one comes up. I’m tired of struggling."
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen where he filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second, eggs, and in the last, ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After a while, he went over and turned off the burners. He fished out the carrots and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. He poured the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her he asked, "Darling, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted its rich flavor.
She asked, "What does it mean, Father?" He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity—boiling water—but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg was fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. By being in the boiling water, they changed the water.
He asked his daughter, "When adversity knocks on your door, which are you?"
Life’s headaches, heartaches, and hurt-aches drive us to cry out to God. He wants to know our sorrows. He understands.
III. It was a time of Obscurity 19-23
Often we feel invisible during the holidays. It is as if no one knows we are there. Let me encourage you that God does know even if He is quiet at the moment.
A. You are not forgotten. God knows where you are! He is with you through the struggles!
B. You are not hopeless. No matter how hard it is, He provides the comfort you need.
C. You are not orphaned. You are never alone!
Ill - Every Instrument Is Necessary or Obscure, The Inescapable
Every Instrument Is Necessary
A conductor was rehearsing his great orchestra. The organ was rolling, giving beautiful melody. The drums were thundering. The trumpets were blaring out. The violins were singing beautifully. Suddenly something seemed wrong. Someone in the orchestra had thought, With all this going on, I can rest a while. This is a rehearsal anyway.
The conductor threw up his arms and said, "Where’s the piccolo?"
The piccolo player said, "I’m obscure. I don’t amount to much. With all of this going on, I don’t have to keep playing."
But the one with the trained ear said, "Every one of us is necessary." When you and I feel obscure, we must remember God has something significant for our lives, and we need to respond.
OR
Obscure, The Inescapable
In The Divine Intruder, James R. Edwards recounts this story:
Wilmer McLean was a small farmer in the Shenandoah Valley in 1861. In the spring of that year two powerful armies met on his property;the Union army under General McDowell and the Confederate army under General Beauregard. The bloodiest war in American history began at Bull Run, a creek that ran through McLean’s property. McLean was not at all sure why the armies were fighting, but he was quite sure he did not want them fighting on his property. If he could not change the course of the war, he at least did not have to be part of it. McLean decided to sell out and go where the war would never find him.
He chose the most obscure place in the whole country; or so he thought, an old house in the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Four years later General Grant was pursuing General Lee through Virginia. In Appomattox County, Grant sent a message to Lee asking him to meet and sign a truce. The place where they met to sign the peace that ended the Civil War was Wilmer McLean’s living room!
Some things you cannot get away from.
Recently, David Jeremiah gave some very poignant suggestions on how to escape the melancholy of Christmas.
How can we tap into the encouragement of our ever-present Wonderful Counselor and become free from Christmas blues?
VERBALIZE
Tell our Lord all about it. Consciously draw near to Him in prayer. He always hears and understands. Then pick up the phone, share your emotions with a trusted friend or family member, for “Thoughts disentangle passing o’er the lip.”
Avoid woe-is-me self-pity (“Lord, you know I’m lonely, pitiful, sad, isolated.”) Pray honestly, but offer a prayer of faith. “Lord, I feel discouraged today, but I’m here to claim one of Your promises. With Your help, I’ll stand on Your Word.”
Say with the psalmist: “I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope” (Psalm 16:7-9).
SCRUTINIZE
Scrutinize the Scriptures. If Jesus Christ is our Wonderful Counselor, how does He dispense His counsel to us? One way is through His Word -- “Your testimonies also are my … counselors” (Psalm 119:24).
“A portion of the Bible ought to be read carefully and prayerfully and lovingly every day," Samuel Brengle of the Salvation Army once said. "Just as a fire needs fresh fuel, and the body needs new supplies of food every day, so the soul that would be strong and holy needs something fresh from the Bible each day.”
Pour over the Gospel accounts of the birth of the Lord Jesus. Ask God to show you something new there, some truth you’ve never seen before. New lessons often come from the most familiar Scriptures while the Holy Spirit helps us read them as though for the first time.
MEMORIZE
When God gives you a verse to sustain you through the holidays, memorize it. Meditate on it as you go to sleep at night. Repel discouraging thoughts with the power of memorized Scripture. God’s Word can renew our thoughts, healing our minds and giving us healthier emotions.
ITEMIZE
Itemize your blessings. Create a Christmas thanksgiving list. Add to it every day.
We need the Spirit’s help, for this involves choosing a positive attitude when our emotions are going negative. But because God is with us, we can do it.
VISUALIZE
Visualize the presence of the Lord Jesus in your home, sitting at the table with you, standing near as you begin or end the day. His name is Immanuel, which means God with us. “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
IMPROVISE
Decide to be Christ’s ambassador this Christmas. Do something for Him. Tackle a project for Jesus.
Pastor Im served the Lord in North Korea before mistakenly being arrested and thrown into prison on Kojedo Island. He could almost hear Satan whispering, “Where is your God?” But he overcame self-pity and prayed, “Dear Lord Jesus, if You have let all this heartache come to me and my family, it must be because You have something for me to do. What can I do for You here on this prison island?”
It was Christmas season, so Pastor Im gathered some other prisoners to sing carols. Such gatherings were forbidden. But the American soldiers knew the tunes, though not the Korean words; so with guns trained on the group, they let 500 Korean POWs stand in the rain and sing carols of our Lord’s birth.
Pastor Im won hundreds of prisoners to Christ, holding Bible studies in camp. More than 6000 men finished the six-month course of daily Bible study. At least 600 prisoners went on to become preachers of the Gospel -- all because of one man who didn’t give in to the Christmas blues.
Our Lord Jesus is the Christ of Christmas present, and He wants to deliver you from the Christmas blues, too. Claim His wonderful counsel, and enjoy His comforting presence whatever your circumstances this Christmas.
