Filling in the Background: God Can Get it Done
Well, we’re getting closer and closer to Christmas. Things are getting busier, our calendars are full and our wallets are empty. Some are preparing to travel, some are preparing to entertain. Some of you have all of your shopping done, and I’ll see some of you in Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve when I’m finishing my shopping. We’ve looked, these last two weeks, at how to prepare ourselves for the Celebration of the coming of Christ to Earth. How to stop and reflect on what’s really important this Christmas and how to refocus our thoughts and attention back to the center of it all, the Christ child in the manger. This is the time when we really focus in on the amazing miracle of the Word becoming Flesh, of God becoming one of us, to save us. This is the time of year that we celebrate that birth and everything about it.
We all know the story. We sing about the angels and the wise men. We hear the stories of the shepherds and of the crowded inn that was too full for Mary and Joseph. We see the Nativity scenes of the new mother leaning over the crude manger as her child sleeps amidst the cows and the sheep. We’ve heard Christmas messages preached on every last detail and from every perspective. I know a pastor who did an entire Christmas series from the perspective of a cow in the stable! We have heard it so many times and from so many different angles that we sometimes forget the magnitude of the event. At no other time in history has God intervened like this. There is nothing found even in legends and myths that can compare to the reality of the birth of God, here on Earth. The moment the world had been waiting for, the event that the prophets had spoken of and foretold, the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation, the ultimate act of humility and sacrifice was taking place in the little town of Bethlehem, the city of David.
God became man. Paul puts it this way:
PHP 2:6-7 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
The One who was, in all ways, God, was to become, in all ways, man. The creator had become like the very masterpieces that he had created. As we continue to look at this Christmas story, we see that God is bringing each piece of the puzzle into place here to make this first Christmas look the way that He had planned it from the beginning.
Growing up in my house, with my mother, there was one thing that you could be sure of whenever there was a holiday or a family get together, there was going to be a puzzle present. She’s a big fan of Charles Wysocki puzzles and there was always a card table set up with a puzzle that needed to be finished. Puzzles are a great way to bring people together. I can remember sitting and listening to my aunts and uncles talk and laugh and tell stories as they worked on the puzzle in front of them. I can also remember being so excited, as a kid, when I would get a piece to fit or I would finish a certain part that I was working on. As a general rule, with puzzles, you want to get the outside finished first. You do the perimeter, all of the straight edges, first. From there, you move onto the major aspects of the puzzle, the main focus. You pick out things that are unique, that you can find the pieces for and you put those together. The last thing that you do is the background. The background can be incredibly frustrating. Usually, the background pieces all look pretty similar and it can be hit and miss when it comes to finding the piece that you need.
We had a puzzle when I was little that was a monopoly board. Someone with a very twisted sense of humor had decided that this should be a puzzle. I’m not sure that we ever finished it and if we did, it was only after weeks of tedious, frustrating labor to get it done. Have you seen a Monopoly Board? The puzzle was a breeze at first, the colors were easy to match up and the picture of the old man in the middle took no time at all to finish. Then we got to the background. The background was all the same color. We had about half of the puzzle left and every piece was the same color with no distinguishing characteristics! Now to some, that may sound like fun, a challenge even. I’m not one of those people. For me, the stress of trying to figure out the background ruined the whole puzzle for me and I would never want to try something like that again.
I want you to look at the coming weeks like a puzzle. We have already defined and completed the border and put together the main parts. We know that Jesus is the focus and we have clearly put together a picture of our perfect Christmas with Him as the center. Now, there are many things that will try to fill in the background with. Some of them we control, things like travel. Some of them are out of our hands like snowstorms, gifts on backorder, Christmas trees that mysteriously fall to the ground and none of your kids know what happened. Whether we can control it or not, the background has the potential to distract us and frustrate us, and to make us want to give up before its done.
But I have good news for you this morning! The background doesn’t have to ruin the picture. We serve a God who is capable of working in and through any circumstances. We serve a God who can take care of the background details for us so that we can continue to focus on the main part of the picture. We’re going to turn our attention back to Mary, the young lady that enjoyed the favor of God like no one else and became the vessel through which God became man. Mary had taken those steps that we have already talked about. She had stopped to reflect on what was important and she had refocused her thoughts and attention to the big picture of what was going to be accomplished. We saw it last week in her reply to Elizabeth. As Mary and Elizabeth meet, Elizabeth rejoices in the miracles that God has done for both of them. And Mary answers in a way that shows that her mind is made up, God is going to be glorified through her. God is going to be her focus, what she keeps her eyes on, the only One that she aims to please and obey. It wasn’t going to matter if people talked and people probably did. It wasn’t going to matter if she would be abandoned, she knew that God would never leave her. The main part of the picture was in place but the background pieces had the potential to leave the work unfinished and to turn Mary’s heart and mind away from what was important.
There were many details that had to fall into place, there were many pieces to the puzzle that still needed to fit in. Mary gave us a great example of how to get the background done right and with the least frustration possible. She left the details for God to fill in. She let him put the finishing touches on the picture and what a job he did. I want to look at three details that Mary left to God and at how God painted a picture that Mary never could have on her own. There are some things that we can learn and must learn from this if our focus is to remain where it needs to as the distractions of the background come crashing in the closer Christmas comes.
As we look at the Nativity Scene, we have Mary and the Baby front and center. The first addition to the background needs to be the baby’s earthly father: Joseph
I. The Birth Father
Last week I mentioned that fact that Mary was pregnant was enough to get her sentenced to death by stoning in those days. Unwed mothers were dealt with quickly and harshly. At the very least, this pregnancy would put a strain on the relationship that she had with Joseph, her fiancé. Scripture teaches us that Joseph was a good man, but that even he had his limits. When it was found that Mary was pregnant, he was going to divorce her. In those days, an engagement was binding, you were pledged to each other, a price had already been paid to the bride’s family, and you were basically married. Joseph wanted to spare her from public disgrace and humiliation and so he was going to take care of the matter quietly. Imagine the conversation that they had together, the hurt and disappointment on Joseph’s face and the frustration of Mary as she tries to make him understand the reality of what’s happened. Relationships, especially relationships during the holiday season can be tough. This could have derailed everything. This could have thrown Mary and distracted her completely from the work that God was doing in her life. This could have changed the background of the picture. But Mary trusted God. She kept her eye on the big picture and trusted that God would place things where he wanted and he did.
Read Matthew 1:18-25
God provided in a way that left no doubt in the mind of Joseph what was taking place and another piece of the puzzle fell into place. Mary trusted and God worked things out in His timing and in His way, a way that Mary never could have accomplished on her own.
The backgrounds of our Christmas picture contain many different people and many different relationships. For some of us those relationships have been broken and are a strain and we stress about how things are going to be or about what’s going to be said that will set off one family member or the other. We can get frustrated trying to make all of the pieces fit. That frustration can cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus. Learn from Mary. Keep your eyes on the big picture. Worship God and trust Him to work out some of the trickier details. Now, that doesn’t guarantee that their will not be any relationship issues this Christmas but it does guarantee that you will be in the right frame of mind to handle them and that others will notice a difference in you and your attitude. God can move hearts and he will be glorified if you trust Him with the details of your relationships this Christmas. Mary did and her marriage was saved and the Nativity scene included Joseph, the Earthly Father that Jesus would need while growing up.
The next thing that is in the background of every Nativity scene is the stable that was the scene of the birth.
II. The Birthing Suite
Every woman wants to have their baby in someplace that’s safe and comfortable. We had Ethan in Syracuse and they had just built a brand new birthing center in St. Joe’s Hospital. The room was great, we had a whirlpool and a queen sized bed and the staff was excellent. Erin got spoiled, if you don’t take into account the pain and stuff like that. When we found out that we were expecting again, the hospital in Mansfield just wasn’t going to cut it. We had heard horror stories and Erin was convinced that we would end up with someone else’s child if we went there so we drove an hour away to Columbus. They had a birthing center that was just as nice as the one in Syracuse and Erin was happy. Of course we almost had the baby in the car during the long drive but she says it was worth the trip.
Mary doesn’t really have the option of a birthing center or even of real comfort during the time of her delivery. I thought an hour was a long way to travel to give birth, Mary made the same trip as far as miles go, but on a donkey. The circumstances of her pregnancy and the traveling that had to take place for this piece of the puzzle to fit, to put her in the right place, , the place that God had ordained for His Son to be born, could have been a huge distraction to Mary. Again she trusted.
The manger wasn’t the major hurdle here. When Mary heard from God that she was going to carry His Son, the Messiah, she would have begun to go through in her mind, some of the prophecies that had been spoken. Every Jew knew the prophecies that pointed to the coming Messiah and Mary would have known that the child was to be born in Bethlehem. Now, Bethlehem was quite a distance to travel in those days. How would she convince Joseph to go? It would be like Erin telling me that she’s like to have the next baby in Alaska. I’d think she was nuts. Joseph had a job, he couldn’t just pick up and go. Again, Mary trusted. Mary believed and kept her focus on God and He moved in a mighty way to fill in the background here.
He moved an entire Empire to accomplish His will. Caesar Augustus was the grandnephew of Julius Caesar. When Julius Caesar was killed on the steps of the Roman Senate, the power of Rome was handed over to Caius Octavius, who was 19 years old. He took the name Caesar and the senate voted him the name Augutus, which means the “Exalted One.” It was said of Caesar Augustus that he found Rome brick, but left it marble. He had very expensive tastes. Where did his wealth come from? It came from the peoples that he had conquered. He needed more money and this is how he decided to get it.
Read Luke 2:1-5
He taxed the people. And it was not enough to tax them where they were, he wanted to make sure that no one was overlooked so he commanded each man to return to his place of birth. Look at the way the pieces are beginning to fit, the way that the timing is perfect. Until now, a government had not existed that could have accomplished this. Mary, God’s chosen one, just happens to be engaged to Joseph, whose family traces it’s lineage back to King David and the city of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is where the Messiah is going to be born and the pieces fall into place and God’s will is accomplished through the greed of an unsuspecting emperor. Mary could have turned away from what was important and stressed out over the details. She didn’t. She trusted and she obeyed and God provided. Even amidst the chaos of Bethlehem during this time, He provided a shelter in which Christ would be born. It wasn’t quite a birthing suite but it was pefect because it was God’s choice. In a stable in Bethlehem, the background took another step towards being completed.
What can we take from this? First and foremost we can see that God is not limited by the limitations of man. God can and does move in ways that we are completely clueless to. He works in and through many who have no idea that they are being used to further the work of God’s Kingdom. And when it looks like God is doing nothing and times look the darkest for us, be assured that He is still in control and things will work out for the Glory of His Kingdom and for the good of those who love Him.
We can also learn to not stress over all of the little details. If Mary had been a micromanager, she would not have played the role that she did in that first Christmas. If she was constantly trying to make everything work out right, if she was trying to make her own travel plans and arrange her own lodging, she could not have kept her focus on the birth of God’s Holy Child. Some of us are driving ourselves crazy trying to micromanage every last detail of the season. Planning is alright, preparing is alright, but when it gets to the point where it consumes us, where its all we can think about, and where it distracts us from bringing glory to God, we need to give it up. Trust God to work out some of the impossible details and don’t let them keep you from enjoying Christmas the way that God wants you to. The one who micromanages during Christmas, is trying to finish the background first and the pieces will never all fit and you’ll lose the context of where they are supposed to fit and the main picture will never get done and Christmas will come and go and the puzzle will remain undone. Finish the important parts first and keep your focus on them. God will finish the picture and it will be better than you ever could have imagined.
The last part of the Nativity scene, the final piece of the background to be filled in is the audience.
III. The Birth Announcements
Erin and I are very proud of our children. I don’t know if you’ve met them but they’re two pretty cool little kids. If you ask me how my family is doing, you’re going to get an answer that involves me telling you about my kids. What they’ve been up to, how Ethan is doing in basketball, what masterpieces that Catherine has drawn on our furniture. I like to brag about my kids. I like to let people know what they’re like.
I’m sure Mary was a typical mom in this respect, but on the first Christmas morning, Mary knows that this is no typical baby. She knows that she is giving birth to the King of Kings. But how will other people know? Mary could tell them, but if she were a typical parent, we always tend to exaggerate when it comes to our own kids! Who would believe her if she told them. A king needs to be announced and then He needs an audience to give Him the worship and respect that is befitting of His crown. Once again, in leaving the details to God, He accomplished this piece of the puzzle in a way that only He could have. He called on the full resources of heaven to announce His son and to bring an audience to that stable to see the Messiah King. He opened up the skies and hung a new star to point the way to the manger. But that wasn’t all.
Read Luke 2:8-18
He sang the glory of the Christ Child with a Heavenly chorus and the announcement was made. The audience was gathered and Mary didn’t have to worry about whether the people would know. As the shepherds left that place they couldn’t help but begin to spread the news of the King that was born in Bethlehem. With this piece, the puzzle was complete and the background was filled in according to God’s plan and no one else’s.
God proclaimed the birth of Christ with angels, this Christmas, He uses His children. We have the task of calling others to come and to worship. We have the task of helping to build that audience around the manger, of spreading the Good News that unto us is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. As the distractions mount, as the background pieces threaten to overshadow the big picture, don’t let anything pull you from this privilege that you have to bring others the gift of life this Christmas.
There it is, the perfect Christmas, orchestrated by God Himself through a girl who believed that He would provide. When I was playing soccer at Nyack, we used to go over a lot of film. We would watch video of our next opponent to see what their strengths and weaknesses were. Then we would come up with a game plan of how we thought we could beat them. Sometimes it was to shut down a specific player, sometimes it was to force them to a certain side of the field, sometimes it was to push the tempo, sometimes it was to hold back. We had an assistant coach that would say over and over again, just work the game plan. No matter what came up, he would tell us, just work the game plan. This Christmas, we have already decided what the focus needs to be and where we need to center our thoughts and our worship. As we get closer to Christmas day and the things in the background try to push their way forward, just work the game plan. Keep your eyes on Christ. Give Him the things that are the most distracting and cause the most stress. Spend daily time with Him. Pray that He will be glorified in you this Christmas. Instead of worrying and micromanaging, ask Him to change your heart and your attitude and to help you model what a God-centered Christmas looks like. Leave the background pieces for Him to fill in as He sees fit. He may not move the governments of nations for you this Christmas, He may not rearrange the Heavens or announce your Christmas party with a chorus of angels. But He will provide in a way that you never could have on your own and beyond anything that you could ask or imagine. So, fill in the important parts of the puzzle, with Christ in the middle and let God finish the picture of your perfect Christmas this year.
