“The Bread of Life is Born”
Luke 2:1-20
The Bible in 1st John tells us that we love because God first loved us, and Christmas is one of the best examples of this.
God came into our world, took on flesh, and became vulnerable, a vulnerable baby.
He was born into poverty, in a barn, and on His first night on earth, he slept in a stone feeding trough that the animals ate out of.
That is our God.
Humbling Himself out of love for you and for me.
And that is what Christmas is all about.
John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world that he gave his One and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
It goes on to say that God sent his Son into the world to save it through Him.
Whoever believes is saved.
Jesus saved me when I was 18 years old, and my life has never been the same since.
That doesn’t mean it’s been easy, but it has been rich—not in money—but in love.
God has saved me from becoming my worst possible self and, to whatever degree I actually seek to care for others, to give of myself for them and to work for justice and to offer compassion in a broken world.
It’s all God’s doing and it’s a miracle.
Jesus saves us from guilt and shame, from hopelessness and despair, from fear and death.
I have watched Him save addicts from their addictions and give them new life.
I have seen Him save men and women from being self-absorbed, resentful, bitter, and angry, and transform them into people who live with freedom, hope, and joy.
He came to save us from the brokenness of our shared human condition and to deliver us, lead us, and send us out in His name to bring healing and hope to a broken world.
We all need saving, and salvation is available for all through the child whose birth was announced on the first Christmas to the shepherds.
Jesus came to save us from the bad news that seems be all around us, and to instead bring us “good news of great joy.”
Once the angel of the Lord announced this good news to the shepherds, suddenly there appeared out of the shadows, on the hillsides, a great company of heavenly hosts.
They shouted, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When they had finished praising God, the angels returned to heaven—and at that moment the shepherds knew they must go to Bethlehem immediately to “see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
When the shepherds got there they found everything as the angels had told them.
Angels are messengers and we learn in the Scriptures that they most often appear as strangers, indistinguishable from mortals.
The writer of Hebrews encourages his readers, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by dong that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
Notice in the story of the shepherds, that after they saw Jesus they became messengers themselves, telling others what they had seen.
Jesus, in the Great Commission, calls us, His disciples to become His messengers.
I believe the angels are for us a kind of example of what God expects us to be and do.
We are God’s ministering agents as well, God’s servants.
We are called to announce the good news of Jesus Christ.
We are called to offer God’s peace.
We are called to give glory to God.
We are called to offer hope and help, ministering to others in God’s name.
We are called to follow in the footsteps of angels.
Notice the effect Jesus had on the shepherds after they had seen Him in the manger: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”
What does that tell us about the kind of impact our encounter with Jesus might have on us today?
(pause)
As I mentioned, God become flesh, slept that first night in a feeding trough.
Luke mentions the manger three times.
In Luke 2:7, we are told that the child was placed in a manger.
Then in Luke 2:12, the angel announced to the shepherds that the Christ was born and “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
And in Luke 2:16, the shepherds found the baby “lying in the manger.”
Perhaps the manger is not only a sign to the shepherds, but for us as well.
The manger or feeding trough is not just a sign of Jesus’ humility.
A feeding trough is where God’s creatures come to eat.
This is a sign to us—it is a detail Luke includes to point toward something greater.
Back in Deuteronomy 8:3 Moses said, “A person does not live by bread alone.”
Moses meant that there was something deeper we hunger for.
Isaiah the prophet once asked, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Isaiah was pointing with Moses to a deeper hunger we have as human beings, but also to our tendency to spend money and work hard for that which cannot ultimately satisfy our hunger.
Jesus alluded to these two verses when He said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.”
The Bread of Life was born in the town of Bethlehem—which means “House of Bread.”
What we really hunger for will not be found under the tree tomorrow morning.
We hunger for meaning, for joy, for hope in the face of despair.
We hunger to know we can be forgiven and start anew after things we regret.
We hunger for a love that will not let us go and for life and triumph in the face of death.
These come through a baby born in a stable, placed to sleep in a feeding trough, visited by night-shift shepherds.
He is for us the Bread of Life.
And we must come to the stable to satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts.
I invite you to come to the manger this Christmas and to eat of this bread.
I invite you to choose to become Christ’s follower and to put your trust in Him.
John tells us that “all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Christmas is the perfect time to call out to God and to His Son Jesus Christ.
Will you pray with me?
Jesus, I come to you, like the shepherds did so long ago.
I accept you as my King, my Savior, and my Lord.
Forgive me for the ways I’ve turned from your path, and help me to follow you.
Save me from myself, and help me to live for you.
I receive you, Jesus Christ, and believe in your name.
Make me your child, and bring me your joy.
Help me to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with you.
In your name, I pray, Jesus my Christ.
Amen.
