Christmas Eve December 24, 2010
Luke 2:9 Christmas Attention Getters
Dear fellow redeemed,
Guess what this is?(Ring bell.) No. It's not a Christmas bell. It's our family's dinner bell.
* This is how I get all six kids up to the table when they in all parts of the house.
I've used this many times. It's quite affective as an attention getter.
* Without the bell, I might go horse trying to scream at the top of my lungs.
Sure, I could go room to room and round them all up. But that's not an option.
To a certain extent, everyone relies on a given attention getter from time to time
* And sometimes people resort to some fairly drastic measures to get the proper attention.
1 Your baby wants feeding, changing, Mommy to pick him up. He throws a temper tantrum.
2 Your husband isn't listening to a word you say. You turn off the television.
3 You get behind paying your electric bill. The power company turns off your power.
4 You don't work up to the company's expectations. Your boss finally fires you.
* When all is said and done, there's the right time for attention getters.
But there's also the wrong time and place.
* We get irritated by those who would transform Christmas into sentimental messages about a confused Santa Clause or the moral conversion of the grinch or Mr. Scrooge.
But we watch them anyway. They've got our attention.
* Or we complain about those who think of the Christmas season as an opportunity to make a profit, and refuse to say "Merry Christmas." "Where's Jesus?" we want to know.
But we still do business with them. Once again they've got our attention.
* And maybe we're guilty of the same thing this Christmas.
Christmas is at our house again this year.
We've spent more money on gifts than the rest of the family.We've been the kindest, the most understanding, the friendliest, the most into the Christmas spirit.
We may call them Christmas Attention Getters.
Many if not most of them get your attention on the wrong thing.
* So let's take a closer look at the Christmas account. We may safely assume the Holy Spirit will get it right as he communicates his thoughts to St. Luke.
* At first glance, however, we want to ask whether we aren't seeing the same thing all over again, whether our attention isn't going to the wrong place!
* There are a couple of individuals here who seem to be better than Christ at grabbing the attention. We can see it at the story's beginning as well as its climax.
* Consider first, the opening words of our reading. "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered."
And a couple verses later: "And all went to be registered, each to his own town."
* Doesn't it seem that Caesar will have the leading role here?He's got the entire region in a commotion moving in this direction and that. The only reason for the census is so that Imperial Rome could later calculate how much they would tax the citizens of Judea.
* The entire empire is affected by the decision of this one man in authority. Even Mary and Joseph and the unborn Jesus who have to travel about ninety miles by foot.
Secondly, note where the story really begins to pick up.
The shepherds are out in the field, keeping watch over their flocks.
* Suddenly "an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear."
See what I mean?Once again the attention is not on Christ.It's on an angel.
Or perhaps we could say, the attention is on the shepherd's reaction to the angel.
* In either case, Christ's birth hardly receives mention and the storyline shifts to this incredible encounter between the shepherds and this angel.
* Now, maybe you want to point out that although it was an angel that appeared to them, it was the Lord's glory that shone around them.
* And you're right.But it may leave the reader wondering whether there isn't something a little more exciting going on here tonight than the birth of the Christ child.
* We get to the climax of our story, and it isn't the baby Jesus in swaddling cloths who gets the spotlight.It's someone else.
* As we take a closer look we can understand why the shepherds were so terrified.
The "glory of the Lord" is the majesty associated with God's presence.
The shepherds were standing face to face with the Lord's holiness.
* They're afraid because this incident is reminding them that in the presence of God they're nothing but sinners who may assume they're facing judgment for their sin.
* This night, therefore, was not starting out very well.
I'm sure most of us here evening would prefer a boring day to a horrifying day.
Shouldn't the baby Jesus be getting the attention here?
* But before we shift back to the manger, consider the importance of the shepherds' role in tonight's account. The shepherds represent the many sinners of the world, every last human being.And they help us turn our attention to a very important question.
* What's our reaction when it dawns on us how vulnerable we are? What do we think when life's events no longer offer us a clear or safe image of tomorrow?
* We don't know what's going to happen, and it's suddenly evident that we can no longer count on ourselves. We can't even count on others.
* The only one we can count on is the One who holds our very life in his hands.
What's our reaction?It ought to be one of faith.
However, in our sin, our typical reaction is one of fear.
1 We're laid off and we can't imagine how we're going to get our feet back on the ground, much less avoid going into greater debt.
2 We're about to face major surgery and we have nothing but questions about how we'll adjust to the changes it will inflict on us.
3 Our spouse has little time left in this life. You mean I'm to now become the independent one?
4 Or maybe what's being thrust upon us is not something the average person will perceive as bad. It's just that we've never tackled this before.
* Whatever your situation may be, you're thinking: "how do I connect what's happening to me right now, with my Christmas observance and Christ's birth?
* At best tonight's service is simply a diversion, a brief time out.
How am I to relate to the baby Jesus? I'm not sure how he's going to fit into my story.
There's another possibility of course.Tonight's service is your opportunity to refocus your attention. Ask yourself: Where does my Lord want my attention in the end?
* On just this baby in a manger? If so, I'm only going to ask what this has to do with me.
This baby isn't me. He's not my child.
* This is God's Son! This is the only child in history who'd live his entire life and never sin. This is my creator, the King of the universe. This is my judge!
* Can you relate?Maybe not.But to be honest, if that were all there was to see, I don't think the Lord would expect you to relate.
* And that's why Christ prefers keeping the attention off himself and on his messenger and the words of the angel.Does that seem a bit strange?
* We may be reminded of what many will do today in their marketing efforts to sell a given product. You watch this commercial on television from start to finish, but you never see the product.
* Nevertheless, if the advertiser is creative and keeps your attention the whole time, you could be convinced you need what he's selling.
The E-Trade baby just might sell you some mutual funds.
* Of course, you can go only so far with this approach.
If too much attention is given to a certain someone or a certain activity and it has nothing at all to do with the product, they could very well defeat their purpose. Afterwards you're going to have no idea what the commercial was about or who the advertizer was.
* Let me cite an example.Have you seen this commercial about a few people biting into something, and suddenly they're propelled through a wall, a fence and a fireplace?
I have no idea what they're advertizing. Do you? I suppose one of you will let me know.
Surely, Luke's Christmas account has a whole lot more to it than today's favorite commercials.
* But we may find it strange, just the same, that the glory of the Lord would shine not around the new born babe, the Christ Child."The glory of the Lord" rather, "shone around them", the shepherds.
* Was this a case where the Lord God was overdoing it and defeating his own purpose?
These men keeping watch over their flock, had no idea what they were witnessing.
* Maybe not at first. But it soon would be made very clear to them.
This wasn't a simple case of God acting as God. These unassuming and unkept gentlemen
had the opportunity to hear God.This angel was speaking for the Lord God himself.
"Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people" he declared.
* Do you see the point?Perhaps it even seems appropriate?The glory of the Lord appears not in the manger, but side by side with God's Word! Our attention is drawn first not to the little one in the manger but to the good news of our Savior.
* For that's what we need in the end. We don't need the Lord flexing his muscles.
We don't need the newborn Christ demanding the world's attention.
* We need his good news. We need the Gospel of our Savior which provides great joy for all people by informing us how we're saved from our sin.
Yes. At first the shepherds were scared out of their wits.
Who wouldn't be, standing in the presence of God's glory?
* But once the Lord has their attention, he reveals the truth about the Lord who's come to live among us.He didn't expose their sin in order to destroy them.
His message was not one of judgment but joy, intended for all people.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
* The Lord's message is that he would become one of us. In order to take God's attention away from our sin and what we deserved, he would be born for us, and live and die for us.
* No wonder the shepherds would go in haste "to see this thing that has happened."
No wonder they would make "known the saying that had been told them concerning this child."No wonder "all who heard it wondered (and were amazed) at what the shepherds told them." No wonder May would treasure "up all these things, pondering them in her heart."
* There is truly no greater source of joy than the news concerning our Savior. The news teaches us where we find our salvation and where we find our God in his greatest glory.
* It happens to be where the Lord Jesus ends up, not in the manger but the cross.
That's right.God's finest glory, what captures our attention when all is said and done, is Jesus taking our place on the cross and exchanging the wrath of God for the peace which existsbetween God and sinners.
* Recall Jesus' words to the disciples on their way to Emmaus.
"Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these
things and enter into his glory."
Apart from the cross, Jesus was saying, there is no glory.
Apart from his suffering and dying for our sins there is no joy, no peace, no salvation.
* But with the cross God has promised us his everlasting attention in the glories he's sure to share with us in heaven.
If you think ringing a bell for children is goofy, would you believe I do the same thing downstairs to prepare the grownups for Bible Class?
* That's right.Check us out some time.
Surely you won't argue there's anything goofy about that, unless maybe at the end of the day I've got some of your thinking about my cute little bell in stead of God's Word.
* If God's messenger should ever fail in placing the focus on Jesus, we'd be in trouble.
It wouldn't matter whether we're ancient shepherds outside of Bethlehem or Christians of the 21st century.
* That's why we can be especially thankful this Christmas for our Lord's Attention Getters.
After convincing us of our sin and our need for a Savior, he convinces us where we can find his salvation. Right here in the good news that is for all people, including you. Amen.
May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.