SERMON: THE AFTER-CHRISTMAS JESUS

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 18:1-11

 

Acts 18:1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

 

5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

 

7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

 

9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

 

            -- well, it's over -- after weeks of frantic activity -- after weeks of buying and decorating trees and putting up lights -- after weeks of shopping and wrapping presents -- of going to Christmas parties and preparing special meals and goodies only made once a year -- Christmas came and went with a whisper -- just a moment in time -- and now it's done and gone

            -- you'd think that given the amount of time and preparation that we put into Christmas, that we'd see it last a lot longer than it does -- you'd think Christmas would be something that would linger -- a celebration that would at least last as long as the time of preparation -- but by Christmas Day, the gifts are opened, the food has been eaten, and plans are being made to take the decorations down

            -- just think for a moment about how much time you spent preparing for Christmas and how quickly it was over -- much like the first coming of Christ to this world

 

            -- the world looked for the coming of the Messiah for 4,000 years -- the Jews spent thousands of years preparing the people to receive their King -- but despite all their years of preparation -- despite all the time they took getting ready and decorating their temple with religious trapping, when He came, He really was not with us that long

            -- Jesus only lived 33 years on this earth -- and other than the two stories in Matthew and Luke about His birth and the one account of Jesus being left in the temple as a boy of 12, we know nothing about how He spent the first 30 years of His life

            -- really, all we know about Jesus is what He did during the last three years of His life -- the three years of His ministry that culminated in the cross and the empty tomb

            -- and I bring this up to make a point -- if before even the creation of this world, the plan had been for Jesus to come to earth to be our Savior and to show wayward humans the way back to the Father -- if God had prepared the people for 4,000 years to get ready for the coming of the Messiah through His word and His prophets, it seems to me that He would have spent more time on earth with us than just 33 years

            -- and certainly, it seems that if His mission was so great as to cause the death of His one and only Son, that He would have spent more than just three years out of His short 33 years of life directly ministering to us

            -- His time here was brief, to say the least -- and that makes me wonder why -- and that makes me wonder what we are to do with this after-Christmas Jesus

 

            -- C.S. Lewis once wrote that “a great many things have gone wrong with this world that God made -- and God insists, and insists very loudly, on our putting them right again”

            -- this is the reason for Christmas -- this is why Jesus came to us as the incarnate Messiah 2,000 years ago

            -- He came to show us how to live in God's kingdom -- He came to put things right in the world again through His death -- He came to give us power through His very presence indwelling us -- and then He returned to us the original responsibility given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden -- the responsibility to take care of this world and of all He has created -- and to bring Him glory with our lives

 

            -- in his essay, "The Mood of Christmas," Howard Thurman wrote:

            -- "When the song of the angels is stilled -- When the star in the sky is gone -- When the kings and princes are home -- When the shepherds are back with their flock --

[then] the work of Christmas begins:

            -- "To find the lost -- To heal the broken -- To feed the hungry -- To release the prisoner -- To rebuild the nations -- To bring peace among people -- To make music in the heart."

 

            -- Jesus stayed no longer than necessary to put all things right once again and to give us the power to do the work of Christmas through His sustaining Spirit -- He restored the world through His death -- He broke the chains of sin and death through His resurrection -- and then He left this earth and returned to Heaven, leaving us as His stewards and instruments of His grace in this world

            -- so, what do we do with an after-Christmas Jesus? -- what do we do now that Jesus has left and Christmas is over? -- we continue on with the work He started -- we complete the mission Adam and Eve failed to do -- we take back the night and usher in the light of Christ into this world

            -- Christ told us in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 what to do -- He said to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all the things He commanded us to do

 

            -- but what does that look like? -- the Great Commission is an easy passage to memorize -- it's an easy passage to talk about within the safe confines of a Sunday worship service -- but what does this look like in practice? -- how do we fulfill the Great Commission? -- how do we the work of Christmas?

 

            -- educators tell us there are two primary ways of learning -- you either learn by doing -- by hands-on education -- learning on-the-job, if you will -- or you learn by example -- by watching what someone else does and then applying it in your own life

 

            -- we haven’t done a very good job in the church in discipling members and giving them hands-on instruction in ministry

-- all too often, our ministry consists of donating money or resources to others while they go out and actually minister and share Jesus’ love with others -- and while I know that sometimes this is all we can do in the moment, I would like to see us think of ministry ideas where we can go out and leave the comfortable confines of this church and reach out to others one-on-one, because this is one way we can learn how to minister in a way that challenges most of us

 

-- but until we are able to do that, the other way we can learn to minister in Jesus’ name is by learning from others -- learning from their examples and from their teachings

-- here in Acts 18, we can learn a lot about ministry from the example of the Apostle Paul -- from the way he accomplished the continuing work of Christmas in his day

-- so, let’s look at this passage now to see what the Apostle Paul did and how we might follow his example and do the same in our own communities and areas of influence

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Acts 18:1-11)

            -- before we turn back to the Scriptures, let me give you the context of this passage -- Acts 18 finds the Apostle Paul in the midst of his second missionary journey -- this trip throughout the lands of the Mediterranean started with an argument -- a sharp dispute with his partner Barnabas that caused them to separate and Paul to leave with Silas instead -- that spirit of contention followed Paul throughout his journey

            -- in Philippi, Paul and Silas were thrown in prison because of their ministry -- in Thessalonica and Berea, Paul found himself at odds with the Jews and was forced to flee these cities because of their threats against him -- and then in Athens, Paul was rejected by the Greeks with his talk of the resurrection -- as a result, Acts 18 finds Paul moving yet again, from Athens to the city of Corinth

            -- if you would, please look back at verse 1 here and let’s see what we can learn about doing the work of Christmas through Paul's ministry in Corinth

 

            -- verse 1-5

 

Acts 18:1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

 

5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.

 

            -- when Paul was in Athens, he was alone -- he had fled Berea because of the threats of the Jews, leaving Silas and Timothy behind and went to Athens by himself -- and although he spoke to the Greeks at a meeting of the Areopagus, the gathering of the leaders and great thinkers of Athens, Paul did not enjoy great success in that place

            -- Paul was lonely and discouraged -- and so, when he arrived in Corinth, he immediately sought out the company of two other Christians -- Aquila and Priscilla -- and he stayed with them and worked with them until his companions arrived from Macedonia

            -- there's a lesson there for us -- God's plan was not for us to minister alone, but to minister and to serve alongside others -- in the gospels, we read that when Jesus sent out His disciples to minister in the region around Judea, He didn't send them alone -- He sent them out in pairs because, as it says in Ecclesiastes 4:9, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work"

            -- Paul's example to us is to seek the company and support of another Christian as we seek to do the work of Christmas -- that doesn't mean we use this as an excuse to not share the gospel or not minister to those in need -- if  you are the only one there, God certainly expects you to do as Paul did in Athens and to speak and act in His name -- but the best option is to minister with someone else to share the load and to offer support and encouragement

 

            -- verse 6-8

 

Acts 18:6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

 

7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

 

 

            -- the world will always be filled with two kinds of people -- those who receive the word of God with gladness and trust and believe in Jesus as their Savior and those who reject Jesus and His gospel of grace

            -- when you do the work of Christmas, expect opposition -- expect rejection -- Jesus was rejected from the moment He was born -- during the Advent Season, we read again the story of the coming of the wise men and of Herod trying to kill Jesus -- that rejection continued throughout Jesus’ life, as the Pharisees and the Sadducees and all of the Jews rejected His message and turned from Him -- as it says in John 1:11, “He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him”

            -- this same rejection was experienced by all the disciples, including the Apostle Paul -- Paul was rejected by his own people and cast out of the synagogues in every town he went to -- and the Bible makes it clear that we will experience the same rejection as Jesus and the disciples when we try to do the work of Christmas in this world today

            -- but know that when you face opposition and rejection, it is not you they are opposing -- it is not you they are rejecting -- they are rejecting the person of Christ -- they are opposing the message of the gospel because their eyes have been blinded by the god of this age and they do not want to come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed

            -- opposition and rejection will come -- but, on the other hand, so will acceptance -- not all the seed falls on hard and rocky ground -- some falls on the good soil, as someone hears the word and understands it and begins to grow in Christ, producing fruit a hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much as in the beginning

 

-- when Paul was forced to leave the synagogue in Corinth because of the Jew's opposition, he turned to the Gentiles and saw great fruit among them -- many of the Corinthians heard the message of grace and believed in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and were baptized

            -- if you persevere in doing the work of Christmas, you will see fruit -- when we first started to give out the Christmas bags, it was hard -- we had a lot of rejection -- a lot of the places we visited had workers who were immigrants and who were not Christians, so when we offered them a present in the name of Jesus, they didn’t want it -- they took it, but they held it like it was a poisonous snake -- and it was very disheartening

            -- but then we went to a few other places, and the response was different -- the workers were genuinely excited to receive the little gift we had -- they smiled and thanked us and some even gave us hugs -- all for a bag with just a little bit of candy and cookies

            -- that's the way it is when you do the work of Christmas throughout the year -- that's what we see here in Paul's ministry -- some will reject what you have to offer -- but others will receive the good news of Christ with open hearts and open arms, just as Luke says many of the Corinthians did

 

            -- verse 9-11

 

Acts 18:9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

 

            -- when I think of the Apostle Paul, I picture him as a giant of a man -- maybe not large in stature, but large in ministry -- here was a man who went on three missionary journeys -- who suffered at the hands of his own people -- who was stoned to the point of death once but revived by God -- who was in peril at the hands of thieves and robbers -- who went hungry and thirsty -- who experienced shipwrecks and heartache -- but who persevered and continued to carry the message of grace to the world

            -- I picture him as a man who never gave up -- who never faltered in the face of opposition -- who always picked himself up and kept going no matter what came against him -- a man who was always strong and never doubted

            -- but these verses tend to say otherwise -- Paul was a person, just like us -- and there were times when he was afraid -- when he was discouraged -- when he despaired

            -- can you imagine what it felt like to be rejected time and time again by your own kin? -- to only find welcome in the arms of strangers?

            -- I think there were times when Paul felt like giving up -- and I think Paul may have been in that state of mind while he was in Corinth -- so God spoke to Paul in a vision and encouraged him -- He told Paul to not be afraid, but to keep on speaking -- for He was with him and would never leave him or forsake him

            -- and then at the end of verse 10, the Lord tells Paul the reason why he should not give up -- "I have many people in this city"

 

            -- the first time I read that verse, I thought that the Lord was referring to the other believers in Corinth -- the church that He had established through Paul -- but looking at the context, that doesn't bear out

            -- why would Paul be afraid if he was surrounded by great numbers of believers? -- why would he doubt if he saw this much fruit from his ministry?

            -- I think God was giving Paul a glimpse of the harvest to come -- I think God was telling Paul to stay, because there were many in the city of Corinth who had not come to believe yet, but who were destined to put their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior

            -- Jesus had many people in the city of Corinth who needed to hear the gospel from Paul so they could receive Him as their Lord and the Savior

            -- the fields were ripe for the harvest -- they just needed Paul’s message to bring it to pass

 

            -- I think that's something we should consider as we seek to continue to do the work of Christmas throughout the year -- it's easy to get discouraged and disheartened when we don't see any results -- when we share the love of Christ by giving people money and resources and never hear from them again until they need something else -- it's easy to lose heart and question why we're here in the first place

            -- I have to confess that I lost heart last year after our Christmas outreach -- we tried so hard to put together a Christmas celebration for the community and invited everyone to come -- and after all our work, we only had a handful of people show up -- and we never saw them again -- we didn’t have a single visitor after that outreach -- and that was discouraging

            -- but I believe this message of God to Paul is a message for us, as well -- there are many people in this community who belong to Jesus -- they just don't know it yet

            -- there are many people in this community who need to hear the gospel -- who need to know the love of Christ -- and who Jesus promises will come to Him -- and I believe that He wants us to be the ones to reach them

            -- we know by experience that there are people in this community who are not being reached by the traditional churches -- people who have been overlooked and who are struggling in the shadow of the steeples

            -- we have seen some of these people respond to Christ through the ministry He has given us here -- and I believe there are many more that He is calling for us to reach

            -- it's just a matter of trusting in God's word and persevering in the work to which He has called us -- Paul responded to this vision of God by staying in Corinth for a year and half -- longer than he had spent at any city prior to this time

            -- I'm sure it wasn't easy -- I'm sure he faced continual difficulty and opposition and rejection -- but many were added to the church through Paul's ministry in that place -- and I believe that God wants us to continue on and minister in His name so many might be added to His church in this place

 

III.  Closing

            -- there’s a Christian song that was very popular a few years ago called, "God of This City" -- -- it was originally written and performed by a group from Ireland called “Blue Tree,” but it really took off when Chris Tomlin released it -- when I started thinking about doing the work of Christmas and the message of God to Paul in Corinth, I couldn’t help but think about this song

            -- the story behind it is remarkable and speaks to what an after-Christmas Jesus does in our world today -- I know some of you know this story, but maybe not all of you -- so let me share it with you this morning

 

            -- the band Blue Tree had been invited by some friends to travel to Thailand to be part of a Christian worship event -- the lead singer for the group wrote that this was the darkest place anyone would ever go to -- physically and spiritually -- they said you can just feel the evil there -- you can just feel the enemy all over that place

            -- the band played for several days in a resort area there in Thailand -- and they said it was great -- they really experienced God’s presence there -- but they felt called to do more -- and so they told their friends, “If you can get us anywhere else to play -- anywhere -- we want to play -- we just want to do what we do in the middle of somewhere and go head-on [against the evil in this place]”

            -- there was a bar there in Thailand called the Climax Bar -- it’s on a street that is filled with every vice imaginable -- thousands of prostitutes -- including children as young as eight and nine years old selling themselves on the street to whoever wanted them -- drugs -- alcohol -- gambling -- a den of iniquity -- a cesspool of evil

            -- the owners of this bar said that Blue Tree could come in and sing if they brought a group of people with them and if the people agreed to buy drinks during the entire show -- the owners didn’t know that Blue Tree was a Christian band -- in fact, the band said most of the people there didn’t even speak English -- all the owners wanted was to get someone in there who would spend money

            -- it turns out the bar was a strip club and brothel -- but Blue Tree still went and played -- and for two hours -- standing right there on the stage next to the stripper poles -- Blue Tree lifted God up in praise

            -- in the middle of the darkness, they did the same thing that Paul did in Corinth -- they did the same thing that God is calling us to do today -- they praised Him for what He had done -- they praised Him for His miracles -- for His forgiveness of sin -- for His victory over death

            -- and as they were singing, God spoke to the band -- all of a sudden, the lead singer started singing the phrase, “Greater things,” over and over again -- and he said it felt like God was prophesying over that city -- over the evil in that land

            -- the words just came -- the music followed -- and before they knew it, God had given them the song, “God Of This City” -- played for the first time on earth in a brothel -- played for the first time on earth in a place of evil -- played to proclaim God’s presence and plan for the people in that city in Thailand

            -- here’s the words that God gave them that night:

 

            -- "You’re the God of this city -- you’re the King of these people -- You’re the Lord of this nation -- You are

            -- You’re the light in this darkness -- You’re the hope to the hopeless -- You’re the peace to the restless -- You are

            -- There is no one like our God -- There is no one like our God

            -- For greater things have yet to come -- and greater things are still to be done in this City -- For greater things have yet to come -- and greater things are still to be done here

            -- We believe -- We believe in you, God"

 

            -- the message of this song is the same one that Jesus brought when He was born in a manger over 2,000 years ago -- it's the same message that He carried up the hill of Calvary -- it's the same message that burst forth from the tomb on Easter morning -- it's the same message that Paul proclaimed in Corinth and the same message we are called to proclaim here in Naylor and in this community

 

            -- God is in the business of doing great things -- that is what Christmas is all about -- God has done great things -- but greater things have yet to come -- greater things are still to be done -- for there are many people in this city who belong to Jesus that He wants us to reach because we can do it where no one else can        

 

            -- the question before us this morning is, “What greater things does God want to do in this place? What greater things does God want to do in you?”

            -- Christmas may be over, but Christ is not done -- the after-Christmas Jesus calls us to action this morning -- He is calling us to carry His light to the darkness -- His hope to the hopeless -- His peace to the restless

            -- He is calling us to greater things -- so as I close, let me ask, will you commit to His call right now? -- will you leave here and do the work of Christmas in this new year?

 

            -- let us pray

 

SERMON: WAITING FOR CHRISTMAS

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 2:21-40

 

Luke 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

 

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

 

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

 

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

    and the glory of your people Israel.”

 

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

 

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

 

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

 

            -- this week, several of us were talking about the movie, “Hook,” that starred Robin Williams -- if you remember the start of the movie, Robin Williams plays the character of Peter Banning, a successful lawyer in America who spends too much time at work and too little time at home with his family -- on a visit to London, his son is kidnapped by Captain Hook, and we learn that Peter Banning is really Peter Pan, just all grown up -- something that Peter Banning had forgotten until his memory is stirred in Neverland by the Lost Boys and Tinkerbell

-- in talking about the movie, I realized that this part of the movie was really one of the most important parts, even though it’s not the part we remember when we think about it -- the opening scenes portray something that all of us know, all too well -- when we grow up, we forget what it is like to be a kid -- we forget who we were as kids

-- we all know that this happens -- it’s part of growing up -- the Apostle Paul told us that in 1 Corinthians 13:11 where he wrote, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

            -- so, as adults, we are not the same people that we were as children -- we grow up and we mature and we change from living like a child to living like an adult

            -- but, if we’re not careful, in that process, we can lose a valuable part of us that God intended that we never lose -- a part of us that Jesus says we need to keep alive if we are to know Him and experience Him as He intended -- in Matthew 18:3, Jesus said that unless we change and become like little children, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven

            -- Jesus was referring to the child-like qualities of innocence -- honesty -- the willingness to believe in miracles and the impossible without any doubt whatsoever -- and a strong faith and trust in Jesus Himself, to the point where we do not hesitate to follow Him or do what He commands

            -- these are all things that we tend to lose as we mature -- I know, because I see that in my own life -- in talking with some of the younger folks I work with, they keep calling me cynical and pessimistic because I have this approach to life like Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh -- I tend to think things are going to turn out bad because I have seen that in the past -- I have lived that in the past -- I’ve been there, done that, and got the t-shirt -- and so, when events are happening at work or in this world, I tend to expect the worst and to assume things are going to go wrong while these younger people are more optimistic and more filled with hope

            -- this loss of childlike honesty, faith, trust, and hope also occurs in our spiritual lives -- that’s what Jesus was warning us about -- and I see it in adults especially around Christmas with the way we approach Christmas now that we’re grown up

            -- do you remember what the Christmas season was like when you were a child? -- do you remember the excitement you felt when you saw the first Christmas decorations going up around town just after Thanksgiving? -- when you heard the first strains of a Christmas carol ringing in the night? -- when you saw the first Christmas trees up for sale?

            -- do you remember how you felt when you saw the first signs of Christmas going up all around you? -- when I was a kid, it seemed like the world slowed down from Thanksgiving to Christmas -- and every day, I would get up and ask my parents the same question, "How many more days until Christmas? -- I just couldn't wait -- it just couldn't come fast enough

            -- but somewhere along the line I lost the excitement and anticipation and hope that came with waiting for Christmas -- in fact, a lot of the time, I don’t even remember those feelings -- for me, the Advent Season -- the season in the church where we’re supposed to slow down and enjoy the anticipation of the blessed hope of Christ’s coming into the world -- has turned into more of a chore than a celebration -- a rush and whirlwind of activity  -- for a lot of us adults, Christmas is just another thing to crowd into an overly busy life -- and I feel that way especially this year, with all the things we have been dealing with in this community and in our personal lives

-- as an adult, I still ask the question, "How many more days until Christmas?" -- but I do so with a feeling of dread and impending doom rather than excitement and anticipation for the day

            -- in growing up and maturing and living the hectic lives that we do, it occurred to me that a lot of us have become like Peter Banning in Hook -- we have forgotten who we were as children and what Christmas meant to us -- we’ve forgotten the meaning of Christmas and the excitement of Christmas and the hope of Christmas -- we’ve forgotten that Christmas is much more than just the decorating of our homes and the giving of presents

            -- Christmas is the day of the coming of salvation -- the day that would change the history of the world forever -- the day that would change time forever -- and it’s time that we adults followed Peter Banning’s example in Hook as he became Peter Pan again -- we need to seek to become like little children again and remember the true meaning of Christmas so that we can look again with breathless excitement and anticipation at the promised coming of the King who will save us from our sins and who will redeem the world forever

 

            -- this morning, we are going to finish our series on the forgotten people in the Christmas story -- those people who we tend to overlook as we tell the story of Jesus every year in our churches and in our plays and in our hymns

            -- hopefully, this series has helped you learn to look for the hidden treasures of Christmas and reminded you of what all of us adults have forgotten so that we can become like children again and look forward to Christmas with the same childlike hope and anticipation we once did

            -- with that, let’s move on in our study this morning

 

            -- so far, we have looked at three groups of people who had very different responses and roles in the Christmas story

            -- we talked about the Holy Spirit -- who ushered in the coming of the Lord -- who quickened the incarnation in the womb of Mary and made possible the birth of the Savior Jesus

            -- we talked about the angels -- the messengers of God -- the first ones who proclaimed the birth of the Messiah and who led the first worship of the newborn king on that first Christmas night -- appearing to the shepherds in the fields to share the message of the Savior

            -- then we talked about the chief priests and the teachers of the law who were indifferent to the news of the Savior when they heard the story of the Magi -- the chief priests and the teachers of the law represent those people in our world and in our churches today who have a form of godliness but who deny the power of Christ through their indifference and apathy -- those who profess to know Christ but who live lives separately from the power and majesty of Jesus

            -- today, we are going to look at two people who never forgot the excitement of Christmas -- two people who spent their entire lives looking for the signs of Christmas -- two people who got up each morning and asked, "Is today the day?”, with hearts filled with hope

            -- this morning we are going to look at the story of Simeon and Anna -- Simeon and Anna represent God's faithful believers -- those people who have not forgotten what it is like to be a child at Christmas waiting for Jesus to come -- those people who remember the last time Jesus was here and who look forward to His coming again in majesty

            -- so, if you would, let's look again at Luke 2 at the story of Simeon and Anna

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Luke 2:21-40)

            -- verse 21-24

 

Luke 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

 

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

 

 

-- Luke gives us these verses to lay out the context of the passage for us -- in the first part of Chapter 2, we read of the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem -- we read how the angels led the shepherds in worship -- and how the shepherds were the first evangelists of the newborn Messiah -- sharing the good news that a Savior had been born in the town of David

            -- so, as this passage opens, we know that Jesus has been born -- His birth has been announced by the angels and the shepherds -- and the faithful are spreading the news to those who still have ears to hear and hearts to receive the good news

 

            -- having proclaimed the birth of the Messiah, God now points us to the purpose of the coming of Christ -- to the reason why Jesus came in the first place -- by referring back to the law of Moses in relation to the birth of Jesus

            -- real briefly, let me explain -- in Leviticus Chapter 12, God said that a woman who was pregnant and gave birth to a son would be ceremonially unclean for 7 days -- in the same way, we are unclean because we are sinners -- before Christ, we could not come before God -- we could not approach His holy presence because of sin in our lives

-- that’s why Isaiah cried out when he was carried before the throne of God in a vision, "Woe to me, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips" -- Isaiah was speaking for all of us, because all of us are born sinners -- we are born unclean and cannot come into the presence of God until atonement is made for our sins

 

            -- so, according to the Law of Moses, Mary was considered ceremonially unclean for 7 days -- on the eighth day, the law commanded that the boy be circumcised -- circumcision was a physical sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham -- it pointed to the fulfillment of the promises that God made to Abraham

            -- the next day after the circumcision is the 8th day, and marks the start of a 33-day period of purification for the mother -- this is the time that parents were to carry their first-born sons to the temple to present him to the Lord as a symbolic offering to God -- as Beth Moore writes, "When Jewish parents presented their firstborn son to the Lord, they were symbolizing the act of giving him up by saying, 'He is yours and we give him back to You' -- then, they would immediately redeem him or, in effect, buy him back through their offering"

            -- the reason we are reading about this in Luke 2 is because God is showing us what is to come -- that this purification act prescribed in the Law, which has been repeated time and time again since Abraham, was to find its fulfillment in the person of Christ -- not in 33 days, but in 33 years

-- as our Messiah and Redeemer, Jesus offered Himself up on the cross of Calvary as a sacrifice in our place 33 years after his birth -- offering His own body as payment to redeem us from a life of sin and death and to adopt us into God's family as heirs to the promise of Abraham

-- Jesus' death on the cross caused a change in our lives -- purifying us -- making what was unclean, clean -- making what was unholy, holy

            -- it was the fulfillment of this promise from God that true believers waited for and hoped for and trusted in -- they looked forward to the coming of the Messiah with the same breathless hope and anticipation that children look forward to Christmas -- with the same hope and anticipation that should fill our hearts as we look for the coming of Jesus again 

 

            -- verse 25-33

 

Luke 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

 

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

    and the glory of your people Israel.”

 

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

 

-- in these verses, we are introduced to Simeon, one of the forgotten in the Christmas story, but someone who represents God's faithful believers in our day -- there are several important things here that we read about Simeon that we need to consider in our own lives

 

            -- first, Luke tells us in verse 25 that Simeon was righteous -- the word "righteous" means that you are in a right relationship with someone else -- in this case, Simeon was in a right relationship with God -- it also means that you are living right -- that you are following the commands of God -- that you are doing what He wants you to do and living as He wants you to live

            -- to be righteous is to have a heart that longs for the coming of Christ -- that gets up each morning and asks, "Is this the day?"

            -- to be righteous as Simeon was described as means that you have been brought before the cross of Christ and have been justified through His grace -- in other words, you believe and know in your heart that Jesus is God -- that He died for our sins on the cross and that our only hope for forgiveness is through His death

            -- it means that you understand that you can't get to heaven on your own -- that you can't be holy enough -- or do enough good works -- or to do anything on your own to save yourself -- it means that you put all your faith and trust in Jesus and believe that His death was enough to pay the cost of your sins and to give you eternal life with Him -- to be righteous means that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you are now redeemed by His blood

           

            -- next, Luke tells us that Simeon was devout -- he was devoted to God -- and we must do the same -- that means more than just coming to church on Sunday or coming to Bible Study during the week -- this means that God's sanctifying grace is working in your life -- that you are allowing the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you to change you from the inside out

            -- that you are devoted to God -- that you are actively growing in your relationship with Him -- that you are spending time with Him every day -- that you are reading your Bible -- praying -- walking with Him daily -- obeying His commands -- living a life of righteousness and holiness -- that is who Simeon was -- and that is who we are to be, as well

 

            -- verse 25 tells us that Simeon was "waiting for the consolation of Israel" -- that word "consolation" is interesting -- it tells us that the nation of Israel was in mourning -- they were grieving -- they were sad and needed to be consoled -- they needed to be comforted

            -- why was the nation grieving? -- why was it mourning? -- because the world was not righteous as God demanded -- because the world was filled with sinners -- because the world was not living for God -- the nation of Israel looked around and saw the sorry state of their own souls and of the world around them and realized that they were far from God and there was nothing that they could do to save themselves

-- they needed something -- someone else -- who would come and replace their mourning with laughter -- their grieving and sadness with joy -- Luke terms this person as the "consolation" of Israel -- but we know Him better as Jesus

            -- this description of Simeon begs the question of us, "Are we grieving over the state of this world? -- Are we grieving over the condition of the souls around us? -- Are we waiting and anticipating the consolation of the Israel -- the coming of the Risen Christ who will set all things right -- who will make all things new?"

            -- as the people of Christ -- as righteous and devout people -- that is part of our calling -- that is part of our mission -- to grieve and intercede on behalf of those around us and to point them to the only One who can improve their lot in eternity

           

            -- skip down to verse 36-38

 

Luke 2:36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

 

-- here we read of the second person in the temple who is often forgotten at Christmas -- the prophetess Anna from the tribe of Asher -- the name "Asher" means, "happy" or "blessing" -- and it points to the life that Anna lived

            -- for decades -- maybe even for over 80 years -- Anna had been waiting for the coming of the consolation of Israel just like Simeon -- she had been waiting for the coming of Christ -- for the coming of the One who would be a blessing to Israel and to the whole world -- who would bring happiness through the fulfillment of the promises of God

            -- although Luke doesn't describe her in this way, we see that Anna was like Simeon in her faith and obedience to God -- righteous and devout -- extremely devout -- devoting her whole life to the coming of the Messiah

            -- what are you devoting your life to? -- what are you putting all of your energy and effort into? -- at the end of your life, when people gather to reflect on who you were and what you did, what will they say about you?

            -- will they say you were righteous and devout and waited before the Lord like Simeon and Anna? -- will they say you counted the days until Christmas? -- or will they say that you spent your whole life focused on this life and the things of this world with no thought of your future eternity?

 

III.  Closing

            -- the lives of Simeon and Anna were characterized by faithful waiting -- by anticipation of the coming of Christ -- they were in a right relationship with God -- they knew Him intimately and personally -- they lived life as a reflection of His holiness -- and they faithfully waited and anticipated the day that Jesus would be born -- every day, they got up and asked themselves, "Is this the day of the coming of the Lord?"

            -- they never got tired of Christmas -- they never got so rushed and so busy that they forgot to count the days -- they never got so caught up with this life that they forgot their next -- and they never got overwhelmed with the state of their world

            -- every morning, they each got up and wiped the sleep from their eyes and said, "This could be the day! -- This could be the day when God comes and makes everything right! -- This could be the day of God's salvation!" -- and then they rushed to the temple to see

 

            -- as Christians who have experienced the presence of the Christ who came at Christmas, we should be getting up every morning in the same way -- we should be breathlessly awaiting the coming of Jesus again -- His second coming when He will come in power and majesty to set up His kingdom on earth

            -- every morning for us should be like Christmas morning to a child -- because we know that this could be the day that we see the redemption of the world

            -- to do that, we must prepare our hearts -- we have to be living for God -- we have to be in a right relationship with Him -- living holy and devout lives of faithfulness -- and we have to be ready for His coming

 

            -- so, on this last Sunday before Christmas -- as we prepare to celebrate again the coming of Jesus -- let us prepare our hearts to receive Him anew -- let us look forward to His coming with anticipation and excitement -- and let us commit to living lives of righteousness and faithfulness for Him today and all the days to come

            -- let us pray

 

SERMON: THE APATHY OF THE RELIGIOUS

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

 

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

 

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

 

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

 

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 

            -- Chuck Graham, the president of Ciloa Ministries, tells the story about a young husband and father who lay in bed several years ago, very sick with pancreatitis -- he was so weak that he could barely talk, and it looked likely that he would die soon -- but many people began to pray and God healed this young man and he was finally able to leave the hospital and go home, but he was still too weak to return to work

            -- that's when Chuck got a call from Johnny Vaughn, a friend of his -- Johnny knew about the situation this man and his family were going through, and he couldn't sit by and do nothing -- Christmas was coming and Johnny wanted to make sure the family would have a great meal -- "They have enough other things to worry about," he said. -- So he came by, picked Chuck up, and they went to buy a Honey Baked Ham -- which they delivered to a surprised and grateful home

            -- When he wrote about this story, Chuck admitted that his first reaction to Johnny's call was of shame -- Chuck had gotten so caught up in the hectic time of Christmas...the parties, gifts for family and friends, special music and celebration services...that he'd forgotten about the reason for the season and the most important thing of all -- Jesus Himself and His call to love one another

-- he remembered the angels, the shepherds and the wise men, but he forgot why Jesus came in the first place -- Chuck confessed, "I remembered what was said about Him, but I forgot what He told us to do." -- he forgot to love those in need at Christmas [Source: Chuck Graham, Ciloa Ministries, www.ciloa.org]

 

            -- in this story, Chuck Graham reminds us that Christmas is about more than just a baby in a manger -- it's about a Savior who came to show us how to live in relationship with the Father and who came to die for our sins on the cross of Calvary -- the true message of Christmas is about a Savior that came to call us to be His hands and feet in this world -- to be people who proclaim His name through our deeds and actions -- our words and love to others

            -- but it's easy to forget that, isn't it? -- it's easy during this busy season to do just what Chuck did -- to get so busy preparing for Christmas and to get so busy celebrating the coming of Christ with family and friends that we forget to do what Jesus told us to do in the first place

            -- if we're not careful, we can become apathetic and indifferent to the very people that Jesus called us to minister to -- and, if we're not careful, we can become apathetic and indifferent to Jesus Himself -- even during the season that we celebrate His coming to earth

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our series on the forgotten people of Christmas -- those people who had a part to play in the Christmas story but who are often overlooked or left unmentioned

            -- so, as we begin our study here in Matthew 2, let's look more closely at the people that we generally don't think about when we study the story of the Magi -- namely, the chief priests and the teachers of the law

 

II.  Scripture Lesson -- Matthew 2

            -- this passage in Matthew 2 is one of the familiar stories of the Christmas season -- it tells us of the coming of the Magi -- traditionally, wise men -- who came from the East to worship the new-born Messiah

            -- our tradition tells us that there were three of them -- although the text is silent on the actual number -- and we know that they came from the area around Persia -- which is modern-day Iran -- but it doesn't tell us much more

            -- Scripture does tell us that they traveled many days and nights, following the star of Christmas, until they arrived in Jerusalem -- the capitol of Israel -- and since they were seeking a king, Matthew tells us that their first stop was the palace of King Herod

            -- there they obtained an audience with the king to find out where the Messiah was to be born -- look back at verse 1-3

Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

 

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 

            -- when Herod heard of the reason why they had come, the Scriptures tell us that he and all of Jerusalem were disturbed -- a better translation would be that they were troubled -- they were stirred up -- the message caused a commotion in Jerusalem -- and this is understandable

            -- from the very beginning of the nation of Israel -- from the very moment that God called Abram and sent him from Ur to the Promised Land -- the people of Israel had been looking for the Messiah -- they had been longing for the Christ -- for the Savior who would come and redeem the people of Israel and establish a kingdom that would never fail

            -- all of their worship -- all of their religious practices -- from the sacrifices to the prayers to the keeping of the genealogies of the people -- all of these were done in anticipation of the coming of Christ - everyone longed for that day

            -- and, so, when the Magi come announcing that the Christ had been born and wanting to know where He was, you can understand why Matthew says that Jerusalem was disturbed and troubled

            -- Herod especially was concerned because the Messiah was the rightful king of Israel -- and if the Magi's assertion was true and the Messiah had been born -- then Herod's hold on the throne was tenuous at best

            -- he needed more information, so he called in the religious leaders of his day to get their advice -- verse 4-8

Matthew 2:4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

 

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

 

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

            -- so, the religious leaders came -- the chief priests of the order of the Sadducees

-- the Jewish sect that was in charge of the temple worship at this time -- and the teachers of the law -- the scholars -- the experts in all things religious -- think of them as the preaches and administrators and teachers of the church

            -- they hear the story of the Magi and their quest for the newborn king of the Jews -- and then, when Herod asks them where the Messiah is to be born -- they answer him immediately, citing Micah 5:2, and tell Herod that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, a little village just outside of Jerusalem

            -- now that Herod knows where the Messiah is supposed to be, he sends the Magi on to Bethlehem to find the Messiah and report back to him -- supposedly, so that he can visit the newborn king and worship Him, too -- but, as we know, in reality, Herod is trying to locate the Messiah so he can kill Him before He becomes old enough to threaten Herod's throne

 

            -- that's the story that we hear at Christmas every year -- the coming of the Magi and Herod's attempts to kill the baby Jesus -- but when you look at it in more detail, this passage becomes an interesting study in contrasts

            -- as you noticed, there are three groups of characters in this story:

 

            -- first, of course, there are the Magi -- the wise men from Persia -- who have come to find the baby Jesus -- they are the true believers -- even though they haven't seen Jesus yet, they are excited because He has come -- they know who He is -- they are looking for Him -- because they want to experience His presence in their own lives

            -- the Magi represent us because this is who we are called to be -- faithful followers of Jesus who are excited about Him -- who long for His presence -- who go to the ends of the earth to be with Him and to proclaim His good news to everyone we meet

 

            -- next, we see Herod, who is more interested in his position and power than in the salvation that is promised through the Messiah -- all he cares about are things and possessions and being in charge of Israel -- and so, when he hears that the Messiah -- the true king of Israel has been born -- he immediately takes steps to eliminate the threat

            -- there's a lot of people in our world today who are like Herod -- who have little time for religion or the trappings of Christianity -- they may show up at church at Christmas and Easter -- but their interest is not in the spiritual but in the world and what the world offers -- and they don't like it when the two come together

 

            -- but, by far, the most interesting response to me is that of the religious leaders -- the people that we never mention in our Christmas dramas and plays or sing about in our hymns

            -- did you notice the response of the religious leaders to the announcement that the Messiah had come? -- once they heard that the Messiah had been born, you would have expected them to be like the Magi -- to be excited -- to rejoice and to run off to find the Savior that they had been waiting for for over 4000 years -- but, yet, their response can only be characterized as "marked indifference" [source: Suresh Manoharan -- www.jandsmministries.com]

            -- they knew who the Messiah was -- they knew what His coming foretold -- they even knew where Jesus was supposed to arrive -- after all, they were the keepers of the promise -- but look at how they reacted -- they could care less -- they couldn't be bothered -- they were too busy doing religion and being religious to stop and search for the Promised Messiah

            -- what do you think they did after they heard the Magi's story? -- did they just go home? -- did they just get ready for church?

-- we don't know -- the Bible doesn’t tell us -- but we do know what they didn't do -- they didn't follow the Magi and go look for Jesus on their own

 

            -- this response by the religious leaders -- by those who should have been the first to go and find their Lord and Savior -- was a sin of omission

 

            -- there are two types of sins in the Bible -- sins of commission and sins of omission -- sins of commission are easy to identify -- this means that you did something you shouldn't -- you broke the law -- you broke the 10 commandments -- you lied -- you stole -- you cheated -- you coveted -- you lusted -- you did something -- you disobeyed God -- you committed a sin

            -- sins of omission are different -- it's not what you do -- it's what you don't do -- a sin of omission is failing to do something that God wants you to do  -- James 4:17 defines a sin of omission this way: "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

            -- and what is the good that we ought to do? -- Micah tells us just that in Micah 6:8 -- "[God] has showed you, O man, what is good -- And what does the LORD require of you? -- To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. "

 

            -- a sin of omission, then, is knowing what is good and not doing it -- for instance, anytime you see injustice and refuse to act, you are committing a sin of omission -- anytime you see someone in need and refuse to act, you are committing a sin of omission -- anytime you know you should do something and don't -- whether it's a physical act like giving someone a hand -- giving them money -- giving them clothes or food or a place to stay -- or whether it's a spiritual act -- like praying for them -- witnessing to them -- forgiving them -- these are all sins of omission

            -- that is exactly what the chief priests and teachers of the law were guilty of in this passage -- on that first Christmas, when they received word that the Messiah had come -- that their Lord and King had been born -- they should have gone with the Magi to the manger -- but, instead, they did nothing -- and in doing nothing, they sinned

           

            -- if you read through the New Testament, you'll find that some of Jesus' harshest criticisms were levied against those who were like the chief priests and teachers of the law -- religious on the surface but who sin by not doing what is right and good

            -- think about the parable of the Good Samaritan that Jesus told about a man who was going from Jerusalem to Jericho and who got mugged and beaten and left for dead beside the road -- a priest came by and saw the man, but did nothing -- then a Levite, the people who were responsible for taking care of the temple and assisting with worship, came by and saw the man but did nothing -- finally, a Samaritan came by and saw the man and tended to his wounds and took him to a place of safety

            -- When Jesus finished His parable, He pointed out that of the three men who passed by the hurt stranger, only the Samaritan -- the one who had mercy on him -- had done what God had intended and was a true neighbor to the man

            -- the other two -- the priest and the Levite -- had sinned because they had known what was required and chose to do nothing

 

            -- where are you in the story of the Magi? -- are you the Magi? -- the believers who are excited at the news that the Messiah has come? -- the people who go forth and spread the word of Jesus -- who tell others the good news of salvation and the forgiveness of sins -- are you the person who sees what is good and does it -- who acts justly and loves mercy and walks humbly with your God as you minister to those in need around you?

            -- or are you like the chief priests and the teachers of the law? -- have you been so overwhelmed with Christmas -- with decorating and buying presents and getting ready to celebrate with your family and friends that you haven't had time for Jesus? -- you haven't had time for His people? -- you haven't had time to help someone else this season?

            -- what has been your response? -- who are you most like this year?

 

III.  CLOSING

            -- John 1:1 in the Bible paraphrase, "The Message," reads like this: "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood"

            -- in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus was asking us to the same -- He was inviting us to move into the neighborhood -- not simply to pass through in a whirlwind of busyness -- but to be involved in the lives of His people -- to see their hurts and their needs -- to see their spiritual doubts and confusions -- and to be their neighbor by ministering to them and proclaiming the word of God through our actions and our words and our love

            -- in this passage that we looked at this morning, only the Magi moved into the neighborhood -- only the Magi did what God wanted them to do -- Herod was hostile -- the chief priests and the teachers of the law were indifferent

            -- Herod sinned by doing wrong and seeking to kill the baby Jesus -- the chief priests and the teachers of the law sinned by not doing what God wanted them to do

           

            -- several years ago, a friend of ours was at a gas station here in town -- she only had $2 to her name -- it was all she had for the rest of the week -- but she needed gas -- so she turned the pump on and put $2 worth of gas in her car and went inside and paid  

            -- when she came out, a young man was there at the pump next to her and he got her attention -- he told her to go ahead and fill up her car and that he would take care of the bill -- she argued with him and told him he didn't have to do that -- but he told her he did -- she said, "What's got into you?" -- and he replied, "Jesus" and invited her to church

            -- no one would have faulted him for going on his way -- he would not have broken any of God's laws or any of God's commandments by just minding his own business and driving off after he was done filling his own car up -- after all, it's been a tough time economically over the last few years -- it's always a busy season at Christmas -- and it turns out this good Samaritan was a youth pastor at a local church -- so you know he was really busy during the Christmas season and probably didn’t have a lot of money himself with the salary youth pastors get paid -- he could have just gotten into his car and driven off and no one would have thought less of him -- there were other people at the gas station that day, and that's what they did

            -- but this young man chose to do something different -- he chose to be a neighbor -- he chose to get involved

-- he knew what was right -- he knew what God wanted him to do -- and he did it -- and that made all the difference in this girl's life

 

            -- what do you think the chief priests and the teachers of the law would have done in this situation? -- more importantly, what would you have done?

            -- as we continue to celebrate the coming of Jesus this year, let's not just remember the baby in the manger -- the Savior of the world -- but let's remember why He came -- let’s remember what He told us to do and how He showed us to live and let's go forth and proclaim His name through our deeds and our actions and our words

            -- Let's pray