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Christmas Eve
Light of Christ Anglican Church
The Rev. Michael Moffitt, December 24, 2020


Not Just a Good Story


Text: Luke 2:1–14

When I was a kid I always looked forward to the Wizard of Oz coming on TV every year, usually on a Sunday night. It has been a classic and a favorite of children (and many adults) since it came out as a movie on August 25, 1939. Supposedly, it was actually a satire on the political climate at the time but almost no one realized it and just enjoyed it for what it was—entertainment. Even though I knew every scene, could mouth much of the dialogue, and knew exactly what was going to happen and how it would end, I still looked forward to watching it every year. I knew it was fiction, but it was such a compelling story with so many interesting characters and, let’s face it, it had flying monkeys, too. You don’t see that very often.

It seems to me that for many the Christmas story is the same (minus the flying monkeys). It’s a great story that everyone expects to be told every year even though they know the details and how it will end, at least in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. Of course, the emphasis of the story is on the birth of a baby, but the most important point isn’t just who the baby will grow up to be, but who he is at his birth. Unlike the Wizard of Oz, the story of the birth of Jesus Christ actually happened according to the plan of God revealed through the prophets many, many years before. It’s a story about how God sovereignly worked to bring about the salvation of men and women who were lost and had no hope because of their sin. It’s truly the greatest story ever told and the only hope that mankind has for redemption.

Let’s look again at our gospel story from Luke 2:1–7,

In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

One of the things that I enjoy about Luke’s gospel is that he chose to teach by using contrasts between one thing and another. In chapter one he shows the contrast between Mary, a young virgin, and Zechariah an elderly priest. The angel Gabriel comes to each announcing how God was going to move in their lives to accomplish the coming of the Christ child. Zechariah, a religious leader, doesn’t believe the angel because what he foretold wasn’t humanly possible. However, Mary the young virgin, accepts the announcement of the angel, which was also humanly impossible, but instead, she replies in Luke 1:38,

Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.

From the very beginning of God’s word in Genesis, people have sought to find salvation through every other means than through the Lord God who created the heavens and the earth. They have worshipped idols made from wood, stone, and metal or, if the truth be known, they were in essence worshiping themselves. However, we can never get past our innate sense that there is something greater than ourselves, and we really need that “something” to come to our rescue.

It’s no coincidence that we enjoy stories about superheroes who fight against the most evil of villains and save the world. Comic book writer, Stan Lee and Marvel Comics have made a fortune of developing the stories and making movies about these wonders who are able to save humanity.

Why do we respond to these stories? Because within our deepest self, we know that we do have an evil enemy that is much stronger and cunning than we are. We need a Superhero but if we were writing the story of his life, it wouldn’t look like the story of Jesus Christ or of a baby born in a manger. The most compelling part of the story is that the Son of God himself came to us in humility as one of us. He didn’t come as one who was indestructible, but as one who could be betrayed, beaten, and killed. He came in the most vulnerable way possible, as a baby born into poverty, with a young girl as his mother.

So once again, we gather to hear the story of the birth of Jesus Christ but this time it comes to us as a people and a nation that are in grave danger and need someone to save us. Jesus, the Son of God is our only hope and it’s within the story of his birth that we find something happening that is humanly impossible, but God made it happen anyway.

Our reading tonight also has a story of contrasts. It begins the story of Jesus’ birth during the reign of Augustus, one of the most remarkable men of ancient history. He was born with the name Octavian, named after his father. His grandmother was the sister of Julius Caesar, and being a talented young man, Octavian came to the attention of his great uncle. Julius Caesar came to adopt Octavian as his son, and he was made his official heir in 45 BC. For decades the world Augustus lived in and Jesus would be born into—the world of the Mediterranean basin—was wracked by wars, destruction, brutality, financial hardship and immorality.

Caesar Augustus changed that in a dramatic way. He brought peace by defeating all his enemies and building a structure of political and administrative skill. He also brought tyranny and absolute control over all parts of society and government. He took on the name “Augustus,” which had before been applied to holy objects and places and to certain divinities. By taking the name he was clothing himself with a halo of sanctity and the protection of religion and the gods. This is the world that Jesus was born into, and it was hungry for a savior, but not a political one.

Caesar Augustus decreed that everyone in the Roman Empire needed to register themselves in the town of their birth. Historians suspect that the reason for this was two-fold:

This was the best way to efficiently find out the names of everyone in the Roman Empire so that they could be taxed.

Augustus knew how to rule, and he was known to be very aware of the nationalistic pride and passion of his subjects. So, he sent everyone to their birthplace to soften the blow of taxation because even though they had to travel to register and they had to pay taxes, they also were able to gather with family and friends that they may not have seen in a long time.

All this seems rather ordinary until you realize what it was that really happened and why. Since Joseph’s family was from the line of David he needed to go to his ancestral home to register. Legally he did not need to take Mary, and in most cases he probably would not have since it was approximately 80 miles away and she was very pregnant. He most likely took her with him because, even though they were betrothed, they had not consummated their marriage. As we briefly talked about last Sunday, there was a real possibility that Mary would have been ostracized or worse because she was clearly with child.

So, Joseph, who was told by the angel that Mary was with child through the Holy Spirit, would have taken her with him as a way to comfort and protect her. Neither of them could see what God was actually doing in sending them there together. It had been prophesied around 700 years earlier that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judea.

Micah 5:2–5,

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore, he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.

God in his holy will moves in the hearts and minds of men and women to bring about what he has decreed. In his arrogance, Augustus sat in his palace and made his decree, and he thought that it was because of his power and authority and position in the Empire as sovereign lord. In actuality, he was nothing more than a tool that God used to accomplish his will. God caused Caesar Augustus to rise up in power and authority over an entire empire and in many ways he fulfilled the same function as John the Baptist in that he prepared the way for Jesus.

As important as Augustus was to that time period, his legacy did not last. Like everyone else, he died and very few in the world today have any idea who he was, and this is where the second part of the story is such a contrast to the first.

It doesn’t say how long Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem. It merely says that while they were there it was time for her to give birth. The town was likely overwhelmed with those who came to register for the census. Because of that there was probably no place for them in the inn and even family and friends may have been unable to provide accommodations. Joseph and Mary found shelter in a stable, which could also have been a cave where animals were kept, and was likely owned by family or friends.

Either way, Mary gives birth and wraps the baby in strips of cloth to protect him from the filth of a stable and injury to his limbs. Then in a makeshift bed, she places him on the straw in a manger used for feeding animals.

The contrast between the birth’s humble circumstances and the child’s greatness could not be greater. The promised one from God enters creation to dwell among those he created. The creator himself enters as one created and all this points us to the God who was at work fulfilling the promise that he had made to redeem those without hope. Instead of a royal palace, the Messiah’s first throne room was a stable.

Luke has drawn a vivid contrast between what men think greatness is and what true greatness is. Caesar Augustus was esteemed among men as being extremely powerful and wise but for all that he did to further the Roman Empire, they did not last but became a conquered people themselves.

On the other hand, during the same period of time, a child was born in poverty and humility to a teenage mother and a blue-collar worker father, and after 2,000 years we are remembering and celebrating his birth as we anticipate his return to fully restore all things. Our gospel text reveals to us that the birth of this child that had been spoken of through the prophets was also a reason to celebrate among the Heavenly hosts.

In Luke 2:8–14, shepherds, the lowest rung in that culture, were possibly the very first to hear the announcement of the birth of the holy child in Bethlehem. In the darkness and stillness of the night, the shepherds have corralled the sheep in a commonplace and have themselves settled in for the night.

I can picture them worn out and talking quietly while they have a bite to eat and a glass of wine. Suddenly, the glory of the Lord shone around them and an angel appears to them with an announcement. I can only imagine what their response was but all we are told is that they were filled with fear. When the angel Gabriel came to Zechariah in Luke 1:12,

And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid Zechariah…

On the other hand, it’s interesting that when the same angel appeared to Mary and greeted her, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” It doesn’t say that Mary was afraid but only troubled by the unusual greeting. Still, the angel Gabriel says, “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God.” I have this mental picture of Mary telling Gabriel, “I’m not afraid” and the angel looking surprised and shrugging his shoulders and saying, “Oh, okay.”

Now here is an angel just come from the presence of the Lord addressing the shepherds in the field at night when it was very dark. This scene must have been really awesome, but I don’t believe that their fear was based solely on the glory of God shining all around, but also because of the appearance of an angel. Why do you think this is?

They instill fear because they are the mighty warriors of Heaven and the protectors of God’s people and they are most likely fearsome to behold. In this case, the angel did not come to do battle, but he came bearing good news of great joy. The word used for “good news” in Greek is the word used for gospel and the root word for evangelist. The angel is telling the shepherds to not fear because the good news has finally arrived. The angel is encouraging them to rejoice as the identity of the child is revealed to them and his major roles in coming are declared in one sentence—he is Savior, Lord and Christ, that is, deliverer, master, and anointed king.

In this setting God is showing his true heart for us who are broken and without hope apart from Jesus Christ. The one who has authority over all of creation and has eternally ruled and reigned in righteousness and power did not come to us in splendor and fanfare but instead, he spends his first night in the open air and is announced to the lowliest people in the culture: shepherds.

To be a shepherd was to be at the lowest rung in society. They were not trusted but were considered those who had questionable ethics and morals, but these were the ones to whom Jesus was first announced. Born in the ancient equivalent of homelessness, Jesus arrives to fulfill God’s promise and show God’s concern for people regardless of their social status or vocation. The angel explains that the shepherds will know that these things are true when they see the child lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes. This was not a mystical sign but a real-life and tangible sign of God’s blessing and favor.

As if the angel and the glory of God were not sign enough, a multitude of the Heavenly hosts (warriors of the kingdom) who stand before the throne of God to do his bidding, suddenly appear singing and praising God saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” They had come to announce that God through this child was the peace offered by God to men and he would also show the way of peace between men. This child would make a way for the justice of a holy God to be satisfied and peace to eventually be returned to creation. Even the pagans of the first century sensed this need for peace and a savior. Epictetus, a first-century pagan writer expressed this:

While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy; he cannot give peace of heart, for which men yearn for more than outward peace.

Our reading from Titus 2:11–14 reminds us of this,

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Our reading from Isaiah 9 was a prophetic word written over 600 years before the birth of the child but reveals to us the character and nature of this child that was born that night in Bethlehem.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Here’s the irony: all the things foretold about him are not reflected in the baby lying in a manger or even as a falsely convicted criminal hanging on a cross. He doesn’t look the part of Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. In the Old Testament God was clearly seen through his power over the enemies of Israel and his deliverance of them in amazing ways. The Father then sent the Son as his perfect image-bearer. Hebrews 1:3 says that, “the Son is the radiance of the Father's glory and the exact representation of his nature” but in him we don’t see the thunderous power from Heaven but the tenderness and humility of God.

Who could have seen that coming? They were expecting someone like Caesar Augustus but instead received a Savior that would truly bring peace and restore all things to where they were intended to be. That seems to be the way of our God who shows mercy and grace. He comes to us in ways that we weren’t expecting but he brings something more wonderful than we asked for. The day will come when Jesus will return in power manifesting his authority and glory, but in the meantime his presence is usually seen in the most unlikely of situations, places and in the most unlikely people, like you and me.

Today, as we gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord we need to be careful that we don’t miss his glory by the distractions of those things that are false gods meant to take our focus off of the hope and good news announced by the angels so long ago. For those here who have found salvation through Jesus Christ, this night is a reminder that we are called to be those who continue to announce the Good News of great joy that the child was born, the Son was given, and he now reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all creation. Our response is to go and tell this to all people.

For those here today who have not yet realized that your only hope for peace and salvation is through coming to Jesus Christ and embracing him as savior and Lord, we invite you to surrender to him, here and now. This is the reason for the season.

Let’s pray.


©2020 Rev. Mike Moffitt

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