MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
ILL. It’s Christmas time, & Lucy comes in where Charlie Brown is standing & says, "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. `Tis the season of peace on earth & good will toward men. Therefore, I suggest we forget all our differences & love one another."
Charlie Brown, whose face lights up at this, says, "That’s wonderful, Lucy. I’m so glad you said that. But tell me, do we have to love each other only at this season of the year? Why can’t we love each other all year long?" Lucy retorts, "What are you, a fanatic or something?"
A. If we really get serious about Christmas, it seems that we’re branded by the world as some kind of fanatic. Yet, Christmas is supposed to be a time of "peace on earth, good will toward men."
Listen as I read some very familiar words in the King James Version of the Bible, found in Luke 2:8-14, "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, & the glory of the Lord shone round about them: & they were sore afraid.
"And the angel said unto them, `Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, & saying, `Glory to God in the highest, & on earth peace, good will toward men.’"
APPL. How wonderful our homes could be, how wonderful our lives could be, how wonderful our world could be, if we really did put into practice the blessing of "peace on earth, good will toward men."
And as Christmas comes, we think once again, "Maybe it’s not impossible. Maybe we really could have hearts filled with love. Maybe we really could be kind to each other, & not just once a year, but all year long."
B. I’m sure that most of us have begun our Christmas shopping. There may be a few procrastinators who wait until almost the last minute, but most of us spend a great deal of time & thought in choosing just the right gift for that special person in our life. We think about their needs & wants & what might make them happy.
Then we go shopping, & make that purchase, often spending more money than we planned. We gift wrap it, & anxiously await the moment when that loved one will open our special gift. And when he or she opens the box, & looks at our gift, we eagerly anticipate expressions of joy & delight.
But if there are no expressions of joy & delight, we’ll be most disappointed, won’t we? Because in receiving the gift, they’re receiving us. Or if they reject it, they’re rejecting us. At least, that’s the way we feel, isn’t it?
And even while we’re watching the faces of others to see how they receive our gifts, others will be watching us to see how we receive their gifts. You see, giving & receiving is an important part of the Christmas season.
C. What was God’s gift to us at Christmas time? I’m sure that most of you would say, "He gave His only begotten son." And of course, you’re right. Others might say, "He gave us evidence of His love." And of course, that would be right, too.
PROP. But I want to be a bit more specific than that, for in actuality, God gave us several very valuable gifts.
I. HE GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS
#1, He gave us the opportunity for the forgiveness of our sins. In Jesus Christ, God gave us the opportunity for the forgiveness of our sins.
You see, we’ll never have peace with our fellow man until first we’re at peace with ourselves. And we can never really be at peace with ourselves until we’re at peace with God. And we can never be at peace with God until our sins have been forgiven.
ILL. I heard something unusual a few years ago. In the Eastern part of the U.S. a cookbook was recalled. Now, I’ve never heard of a cookbook being recalled before. I’ve heard of automobiles being recalled, & toasters & baby seats. But I had never before heard of a cookbook being recalled.
This cookbook was recalled because one recipe had left out an important ingredient. And the producers of the book realized that if someone followed the directions of that recipe & left out that ingredient, that the ingredients they put together could actually blow up in their faces. So because of that hazard, the cookbook was recalled.
APPL. I thought to myself, "There must be a sermon there someplace." You see, God has given us the recipe for life. He says, "You want peace? Then here is the recipe. Find forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Live according to My rules & principles, the ingredients that make it all possible."
But if you leave out some of His ingredients, or stick in some of the ingredients of the world, then what happens? Life can blow up in your face. That is why there is so much depression & so much suicide & so much rejection. Because too many are following the wrong recipes for life.
SUM. So God says, "Here’s my gift. It is not just the gift of a baby, but it is the offer of forgiveness & salvation."
II. HELP IN OUR PRESENT SITUATION
The 2nd thing that God offers is "Help in our present situation."
A. I think of the shepherds sitting out on the hillsides, watching sheep all night long. They were poor, with not much prospect for improving their lives. Life was hard & harsh for them, without much hope of it ever getting better.
And then, one glorious night, the angels appeared & made this wondrous announcement, "Unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord." And suddenly everything was changed. God had become real to them. God had come to help them, to be their Savior, to bring "peace on earth, good will to men."
At the other end of the spectrum were the wise men, Magi, people with power & authority & wealth. Yet there was an emptiness in their lives as well. So when they saw the star, they came because they needed something, too.
B. Whether rich or poor, powerful or weak, whoever we are, we need help. And God has promised that when the Christ child enters our hearts & lives then we will receive His help. And when we’re helped by the Holy Spirit of God, then we develop a more sympathetic feeling towards one another, too.
ILL. A friend of mine was starting to fill up his car with gasoline during Christmas week, & as he did, he dropped the gas cap. It rolled under the car, right in the middle of the dirt & water that had collected there. He bent down & looked at it for a moment, wondering what to do. Finally, he decided to finish filling up his gas tank, move the car forward, & then pick up the cap.
But before he could do that, a man in construction clothes saw the dilemma, got down on his knees, reached underneath the car, got the gas cap & handed it back to him. My friend stood there amazed, & then thanked him. The man responded with a smile & a "Merry Christmas, & then went on his way.
C. At Christmas time we seem to be more sensitive to one another, don’t we? So we go around picking up gas caps, or reaching into our pockets for money to help some one in need, or delivering food to someone who is hungry, because Christmas reminds us that God has reached down to help us. And now we want to help one another.
Maybe there is more good in us than we give ourselves credit for. Maybe we spend too much time beating ourselves over the head, telling ourselves how bad we are.
ILL. We were shocked last week by the senseless shooting at a high school in Paducah, Ky. Here was a group of students praying quietly, & then, just as they finished, another student began shooting, leaving 3 dead & 5 wounded. It was a terrible, terrible tragedy.
I was moved by the love & compassion of the parents who immediately gave permission for the doctors to remove vital organs from their daughter, & to use them to save the lives of at least 3 others who desperately needed them.
I was moved by their tears, tears of both sadness & joy, as they learned that their daughter’s lungs had been successfully transplanted into a young man whose family had been told that he had only a few more days to live.
CONCL. But if we are moved by scenes of their sorrow & joy, how much more moved should we be to realize that the King of Kings & the Lord of Lords has visited our world to cry with us, to rejoice with us, & to help us over the hurts & bumps of life itself.
When you realize that, then "peace on earth, & good will toward men" becomes easier, & more realistic.
III. GOD GAVE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
A. One final thing that God gave at Christmas time when He gave Jesus is hope for the future.
You know what kept the shepherds going? It was hope. God had made a promise to their people. He would one day send a Messiah, the Anointed One. And when the Messiah came everything would be all right again. And that hope burned in the hearts & lives of the people of Israel.
You know what kept the wise men going? It was hope. Every night they would go out & search the heavens, looking for that star of promise. And they knew when they saw it they must follow wherever it led them, because it was a sign from God, & it promised the birth of a king. So hope kept them going.
B. And God brings hope to us at Christmas. An impossible dream - "Peace on earth, good will toward men?" Maybe. Maybe there will always be wars & rumor of wars. Maybe the poor will always be hungry. And maybe we will always have to deal with the terror & crime & violence we see every day.
But there is one thing to keep us going. One day heaven is going to open, & God will come back, & the dream will be fulfilled of peace & good will for all eternity.
ILL. One of my favorite Christmas stories, you may have heard me tell it before, is about a 7th-grade boy by the name of William Spurling. William Spurling was big for his age, & a little slow mentally. But he was a good boy & all the kids liked him. In fact, they wanted him for a friend because he was big enough to take their part if they needed him.
When it came time for the Christmas program to be presented, William Spurling wanted to be a shepherd, but the teacher decided that he would make a better inn keeper than a shepherd since he was so big. So she gave him the task of being the rough, mean inn keeper.
When Mary & Joseph came to the inn & knocked on the door, William Spurling opened it. And when they asked for a place to stay, he said harshly, "There is no place for you to stay. There is no room in the inn." Joseph said, "But my wife is tired & weary & she is expecting a baby. Isn’t there just a small room somewhere where we could rest?"
Once again, William Spurling said, with roughness in his voice, "You’ll have to find a place somewhere else. There is no room in the inn." Once more Joseph pleaded just for some place for them to stay the night. Then there was a long pause, one of those pauses that is as embarrassing for the audience as it is for the cast. William Spurling had forgotten his next line.
Back behind the props you could hear the prompter saying, "No, be gone! No, be gone!" That was his next speech. Finally, William Spurling said, with softness in his voice, "No, be gone." Mary & Joseph sadly turned to leave. But as they did, suddenly William Spurling regained his voice & said, "Wait a minute! You can stay in my room, & I’ll sleep in the shed."
In the stunned silence that followed, the teacher thought the play was ruined, until she thought again of the words of a 7th-grade boy, who may have communicated the real truth of Christmas better than any. "No, you can stay in my room, & I’ll sleep in the shed."
CONCL. Isn’t that what Jesus did? "No, you don’t have to die for your sins. I’ll take your place on the cross." "No, you can enter the heavenly home. I’m preparing a place for you there."
Christmas made the difference. God wrapped up a gift & gave it. Now He stands back & waits to see what we will do. Will we receive it with joy? Or will we treat it with indifference & rejection?
God waits to see, because what we do with the gift is also what we do with Him. If we accept the gift, then we receive Him & His forgiveness & His help & His hope. But if we reject it, then we also reject Him.
God offers that gift again this morning, & He waits to see what you will do. I pray that you will receive Him with open arms of love as we extend His invitation & we stand & sing.
