December 8, 2019
Romans 15:4-13, Matthew 3:1-12
Arrivals: Hope and Holiness
(Two arrivals: The Baby (Hope) and The King (Holiness))
Pastor Bryan Watson
Good morning. Please bow your heads with me as we seek God’s blessing on the message this morning.
“Heavenly Father, we come before You this morning seeking Your Word. Help us to hear what You have to say to us today. Holy Spirit, please guard my tongue and guide my words as I preach. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.”
Arrivals. Advent season is full of the anticipation of arrivals. We anticipate the arrival of holidays and Christmas parties. We anticipate the arrival of stuff we’ve ordered from Amazon. We anticipate the arrival of family. We anticipate the arrival of the day that the family will depart. And then we anticipate the arrival of the credit card statement.
Anticipation and arrival seem to be two words that are tied together in the season of Advent. We saw that extensively in our Christmas Hope cantata. Simeon anticipated the arrival of the Messiah. Chris and his family anticipated the arrival of their Grandpa. The Jones’ anticipated the arrival of their prodigal son. And we ALL anticipated the arrival of Peter Franck and his lines, because no two performances were the same! But “arrival” was the name of the game with the cantata.
Today, I want to speak with you about two arrivals: one past, and one yet to come.
The First Arrival: Hope
The name of our first arrival is “Hope,” and Hope came in the form of a Baby with mercy in His heart. Let’s read Romans 15:4-13.
4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,
6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs
9 so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name."
10 Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people."
11 And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to Him, all you peoples."
12 And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, One who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in Him."
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
That’s a very “hopeful” passage, wouldn’t you say? When I read this passage in the context of the Advent season, three main lessons jumped out at me:
First, we need to draw hope from the Bible. The Scriptures tell of promises fulfilled, which gives us confidence in the promises that are yet to be fulfilled. And we need to consider the whole Bible, because the New Testament only makes sense in the light of the Old Testament. The Old Testament by itself contains an unfinished story. The New Testament finishes a story that was started in the Old Testament. You need both.
So, what are some examples of promises and prophecies fulfilled in the Bible? Well, there are hundreds of examples that I could cite, but let me just give you three as they relate to Christmas, since ‘tis the season:
Prophecy #1: The Messiah’s Mother will be a virgin.
Prophecy scripture: Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Fulfillment: Matthew 1:18-23 –
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us."
Prophecy #2: The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
Prophecy scripture: Micah 5:2 - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
Fulfillment: Luke 2:1-7
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and
placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Prophecy #3: The Messiah would be descended from David.
Prophecy Scripture: Jeremiah 23:5 – "The days are coming," declares the Lord , "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.”
Fulfillment: Matthew 1:1,6,16 –
1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:…
6 … and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife…,
16 … and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
In fact, this chart demonstrates how both Joseph and Mary were descended from David, so Jesus inherited the blood line from Mary, and the royal line from Joseph, even though Joseph wasn’t Jesus’ biological father.
Because we can see how accurately the Bible fulfills promise and prophecy, we can be confident that promises and prophecies that are yet unfulfilled will, undoubtedly come to pass.
Second, we need to seek unity. In this passage, Paul prays for God to pour out a spirit of unity on His people. Obviously there was a reason for that back then, and it’s probably just as valid now. Satan hates the church, and he hates our congregation. He will sow discord, even the hearts and minds of noble and upright Christians, if we allow him to. We must each examine our own heart and see if we are allowing Satan to poke around. None of us are above it.
Paul also encourages both the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers to accept each other. Why? So that with one voice they would glorify God the Father. How do WE achieve this within THIS body of believers? We fellowship with each other. We accept our minor differences and look past our irritants. We seek ways to build up, and not to tear down. We look for ways to do this with our youth, our volunteers, our pastors, and each other. As it pertains to Christmas, we ALL turn our eyes together to the Hope of the Manger and raise our voices as one, singing Glory to God in the Highest! Peace on earth and goodwill toward men!
Third, we need to embrace the hope that came through Christ, not just for Israel, but for all people, for everyone, whatever their circumstances, whatever their story. Jews and Gentiles. Gentiles and Jews. This Baby, this King, this Saviour, this Hope of the World, was born for you!!! This Child in the Manger, who grew up to become the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice on the Cross, was the embodiment of God’s mercy. As was the theme of the Christmas Hope cantata, verse 13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Second Arrival: Holiness
The name of our second arrival is “Holiness”, and Holiness comes in the form of a King with justice in His hand. Let’s read Matthew 3:1-12.
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea
2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "
4 John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
This is a prophetic passage, and while John was clearly speaking about Jesus, Who was just about to begin His earthly ministry, this was also clearly a prophecy about the return of Jesus as King at the end times. We know this because during His earthly ministry at His first coming, Christ did not fulfill the prophecies of the wheat and the chaff. But as we’ve seen already, because of the number of prophecies fulfilled in the Bible, we can have confidence that this, too, will be fulfilled.
This image of Jesus is not that of a fluffy bunny. This is a passionate and just King, making all things right. You see, justice and holiness require that everything be put back into proper alignment, that the scales be evened out. As I said a couple of weeks ago in my message titled, “Cheque, Please”, the tab HAS TO be paid. Either you can allow Christ to pay it for you, or you will have to pay it yourself, but it WILL be paid.
We pay it, not through the ACT of repenting, because there is no act that we can do that will bring us salvation. But rather, we pay it by BEING repentant. By BEING changed. By BEING born again. In John 3:3, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” To add some clarity to what this mean, the Greek word translated “again” also means “from above”. So, inserting those two words into that verse, we get, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus goes on in John 3:5 to clarify further, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
We must have a spiritual rebirth in order to be saved. As John the Baptist proclaims, this spiritual rebirth will result in a repentance that produces fruit. It’s not the repentance that saves us, nor is it the fruit that is produced that saves us, but rather both the repentance and the resulting fruit are the evidence of the spiritual rebirth that saves us.
John uses a couple of agricultural examples to help us understand God’s justice when Christ returns as King. In the example of the trees, King Jesus is going to be looking for trees that have produced good fruit, which is the evidence of a spiritual rebirth. If the fruit is not there, the tree will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
He also gives us the example of Christ coming with a winnowing fork to gather in His harvest. The wheat, representing those who have been born again, will be gathered into His barn for safekeeping. But the chaff, those not born again, will be thrown into the fire.
Considering these two arrivals, the Baby and the King, it is a beautiful thing that God sent the Baby first, because He has clearly laid out His plan for redemption, and has given every person ample opportunity to receive the Baby before the King comes. For those who gladly receive this arrival of the Babe, there is joy when the King returns because we know we will be safely gathered in to His barn.
But the harsh reality is that if the Babe in the Manger is the manifestation of hope and God’s mercy, then the King with the winnowing fork is the manifestation of holiness and God’s justice. We tend to embrace God’s mercy because it feels good, but we need to remember God’s justice because it is the justice that makes everything right in the end. And it can happen at Any Moment, Any Time!
Spend Less
Now, I want to make a sudden shift here because I need to warn you about an enemy that makes a dramatic appearance every Christmas because it is a critical part of His plan to distract us from the message of the Babe in the manager and the King with the winnowing fork.
One of the most effective tools that Satan uses to distract us from the focus of hope and holiness is the lie that Christmas is about things. The other day I watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas” with my family, and there was a scene where Charlie Brown’s little sister, Sally, is getting Charlie to write a letter to Santa for her. She has a long list of things she wants, “but if it seems too complicated,” she tells Santa, “Just send money. Preferably tens and twenties.” “All I want is what I’ve got coming to me,” she says to Charlie Brown. “All I want is my fair share.”
There’s also the flip side of that. Maybe we are so busy trying to love, or impress, with gifts that we burn ourselves out running from store to store, or website to website, just to find the perfect gift for everyone on our list.
Or maybe you’re stressed out because people want to know what you want, and so you are wracking your brain trying to figure out what you want just so that others can be relieved of THEIR stress.
You know what I want this Christmas? I want to just enjoy the wonder of the moment. I want Silent Night to be just that… silent, with the flicker of a candle expressing its hope in the face of darkness. I want the rest and joy that is promised in the blessing of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. Like the song says, I want to remember that Christ our Saviour was born on Christmas Day.
I want to sit and gaze at the Nativity and wonder, What Child is This, and hear the angels answer back, “This, This is Christ the King!” And I can’t hear ANY of that over the noise of the cash register.
I want the warmth that comes from breaking bread with my family in Christ. I want us to stop being so busy getting ready for Christmas that we miss the whole thing!
What if this year, you looked the Christmas chaos in the eye and said, “not this time!” What if you stopped letting your MasterCard be your master card?
What if instead of PAYING interest to your credit card company, you SHOW interest in your Saviour?
What if we SPEND LESS money on “things” and instead we SPEND MORE time on love and kindness?
And what if we basked in the glow of a candle this advent, considering the hope of the Babe and holiness of the King?
If you would like to know more about the Hope of the Babe, and the Holiness of the King, and if you want to talk about how you can be counted with the wheat, please come and see me or Pastor Dennis, or Pastor Nate, after the service. We’d love to talk with you and pray with you.
Now, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. Let’s pray.
Father, thank You for the joy of Christmas and the anticipation of Advent. Please help us to anticipate the right things, and to not allow the busy-ness of the season to rob us of the joy of Christ. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
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December 15, 2019
Luke 1:46-55
The Magnificat: Mary’s Magnificent Response
Pastor Bryan Watson
Good morning. Let’s open our sermon time with a word of prayer:
Most Merciful God, we come before You humbly this morning, asking You to open the ears and hearts of Your people to hear Your Word this morning. May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
I think I’ve told this story before, but it’s worth telling again in the context of this message. When I was a teenager, my family operated a greenhouse business. As you know, certain types of plants need to be started in February in order to be a healthy transplant in April or May. As you also know, in February, Saskatchewan tends to be covered under a thick blanket of snow that’s been laid down over the previous 2 or 3, or sometimes, 4 months.
My father, wanting to get started with the planting, asked me to shovel a path to the greenhouse. “It doesn’t have to be fancy,” he said, “just make it so I can get there.”
Now, I was a teenage boy. I knew I had to do what my father asked, but the truth was that I didn’t want to be out there any more than he did, and I also had several other things that I was interested in that day, none of which involved shoveling snow. So I begrudgingly grabbed a shovel, and went outside to do exactly what my father asked. I made a hole in the snow, and stepped in it. Then I reached over about 3 feet, and made another hole, and stepped in it. I did this all the way to the greenhouse, a path of about 25 feet. True to Dad’s instructions, it wasn’t fancy, but you could get there (if you could lift your leg over the snow and stretch it out about 3 feet between the holes I had dug).
Needless to say, my response to my father’s request was inappropriate, and Dad helped me to see the error of my ways.
This morning, I want to talk about someone else’s response to their Father’s request… a response that is in complete contrast to my response to my earthly father’s request.
This response is contained in our Scripture passage for this morning, Luke 1:46-55 which was read when we lit our advent candles this morning. It comprises Mary’s song of praise in response to God’s recent activity in her life. It is called “The Magnificat” because the Latin version of Luke 1:46 is Magnificat anima mea Dominum. “My soul magnifies the Lord.”
I want to give you a bit of background so that we understand the context of Mary’s prayer.
At the time that Mary is going through this, she is already pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Here she is, a young girl, a virgin, engaged to be married, and an angel comes to her and tells her that SHE is going to be the one to carry God’s promise, the Messiah. An unbelievable honor? Yes! But, not without its ramifications. Just think about this for a moment:
Unmarried. An adolescent herself, as tradition holds her to be about 14 years old. Living in an era where girls who get pregnant outside of marriage are subject to the penalty of death! What will her parents say? What will her fiancé, Joseph, say? What will the religious authorities say? What will they all DO? And this wasn’t going to be just any baby. This was going to be the Son of God. The long-awaited, much-anticipated, desperately needed Messiah! Mary had no idea what this would mean. She could only speculate. The Bible is almost simplistic in that Mary’s only question to the angel was “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And her only response was, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” But in the brief moment between those responses, I can only imagine what must have gone through her mind.
Am I ready to be a mother?
Will they kick me out of the house?
What will Joseph think? My life with him is probably over.
Will they try to kill me?
Who will help me?
So Mary does what any reasonable human being would do. She takes the first caravan out of town and goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was also pregnant through a miracle, so she would understand. She also lived far enough away that it would buy Mary some time to process everything before everybody else had to know.
Now, as she visits with Elizabeth, the two of them compare the messages that they received from Gabriel. Elizabeth’s baby, John the Baptist, leaps in her womb when Mary arrives carrying Jesus in her womb. Elizabeth, prompted by the Holy Spirit, says to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Elizabeth confirmed what Mary already knew, that the baby she was carrying was the Promised One.
And so we come to Mary’s response.
What an amazing response it is. The words of this song from Mary reveal not only her heart, but some very important theological truths.
Mary Sees The Need for a Saviour
First, Mary sees herself as a maidservant in need of a Saviour. She recognizes that she is as fallen as any other person in history, as she says, “My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” Mary needed the Cross as much as anybody, and her response to God’s actions in her life is one of gratitude, not entitlement. She had such a truthful, realistic, humble view of herself that I think she would be appalled to see what has happened with her in the last 2,000 years. I don’t mean to offend anybody, but Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” And in 1 Timothy 2:5, we read, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” There is only One way to the Father, and that is through the Son, not Mary, and she would be the first to tell you that. Blessed? Yes. Favoured? Absolutely! The Bible says so. Is she to be respected and admired! Most definitely. But worshipped? No. Prayed to? No. Only the Godhead deserves that. And Mary herself knew that.
So, what does this mean to us? Well, if somebody like Mary, who literally gave birth to the Saviour of the Word, can recognize her need of a Saviour, then shouldn’t we also recognize our need for a Saviour? The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” What makes us think that we are so great that we don’t need a Saviour? What makes us think that if we are good enough, or at least not bad enough, that we will just end up in Heaven because we didn’t smoke or drink, and we like kittens and puppies, and we recycle our garbage? I’m afraid that’s not how it works. The season of Advent is all about the anticipation of the coming of a Saviour, and if you have yet to embrace Jesus as the Lord and Saviour of your life, then I invite you to come and speak with me after the service. Jesus Christ wants you to know that He came for you, too.
Mary Sees Her Life Long-Term
Second, Mary looks at her life and sees the long-term focus. She doesn’t stop to wallow in the fear and doubt of the immediate future, and the challenges that she knows are imminent. The eternal consequences are far more important to her than the inconvenience in the here and now. “From now on all generations will call me blessed,” she proclaims. How true are her words.
Think about it for a minute. She is still visiting with Elizabeth. She still has to go home to her parents. To Joseph. To her village of Nazareth. And by the time she gets back, she is going to be looking mighty pregnant. I know how much it weighs on me when I am anticipating a stressful conversation. What would this one be like? She couldn’t assume they’d believe her! In the movie The Nativity Story, there is a scene that demonstrates what the real Mary probably faced.
Mary returned from visiting Elizabeth, and was trying to explain her pregnancy to her family. She says it was a miracle, but they weren’t buying it. First, they thought it was Joseph. Then, they thought she was either being promiscuous, or that she had been raped by Herod’s soldiers. But Mary insists that it was a miracle, and she points to Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy for justification. “Elizabeth had a baby!” she proclaims. “ELIZABETH HAS A HUSBAND!” her exasperated father shouts back. This must have been incredibly difficult for her family to understand as well.
Nevertheless, Mary didn’t see her plight as an inconvenience. She saw it as her response to God’s blessing in her life. She saw it as her destiny.
In fact, I’m going to be so bold as to say that her response to God’s call on her life was JOY! One of the most joyful songs, or prayers, in the entire Bible is that of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:2-10. Hannah had been unable to conceive, but after fervent prayer, God answered her prayer with a miraculous birth of a son who grew up to be the great prophet, Samuel. Hannah dedicated Samuel to God’s service, and out of the overflow of joy in her heart she prayed an amazing prayer of thanksgiving. Hannah was the Old Testament type of Mary.
Mary’s song closely mirrors that of Hannah, not only in the prophetic phrases, but also in the joy in Mary’s heart. I’m not going to list all of the similarities, but listen to the opening verses of both prayers:
1 Samuel 2:1 - Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the Lord ; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.”
Luke 1:46-47 – And Mary said, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,”
Mary had a joy in her heart similar to Hannah’s joy, because the Lord had chosen her for His service, and she knew that as long as she trusted in Him, He would continue to bless her. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me,” she says. “Holy is His name.”
So, what does this mean to us?
If Mary can view the long-term; if she can set aside the feelings of inconvenience, and instead see her service as a response to God’s blessing, then shouldn’t we also view our service as a response to God’s blessing?
How often do we see service in the church, God’s church, as an inconvenience and a hassle instead of the response to a generous and loving God? In Malachi 1, God is rebuking His people for their attitude toward His temple and the required service therein. In verse 13, God says, “And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the Lord Almighty.
God continues the rebuke in Malachi 3:13-14 - "You have said harsh things against me," says the Lord . "Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?'
"You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?”
Is that to be our attitude when we are asked to serve? “What a burden?” “What do we gain?”
Rather, we should take the same attitude as Mary. Serving God isn’t a burden or a hassle. It is an honour. An incredible honour that will have eternal impacts, for us and for others. Believe me, it’s not easy to write sermons every week, with the weight of proclaiming God’s Truth bearing down on me. But I can’t NOT do it. I HAVE to do it! I can’t resist. And the blessing I have in being one of the men called on to do this is amazing. Does it make me rich? No. Does it make me tired? Yes. But I can feel the pull of the eternal, and that makes it all worth it.
Mary is a Small Part in God’s Big Picture
Third, Mary recognizes that she is a small part in God’s big picture. Looking beyond herself, at a national, and even global level, she speaks what God is going to do through her Son as though it has already taken place.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. (v52)
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. (v53)
He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers. (v54-55)
Mary embraces the fact that God is going to turn the world upside-down through the Son that she carries. And because she can see the big picture, she embraces the role.
What does this mean to us? We need to accept that God may have a big-picture plan in place that includes us. It would be easy for God to work through powerful, stately, rich people. And I’m not saying that He doesn’t, because He can and He does. But God is not partial. He loves making things happen through the lowly:
A manger instead of a palace
A carpenter instead of a politician or a statesman
Fishermen instead of trained scholars
Maidservants instead of princesses
An army of 300 unarmed men like Gideon, instead of an army of 300,000 warriors armed to the teeth.
When we think that God can’t change the world through us, we are limiting God in a way that we have no right to limit Him. Why can’t we change Langenburg and Churchbridge and Russell and the communities around us? Why can’t we change the destinies of our youth? We brought fresh water to a village. We fixed a radio station for an entire listening area, not just us. We brought the Gospel in person to around 650 people in the area through our cantata. When we say “no” to God, we are the ones who lose, not God. Because His Word will not return void, but I can tell you that I want to be a part of what His Word is doing.
Give More
In summary, Mary’s response to God was to be “all in”. There was no “dipping her toe in the water” for Mary. It was all or nothing, and she chose “All For Jesus.”
With that in mind, can I challenge you this Advent to Give More? You probably aren’t going to be put in a situation like Mary where it’s “all or nothing.” But I think all of us can handle a situation where we “give more.” I’m not talking about money. As a congregation, we’ve already demonstrated incredible generosity when it comes to donations. And I’m not talking about Christmas gifts. We live in an affluent society where we already have pretty much everything we could want. You may argue that, but if we’re being honest, it’s true. I know I stress my family out because they want to know what I want for Christmas, and the truth is, I have no clue what I want for Christmas because I already have everything I want, materially.
What I really want is fellowship. What I really want is time. And I think a lot of us want that. Let’s give more of ourselves. To each other. If someone comes to mind, drop them a note of encouragement. Invite them for coffee or a meal. Make them a loaf of bread or a batch of cookies. Help them with a task or a job that they struggle with or aren’t skilled at. Pray for them.
Let’s give more of ourselves in service to God. If you’re invited to serve the Lord in some capacity, give it some serious thought and prayer before you say no. I understand over-commitment. And I’m not asking you to burn yourself out and sacrifice your marriage and your family through over-commitment. But if you are saying no to a role simply because it’s a burden, you need to reconsider your attitude toward serving the Lord. It is an honour and a privilege to be asked to come alongside and work where God is working. And He is certainly working in and through this congregation!
Mary is a real leader when it comes to having the right attitude toward serving God, even through personal sacrifice. It’s no wonder all generations will call her blessed.
Amen. Let’s pray.
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December 24, 2019
Luke 2
Why The Manger?
Pastor Bryan Watson
Good evening.
Before I deliver the message this evening, would you please bow your heads with me in a moment of prayer.
Heavenly Father, on this beautiful evening, many people are feeling the warmth of Your light here this evening. But others, Father, may be looking for a glimmer of hope and a spark of meaning in a dark time. Lord, I ask that You would use me to speak Your truth to Your people here this evening; that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart may be found pleasing in Your sight. In the name of Christ I pray, Amen.
Our scripture passage for the message this evening comes from Luke, chapter 2, the birth of Christ. Seeing that have just read this passage, I won’t read it for you again now.
As I was considering this passage, and wondering what I would speak on this evening, a question kept popping into my mind. Why the manger? Why would God, the Creator of everything, the One Who made the stars and gave each one of them a name, the One who knows the number of hairs on the head of every person who ever lived, the One whom saints refer to as God Most High because there is no other who is above Him… why would this God not only allow His only Son to be born in a manger, but actually arrange for it to happen? Why would He do this?
Let’s begin by considering what a manger is.
Simply put, a manger is a feeding trough for livestock. In our modern society, the word “manger” has become associated with the Baby Jesus, and that’s a good thing! Anything that causes us to consider Christ is good. But the reality is that we have lost the reality of the manger. Plastic and porcelain Nativity scenes have romanticized the manger, and in reality there was nothing romantic about it. It may have been a wooden box, or it may have been a stone structure, but whatever it was, it was usually filled with animal feed. Cattle, oxen, or maybe horses, would stick their snouts in their and slobber it all up. Pretty gross. And a far cry from what I wanted for my children when they were babies: clean cradles with soft blankets and softer lullabies.
Now, let’s also consider where we typically find mangers: usually in barns or stables, often dirty and smelly and filled with filth. You don’t go very far in a barn without stepping in something you wish you hadn’t. You’ll find mice. Pigeons. And dust. Lots and lots of dust. I can’t even fathom for a moment my newborn babies being placed in that environment. But to be honest with you, I’ve never thought much about the Baby Jesus being born in such a place. He just was. And in all my Christmas pageants as a kid, I just enjoyed the story. Away in a manger. No crib for a bed. The Little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head.
But I think that God was really trying to send us a message in a way that our fallen minds would understand.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If He had come into the world as He deserves, born into a magnificent palace with an ivory cradle and all the pomp and circumstance that we ascribe to royalty, He would have been a Savior only for those who qualify. Only for those of a certain socio-economic status with the right pedigree and the right security clearance.
Years ago, Lori and I attended an event where Prince Charles was the keynote speaker. We had to be vetted by security. Then we were instructed on proper etiquette. Do not speak unless you are spoken to. Do not extend your hand unless he first extends his. This is how you bow. This is how you curtsy. You must address him as Your Royal Highness.
The message that was implied is that he is so much above us that he is unapproachable. I’m sure that the people who make up our monarchy are really nice people, but we can’t really get to know them. Not personally. They do everything they can to protect their well-manufactured and well-controlled images through the cold distance of media and public relations machinery.
Yes, if Jesus Christ had come into the world as the King of Glory, only those who qualify could be saved. And that means none of us.
But instead, Christ came into our world in a manger, in a barn, to deal with our filth and stench. The Son of God is not put off by our failings or the mess we’ve made of our world in general, or our lives in particular. Like the opening lyrics to the Michael W. Smith song, “Welcome To Our World”: “Tears are falling, hearts are breaking. How we need to hear from God! You’ve been promised. We’ve been waiting. Welcome, Holy Child. Welcome to our World.”
The feast of the Lord is not a thousand-dollar-a-plate fundraiser, but an open invitation to everyone. In the parable of the Great Banquet in Luke chapter 14, the so-called “qualified” were too preoccupied to come. As their excuses are being offered, let us pick up the story in verses 21 through 23: 21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22" 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
What amazing grace, that He would reach out even to a wretch like me, despite all my faults and failures. Despite all the rough edges that still need to be smoothed out. And He demonstrated His Grace by His willingness to come to Bethlehem in a manger. Through this act of mercy and compassion, God reveals His character to us.
The Bible says in Isaiah 57:15 - For this is what the high and lofty One says- He who lives forever, Whose name is Holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
God cares deeply for the lowest of the low. In the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:4-7, Jesus says, - 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
In effect, that is what He is doing by coming to the manger. He is going after the lost sheep as a shepherd would, because every sheep matters.
Speaking of shepherds, let us remember that nativity scenes include not just magi, but lowly shepherds. In fact, God so wanted to include them that a multitude of angels appeared to shepherds outside of Bethlehem, proclaiming, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." – Luke 2:14. The shepherds were the first people to be told of Christ’s birth. They were told in person. They were told supernaturally by angels. It was implied that they had found favor with God. Yes, the magi came, and they play a vital role in the story. But it was the shepherds who were there that night. In the real story, the magi didn’t arrive until some time after His birth.
So tonight… tonight is a message of hope. Tonight is a message of love. Tonight is an open invitation to everyone in the streets and alleys of the town; the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. It’s an invitation to everyone in the roads and country lanes so that God’s house will be full.
The Bible says in John 3:16-17 – 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
Note the word, “whoever”. It is defined as “Any one without exception; any person whatever.”
The only qualification you need to receive the Babe in the Manger, as that you fit into the category of “whoever.” I’m pretty certain that you do. And if you would like to receive this gift tonight, because you qualify for this free giveaway, I’d like to invite you to come and speak with myself, or Pastor Dennis, or Pastor Nate. We would love to share His joy with you.
So, why the manger? The answer is clear. Because we all qualify.
Amen. Let’s pray.