Christmas
Eve,
What is the meaning of Christmas – what’s
it all about? Is it primarily about decorations and presents and rushing around
to family get-togethers? Someone has written this parody or take-off of Luke’s
account of the Christmas story: “And there were in the same country children
keeping watch over their 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 which will be to 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 away into their own homes, the parents shall say to one another,
‘Darn it! 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.”
Surely that’s not all that Christmas is
about. But many people will experience it that way nonetheless. Is something
missing?
Our Bible lesson from Matthew shows us some
people who get the true meaning figured out.
In Matthew’s account, the main witnesses to the initial Christmas event are magi, not shepherds. The carols we sing may refer to them as ‘three kings’ as in ‘we three kings of orient are…’
Magi were probably not rulers themselves,
but royal astrologers who provided rulers with valuable information and advice.
The first thing to note about the ‘three
kings’ or magi is that they were SEEKING. Matthew introduces them asking a
question, “Where is the one who
has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to
worship him.” (Mt 2:2) They were searching, hunting for a Jewish ruler whose
sign they had noticed in their star-gazing. Once they are provided with
information from an Old Testament prophecy and they see the star going ahead of
them, they continue their search until they find the child they were looking
for in
Are you a ‘seeker’? Do
you have questions about God? If you’re here tonight as a ‘seeker’, you’re in
the right place! The Almighty has put a spirit within us that searches to know
ultimate truth, things like why we’re here, who made us, and what we’re to be
about. Like the star-gazing ‘three kings’, nature gives us part of the answer –
hinting that such beauty and power and order as we see around us must have an
intelligent Designer, a Creator who’s beyond it. But a fuller answer comes from
the Bible, the prophets and apostles to whom God spoke by what’s called
‘special revelation’, showing them things spiritually that we couldn’t figure
out just by looking around. And best of all, at Christmas God revealed His real
character by sending His Son Jesus, who so captures the radiance of God’s glory
and represents God’s being so exactly that He could say to His disciples that,
if they had seen Him, they had seen God the Father! (Heb 1:3; Jn 14:9)
It’s OK to have
questions about God. It shows that, with our limited minds and longing hearts,
we are seeking Him. God says in His Word, “The LORD looks down from heaven on
the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek
God.” And He promises, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all
your heart.” (Ps 14:2; Jer 29:13)
Herod is a king much different than the
‘three kings’ or magi. Matthew tells us “he was disturbed, and all
Herod was a schemer, trying to outwit any
rivals. The magi’s talk of a new King launched Herod into immediate action.
Somebody knows something he doesn’t! He immediately called together the chief
priests and scribes to find out where the new threat to the throne might be
happening. “
But really he’s scheming, planning to kill
the new baby as soon as he can find out where he is. Later when the Magi return
home without telling him the baby’s location, he’s furious, and proceeds to
kill all the boys in
What about us? Do we sometimes scheme,
imagining we can put one over on other people, or maybe even God? Do we
manipulate or try to control people around us, because we’re too proud? Are we
reluctant to allow God to direct us, figuring we know better than Him, or
doubting what the Bible says about God working in all things for the GOOD of
those who love Him (even though that may mean hardship for a while)? When others
let us down, not meeting our expectations – maybe changing their plans like the
Three Kings – are we patient and understanding, or do we erupt in fury like
Herod?
The paragraph immediately after the account
of Herod’s savagery in killing the boys around
So just who is this little tyke that all
the fuss is about – that wise men travel hundreds of miles to see, and a tyrant
sends armed soldiers to try to snuff out? What’s so special about Him? Has he
got some secret power or information hard-coded inside, like the hapless Buy-more
serviceman referred to as the “Intersect” who has a
An angel tells his foster-father Joseph,
“What is conceived in [Mary] is from the Holy Spirit…You are to give Him the
name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus is a
short-form for ‘God saves’. While Herod is a murderous scheming and savage
king, snuffing out people’s lives, Jesus is to become a Saviour for people,
making it possible for them to not die and be judged eternally for their sins –
how far they’ve fallen from God’s ideal plan for their lives; instead His death
in our place at the cross, taking our punishment, means we can actually be put
right with God and live forever!
Also, the prophecy from Malachi the priests
and scribes quote has more information about this wonder-kid’s identity. “But
you,
But way back, David had been a great king
who brought in
Speaking of saving people – an amazing
thing happened in Ancaster Monday when a 55-year-old
woman was found alive buried under 60 cm of snow. Apparently she’d gone
shopping for cooking supplies Friday afternoon, was caught in a blizzard, left
her vehicle, became disoriented and couldn’t find her way back. She’s
recovering from hypothermia and exposure in hospital. Her husband says it’s a miracle
– God reached down and cradled her and kept her alive until she could be found,
3 days later. She was saved despite the snow and temperatures down to 20 below.
The type of dog that saved her? A dutch SHEPHERD.
In many ways, spiritually, apart from God
we’re like that woman: lost, disoriented, wandering, buried under a weight of
sin, blinded by the god of this world, doomed. Jesus came to earth to shepherd
us back to safety.
The three kings or “magi” kept on seeking
and eventually found the newborn king they were looking for. What was their
response to seeing the child? “…They
bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented
him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” (Mt 2:11)
Bowing down,
worshipping, offering gifts – they SURRENDERED themselves to Him, an
appropriate response for the King of kings. In what ways is God inviting us to
surrender tonight? How have we been ‘holding out’ on Him, reluctant to let Him
be Lord of every detail of our lives?
One wise man offered
his gold. Money, wealth – that’s an idol for many people; take the saying, “He
who dies with the most toys, wins.” The stock market dive and economic woes of
the past couple of months have been a rebuke to many who were bound by temporal
values. Are we ready to give our money and budgeting over to Jesus?
Another of the magi
offered frankincense, an exquisite perfume. Beauty can be an idol for some
people; are we a little too concerned about our looks? Can we offer to God our
disappointment perhaps at not being the cutest one on the block? Let’s stop
‘keeping up appearances’ at the cost of being self-deceived.
Last,
myrrh – traditionally used in preparing the dead for burial, as Jesus was after
He was taken down from the cross. Have we come to terms with our mortality? Can we resist blaming God for
how quickly the years speed by, how many aches and pains and conditions these
imperfect bodies succumb to? Can we entrust God with our deepest fears, and
acknowledge that, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s?
In the closing moments
of our service, let us anew with the wise men, the ‘Three Kings’, settle our seeking and bow in reverence before the King who loves
us so much as to lay His life down for us. May the Spirit show us how to
surrender to our Saviour and Shepherd. Let’s pray.