Christmas Eve 2014 Sermon

By Pastor Greg

·         Scene unfolds with an empty stage.  A feed trough is seen off to the left – an obvious reference to the manger where Christ will be born.

·         Pastor Greg calls people from the audience to play the parts typically seen at a manger.  Mary and Joseph, shepherds, angels, wise men.

·         The play begins with Mary and Joseph traveling to the town of Bethlehem

·         Read Luke 2:1-20

When I look at the typical Manger Scene, do you want to know what I see?  I see two unwed teenagers giving birth to a child.  I see lower-class workers allowed to meet the long-awaited Messiah.  I see foreigners, who worshiped a different god, allowed to honor the newborn King.  And I see a community of people opening their arms rather than turning away those who might be considered undesirable.  Yes that’s right.  No one was turned away.  Oh, I know.  The cry heard by the Inn-keeper in many a Christmas play is “No Room”.  But I tell you the truth, those words were never spoken.  No, the town of Bethlehem found room for Jesus and for all who came looking for Him.

The Inn keeper is not mentioned in the Bible.  It only says that no room was found for them to have the baby (Luke 2:7).  And actually Luke says that “while they were in Bethlehem Mary went into labor” (see Luke 2:6).  So it’s not like she was ready to deliver the moment they arrived.  And the idea that some Inn Keeper would turn Mary away just doesn’t work as well.  This was Bethlehem, a Jewish city.  No Jewish woman would turn away another woman who was about to give birth.  And since Joseph was traveling to the town of his ancestry, he probably had relatives in Bethlehem.  So when you think about the manger and the birth of Jesus, think about a family that FOUND ROOM for Mary and Joseph.  They were not turned away.  They were given shelter.  They made room for Jesus.

Oh, they found room in Bethlehem for Jesus.  They made room for the Child.  And I don’t think the stable was an accident.  No one was turned away in Bethlehem.  Not Mary and Joseph who were unwed (Luke 2:5) but expecting a baby.  Not the simple shepherds who came to worship the new born Messiah (Luke 2:16).  Not even the foreigners who showed up later to worship the King were turned away (Matthew 2:11).  This group of wise men from the east brought gifts to honor the long awaited King of the Jews.  No one was turned away in Bethlehem.  No one was denied access to the Messiah; Jesus, the Christ.

This is what we see Jesus doing throughout His ministry as well.  Rather than hide within the religious institutions, Jesus is out among the people.  He ministered openly and to all. No one was denied access to Jesus.  Even when His followers tried to keep the people away, He scolded them and told them to bring the children to Him.  His message of grace was for all people, not just a select few.

Oh, I know there are some who may try to keep certain people from seeing Jesus; from meeting Jesus.  There are some who try and keep the message from those who need it the most.  Like both King Herod’s (the one at His birth - Matthew 2:16 and the one at his death - Luke 23:11), there are some who mock Jesus and treat Him with contempt.  But it never silences the message of Grace He came to tell.  There are plenty of people living today who are just like those living in Bethlehem.  They make room for others to meet Jesus.  They turn no one away who comes looking for the Messiah and His message of love, grace, and forgiveness.  There are still plenty of believers helping people come and see the new-born King.

It is the same today.  The message of Jesus is for all people.  Anyone who comes looking for Jesus will not be disappointed.  They will not be turned away.  And it is up to us, the Church, to make sure there is room for all.  However, I have learned that doing this is a little more difficult than we might imagine.  Opening up our church to people requires more than simply saying these words.  It requires opening our hearts, our minds, and our eyes.  And this lesson really hit home this past Sunday.

I learned this past Sunday that a childhood neighbor of mine recently passed away.  Sam lived across the road.  He was about 3 years younger than me, and he and his brother would often come over and play.  But what occurred to me is that I failed Sam.  We played together.  We walked to school together.  We built snowmen in the winter.  It’s not like I refused to associate with him.  It’s not like I looked the other way when he and his brother came walking across the street.  From a certain perspective I was welcoming and friendly to Sam.  But on Sundays I went my way and he went his.  During all those years of Bible School and all those youth group events, not once did I invite him to come along.  Not once did I think of his need to meet Jesus.  So that’s why I say it is far more than saying “we are a friendly church”.

To do as Bethlehem did and to do as Jesus did, we must be far more than cordial and friendly.  We must be a people who allow the light of Christ to illuminate others, not just ourselves.  We must not hide behind our religious activities thinking they please God.  To please God must we let our light shine before all people, not just the people in our church.  We dare not keep Jesus to ourselves.  To be the Church we need to open our eyes to those who need Jesus and look for ways to help them meet Jesus, not just learn their name and say hi.

Pastor Brian from my home church told me that Sam had started coming to the Family Night program that meets on Wednesday evenings.  Sam started coming to a church function AT MY HOME CHURCH.  For that I am grateful.  But that still doesn't mean I’m off the hook.  It just means that someone else opened up to Sam about his need for Jesus.  And Sam, for all his trouble and pain, would have been welcomed by Jesus with open arms.  Why were my arms closed?

My prayer is that if you came searching for Jesus tonight that you would find Him; that you would meet Him.  No one will turn you away.  We will make room for you around the manger just as they did in Bethlehem.  I am thankful that you found your way here.  Maybe you were invited.  For that I am grateful.  My prayer is that you might meet Him and know that He has been sent by God as a demonstration of His love for you.  But I want to take a moment and talk with the Church; those who already know of God’s love.  I want to challenge you in the coming year to do as Jesus has commanded.  I want to challenge you to think about someone you know who needs Jesus.  Please, do more than simply learn their name.  Take the time to help them meet Jesus.  Invite them to come and see for themselves this Child who is the New Born King.