OPEN: John Simmons tells about a grade school class that was putting on a Christmas play which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. In that class was one little boy who wanted so very much to be Joseph. But when the parts were handed out, his biggest rival was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn keeper instead.
He was really bitter about this, so during all the rehearsals he began to plot how to get even with his rival.
Finally, the night of the performance, Mary and Joseph came walking across the stage. They knocked on the door of the inn, and the inn-keeper opened the door and asked them gruffly what they wanted.
Joseph answered, "We’d like to have a room for the night."
Suddenly the inn-keeper threw the door wide open and said, "Great, come on in and I’ll give you the best room in the house."
Now, that wasn’t in the script and for a few seconds poor little kid didn’t know what to do.
But finally the young Joseph had an idea. He stepped up to the innkeeper, and looked beyond him through the door that represented the inn. He made a big production of looking right and left. He stepped back out beside his “wife” and said, "No wife of mine is going to stay in dump like this. Come on, Mary, let’s go to the barn."
APPLY: There are times when Christmas doesn’t go according to plan.
There are times when you know what the script ought to be but somebody or something changes the lines on us.
There are times when Christmas doesn’t seem as cheerful and upbeat as we had hoped it would be:
• A loved one dies
• Friends/family move away
• We struggle with divorce
• We lose our jobs
• We may face cancer or some other overwhelming disease.
What had promised to be a Christmas filled with fun and pleasure suddenly becomes a “Blue Christmas”. It’s the emotion reflected in the old Elvis hit:
“I’ll have a blue Christmas, that’s certain
And when that blue heartache starts hurting
You’ll be doing all right with your Christmas of white
But I’ll have a blue, blue Christmas.”
ILLUS: In fact, there are some churches that have a “Blue Christmas” service. Richard Spencer of Trinity Church in Ossining, New York, said the world tells people "if you buy this present, you’ll be happy and it will be all ho-ho-ho and joy to the world. Well, what if there’s no joy in my world?"
And so, Mr. Spencer, and other preachers have a “Longest Night” or Blue Christmas service, usually on December 21st (the longest night of the year).
The music is somber.
The sanctuary is dark, often lit mostly with candles.
And there are readings out of the Psalms and other parts of Scripture.
This is not a cheerful atmosphere.
They don’t sing “Go Tell It On The Mountain” or “Joy to the World”.
Instead they tend to sing more solemn and slower hymns.
ILLUS: Referring to these services, one man wrote that “some churches held a blue Christmas service for those who suffered loss complete with melancholy piano music and dead branches laid on a table covered with blue cloth to represent the winter of our souls.
I found the whole thing to be quite depressing because I was looking for a word of hope but found none.” (J. Kevin Maney, Ph.D.)
He was looking for a word of hope… but found none.
In our text this morning, we find a prophecy that seems much like those Blue Christmas services. Simeon is an old man who’s a righteous and devout man. And God had promised him he would not die until he had seen the Messiah (Luke 2:26)
This is Simeon’s ONE CHANCE to offer a prophecy about Christ, and he makes a declaration that’s just filled with bad news:
• "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel”
He would cause some to be lifted up & encouraged… but others to be destroyed.
• “and to be a sign that will be spoken against”
This child would face opposition.
• “the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.”
He would expose the hidden sins and secrets of men and women.
• “And (Mary) a sword will pierce your own soul too."
She would watch as her son was terribly beaten and die a horrible death on the cross.
For most people, Christmas is a fun and exciting time of year.
But – as one man observed: “Unless we see the shadow of the cross falling on the crib we are not seeing Christmas clearly. Jesus didn’t enter this world just to be a cute little baby, he came to suffer and die on a cross so that our sins might be forgiven and so that we might be saved.”
(Paul L. Larsen Christ the King Lutheran New Brighton, MN)
That first Christmas wasn’t completely a “holly jolly Christmas”
As one woman observed:
Christmas “is the story of a teenage girl, pregnant with a child that is not her husband’s.
It is the story of a child born in a dirty animal stall.
It is the story of innocent boys being killed by King Herod because Herod feared one of them might be the rival king the Wise Men spoke of.
It is the story of someone - sent into the world in peace - who was condemned to death.
It is the story of a light sent to shine in the darkness, and the world snuffed it out.
It is the story of God’s never-ending, self-giving mercy which was rejected and condemned.”
(Diane Hendricks Little Falls Presbyterian Church in Arlington, VA)
One could reasonably argue that that 1st Christmas was literally a “blue Christmas”
And if all you looked at were the things that were wrong about the birth of Jesus that’s all you’d see – a blue, blue Christmas which offered no words of hope or joy.
But even Simeon didn’t look at it that way.
Yes, his words of prophecy were definitely filled with “bad news”, but these weren’t the only words Simeon had to say about Christ. When he first saw Jesus, he declared:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." (Luke 2:29-32)
You can literally sense the excitement in Simeon’s voice.
He’s been allowed to SEE God’s salvation.
He’s seen the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel.
Yes, there were going to be dark moments surrounding this young baby but they all paled in comparison to what this child was going to accomplish. Jesus had come to give light and bring salvation.
The Christmas season isn’t a time to put a dead branches on the communion table.
It isn’t a time to be singing dirges and funeral hymns.
This is a time to literally rejoice
This is a time to shake the rafters with songs that speak of God’s unfailing love and grace, because “God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son.”
Yeah, this world is a harsh place to be.
Yeah, people die, move away, get divorced, get sick, lose their jobs and homes.
These are real hardships and tragedies a lot of people face, and they’re going to happen to people we know, or even to us.
But the message from the Gospel story of Jesus’ birth is this:
Praise God!
Because of Jesus we know we’re not going to face those things alone.
But you take Jesus out of the story, and life gets blue real quick
ILLUS: Back in 2005, the Ridgeway Elementary School in Dodgeville, Wisconsin decided to have a "winter program" instead of a Christmas program. And, of course, you can’t have Jesus in a school program.
But one of the oddest things about their “winter program” was that they sang "Silent Night".
Well, it actually wasn’t “Silent Night”.
It was just the melody.
They changed the song and called it "Cold in the Night."
And amongst the lyrics were these words:
"Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite,
how I wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm." (AFA 12/09/05)
Now, isn’t that a cheerful set of lyrics?
They took Jesus out of the story, and they put hopelessness in, in His place.
That’s what happens when you ignore the Christ child.
An empty manger leads to an empty, depressing life.
Without Jesus, life can be a depressing and even scary experience for people.
But the repeated message throughout the story about Christ’s birth is this:
“Don’t be afraid!”
1. When the angel told Zechariah he was to be the father of John the Baptist, he declared:
“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.” Luke 1:13
2. When the angel visited Joseph he told him:
“Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20
3. When the angel told Mary he started with the same 4 words:
"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” (Luke 1:30-31)
4. And when the angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields, they told them
"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11
Again and again and again, God told people – “don’t be afraid.”
But why shouldn’t I be afraid? This life is often unpleasant and frustrating.
Why shouldn’t I be afraid?
We shouldn’t be afraid because we have received “Good news that shall be for all people”.
And, Simeon said the same thing. When he saw the Christ child, he declared He would be “a LIGHT for revelation to the Gentiles and for GLORY to your people Israel." Luke 2: 32
1. I don’t have to be afraid because Jesus is the LIGHT of the world.
The world is filled with darkness.
The circumstances of my life can make it so it’s hard for me to see what lies ahead.
But Jesus brings light into my life.
I can see where I’m going because Jesus illuminates and gives meaning to my life.
2. And Jesus is the GLORY of God
He is Immanuel – which means “God with us”
I don’t have to face this world alone because God is with me!
I don’t have to face death, divorce, or disease all by myself.
God is right there beside me.
And because that is true, God gives me this promise:
“… in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Romans 8:28
It doesn’t say everything that happens in my life is going to be good.
And I’m not sure it means that everything that happens in my life is from God.
But if I love God, I have a PROMISE that whatever happens God will turn it to good
And these two things are true because – as Simeon declared when he 1st saw Jesus - “my eyes have seen your salvation” Luke 2:30
Jesus is the light of my life.
And He’s God’s glory for me.
BECAUSE He is the source of my salvation.
He came to earth to do for me – that which I could not do for myself.
I could never be good enough to be good enough for God.
I could never do enough good to outweigh the damage sin has done in my life.
But when I believed in Jesus…
When I accepted the fact that compared to Him – I was a sinful man and that I needed to repent of my sin and accept the idea that only the blood of Jesus could cover my sins…
And when I decided to CONFESS Jesus as the master and owner of my life…
And agreed to be buried in the waters of Christian BAPTISM and risen up to a new life…
When I did those things, Jesus came into my life and changed everything.
So that even when this world hurts me, even when all my carefully crafted plans fall apart, even then I have a reason to have joy all the time – not just at Christmas.
CLOSE: You see, many in this world mistake Godly JOY for Earthly HAPPINESS.
They believe that the chief goal in their lives is to be happy.
And they get their HAPPINESS from what HAPPENS to them.
But then, if the things that which Happens to them isn’t pleasant… they’re not happy.
They become robbed of their happiness because the something/someone has changed the lines in their play. Life hasn’t turned out the way they wanted it to. And so they’ll have a blue Christmas/ blue New Years/ blue Valentines Day, etc.
But when Jesus comes into our lives, He takes the blues and changes its hue.
It takes all that goes wrong in my life and turns into a reason for joy and contentment.
Paul wrote: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13
The color blue shows up a lot in Scripture – mostly in the Old Testament.
It frequently is mentioned when describing the fabric and decorations in the Tabernacle and the Temple. But as I did my research for the sermon I found there was one person who always wore blue. Do you know who God always required to wear blue in the Old Testament?
The High Priest.
When the High Priest performed his service for God’s people in the tabernacle, he always wore this blue robe (there were a couple of exceptions to this). Day after day, one of the distinguishing marks of the High Priest was this blue robe.
Now, there are a number of possible reasons why God may have decided to clothe His High Priest in blue. But I can think of one in particular.
The Bible tells me that Jesus is now my High Priest.
And He wears a garment of blue as well.
For Jesus reaches into my life, and yours, and takes the blues from our lives and bears them on His shoulders.
Isaiah 53:4 tells us that when the Christ died “Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”
