God
Light
Isaiah 7: 11-14, Luke 2:1-10
Photographers call
it “God Light”. The gloomy dark and ominous clouds part permitting a
ray of clear sunlight to beam down like a spot light on one small place
on the shadowed earth. If you have ever been driving through or standing
in that sunbathed place, you know the feeling is like seeing an
unexpected brilliant rainbow; you are reminded of God's presence and
promise. You feel blessed – as if caught in the countenance of God's
beaming smile.
It wasn't sunlight
that mesmerized shepherds on the hills of Bethlehem that first Christmas
night. Oh what photographer would love to have been there and have seen
it. True God Light. We read, And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:Luke 2:9. The
Light of God is so pure, so powerful, so holy, intensely piercing the
soul, who can withstand such scrutiny of spirit? The shepherds were
terrified. They were accustomed to the dark nights, bleating sheep, cold
and damp, warding off predators and thieves to protect the temple flock.
But this was not in their job description. They were totally unprepared
for the ambush of descending angels. God light is not at first a gentle
creeping dawn, but revelation that shakes and usurps the soul!
Thankfully, with
the light of glory came the voice: Fear not, for, behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people. The
strength of God gives us strength to listen to God. The Lord always
gives what we need to obey, if we receive His message with open heart.
Good tidings!?
This is astounding news! This is the news that had been hoped for,
expected, anticipated for hundreds of years. Newsflash! Stop the
presses! The greatest event in all history has just taken place. The
Messiah, the Savior, the very Son of God is born! The news was not
delivered to the king and his royal court in the Palace. Those who
demanded to be in the know, were not the first to know.
The news was not delivered to the priests, the religious experts in the
Temple. You would think that fulfillment of Prophesy upon which all
Judaism pinned its hope, it's reason for being, its salvation, would
come first to its rigid law abiding leaders – not to common, uneducated,
un-churched shepherds.
World breaking, sin
sacking news was delivered to the low life living in the open fields
surrounding Bethlehem. You can visit Israel and see the place tradition
says the angels descended and delivered the divine birth announcement.
They received the news and immediately accepted the invitation. Such
simple people, smudged with the outdoors, smelling like sheep. They were
hand picked, especially selected by God to be the first to know and to
broadcast the amazing and wonderful news: Good News, the Gospel. For
unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ
the Lord. It is unlikely they were ever invited anywhere. But they
dropped everything, and headed for town “Let
us go and see this sight.”
The Shepherds were not given a street
address, directions, or even a tom tom to find their way: only a sign –
but what a sign! You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes
laying in a manger. Luke 2:12. A newborn Messiah, King of the Jews,
Son of God in a mangy, filthy feeding trough! Have you been to a barn
lately? Even a well kept stall is no place for a baby! The stables of
Bethlehem were rock-hewn caves, dirty and dark, the holding place for
smelly, noisy, poopie animals, not newborns! It is not likely that the
manger was a carefully crafted slatted crib we see pictured on Christmas
Cards and featured in Sunday School pageants, but a hewn stone trough:
cold and hard. The soft silks and immediate service we would expect for
a royal heir in the luxury of a majestic palace, was not God's intention
for His Son Jesus. Instead, God came to us in the most lowliest of
circumstances to seek and save even the lowliest among us.
The birth of Jesus
is an historical event. Luke wrote for a Greek audience who would be
interested in and familiar with the political situation and climate
surrounding the event. It would be like our referring to an event taking
place during the Reagan Administration, or the era of the Vietnam War.
The political social context informs, colors, and highlights, our
understanding of events. In doing so, Luke gives authentic historical
benchmarks when God invaded the world:
there went out a decree from Caesar
Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first
made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed,
every on e into his own city.
The time of Jesus birth was not the most
placid and conclusive for a happy childhood and future for Jewish
babies. Caesar Augustus was the first Roman Emperor. All of Judea was
under occupation and the iron fist of Rome. Herod was a puppet King,
under the watchful commanding eye of the Governor. No one could breathe
freely while jealous power craving King Herod sat on the throne. Not
even innocent babies were safe from his ruthless killing. Despite the
lurking and prevalent evils, despite the hard merciless dark rule of
kings, governors, and emperors, God's light breaks through with hope,
healing, and salvation. Had it not been for the taxation, Mary and
Joseph, both of the line of David, would not have made the arduous trek
from Bethlehem to Nazareth: certainly not when Mary was expecting. God
used the very decree to fulfill the prophesy that the Messiah, His Son,
would be born in the city of David.
That is a great
assurance for us living in these days of economic instability, political
drama, social upheaval, lawlessness and godlessness. As Christians,
believers in Christ, we are to prayerfully and conscientiously make
choices that conform not to the world, but to the Kingdom of our God.
Evil flourishes when good people to nothing. Nevertheless, when we look
upon a world that seems to be whirling out of control, rest assured,
that God is at the helm working out His perfect purposes even through
and past the despot, the injustice, the violence, the rebellion, the
seeming triumph of wicked and malevolent power frenzies.
A couple of weeks
ago, in the last few minutes of an eight plus hour flight home, I met a
passenger onboard the plane who was heading home to Phoenix from
Amsterdam. She was nicely dressed, apparently well educated, pleasant,
and obviously caring because she was returning from her step- mother's
funeral. I noticed she was reading a book entitled REVELATION, and
thinking I might spend the last few minutes of the flight in interesting
conversation, asked her about the book. “Oh,” she piqued confidently,
“It's New Age.” Not the answer I had expected, but none the less I
asked, “What's it about?” She replied, “We live in such dark times, but
it says that everything is going to work out ok.” She smiled at the book
as if it approved of her answer. “ Oh,” I said, praying to know what I
should say next.” Finally I asked, “And do you find comfort in that
book.” “ Oh,” she waved her hand as if to brusk away a pesky fly, “I
knew it's all going to be ok.” I thought to myself, “if you are
so sure, lady, then why, are you reading that book!”
I am so thankful we
have a God of whom we can be absolutely sure! A God who keeps His
promises. A God who spoke first through His Book, then through His Word
made flesh: Jesus. A God whose perfect love was birthed to us in the
lowliest place on earth to reach out to each and everyone of us. God
who on this earth knew no rich palace, but was approachable, homeless,
available to all who would receive Him. I am so thankful to God for that
first Christmas, for His glory that shone down to the simplest of
people, in the humblest of circumstances such that there is no height to
scale, no airs to put on, no special words, no fee, no black out dates
to His grace, His love, His forgiveness.
Mary, what did
you ponder as you looked upon the face of your baby, Jesus, Emmanuel?
This tiny helpless infant is the Savior of the World. This child would
wow the teachers of the Law in the temple, and grow to manhood in grace
and obedience to tenderly lift the adulterer to her feet, restore sight
to a beggar, make a lame sinner walk, and raise a child to life. This
cooing baby boy, who spanned tiny fingers to touch and tangle his
mother's hair, would as a man one day stretch out his hands to be nailed
to the cross. This little lamb in the manger, would be sacrificed as
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, my sin, my penalty,
my death crucified with Him.
The power and
beauty of Christmas is not a tidy manger, or the adorable baby and proud
parents. It is not the wonder of shepherds, or even the music of angels.
The glory, the God light, of Christmas is Jesus: Jesus Emmanuel, God
with us through the good, the bad, the hard, the heartbroken, the
scattered, the shattered, the scars of this world. Through it all, we
have hope. If you have read His Book, you know how the story ends. Even
when this world blinks out, we have God Light. He is eternal. And in
Christ, we are eternally His. Merry Christmas. Amen.
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