But as we consider this astonishing event, we must be
careful of how we interpret this message of redemption. It is actually the
totally surprising manner in which Christ came that may even contribute to our
confusion about who he is. The story of his birth is so marvelous that we make the
telling of it the focus, instead of the deeper significance of the story.
The event of the birth of Jesus is so extraordinary that once
we hear it, it is one that will always stay with us. In many ways this is good,
of course, but it can also be dangerous. It can be dangerous, because if it is
only the story that is the focus of our worship, Jesus merely becomes
one of the characters of the story, and as a mere character, he is not allowed
to change. We may worship him in a sense, but our worship may be misplaced.
The Story of Jesus in Two Parts Only
Christmas, along with Easter, are the big Christian
religious holidays of the year. Whether or not the two dates are historically
accurate, and despite the ways in which the church arrived at these dates, both
have long been the times of the year in which we celebrate both the birth of
Jesus, and His resurrection from the dead.
It is true that in our churches, we celebrate Christ often
throughout the year. As churches, we gather to celebrate Jesus at least once a
week. In many of our homes, we celebrate him every day.
However, for very many people of the world who live in a
Christian culture, these two dates are important only because they are the only
times of the year when they think about Jesus. For these people, the only times
in their lives that Jesus is actually celebrated is twice a year—at Christmas
and at Easter. For most of the year, these individuals are so busy with their
lives they have very little time to think about Jesus.
It is good, therefore, to have the celebrations of Christmas and Easter to remind us of the Messiah. However, and as I have said, there is some danger in this as well. Because of the focus on only these two events, these people have come to have a distorted view of who Jesus is.
The Dangers of Christmas
If you think about it, you can see why.
At Christmas, we see Jesus as a little baby lying in a
manger in the crèche—nativity scene or a “pesebre” as I noted in the previous
message. At Christmas, he is a helpless infant and totally in need of his
mother’s protection and care.
Likewise, at Easter, we again see a Jesus that is helpless,
at least that is how he is most often depicted at that time of the year. During
the Holy Week leading up to Easter, we see him beaten and bloodied and hanging
on a cross. In many cultures of the world this is especially true. The emphasis
is placed strongly on the suffering of Jesus, yet the fact of the resurrection
sometimes goes almost uncelebrated.
During Holy Week in many villages and cities throughout many
parts of the world, Jesus is depicted as scourged and defeated, hanging on a
cross and paraded through the streets. He is seen not necessarily as a Savior
who rescues us, but as a defeated man who deserves only our pity.
I have been in churches where they have a coffin made of
glass that contains a replica of the dead and emaciated body of Jesus, while
standing over him is a radiant, victorious (and, by implication, resurrected)
figure of Mary. I have often wondered how is it that we have twisted the good
news of the Bible to come to this completely false teaching?
You can see that for many who are exposed only to the Jesus
of Christmas and Easter, the only image that they have of Jesus is someone in
need of protection. He is either the helpless baby Jesus needing the protection
of his mother, or he is to be pitied as he hangs dead and defeated on a cross.
People with these two perspectives only do not see the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is no wonder that for many, Jesus has no power in their lives. How can he have power in their lives if they do not know him as a person of power?
A Time of High Emotion
Many people like the image of the little baby Jesus because
it is something that gives us emotional satisfaction. After all, who does not
love the thought of the little baby in its mother’s arms? It is a time of great
joy. At Christmas we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.”
Interestingly, in the celebration that surrounds Holy Week
at Easter is also a time of very high emotion. In this commemoration, it is the
crucifixion that brings on the emotion. Here the high emotion is the great
sorrow that we experience at the death of Jesus. It is the other extreme of our
emotional spectrum to the joy of the birth of Jesus.
It is true that we are people of emotion. It would be
foolish to deny that emotion is important to us. However, it is also dangerous
to allow ourselves to be ruled too much by our feelings. We all know that
emotions can carry us to the heights of elation, but they can also plunge us to
the depths of depression. We also know that our sentiments are not always based
on reality. In the end of it all, our emotions are not good indicators of
reality.
I think that this is especially important to remember this
at Christmas, because as I mentioned in the previous sermon, Christmas has
become a time of celebration of family. Despite the emotion surrounding the
story of the birth of Christ, Christmas in our modern era has become more about
the family.
In this time of year, we try to get together as families. We
hug sons and daughters whom we have not been able to see for a long time. We
have special dishes that we prepare for our Christmas meal. Perhaps we all go
over to Grandpa and Grandma’s house and once again enjoy our family traditions.
Or perhaps we are the Grandpa and the Grandma who take great delight in
welcoming our children and grandchildren.
Many of our Christmas songs involve family traditions. “Over
the river and through the woods, to Grandmother’s house we go. The horse knows
the way to carry the sleigh through the wide and drifted snow.”
However, to allow Christmas be a time of such high emotion
can be a dangerous thing. Some have family members that cannot come home. Some
are from families where a loved one has died in the past year and this
Christmas will be much different from the ones in the past. This year, along
with the cup of joy, there will also be the bitter cup.
For the Christian however, these present-day emotions can never change the eternal reality of what God has promised.
Do We Come to Adore, or to Worship?
If we are wise, we will ask the same questions that the magi
from the east asked. These men, while studying the heavens, saw a star. In
their tradition this star was a sign that a great king was to be born. Thus,
they traveled westward seeking the Christ child.
However, they did not come seeking a little infant so that
they could remark how cute he looked and pinch his chubby little cheek. Instead
they asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? We have come to
worship him” (Matthew 2:2).
The journey of the wise men was not an emotional journey.
They did not come to adore a little baby. They came to worship a King.
And so, we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate the birth of the Messiah, the Christ child. But we must be wise in our worship. Emotionally, we think of a little baby Jesus wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger. We think of the mother Mary and Joseph, who, although he was not the father of Jesus, this night had the role of the father. To adore the baby Christ child is an emotional part of our worship and it can be good, but if we are wise, we will also worship the King.
Happy Birthday Jesus! (But Be
Careful How You Sing the Song)
While we may conclude that it is a good thing to remember
the birth of Jesus, we must also recognize how different from other birthday
celebrations we often observe Jesus’ birth. When we celebrate the birthdays of
our own children, we may think of the time when they were born, but we also
know that in reality, they do not remain infants. With each birthday, our
children have matured. We mention how much they have grown and celebrate the
things that they have accomplished in the past year. Every year there is
another candle on the cake. In the days of birthday spankings, there is one
extra slap every year.
I do not wish to take away from the wonder of the fact of
Christ’s birth. It is a miracle that defies our understanding. The birth of
Jesus is the infinite being born into the finite. In the miracle of the
incarnation, Jesus was born to a mother whom he, himself had created. This, we
cannot understand, and it is because of this that we can never cease to marvel
at his birth.
However, we must also separate ourselves from the pure emotion of the season. We do not come to see a little baby to remark how cute he is and to congratulate the parents. We come to worship a king. We ask, “Where is He who is born the king of the Jews?”
Recognizing the Reality
With these thoughts, I would like to look to one of the best biblical passages on the incarnation, but one that is not often read for Christmas. In Philippians 2:6-11, we find these words by the Apostle Paul:
...Although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
This is what we celebrate at Christmas time. It is the Infinite being born into the finite. It is the Creator being born into the creation. This is something that we cannot understand. It is beyond our ability to comprehend and yet, it was because of his love for us and his desire to redeem us that Jesus was born a man. Paul continues in this passage:
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Here is the crucifixion. This is what we commemorate during
holy week.
Thus, in this single passage we have the two major Christian holidays of the year. In these verses, we see Jesus as a newborn infant and the suffering crucified Messiah. However, if we stop with these two images, we make a terrible error, because we have neglected the most important of all. If we stop here, we are in danger of being carried away by our emotions only. That is why Paul continues:
Therefore, also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is what Simeon saw.
As we remember, Simeon was the old man in the temple who was
there the day that Mary and Joseph came to present Jesus to the Lord. Simeon
took the infant Jesus in his arms. This old man had the same perspective as did
the kings from the east who came looking for the King of the Jews. Taking Jesus
in his arms, Simeon did not remark how cute the baby was and kiss his little
cheek.
Rather, Simeon lifted his eyes and said to the Lord, “My
eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all
peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people
Israel” (Luke 2:30-32 NAS).
The kings from the east came and asked, “Where is he who has
been born king of the Jews? We have come to worship him.”
Wise men, two millennia ago, sought to worship the King. How is it today that so many only seek an infant? The One whom we celebrate today is not an infant in a manger, but He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Then I saw heaven
standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called
Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war. He has eyes like
blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him
that only He Himself knows. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His
name is The Word of God.
The armies of
heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. And
from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations,
and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury
of the wrath of God the Almighty. And He has a name written on His robe and on
His thigh:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:11-16 BSB).
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