Dec 24 2017 We are the Unincluded Ones Whom God has Included

According to the Church Calendar – this is the 4^th Sunday of Advent. Advent means ‘coming’ and is actually the beginning of the church calendar year.

Tonight we will light the Christ Candle because Christ has come – and then there are the twelve days of Christmas culminating on Epiphany on January 6.

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David

The purpose – we know this story so well, from Charlie Brown even – The Roman government has taken action to raise more tax revenue. We think there is some dark sinister thing making Mary go to Bethlehem – but it is simply government being government. Jesus said, the authorities of this world lord it over you and exercise their authority over you.

This would be about a 4 day’s journey – and they didn’t have trains – they walked. Imagine that!

This tells me that God works in situations no matter how negative they might come across. In this circumstance, God’s ultimate purpose is fulfilled.

God could have sent the angel – and just added – I want him born in Bethlehem – so get a move on! No, God just seems to like to take the actions of this world which so often believes that it is in control and that God has nothing to do with anything – but then to use that to bring about what He wanted to bring about.

This week, the government passed some sort of tax reform – I don’t know – I haven’t watched the news in several days. Now whether this will be a benefit or not to you – eventually we’ll find out. But I’d like to say – it is just government being government. We have all had negative circumstances brought on by other [people. It could be government or at work or from a family member – but even in those situations – where stuff happens – Even at this time – with this baby born as the Son of God – but in that ‘stuff’, God can work – and it is really our response to all that stuff that is important.

Joseph and Mary had to take this difficult 4 day journey.

We often want God to intervene in our circumstance. If we were in that situation – at that moment – let’s say you were her mother – you would ask – why in the world would the government make her take this journey – do you really need to do this – can You just intervene, God? But rather than intervening – God interacts! He engages us within the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in. Even in the Bible – God interacts – or allows – sometimes He intervenes – but we go through the stuff and God wants to be there and interact with us in the setting we find ourselves in – and He wants us to be responsive to that interaction. That is what The Christmas Story is all about – God working through peoples’ responses

5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

I am probably going to ruin your view of nativity scenes… what really happened – and I just read a story this morning – there was a woman – she is 87 who has 1400 miniature nativity scenes in her house. She welcomes 300 people from the community every year.

Her husband died in 1991 – and then her son in 1993 – around Christmas – and she has been collecting them since then.

If we overromanticize this story, it can undermine the true lessons to be learned from this story. There are things that can speak into our hearts and souls.

The two primary problem words are manger and inn. We cannot be 100% sure what happened. Maybe there were… Who knows? Biblical archaeologists know a lot about what that world was like – they have dug up many homes – even in Bethlehem – where we can see how they lived. The first reality – they had to go to their hometown. Since it was their hometown – one would expect them to have relatives there. What may have happened – they went to a relative’s home…

This is what a typical home might have looked like – lower to lower middle class people. (That was the majority of that world).

You can see digs of homes like this online…

The guest room would either be to the side or on top… - And this term – katalyma – means guest room – or INN!

This is the same word where Jesus tells them to prepare an upper room.

They probably went to another family member – and someone else was probably already in the guest room. So you would think they went to the stable – most of these homes had a stable – because they would have animals – and this would be attached to the house, but blocked off with wood or something.

There would be a hole – and in the family room – there would be a manger – a feeding trough – and the animal would poke its head through the wall and they could eat out of the manger. Women would have midwives – and the men would leave.

Most likely – scholars believe – the men would have gone to the guest room.

Here is a manger:

Here is why I say all this – we just read and lit the candle about the word becoming flesh. God becoming human. It happened in a very normal way – nothing extraordinary. In fact – He became human in a very ordinary way – and in becoming Human, He had to experience humanity to its fullest. He chose to come in a way that demonstrates His humility. Rather than it all working out, there were complications –and there was this deep lowliness of God. And we see the humility of the people – Mary, Elizabeth, the shepherds – all humble lowly people who respond to God as He works in and around their lives. And all of that is set against the backdrop of the powerful people of the world – and there is this enormous contrast.

God wants to reshape all of that.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

Here – angels come to shepherds – and this is the third time the angels have showed up – a gospel presentation to shepherds. Today, if you have hipster, you might be into organic and farm to table – so a shepherd might be a cool thing to be – but for them, shepherds were very lowest class.

It might be like showing up at McDonalds at 3 in the morning – and these Angels filling the McDonalds

For all the people.

Put yourself in the shepherds’ shoes – never getting recognition or attention – barely eking out a life – good news of great joy to the lowest people. We have had the gospel our whole lives – and for the existence of our country – but usually the gospel comes to the lowest people and then erupts out of that. Because of our background – we can’t see this – but it is important to understand that the gospel is inclusive – it welcomes everybody – there is no qualification for it but one – the humility to say – I need God.

It should cause us to see ourselves like the shepherds who needed mercy and needed to be included but weren’t included. We need to see ourselves as the unincluded ones that God has included and this should make us extraordinarily grateful – this Christmas.

11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

It was obvious there were more than Mary and Joseph there. But not the wise men – because they came two years later!

19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. Let’s pray.

Lord, thank You for this wonderful story – thank You that it is not just a story story, but the Truth – a living story – that completely transforms our world and everything we are and everything we can be, and we are so grateful.