Opening illustration: Three pastors have been called Monday to report to prison in Shiraz, a city in southwestern Iran, within the next 30 days in what is estimated to be an act of religious persecution. The pastors were essentially being sentenced for having meetings at home, making the government able to accuse them of conspiring. The increasing growth of Christianity in Iran is of course viewed as a threat to the Iranian regime which uses Islam to control its people. In order to maintain control, the regime continues to try to weed Christianity out of the country. Rather than fighting persecution, Iranian church leaders have accepted it and are using it to their advantage. In fact, an Iranian pastor recently told me that the church is thriving under persecution. And, it is the youth who are among those that God is using to spread this incredible movement that is leading thousands of people to Christ in Iran.
The story evokes a bitter memory of pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian Christian convert who remains in prison in Iran after he was sentenced to death in 2010 for alleged apostasy. The pastor remains imprisoned and reports coming from Iran say his health has been deteriorating.
In November 2010, a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, was sentenced to death on charges of blasphemy. She is the first Pakistani woman ever to receive a death sentence for blasphemy. Her life has been threatened by many, with a Muslim cleric putting a price on her head. In early 2011, Salman Taseer, governor of Punjab province, and Shahbaz Bhatti, Minister of Minority Affairs, were assassinated, allegedly for speaking out against the controversial blasphemy law.
This is the type of Christmas; persecuted Christians celebrate in nations that are hostile to Christ. They are the true contemporary Christian risk-takers. What are we really doing during this Christmas season?
Introduction: Risk taking at times needs to be bold and calculated. Other times require spontaneity. Risk taking is taking on something that causes fear and has the possibility of failure. Life holds more excitement and satisfaction when we’re willing to expand our comfort zones, try new things, and dare to achieve our dreams. We say that we want to know the will of God, but when we find out what it is, we can’t handle it. It sounds too scary, too difficult. We decide to look elsewhere. Most people don’t take risks because they’re afraid they’ll fail. Problems will likely come, but the results can be different than expected, depending on one’s perspective. The results envisioned from taking a risk may turn out to be something better than we dreamed. Can you think of any area in your life today that you are not putting it on the line for Jesus, because you don’t know what is in store for the future? Let’s be like Peter and look to Jesus to get us through to the end. The results may be something more than we ever imagined!
Risk taking is an essential ingredient in ministry in the Kingdom of God. Most Bible heroes were risk takers. Jesus was a risk taker too.
Who were the first Christmas Risk-takers?
1. Mary (Luke 1: 26-35)
When we think of Mary at this stage of the game we tend to think warm fuzzy thoughts about how special she was and we marvel at her eloquent response to the whole virgin birth of God’s son endeavor. Yeah, it’s a great story of obedience and trust but I propose that we focus on the “other side” of Mary – that girl was a risk taker.
Whenever I think of Mary, I don’t think about her eloquent words in the first chapter of Luke and I don’t imagine her as being passively obedient either. I think about how tough and courageous she was. Yes, Mary was obedient and trusted God but doing that takes boldness. Don’t you desire that you had the courage of the Virgin Mary.
Mary had the audacity to take a big risk, a risk most of us wouldn’t take. Most of us will never encounter that level of risk but we do encounter little risks all the time. Right now each of us has a risk before us – we can share Jesus Christ with someone. It’s risky because it might be awkward for us and the person might rebuff us but heck, it’s a lot easier than virgin birth! This week, take a little risk for Christ and invite someone to attend Christmas Eve worship with you. Its a little risk with the potential of a great reward – the person you invite may find Christ that day and that’s a gift that keeps on giving!
What risk did she take?
Mary risked a lot to be obedient. She risked death (women frequently died in childbirth back then). She risked being shunned by her family and community. She risked her entire future when she chose to be obedient. Mary was a risk taker for God. She had to be tough too. She had to give her family and Joseph the unbelievable news about her pregnancy – that had to be a difficult conversation. And it doesn’t stop there, you can be certain people were gossiping about Mary the whole time she was pregnant and it’s a safe bet that people speculated about Jesus’ parentage for years. Apparently she would easily be convicted for adultery followed by stoning to death. A young girl had to be tough to withstand such talk.
Result: Found favor with God and was chosen to be Christ’s His mother and protector on earth.
Application: My dear sisters in Christ, what risks are you talking for Christ every day (that is if you ever are)?
2. Joseph (Matthew 1: 19-20, 24-25)
In Luke, Joseph already lives in Nazareth, and Jesus is born in Bethlehem because Joseph and Mary have to travel there to be counted in a census. The last time Joseph appears in person in any Gospel is the story of the Passover visit to the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus is 12 years old, found only in Luke. Like the infancy narratives the story is didactic, emphasizing Jesus’ awareness of his coming mission: here Jesus speaks to his parents (both of them) of "my father," meaning God, but they fail to understand.
God chose Joseph to be the earthly father of Jesus. The Bible tells us in the Book of Matthew, that Joseph was a righteous man. His actions toward Mary, his fiancée, revealed he was a kind and sensitive man. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, he had every right to feel disgraced. He knew the child was not his own, and Mary’s apparent unfaithfulness carried a grave social stigma. Joseph not only had the right to divorce Mary, under Jewish law she could be put to death by stoning. Although Joseph’s initial reaction was to break the engagement, the appropriate thing for a righteous man to do, he treated Mary with extreme kindness. He did not want to cause her further shame, so he decided to act quietly. But God sent an angel to Joseph to verify Mary’s story and reassure him that his marriage to her was God’s will. Joseph willingly obeyed God, in spite of the public humiliation he would face. Perhaps this noble quality made him God’s choice for the Messiah’s earthly father.
On some of the Christmas cards you will receive this year, no doubt there will be a man standing in the background looking over the shoulder of Mary, who is prominently displayed caring for the baby Jesus. His name is Joseph. And after the nativity narratives, he isn’t heard from much again. If we didn’t know better, we would think Joseph was an insignificant bystander or, at best, a mere necessity to undergird Jesus’ claim to the throne of David.
Most of us are insignificant compared to the major players in this world. But all of us are called to obey. Who knows what God has in store when we are willing to surrender to God’s will—even when it puts us at risk! It’s no small thing to trust and obey.
What risk did he take?
But, in fact, the role that Joseph played was strategically important. If he had disobeyed the angel’s command to take Mary as his wife (Matt. 1: 20), he would have, from a human perspective, put the entire mission of God through Jesus at risk. Taking Mary as his wife was a risky assignment. Public perception that he was the baby’s father put him in serious violation of Jewish law and made him a public disgrace. Yet today all of us are thankful that he was willing to risk his reputation to participate in and facilitate God’s unfolding drama.
Result: God honored Joseph’s integrity by entrusting him with a great responsibility. It is not easy to entrust your children to someone else. Imagine God looking down to choose a man to raise his own son? Joseph had God’s trust. Walking in obedience to God may result in humiliation and disgrace before men. When we obey God, even in the face of adversity and public shame, he leads and guides us.
Application: My dear brothers in Christ, what risks are you talking for Christ every day (that is if you ever are)? Do you want to duck/run away when issues about your faith in Christ are raised? Do you hesitate to answer the hard questions or want to put them away for another day?
3. The Magi’s (Matthew 2: 1-12)
Magi, from the Greek word pronounced magoi, originated as a religious class from Babylon or Persia. They were wealthy, highly educated in the knowledge of their time, and well regarded. In Bible History, a few of them are most well known as the "Wise Men who followed yonder star" to Bethlehem. Although Christian tradition holds that there were three of them, which there could have been, based on the three gifts of gold, incense and myrrh that they presented to the newborn Savior, The Bible account does not state precisely how many there were on that journey - there could have been two, or three, or a dozen.
It is a common misconception that the wise men visited Jesus at the stable on the night of His birth. In fact, the wise men came days, months, or possibly even years later. That is why Matthew 2: 11 says the wise men visited and worshiped Jesus in a house, not at the stable.
We know that the magi were wise men from "the East," most likely Persia, or modern-day Iran. This means the wise men traveled 800 to 900 miles to see the Christ child. Most likely, the magi knew of the writings of the prophet Daniel, who in time past had been the chief of the court seers in Persia. Daniel 9: 24-27 includes a prophecy which gives a timeline for the birth of the Messiah. Also, the magi may have been aware of the prophecy of Balaam (who was from the town of Pethor on the Euphrates River near Persia) in Numbers 24: 17. Balaam’s prophecy specifically mentions a “star coming out of Jacob.”
The wise men were guided to look for the King of the Jews by a miraculous stellar event, the "Star of Bethlehem," which they called "His star" (Matthew 2: 2). They consulted with King Herod in Jerusalem concerning the birth of Christ and were so directed to Bethlehem (Matthew 2: 4-8). They followed God’s guidance joyfully (Matthew 2: 10). Their gifts for Jesus were costly, and they worshiped Him. God warned them in a dream against returning to Herod, so, in defiance of the king, they left Judea by another route (Matthew 2: 12). They were truly wise men!
So, the magi were men who –
• read and believed God’s Word
• sought Jesus
• recognized the worth of Christ
• humbled themselves to worship Jesus
• obeyed God rather than man
What risk did they take?
The Magi’s returned back to their country without meeting King Herod as was planned earlier. This could easily result in their death as they had not carried out the plan which they had decided with the king. During those days, anyone not carrying out the plan and wish of the king would be executed. They did this after being warned in a dream. Their lives were at stake and anyone finding about what they did could report their presence in that place to the king. They were living on the edge and fleeing for their life. We praise God that they comprehended the dream, did not take it lightly and acted wisely upon that dream.
Result: Acclaimed as wise-men not wise-men turned foolish. Pagans & Heathens who worshiped Christ and are documented in church history and the narratives of Christ’s birth. They have a big role in being Christ worshipers and saving of the baby Jesus from the wrath of Herod.
Application: Does it take to be a wise-man to worship and follow Christ or only the wise ones do that? Apparently in the narrative we see that they left their worldly wisdom at the door and fell down and worship Christ in all their glory. Dear church, if you think yourself to be wise, smart and intelligent, would you consider being Christ’s follower and worshiper?
Conclusion: Let us not forget the risk our God the Father took to send His only begotten son for our sakes. What did the world do with Him? If God be a risk-taker for our salvation, how much more risks we should take for Him and for extending His Kingdom? We could not be the first Christmas risk-takers but could we be risk-takers for Him in the world today?
