December 19, 2004

There is a parody of Luke’s account of the birth of Christ that really underscores just how far our world has let the true meaning of Christmas slip away from them:

"And there were in the same country children keeping watch over there stockings by the fireplace. And lo! Santa Claus came upon them, and they were sore afraid. And Santa said unto them `Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that is for all people who can afford them. For unto you will be given great feasts of turkey, dressing and cake; and many presents; and this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the presents, wrapped in bright paper, lying beneath a tree adorned with tinsel, coloured balls and lights. And suddenly, there will be with you a multitude of relatives and friends, praising you and saying, `thank you so much, it was just what I wanted’ And it shall come to pass as the friends and relatives have gone their away to their own homes, the parents shall say to one another, What a mess to clean up! I’m tired, let’s go to bed and pick it up tomorrow. Thank goodness, Christmas only comes once a year!’ And they go with haste to their cold bed and find their desired rest."

Year after year, Christmas comes around, and yet, the majority of people never give a second thought to the reason we have Christmas to begin with. They don’t understand that without Christ, their Christmas is just “mas.” God, because He loved the world so much, came into the world and put on human flesh.He even started out the same way you and I did, as a soft and tender crying baby! But how many of us take the time to go and “see” this King?To bow down and worship Him?We get excited about a lot of things at this time of the year.Do we get excited to go and “see this thing” that happened?This thing that makes Christmas what it is?

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”The shepherds got excited about what had happened.They said, “Let’s go see this thing that has happened!”If Christmas is such a big deal that God sent his angels to herald its arrival, shouldn’t we be excited, too?Have we gone and checked it out?Have we gone and really seen what God has done for us here?Friends, Let’s See This Thing that has Happened!

So where do we go?The shepherds went to Bethlehem.That’s where it actually happened.But where can we go today?Where can we go to see this thing that has happened?In the original hit movie, “Home Alone,” a little boy named Kevin is accidentally left behind when his family leaves for a European vacation. On Christmas Eve, Kevin begins to feel sad and lonely, so he goes to church. There he meets an older man who is also unhappy because of family problems. As they engage in conversation, young Kevin admits that he feels guilty because he knows that he didn’t always treat his family right, but now he misses them terribly. “Well,” says the older man, “You’re in church now... and this is the place to come when you’re feeling bad about yourself.”

He was right, wasn’t he? The church, the gathering of people who believe in the Christ Child, is indeed the place to come... when we need comfort, when we need forgiveness, when we need to make a new start, when we need peace for our troubled souls. There is a hole in our souls that only the Christ of Christmas can fill.Is there fear in your life?Unhappiness because of family problems?Guilt because you haven’t always treated others right?Is there sadness?Loneliness?Regret?Lack of direction or purpose?Then, like the shepherds, we need to go and see this thing that has happened!And the place to go is right to the actual story of how it all happened.The place to go is God’s Word.The place to go is wherever you will hear that message from God’s Word.It might be in a church, it might be in a neighbourhood Bible study, it might be from the dusty Book sitting on your shelf.The best place to go to hear all about it and see what really did happen is a place where other people will be gathering to do the same thing.The shepherds didn’t go alone.They went together.So let’s gather together with God’s people!Let’s go to God’s Word and see this thing that has happened!Read Luke 2:1-20.

But some of you might say to me, “Pastor, that happened so long ago.Of course it brought joy to the shepherds!Who wouldn’t be excited about seeing angels?And who wouldn’t be excited about a newborn baby?Even if he was in a barn!But what does that have to do with us today?Isn’t it just a story?Isn’t it just a warm fuzzy thing to remember around this time of the year?What does this thing that happened so long ago really have to do with us today?

During World War II, a woman named Anne took her two little children to Texas to be with her parents because her husband was stationed in Europe. And they prepared for Christmas and got the tree up and all the gifts bought and were enjoying the joy of Christmas, almost putting aside the worry of the war. When, one week before Christmas, they got that dreaded knock on the door and the terrible telegram greeting. And the mother had to tell the children that “Daddy wouldn’t be coming for Christmas…ever.” Then Anne went up to her room to weep alone. Grandma and Grandpa debated about what to do and finally they decided to take down the Christmas tree and the decorations and put the presents away. When Anne came out of the room and saw the empty spot she said, “Mother, what have you done?” And her mother said, “You’re so broken-hearted, your father and I talked and decided this is no time for Christmas.” And Anne said, “Oh, no mother, bring the tree back, Christmas was made for times such as these.”

Maybe there is discouragement in your life right now. Maybe things aren’t going well.And if the halls of your house are decked in sadness, so how could a celebration like Christmas have any place in it?Well, that’s why we have to go back and see this thing that happened!A child was born!God came into this world!He came into this world to remove the barrier between us and his Father!He made peace with us and God, and that is a beginning for you and me to make peace with each other.He gave us a reason for eternal hope and joy – life with God forever! Jesus Christ is the source of hope!Go and see Him in the manger!Check Him out!Worship Him!And cling to Him!Hold on to Him as the most important part of your life!He is your Saviour! He came to this world to be your light in the darkness. Christmas is made for times such as these.Christmas is made for any time!Christmas is for all time!

Let’s go and see what it has done for us.Instead of guilt, it has given us forgiveness.Instead of despair, it has given us hope.Instead of sadness, it has given us joy.Instead of insurmountable problems, it has given us something to look forward to.Instead of a life that revolves around ME, it has given us a life that revolves around others.Instead of selfishness, it has given us selflessness.The selflessness that God has shown us by coming into our world.Instead of fear, it has given us comfort.The comfort of knowing that God is with us.He was with us when He was born in that manger, and He is always with us.

Karen was the mother of two young children: Laurel, 5, and Matthew, 2. Karen wanted the children to learn the real meaning of Christmas, so she brought home a small manger scene. All the figurines in the manger scene were made of wood, so they were pretty much indestructible… and also easy for little hands to pick them up, move them around, and place them in different positions.The children loved the manger scene and they loved being able to touch the characters and hold them in their little hands and arrange and rearrange them in creative and child-like ways. Not surprisingly, sometimes the little figurines would disappear... and later show up in the most fascinating places around the house!

And of course, the character that most often went away was Jesus. Karen would often walk by and see that Jesus was missing. One of the children had taken the Jesus figurine away and placed him somewhere in the house. Once, Karen found him on the window sill in Laurel’s room. She thought: “How appropriate! Jesus comes to the world, born in a stable, but then He moves out of the manger to go with us and watch over us wherever we may go.”

A few days before Christmas, the Jesus figurine disappeared again and Karen couldn’t find him anywhere. When the time came to put the manger scene away, Jesus was still missing. Karen looked all over the house and could not find him anywhere. She called the children in to the manger scene, pointed to it and she said to them, “Where is Jesus?” Five-year-old Laurel scrunched up her shoulder and stuck out her hands, palms upward, in that universal gesture which means, “Search me. I don’t know. I have no idea.”

Karen then turned to two-year-old Matthew and asked him, “Matthew, do you know where Jesus is?” Matthew became very animated and began talking a mile a minute. But as is sometimes the case with two-year-olds, it sounded like gibberish and neither Karen nor Laurel could understand what he was saying. He knew what he was saying, but they couldn’t get it. Finally Matthew took his mother by the hand and led her to his room. He pointed to his bed. Karen pulled back the covers and looked everywhere, but no luck. But then Matthew pointed to his pillow. Well, there was the Jesus figurine... under Matthew’s pillow!

Isn’t that beautiful? You see, for many two-year-olds, bedtime is scary time. It’s dark in the room and they feel all alone. But Matthew felt safe and secure because Jesus was there with him!This is the good news of Christmas! We find that incredible truth in the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel with these magnificent words: “And they will call him Immanuel, which means, ‘God with us.” Here is the great truth of Christmas, the great message of Christmas, the great promise of Christmas, the great joy of Christmas, all wrapped up in that one word, Immanuel... which means God is always with us!

Friends, that is why, at Christmastime, we need to go and See This Thing that has Happened!We need to go to the manger and see what happened there.God came into this world.God is here.God is with us.So no more loneliness.No more fear.No more guilt.No more worry or wondering.No more hopelessness.No more darkness.Do you see what happened?God came to be with you and me.God is with you.God is with us!He always will be.Merry Christmas!

 

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