OPEN: It was almost Christmas Day, and the mother of a 3 year old boy was furiously running from store to store trying to get her last minute shopping done. Suddenly she realized that her son’s pudgy little hand was no longer in hers. Frantically she began to look around and then not finding him nearby, began to quickly retrace her steps. She found him standing with his little nose pressed flatly against a frosty window gazing at the manger scene. She shouted his name and upon hearing his mother’s voice, he turned and shouted with innocent glee, “Look Mommy! It’s baby Jesus – baby Jesus in the hay.”
Frustrated because she was pressed for time and because of how scared she had been when he slipped away from her she hastily grabbed his hand and jerked him away saying, “Come on! We don’t have time for that!”
APPLY: Now, I REALLY don’t think she meant to say that. I doubt she intended to tell her child that they were too busy for Jesus… but that’s pretty much how it sounded.
And too often that’s actually what happens in people’s lives.
Not that that’s anything new.
That sort of thing has been happening for ages.
Sometimes its on purpose… sometimes its by accident… but people just get too busy for Jesus.
As an example, consider our story about the Magi this morning.
When you look at a manger scene what do you usually see there?
There’s Mary and Joseph, and the baby Jesus. And gathered around the manger, you’ll see cows and sheep and shepherds. But who is usually standing at the manger? That’s right, the Wise men.
Now a manger is a feeding trough. It’s the place where people would put the hay and oats for their cattle. It’s something you’d find in a BARN. But when the wise men arrive, where are Mary and Joseph living (vs. 11)? That’s right… Joseph and Mary and Jesus are in a HOUSE
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him….” Matthew 2:11
From other information we find here in Matthew it appears that Jesus must have been about 2 years old when the Wise men came to offer Him gifts. They’re no longer living in a barn. They’ve found a house to live in, and Joseph must have set up shop in town as a local carpenter.
Two years have transpired since the birth of Christ.
The Wise Men are late to the party… but at least they showed up.
The shepherds came - some time back - but (as far as we know) nobody else has bothered to drop by.
But now here come the Wise Men and they stop in at Jerusalem to ask directions to the place where the new King was born. And nobody seems to have a clue what is going on. They have to drag out the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law and those guys have to search thru Scripture till they find a prophecy about the Messiah and where is to be born. And – lo and behold – He’s supposed to be born in Bethlehem… about 6 miles south of there.
(That’s about the distance from here to Clymers – a nearby community).
Notice how the people of the city of Jerusalem respond to this news: “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” Matthew 2:3
The people of Jerusalem were (pause) “disturbed”
The Magi tell the people there that their Messiah has just been born in Bethlehem and all they can do is get a little disturbed.
You’d think they would rush out to see if they could find him.
You’d think they would make some banners, strike up a marching band, have ticker tape parade!
The promised Messiah has come!
But they can’t find the time to go 6 miles to go see Him.
Of course, that’s what prophecy had said would be the case:
Isaiah 53 tells us “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Isaiah 53:2-3
Or as the Apostle John wrote: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” John 1:11
So the best you could say about the people in Jerusalem was that they were apathetic about this news of Jesus’ birth. They essentially ignored the Christ Child. They didn’t have time for Him.
But it could have been worse… they could have been like King Herod.
King Herod wasn’t apathetic. He was downright hateful.
Matthew 2:16 tells us that “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”
Jesus was a threat to Herod’s lifestyle.
Jesus challenged his concept of the separation of Church and State.
If Jesus ever claimed the hearts and minds of the people - Herod was in trouble.
Herod would have to change how he governed the people.
He’d have to change how he made decisions.
He’d have to change his own personal lifestyle.
But Herod wasn’t about to do that. Herod wasn’t of the mind to bow his knee to anybody, let alone the Son of God. That would mean giving up his control of life and Herod didn’t want to do that… So Jesus had to be removed.
So, let’s revue:
The people of Jerusalem ignored Jesus.
The Chief Priests and the teachers of the law had no time for Him.
And King Herod wanted to get rid of Him.
The Wisemen may have been late to the party… but at least they showed up.
Things haven’t changed in 2000 years.
It’s unfortunate, but most people have something else to do.
Even religious people overlook Him and shun Him.
ILLUS: Back in 2005 the Barna Research Group, conducted a poll for Lutheran Hour Ministries. And in this national survey, 88% of the respondents identified themselves as Christian.
One of the questions was: “What is the most important aspect of Christmas?”
37% of adults said it was the birth of Jesus.
32% who identified themselves as fundamentalists gave that same answer.
29% of Catholics placed Jesus’ birth first.
24% of theological liberals said the birth of Christ made Christmas important for them.
44% of the respondents said family time is the most important.
According to that poll… the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians in America ignore Jesus.
They have no time for Him.
Essentially, they just don’t show up.
But it could be worse… some people in America are downright hostile to the Christ child.
Over the past few years,
· Schools have prohibited the singing of carols and even the mention of Christmas in class.
· A principal in the state of Washington banned a dramatic performance of Charles Dicken’s classic "A Christmas Carol," partly because he feared it would raise questions about the place of religion in public schools.
· And then there was the school district in Plano, Texas (I kid you not) that banned the colors red and green as being too religious. For their "Winter Break Party" they required parents to bring only white plates and napkins.
And just this year
· Various businesses (Old Navy/ Gap) have removed the word Christmas from their “holiday advertisements”
· CBS endorsed Two and a half Men’s blasphemy of the Christ by allowing the carol “Joy to the World” to be used as the basis of a sexual parody sung by Charlie Sheen.
· And the movie "The Nativity Story" was banned at Chicago’s downtown CHRISTMAS festival, because the city worried the ads for the film might offend non-Christians.
Why do people do things like that?
Because, just like Herod of old, there are people who don’t want anything to do with Jesus. They don’t want Jesus anywhere near them. They want to shunt Him off to some obscure corner so that they don’t even have to see Him.
Why? Because, IF the Son of God really was born in a manger 2000 years ago they might have to change something.
They might have to change their lives.
They might have to make different decisions.
They might NOT be able to live the way they’ve always lived.
And that’s not a real popular idea
But Wise Men still seek Him.
And they seek Him NOW the same way the Wisemen of old sought Jesus back THEN.
When the Wisemen of old came to find Jesus in Bethlehem they focused on what they could give Him. And the first thing they gave Him was their time.
It was a long trip from the land of Babylon to the city of Bethlehem One scholar estimates that their trip must have taken about 4 months and that didn’t include all the time it took for them to prepare for the journey to being with.
ILLUS: My family and I are planning a trip up to northern Michigan for the last week of December. It will take us somewhere between 8 to 10 hours to get where we’re going. That’s a long way to go. But I’m here to tell you – there’s absolutely NO WAY I would go anywhere that would take me 4 months to get there. It’s just not going to happen.
But for the Wisemen, this was a THE most important journey they’d ever take. Nobody and nothing was going to stand between them and their new King.
The gift of time is one of the most important things you can give to Jesus. Just being together with your Christian brothers and sisters on Sundays tells Jesus how much He means to you. Jesus is so impressed by this gift of time that He promises us:
“… where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20
In other words: If you consider Jesus important enough to spend time with others in His name He WILL consider you important enough to be there with you. He WILL honor you with His presence. That’s because Jesus recognizes the value of the time we take to worship Him.
ILLUS: There are those who will tell you they can worship Jesus just as well out in the woods/, or out on a lake, or at home in front of TV set. But that’s not true. It’s a lie!
At worst, they’re being just plain lazy. At best, they are deceiving themselves.
Now, let me explain this: You can PRAISE Jesus off by yourself in the woods, or on a lake. But YOU CANNOT worship Him all by yourself. Jesus won’t accept it. That’s because Jesus values the time you set aside to gather with other Christians in worship. Don’t be deceived into believing He’ll settle for anything less.
The 2nd thing the Wisemen gave Jesus was their treasure.
These were expensive gifts that the Magi gave the Christ child. And the Wisemen gave special thought to the gifts they were offering.
ILLUS: One man told of going to a church that was so progressive that when they did the Christmas story, the three Wise Men are bringing gift certificates.
Don’t get me wrong: gift certificates are nice. I’d accept all the gift certificates you’d be willing to give me. But let’s be honest, they’re impersonal. Gift certificates don’t require a whole lot of thought. Even when they’re given with the best of intentions, they imply that we didn’t know enough about the person we were buying for to get something more appropriate.
But that’s not the case with the gifts the Magi actually brought for Jesus. In fact, it would appear that God Himself had inspired their offerings:
· The Gold - presented to the infant King - represented His royalty.
· Frankincense (an expensive resin that was used in religious offerings) spoke of His divinity.
· And Myrrh, (another expensive resin that was used in embalming) represented His death for us.
These were gifts given with a care and an adoration of this newborn King.
But as religious as their gifts were… they had a practical value the Magi may not have realized.
Vs. 13 tells us that “When (the Wisemen) had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’” Matthew 2:13
What do you suppose Mary and Joseph used for money on their trip? And how could they survive in a foreign country where they’d live as strangers – with no family and no immediate source of income?
That’s right, they’ve got gold, and frankincense and myrrh to tide them over until they can got settled.
When we give of our treasures to Jesus those offerings should be given as a religious gift to God. You’re not giving your gifts to me, or to this church… you’re giving them to God.
But you’ve entrusted this church and it’s leaders to use those gifts wisely, in ways that helps reach out to more and more people… telling them about the love of Jesus and the difference He can make in their lives.
Then, there was one last gift that the Wisemen gave Jesus. They gave Him the gift of a changed life.
Matthew 2:11 tells us that “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him...”
I don’t know what it was about being in the presence of Jesus that night…
… but there was something about Jesus that brought these men to their knees
… there was something about this Jesus that caused them to want to give Him gifts
… there was something about this Jesus that caused them to want to give Him the best they had.
And that experience with Jesus changed even how they went home
Matthew 2:12 says: they returned to their country by another route.
Once we come into the true presence of Jesus it changes everything about us.
And the most important gift we can give to Jesus this year… is our lives.
