Our gospel reading for today tells us of how Angel Gabriel came to Mary saying she would bear a son. He was to be called Jesus and as the Son of the most High God, he would reign as King of Kings forever. He came to live among us and in us but in many ways we have rejected him and made him a “Homeless God.”
Let’s talk about him for a moment. The greatest man who walked this earth is Jesus. He had no servants, yet people call him master. He had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. He never went to medical school, yet they call him Healer. He had no army, yet Kings feared him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified him. He was buried in a tomb and yet he lives forever. Today most people ignore him while his children call him their Savior and friend. They look for his coming again and I can assure you that his children will not be disappointed.
Friends, we are living in very challenging times. This world is not what it was. Matt 24:8 says what you are seeing now is only the beginning of birth pains because there is more to come. Yet it is in such a time as this that every true Christian should be watching and waiting for the imminent return of our Lord. What about you my friends? Are you waiting for him! Do you have a home for him in your heart?
I read an article couple of weeks ago in the Jerusalem post that said the City Officials in the town of Bethlehem have ordered all Christmas decorations to be taken down this year. They are removing all festive appearances in honor of the martyrs and in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Just at a time when we need the Lord the most, humanity wants no remembrance of him at this time. He is being driven out of the very city in which he was born 2000 years ago. They did not want him then and they do not want him now. For many, he was and is an unwelcome and homeless God.
At his birth, there was no room for him in the Inn. He was sent to his own but his own did not want him. He was from Nazareth but he could do no miracle there because they rejected him. A few wanted to finish him off by pushing him over a cliff. While he lived on earth Jesus said “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” Even at his death, there was no place for him. He was laid to rest in a borrowed tomb.
Today he is being driven out of public places, schools, government offices and even from our homes. It’s not so much Merry Christmas anymore as it is Happy Holidays or Seasons greetings. We have made him a homeless God. In our OT reading for this evening from the book of Samuel it says: When King David was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent."
It was great that David realized God was left out in the cold and expressed intentions to build him a house but God did not want David to do it. You know why? God does not desire to live in house made with hands, he desires to live in us. In the book of Isaiah 66:1, God says, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is my footstool; Where then is the house that you will build for Me, and where is the place of My rest?”
As king of kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus should have really been born in a palace instead of a stable but the truth is he came not to separate himself from us but rather to be one of us. He came as Emmanuel which means “God with us.” He lived an ordinary life like any of us experiencing hardships, hunger and thirst. He was despised, beaten and mocked and we are told (phil 2:8) for our sakes he even humbled himself and became obedient to death on the cross so that we have might have a chance of everlasting life.
So the question is “where is the rightful place for a homeless God?” In writing to the Corinthian Church the apostle Paul says don’t you know that you that your bodies is the temple of the Living God.” God has the entire universe for himself but he is saying I do not want a physical structure but rather I want you to make in yourself a temple so that I can come and live within you. That is where I want to live forever. The homeless God can have a home this Christmas if you allow him to live in your heart. Is he living in your heart my friends?
One of the most beloved hymns we sing at Christmas time is “Joy to the World, the Lord has come.” And yes it is absolutely true that he brought us Joy and still does. I wonder if you paid attention to the first few lines of that hymn. It says, Joy to the world, the Lord has come, Let earth receive her King, Let every heart prepare him room…. Let me say it again, Let every heart prepare him room…..
Sadly not all of us have room for him in our hearts. Some only have a guest room for him. What I mean by that is we allow him to occupy a space only when we need him and when that time is over, we are more than happy to let him leave. Many have religion but not the Savior! Religion cannot save us, Good works or church membership cannot save us either.
The bible teaches us that if we don’t have a home for him, he won’t have a home for us. He says behold I stand at the door and knock, and he or she who hears my voice and lets me in, I will come and make my home within them. If you find your life is empty despite being successful in many things, it is because our God is not living in you! Without him your life will always be empty but with him you will always be full of joy and hope
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When the Chinese President went to California last month, there was a massive operation to clean up the streets and relocate the homeless. In like manner the house we build for God within us must be a clean and holy place fit for the King of kings. That means it cannot be cluttered with dishonesty, wickedness and all the everyday sins. Some of our lives are filled with too many worldly things. We have to empty that too. We have to cleanse our inside so that our temples will be a welcoming place for the Holy Spirit. When we completely surrender to Gods will our hearts become a habitable place for the King of Kings. That is the kind of home the Lord is looking for.
It is wonderful that Jesus was born in Bethlehem a long time ago but if he is not born in your heart and mine, then it makes no difference if he came or not. Like all of you I do love the Christmas season and everything that comes with it. Especially for our children it is such an exciting time. But, to state the obvious, celebrating Christmas is not about Christmas trees, Santa, the gifts, and lights everywhere, it is a celebration of Jesus who came to live with us and in us; just to save us.
Christmas is also about coming home. It is a time when we bring our earthly families together to share in the warmth and joy of this season. More than the earthly family we have a spiritual family with whom we will have to live with forever. I wonder if you thought about that? It starts with inviting the Lord to come and live within us. For those who give him a home, he promises an eternal home and life everlasting.
Friends, it won’t be long when everything we see here and now will pass away ushering in that which is to come.
For the sceptics Paul says in 1 Cor 15:19 “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to miserable.” The Lord came to give us hope which is life beyond the grave. We were lost before he came; He came to save us and the best is yet to come because he is coming again to take us to our eternal home.
I am glad to celebrate the Lord’s birth with you this evening and I wish each and every one of you and your families a very Merry Christ filled Christmas. But remember this - We cannot blame anyone if we don’t make it to the other side. God did his part – he gave us a Savior and one of these days, the Savior is coming back to take his children home.
If you haven’t done already, I hope and pray you have place for him in your heart and give our homeless God a place to rest his head within you. That is what Christmas is really about. May your Christmas be filled with Christ and his love. Have a blessed Christmas everybody. Amen
