RESPONSES TO THE FIRST CHRISTMAS—Candle Lighting Service
(Adapted from “A Savior Has Been Born” by Melvin Newland;
sermoncentral.com; page 4 of his list of sermons; Dec. 1996)
( I preached: Dec. 23, 2001)
Luke 2:1-14
In the last ten to twenty years and maybe even longer, we have seen a lot of change in how people of this country respond to Christmas. There seems to be more and more avoidance of the use of the name of Christ during the holidays. It is nice or politically correct to say “ Happy Holidays” rather than saying “Merry Christmas”. But it is not just a holiday -- it is CHRISTMAS -- the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is a time when we celebrate His coming into this world; God in the flesh; Emmanuel- “God with us”.
Every time we say: “Merry Christmas” we are witnessing to the fact of Jesus’ birth.
How do you respond to Jesus’ birth? Are you politically correct or do you in every way set forth Jesus’ birth?
Today I would like for us to look at the responses to the first Christmas. You probably fit in one of these responses, maybe more.
I. THE RESPONSE OF THE INNKEEPER
Do you know how many times the innkeeper is mentioned in the Bible? Well, that was a trick question. The innkeeper is not mentioned at all. We don’t know for sure that was an innkeeper but since there was an inn we assume that there was an innkeeper. But who was he? What was he like? Here is a poem about the innkeeper:
INNKEEPER, O INNKEEPER
O Innkeeper, O Innkeeper, are you a man of sin
Because you said to Joseph and Mary: “There is no room in the inn”?
Are you a man that is mean spirited, grumpy and weary?
Who slammed the door in the face of Joseph and Mary
Or, are you a kind-hearted man we should console
That was the victim of circumstances out of your control?
Whether you are a villain or a hero
For sure, we will never know.
But I believe your response was that of preoccupation.
I doubt you ever gave them any real consideration.
Never had your inn been so full as on that night.
Never had demands on your time caused you so much plight.
All you wanted was to take care of the guest who had come.
After all, the price they paid added up to a tidy sum.
O Innkeeper, O Innkeeper, you are so much like people today.
They are so busy: they run this way and that way.
They are so busy with all the things of the season
They don’t have a clue about the holiday’s reason.
They are so busy they don’t open their heart to God’s love.
Therefore they never receive the Christmas blessings from God above.
Let it be our prayer that we will not do the same.
Let’s let “opening our hearts to Jesus” be our Christmas aim.
So the innkeeper’s response was preoccupation. Just like so many today are so busy with the activities of the season they don’t have time for Jesus.
II. THE RESPONSE OF THE SHEPHERDS
Shepherds were the lower class of Israel—the rejects of society. Their job was a dirty one; One that kept them away from home for weeks; One that caused them to live in the wilderness (live with the sheep). And God reaches across the barriers of society and tells the shepherds: “I want you to be the first to know: in the city of David, a Savior has been born.”
The shepherds were so afraid their knees were knocking together; but their hearts were leaping with joy as they listened to the angles sing.
Sing Hymn 88: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
So the shepherds were privileged. And if we are honest we will admit that we are privileged too. We are not here because we’re smart and have figured out the prophecies, because we’re so rich, or because we have done something wonderful. We are here because we have the privilege of being born in the right country at the right time, of having heard the gospel preached, of having parents or friends who told us about Jesus.
We are here because we are privileged people just like the shepherds.
IIIL THE RESPONSE OF HEROD
His response was that of fear. History tells us he was so afraid of losing his throne that he killed his favorite wife and three of his sons.
Then the wise men come and ask if he knew anything about the New King. The paranoid fear of Herod reared its ugly head. Herod summoned the religious leaders and asked them if they knew anything about this New King. They said, “Yes the prophets say that He will be born in Bethlehem”. Herod summons the wise men and tells them of Bethlehem and tells them to let him know where the New King is so he can worship him also (secretly planning to kill Him).
Herod’s response was that of fear. And today so many respond to Jesus with fear. If I crown Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords in my life I will have to quit playing at being a Christian, I will have to really put Him first in our life, I will have to let Him change the way I think and act. I’m afraid to do that.
We need to put fear behind us and let our faith take hold of us and rejoice as we come to Jesus.
Sing HYMN 89: “ O Come All Ye Faithful”
IV. THE RESPONSE OF THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS
It is interesting that when Herod asked the religious leaders about the birth of a king they immediately answered: “In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet” (Matt. 2:5). They knew the right answer. Then why didn’t they go to Bethlehem? Why didn’t they say to the wise men: “We’ll go with you, we want to find the new king too”?
The reason is because theirs was a response of pride. If they had gone they would have been admitting the wise men knew more about the expected Messiah than they did. They would have been admitting that God didn’t reveal the news to them but to gentiles!
They probably had so much spiritual pride that they thought that if anything new happened they would be the first to know.
Today some people won’t admit they need God. After all, they say, I’m doing pretty good myself: I’m making a good salary, I have a nice big house, I have a nice new car, I have plenty of clothes – I’m doing good.
They are so full of pride they won’t admit all those things don’t satisfy. They won’t admit that hunger deep down in their heart. They won’t admit they need God.
But we do need God. And I think since September the 11th many have realized their need. I believe there is a difference between this Christmas and last Christmas.
[ read “Last Christmas—This Christmas” from MARYTALKER@aol.com> Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001] :
1) Last Christmas we were placing wreaths on the doors of our homes;
This Christmas we are placing wreaths on the graves of our heroes.
2) Last Christmas we were counting our money.
This Christmas we are counting our blessings.
3) Last Christmas we were paying lip service to the real meaning of the holidays;
This Christmas we are paying homage to the real meaning of the holidays.
4) Last Christmas we were lighting candles to decorate;
This Christmas we are lighting candles to commemorate.
5) Last Christmas we thought a man who could rush down a football field was a hero;
This Christmas we know a man who rushes into a burning building is the real hero.
6) Last Christmas we were thinking about the madness of the holidays;
This Christmas we are thinking about the meaning of them.
7) Last Christmas we were getting on one another’s nerves;
This Christmas we are getting on our knees.
8) Last Christmas we were giving thanks for gifts from stores;
This Christmas we are giving thanks for gifts from God.
BUT, last week at a football game the fans interrupted the game by throwing things on the field because they didn’t like a call the referee made. (From September 11th up to this time fans had been kinder and gentler.) As the news commentator ended the report he said: “If nothing else this shows that we are getting back to normal.” And normal is thinking we don’t need God.
But we do need God. And Christmas is a time of remembering that He has come. So let’s clean all the pride out of our heart and prepare him room. If we will, that will bring great JOY.
Sing HYMN 87: “Joy To The World”
V. RESPONSE OF THE WISE MEN
Their response was that of perception. They understood the things that were happening around them. They lived hundreds of miles away. They were astronomers, not astrologers (they were not the predecessors of the psychic network). They studied the stars. And I think one of the reasons they studied the stars was because of the teachings of another wise man. A wise man that lived some six hundred years earlier. A wise man that lived in Babylon. A wise man that was a Jew. A wise man by the name of Daniel. Daniel became a much-respected advisor of kings. There’s no doubt that Daniel taught about the love of his God, and how his God showed His love to His people many times in the past. And he taught that someday He would send a very special king to save His people and the birth of that king would be signaled by a very special star. (Numbers 24:17)
When the wise men saw a very special star, they knew that it must be the star Daniel taught about. So they headed to Jerusalem, the capital city of Daniel’s people.
More than any other, the wise men’s response should be our response. We should: weigh the evidence, realize what God is doing, and listen to what God has said and is saying and thereby realize the night Jesus was born truly was a HOLY NIGHT.
[LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES:]
As we light our candle from the Christ Candle, let our candle symbolize the star that led the wise men to Jesus. But more than that, let our candle symbolize the light of Jesus that is in our heart. And let us remember: only as we let our light shine each day will others see it and be lead to Jesus.
Sing HYMN 91: “Silent Night, Holy Night”
Prayer
