“God Stole The Show”
Luke 2:1-20
By: Ken Sauer, Pastor of East Ridge United Methodist Church, Chattanooga, TN
Jesus’ birth announcement was proclaimed to humble shepherds whose status was only slightly higher than that of prostitutes and tax collectors!
God is so different than we…
God does not judge persons as we judge persons.
Luke tells us:
“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.’”
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”
Imagine that!
The Shepherds…
…the lowly disrespected shepherds…
…those outcastes who were despised by the orthodox “good people” of the day…
…those “supposed”weirdos…
…those “supposed” freaks of society…
…they were the very first human beings to hear about Christ’s birth and the first to spread the Good News!!!
And people responded to their message!
They had been loved, and so they loved God right back!!!
Most of us have either seen a Christmas pageant or Cantata or been in one.
Each time the scene is basically the same—isn’t it?
You’ve got the manger in the middle, Joseph and Mary nearby, and the shepherds, Wise Men, angels, and animals in the back of the scene.
In all the depictions I have seen, whether it be a pageant, a play, or a nativity scene…
…I have never seen one that captures the whole story.
Because, you see, I have never seen a card, a painting, or a stage that is big enough to depict the whole story of Christ’s birth.
You would have to have an incredibly large stage in order to make the nativity scene look so small.
Luke tells the story for us, and he does a nice job of setting the stage—the whole stage—for the story.
He starts with the headline of the day: “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.”
If there had been newspapers or the internet in the ancient Mediterranean world, this would have been headline story on every one of them.
In Athens, Ephesus, Damascus, Alexandria, and Jerusalem alike; the big news was this decree from the Roman emperor.
The “talking heads” on the “news channels” would have been having a field day!
It set people in motion all over the Empire, including a certain couple from Nazareth who were pledged to be married.
And Rome…not a manger, is at the center of the stage.
The Roman Emperor, not a baby, is the star of the show—or at least the character with the top billing at the start.
And the prospect of some Empire-wide tax, not some anonymous birth, is the headline.
Luke goes on to tell how the decree from Caesar Augustus prompted Joseph to travel from Nazareth, where he lived, to Bethlehem, which was where he grew up.
A traditional nativity scene puts the manger in Bethlehem in the middle.
Luke’s account reminds us, however, that Bethlehem was not only far from the center of the world’s stage, it wasn’t even at the center of Joseph’s stage.
His home was Nazareth, and going to Bethlehem was going out of his way.
Next, Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem, only to find that there is no room for them at the inn.
“I’m sorry, the motel is full…
but you’re welcome to stay in the parking garage!”
This couple and this birth were not even a big fish in the small pond of Bethlehem.
They were pushed off to the side of a town that was itself off to the side of a province that was off to the side of the Empire.
The truth is that God came into the world backstage.
God came practically unnoticed by the world.
God came to an unknown and unimportant place, and God came to unknown and “seemingly” unimportant people.
It blows your mind to think of how God could have made God’s entrance onto this world’s stage: the irresistible spectacle, the unmistakable glory, and the unfathomable power.
That is how Jesus will make His return some day in the future, but that’s not how He chose to make His entrance some 2,000 years ago.
The truth is that God came into the world backstage…
…and yet…
…wouldn’t you know it: God stole the show!
Philips Brooks, in his cherished Christmas carol, expresses the quiet, unassuming way that God worked into Bethlehem, and how He continues to work in hearts today: “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given; so God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still dear Christ enters in.”
The birth of Christ gives us a glimpse of what God is like and what God continues to do.
God didn’t come marching in through the front door, flexing His muscles, and demanding the spotlight.
He could have, but He didn’t.
A movie star has his or her entourage.
A sports team runs onto the court or field with fanfare, cheers, and applause.
A big-name performer gets a standing ovation.
And the President, Prime Minister, and Queen are all welcomed by bands, red carpets, and protocol.
But the King of the Universe arrived in swaddling cloths, mostly ignored by the world He had created.
And still, today, the Lord does not barge or force His way into our lives.
Instead, He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for us to welcome Him in.
Have we welcomed Him in?
You might recall that last Sunday morning I relayed an incident that our secretary, Rebecca, told me about.
Some 4th and 5th graders at the church she attends decided to raise money for a needy family this year.
The family they chose does not have a church home.
The mother and father, both divorced and remarried are trying to raise 6 teenage boys and the husband recently lost his job!
To top this off, the husband, only in his 30’s, was found to have a growth on his neck which was a sign of even worse things ahead.
The kids were able to raise $450.00
And the husband was absolutely shocked when the kids showed up and he watched as child after child walked past him carrying sacks filled with groceries.
When asked, by the man, why are you doing this?
The children replied with a simple: “We heard you all were facing a difficult time and the Lord laid it on our hearts to try and help you.”
The other day, Rebecca came into my office very excited.
She told me that this very couple came to church last Sunday.
And when the pastor gave the invitation for folks to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior…
…they came up and kneeled at the chancel rails.
Not terribly unlike the shepherds on that first Christmas, they had been shown the love of God and so they loved God right back!!!
The saving grace of God’s love transforms lives.
It produces action.
It’s not something we can keep to ourselves!!!
The husband went back to his doctor this week, and you know what?
The growth on his neck is gone!
It’s amazing what love can and does do!
Take a good look at that familiar nativity scene: Joseph and Mary, the little town of Bethlehem, a stable, and a manger.
2,000 years ago the Lord came into the lives of “seemingly” insignificant and common people.
That’s good news for you and me, because this assures us that He will willingly come into our lives as well.
2,000 years ago, God came into a place that seemed small and unimportant.
I’m glad to hear that, because sometimes I feel like my life and my home are small and unimportant.
2,000 years ago, God came into a place that was dirty and unworthy of Him.
And that’s good news for me, because sometimes my heart is dirty and unworthy, yet God is willing to come in and reside there…
…cleaning it up…
…changing the furniture around…
…making all things new!
We have a God Who is amazingly willing and able.
God is willing to come in backstage, and then God is able to steal the show!
There was no room in the inn, so Jesus was born in a manger; in a smelly old barn.
The only place that there was room for Jesus in this world was on a Cross!
Is there room in our hearts and lives for the Savior of the world today?
I haven’t yet seen the entire Christmas story depicted on a stage, because it’s hard to find a stage big enough for the job.
But I have seen the Christmas story played out again and again in individual lives.
It is the story of this God Who could come bursting in, but does not.
It is the story of this God Who comes in gently and unassumingly, perhaps even unnoticed at first.
And it is the story of this God Who, bit by gracious bit, moves into the spotlight of our lives.
If we allow God, God moves toward the center of our stage.
And the Christ Who comes into your life and mine backstage, by God’s mercy, becomes the star of our show!
Let us pray: Almighty God, we celebrate Your Light coming into this dark world. We celebrate Your birth into our world in order to save us and know how it is to be human. Help us to share the Light of the gospel out in our dark world where we live, work, and play. Make our voices full of good news about the Savior and the Peace which comes only from a personal relationship with the One True God. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Take a good look at that familiar nativity scene: Joseph and Mary, the little town of Bethlehem, a stable, and a manger.
2,000 years ago the Lord came into the lives of insignificant and common people.
That’s good news for you and me, because this assures us that He will willingly come into our lives as well.
2,000 years ago, God came into a place that seemed small and unimportant. I’m glad to hear that, because my life and my home are small and unimportant.
2,000 years ago, He came into a place that was dirty and unworthy of Him.
And that’s good news for me, because my heart is dirty and unworthy, yet God is willing to come in and reside there…cleaning it up…changing the furniture around…making all things new!
We have a God Who is amazingly willing and able. He’s willing to come in backstage, and then He is able to steal the show!
I haven’t yet seen the entire Christmas story depicted on a stage, because it’s hard to find a stage big enough for the job.
But I have seen the Christmas story played out again and again in individual lives.
It is the story of this God Who could come bursting in, but does not.
It is the story of this God Who comes in gently and unassumingly, perhaps even unnoticed at first. And it is the story of this God Who, bit by gracious bit, moves into the spotlight of our lives.
He moves toward the center of our stage.
And the God Who comes into your life and mine backstage, by His mercy, becomes the star of our show!
Let us pray: Almighty God, we celebrate Your Light coming into this dark world. We celebrate Your birth into our world in order to save us and know how it is to be human. Help us to share the Light of the gospel out in our dark world where we live, work, and play. Make our voices full of good news about the Savior and the Peace which comes only from a personal relationship with the One True God. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
