THE CHRISTMAS STORY
Luke 2:1-20
The play we just watched is called “The First Noel.” Of course, “Noel” is the name of the boy in the play. However, the word noel has its origin in the French language and it means Christmas. So, the “first noel” means the first Christmas.
I saw two dominant themes in the play. The first is grace. The boy Noel went into all the auditions and unfortunately he did not qualify for any role. It is only of sheer “grace” on the part of the director who created a role for him. The second is greatness. Noel took a risk. He departed from the script. Instead of reciting his well-practiced line “No room!” he offered to Mary and Joseph his humble room. That is unquestionably an act of kindness. And, an act of kindness is an act of greatness. I want to weave these two themes into the Christmas story.
The Christmas story is the greatest story ever told. It is the story of what God did to save you and me. It started at the beginning of the human race. God created man in His image so that he can appreciate and enjoy His creation that he would inherit.
The moment Adam and Eve fell into sin, God put into motion His greatest work—His work of saving man. He carefully unfolded His plan through prophetic revelation. Revelatory sign-posts were set up. Specific predictions were given hundred of years before their fulfillment. Then when the time arrived, He sent His only begotten Son into the world to deliver man from the prison of sin by winning the mother of all wars—the war against Satan, sin, and death—and bringing man back into the kingdom of God.
That’s the whole story of Christmas. We cannot fully understand the story of nativity, which is the story of the birth of the Savior, unless we see it against the backdrop of this glorious victory. Biblical history answers the what, the why, the when, and the how of Christmas.
Now, since I only have a few minutes, let me share with you some lessons I learned in the story of the nativity.
Sovereignty. God chose Mary to be a special vessel of honor. No one before her and no one after her would have this honor. She was chosen by God to be the earthly mother of His Son. She was chosen to be the vehicle through whom the eternal Son of God, the second person of the trinity, would be born into our world.
Was Mary chosen because she was pretty? No. Was she chosen because she was a princess? Absolutely not. She was the daughter of a peasant. Was she chosen because she was a celebrity? Was she chosen because she had a doctor’s degree? Was she chosen because of who she was or because of what she had done? A resounding no. It was a divine prerogative. It was God’s sovereign grace.
And so was Noel. Although he failed the auditions, he was given a role in the play. That was an act of “sovereign grace” on the part of the director of the play.
Thank God for sovereign grace. The Bible says that not many of us who were chosen are wise, educated, rich, and powerful. God chose us from among the millions regardless of who we are and what we have done. That’s His prerogative. He chooses whoever He wants. And for you and me, that is sovereign grace. And it is sweet to the soul!
Soul-mate. When the angel told Mary that she will conceive and become the mother of the Son of God, how did she respond? If you were in her place, what would you do? Go to Mommy and say, “Mom, I’m pregnant!” What do you think Mommy would do? Either she would tell you that you are crazy or she would pull your hair and scream to your face: “Why did you do this to us? You are a disgrace to the family!”
How about telling Joseph? Mary would say, “Hi, Dude, I am pregnant!” Joseph would respond, “Cool!” No way. Joseph will hold her by the shoulder and shake her like a tree, at the same time yelling, “Who did this to you? I’ll kill him!” Or, “you are an embarrassment to me. You hurt me. I’ll kill you!”
Can you imagine her precarious situation? She had this huge secret weighing on her young spirit and she had no one to tell. What did she do? She went to Cousin Elizabeth in the hill country of Judea. That’s several days travel for a teenager. That’s actually what she was at this time—just a teenager. She found a soul-mate in Cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth welcomed her with open arms. She comforted her. And Mary stayed there for six months!
Elizabeth is a lot older than Mary. Elizabeth could easily be Mary’s grandmother. Maybe that was the secret why Elizabeth was so helpful to Mary. Besides, they were in the same boat. Elizabeth was way past child-bearing age and she was pregnant. She would feel like a block of ice melting at the penetrating gaze of curious people. As if they were saying, “Elizabeth, Zechariah (that’s her husband) could not have done this to you because he is impotent.”
Are you carrying a heavy load in your heart? Do you need a soul-mate? There is no one better than the Lord Jesus to be your soul-mate because He can sympathize with you and share your burdens.
We should also be soul-mates to one another. Difference in age or culture or language should not be a problem. It was not a problem with Elizabeth and Mary.
Submission. Joseph and Mary were compelled to go to Bethlehem to register for taxation because Bethlehem was their ancestral city. Their forefathers originated there. And the law of Rome required them to go there for registration. No excuses. No considerations.
Mary was, by this time, heavy with child. She was nine months pregnant.
What do you think went through Mary’s mind? Did she excitedly pack her luggage and exclaimed to Joseph, “This is a dream vacation!”
What modes of transportation were available to them? United Airlines? Uh-uh. Amtrak? Greyhound? SUV? They had only two choices. Mary took the donkey express and Joseph the “kadilakad” (a Tagalog word play that means “hiking” but suggests in a humorous way that this is “Cadillac” brand).
God was directing history, behind the scenes sort of. One of the Messianic prophecies is concerning the birthplace of the Messiah. God has chosen a nondescript village in Judea. The Lord Jesus could not be the Savior without fulfilling this prophecy.
So you see that even with the unwelcome taxation, God has a purpose. I am glad that Mary and Joseph submitted to the direction of God even if they did not understand why they should be subjected to such “unnecessary” hardship. God has a purpose even in the irritations that happen to you.
Let us submit to Him even if we do not understand it. I believe that God brought you here for a purpose. To glorify His name!
Self-sacrifice. They were very tired when they arrived in Bethlehem late in the afternoon. They needed to rest, especially Mary, but all the hotels were full. Everywhere they went, they were met with the sign “No Vacancy!” Mary started to have labor pains and they were coming in rapid frequency. It must be chaotic.
There is an episode in the series “I Love Lucy” that illustrates the chaos that this kind of situation produces. Ricky, Fred, and Ethel were rehearsing what to do when the time comes to bring Lucy to the hospital. Ethel would telephone the hospital, Fred would call a taxi, and Ricky would pick up Lucy’s luggage and escort Lucy to the taxi. After several practices, they were content they could do it smoothly and efficiently. Then Lucy entered the living room and announced that it was time to go. All hell broke loose. There was pandemonium and utter chaos. They all ran for the phone. Then they all ran for the door. Then Ricky came back and grabbed the luggage. Out the door they went leaving Lucy still standing in the center of the living room, wondering what was happening.
In the Gospel narrative, there is no mention of an innkeeper. We just assumed there was an innkeeper because there were inns. Today, hotels have parking lots and garages. They had the same thing then. Garages for their donkeys. They were called stables.
God used a lowly innkeeper to provide a deluxe accommodation for Mary and Joseph. In the play, Noel offered his bedroom. The innkeeper gave the only place available—the stables. It might have cost him rent money. It was not much but still it involved “self-sacrifice.”
(This is the time to present a slide show that came through the email entitled: “Where God Wants Me.”)
Service. Let us not forget the first visitors of the newborn king. First, there were the first carolers, the heavenly angels. They covered the heavens. They glowed, brightening the hills. Their sweet songs reverberated in the countryside and serenaded the tired shepherds. Second, there were the shepherds. The Lord Jesus is Himself a shepherd. They came and worshipped Him in their humbly way. Third, there were the wise men from the east. They came from a far country. They were guided by a star. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Conclusion. We, too, came to worship Him who was born to be our Savior, Lord, and King. And so we continue the story of Chrstmas.
