|
This morning in our scripture reading from the gospel of Luke, Mary, the Mother of God, was at the beginning of her most unusual pregnancy. Now this evening, Mary is giving birth to her child. As a mother, I can tell you that there were times during my pregnancy when I wished nine months would fly by this quickly. However, this evening is Christmas Eve and we are here to remember and to celebrate the birth of the Savior for all peoples.
Many of us have heard the story of Jesus of Nazareth’s birth so many times that we could probably tell it in our sleep. Yet, still we come here this evening to recall the Christmas story of so long ago hoping that this time the story will become new and fresh for us. Perhaps this time the story of Christ’s birth will bring a rebirth of our relationship with God.
The story is simple enough. It is about a young mother-to-be traveling from the small town of Nazareth in the outskirts of Judea with her fiance; Joseph the carpenter, to register in another small town near Jerusalem called Bethlehem. The purpose for the registration is to be certain that the Roman government gets all the taxes due to them. In other words, it is like our April 15th tax day. To achieve this goal, everyone must be registered. For the poor of Judea, the travel that must take place to comply with this edict is an added burden to bear in a much overburdened economy. Yet, the people must comply with the Roman authority or suffer severe consequences. So our couple starts out on this journey even though Mary is near the time of giving birth to her son.
When the couple arrives in Bethlehem, it is mayhem. There is only one inn in this small town and it has No Vacancy. People are camping out in the narrow streets and anywhere else they can find a spot to lie down. The small town of Bethlehem is bursting at the seams with people and animals. One can only imagine the stench and its affect on the pregnant young mother to be. Fortunately, the innkeeper takes pity on this couple with the young maiden great with child and offers his stable to shelter them.
Although the stable is filled with animals, Joseph finds a place for Mary to rest and give birth. There is no mention of a midwife to assist Mary, so we are left with just the two of them in a crowded stable with Joseph as the one to help Mary. Now this was not the usual. The usual would be for Joseph to wait outside while Mary was assisted with at least one midwife or more to help her through the labor.
Then in the midst of the braying of donkeys, the mooing of cows, and other animal voices, joins the sweet cry of a newborn baby. It is a special moment for the couple who are tired from their travels. It is an even more special moment for the world. Unknown to Mary and Joseph, when Jesus, Mary’s son, uttered His first human sound in this world, something most unusual began taking place at Shepherds’ Hill just outside of Bethlehem. It was as if the child’s cry signaled the unfolding of this most unusual birth.
As the young mother was laying her newborn child into a manger, because she had no crib with her, an angel of the Lord made an appearance before some lowly shepherds. Now most of us just send out announcement cards to tell of the birth of our babies, but not God Almighty. When God’s Son was born into this world, He sent an angel accompanied with the heavenly host choir to make this announcement. He could have sent His angel to King Herod in Jerusalem only a few miles away, or to the Roman Emperor Augustus, the ruler of the known world. There were many prominent people who would have been interested in the birth of the Son of God, but the Lord God Almighty sought out the poorest, most lowly people of Bethlehem. It was to these poor shepherds that the Lord announced the birth of His Son.
Why shepherds? Surely there were other poor people in or around Bethlehem that night. After all, Bethlehem and the surrounding area was packed with folks. Many of them were poor or would soon be after paying their taxes to Rome. Perhaps it was because God’s Son was being given to the world as the Lamb of God. The One who would be the sacrifice for the sins of all of humanity - both past, present and future. Only the Son of God was qualified to redeem us through His death.
Before Jesus came into the world, animal sacrifices were required for the remission of sins. This practice dates back in the Bible as far as Adam and Eve after they had been expelled from the Garden of Eden. In Genesis, chapter four, verses 1-5a, we read the following:
“Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, ‘I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.’ Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain a tiller of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portion. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.’”
Later we know that the story goes on to tell us that Cain murders his brother Abel and God punishes Cain by exiling him from his home. Whether or not we choose to accept this story as literal fact, what I want us to look at is the comparison of the two offerings presented to God and God’s reaction. The first offering of the fruit of the ground was unacceptable, whereas the offering from the sacrifice of lambs was accepted by God. The Lord accepted the offering from Abel the shepherd, but rejected the offering of Cain the gardener. Both were the fruits of their labor, yet only the shepherd’s offering pleased the Lord. Why?
The answer is summed up in the Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 9, verse 22: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Under the law of the Old Testament, the sprinkling of the blood and ashes of the unblemished animals that were sacrificed, such as lambs, goats and calves, sanctified the people from their sins. These sacrifices were continual until Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself for all of humanity. Through Jesus’ precious blood, the ultimate sacrifice and payment for the sins of humanity was made.
In our reading from the Letter of Titus we heard these words, “He (meaning Jesus) it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” Only the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus of Nazareth, was worthy enough to atone for our sins. No matter what other offerings are made, such as Cain’s, only the precious blood of Jesus receives the seal of approval from God. It is Jesus alone, who is the Savior of all. There are many imposters, but only one genuine Lamb of God, Jesus the Christ.
Out of God’s love for us, He sent us His only Son to live and die for us so that we can be freed once and for all from the bondage of sin. It is for this reason that Jesus came into this world as a baby to live and to die for us. The arrival of this most precious gift from Almighty God was first shared with shepherds who were tending their flocks at night. Into the darkness, the Lord announced His Son’s arrival on earth with a multitude of heavenly hosts. The darkness was overcome by the brightness of these beings in the heavens as they proclaimed the arrival of the Lamb of God.
It is fitting that shepherds would be the first to hear of the good news. It is fitting that they would be the Lamb of God’s first visitors. Carrying their lambs upon their shoulders, they hurried into the small town seeking the Lamb of God. They found him in a stable lying in a manger, God’s gift to all who seek Him, the Savior, Jesus of Nazareth.
The scriptures tell us that Mary treasured the words of the simple shepherds and kept them in her heart. From the birth of her child, Mary knew that this child was not just for her, but was to be shared with all. The Messiah had come and with His arrival the world would never be the same. As the shepherds returned to their flocks, Mary and Joseph perhaps knew that this night was just the beginning of the unfolding of God’s marvelous love.
| 
