John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 – He was with God in the beginning.
3 – Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.
4 – In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
5 – The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
10 – He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.
11 – He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.
12 – Yet to all Who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
13 – —children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 – The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
If you’ve been worshiping with us for the past few weeks then you know we’ve been using some of the most popular carols of Christmas as a way to study the birth of Jesus. This week I looked at the background behind another carol, We Three Kings of Orient Are—a carol about some men who make a long journey to worship the Christ child…men who FOUND Christmas. In my study of this carol I came across what I think is some very interesting information—namely, it was “jolly old St. Nick” who paved they way for this beloved carol to come into existence.
Here’s what I mean. Shortly after the war of 1812, Anglicans in our country wanted to establish their own seminary and they decided to locate the school in New York City. A man named Clement Clarke Moore, who was the son of New York’s Episcopalian bishop, was an up-an-coming land developer. He had also become well-known because of a poem he had written which began,
“‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”
The popularity of this poem about jolly old St. Nick had made Moore’s name a household word. This also greatly increased his income enabling him to purchase a great deal of property. Moore’s land holdings grew to include a large estate in Manhattan and he decided to give that estate to the Episcopalians for their seminary, which they called General Theological Seminary. Moore was also a linguist and a Hebrew scholar and became one of that seminary’s first professors.
Some years later a young man named John H. Hopkins, Jr. enrolled at General. He graduated from the seminary in 1850 and in 1855 he returned as the school’s first instructor in church music. Hopkins wrote We Three Kings as part of a Christmas pageant produced by the seminary in 1857. So you see, if it weren’t for the poem The Night Before Christmas, we might not have ever sung this beloved carol about some men who were wise enough to literally FIND Christmas.
I thought about this story as I prepared for today’s message because tragically there were people NOT as wise as those magi…people who were foolish enough to actually MISS Christmas. The Apostle John refers to these individuals in our text when he says, “Jesus was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.”
John was correct. Several people were actually there, or close by, when Jesus was born…but their busy-ness, their selfishness, even their religion, kept them from experiencing the greatest event in the history of all mankind. This Christmas morning I want us to see what we can learn from those pitiful people who were oblivious to the birth of God’s Son…so that we will not repeat their errors. The first group of people I want us to look at are…
(1) …the INNKEEPERS of Bethlehem.
For hundreds of years we have talked about THE innkeeper who turned Mary and Joseph away that first Christmas night. However, if we look closely we can see that the Bible doesn’t mention an innkeeper per se—it just mentions an INN. And…when I read Luke’s account I get the mental impression that there were SEVERAL inns in the area that were full that night…every room occupied by people who—JUST LIKE JOSEPH AND MARY—had traveled to Bethlehem for the Roman census.
Bethlehem was the city of King David, so his every living descendant would have been there, which meant that this little village must have been bulging…crowded streets and sidewalks…long lines at every restaurant…and all the “hotel lobbies” filled with tired travelers.
So, Mary and Joseph PROBABLY encountered numerous “No Vacancy” signs that night as they went from their equivalent of the “Holiday Inn” to the “Hampton Inn” to the “Red Roof Inn”…to “Motel 6″…and with all those doors closed to them, the Bible says the best place Joseph could find for Mary to give birth with some measure of privacy was in a stable…which, as I said last night, was likely a cave in the side of a hill that was used to quarter livestock.
The fact is, there were probably several innkeepers in Bethlehem who missed taking part in the first Christmas—because in their BUSY-NESS they turned this weary couple away. And…not only did they not give them a ROOM—apparently they didn’t even call for anyone to help Mary, a young mother obviously about to give birth. Luke 2:7 says that “MARY gave birth to her firstborn Son; and SHE wrapped Him in cloths, and SHE laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” Notice…no midwives are mentioned…no one to assist Mary. The Bible doesn’t even SAY that Joseph was present. Surely he was, but if he was typical of the way most men act at their first birth experience….he would have been little help to Mary. So she was basically on her own.
We should note that giving birth alone like this was far from typical in the culture of 1st century Israel. The Jewish people of this day were not barbaric people who sent their women off to have their babies alone. No…they were civilized, intelligent, educated, and above all hospitable people who cared deeply about human life. It would have been highly unusual for a young woman to give birth ALONE in a stable in that land. Yet due to the BUSYNESS of those days…that is what happened. G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “Think of the tragedy of it, the loneliness of it; that in that hour of all hours, when womanhood should be surrounded by the tenderest care, Mary was alone.” So…these innkeepers and the other harried residents of Bethlehem—people who might have helped didn’t…and in making this choice—they missed Christmas. The Son of God was born right under their noses…but in their pre-occupation with the census, they were oblivious to it all. The Bible doesn’t give us any indication that they were hostile or even unsympathetic. No…in their hectic lives it just became a question of PRIORITY. I mean they didn’t get together and fight to keep Jesus out. Neither did they vote Him out. They just CROWDED Him out.
Frederick Buechner wrote a dramatized account of the innkeeper’s reasoning and it helps us to see inside the minds of these people—and I think our own minds as well. The innkeeper says,
“I speak to you as men of the world, not as idealists but as realists. Do you know what its like to run an inn—to run a business, a family, to run anything in this world for that matter, even your own life: It is like being lost in a forest of a million trees and each tree is a thing to be done. Is there fresh linen on all the beds? Did the children put on their coats before they went out? Has the letter been written, the book read? Is there money enough left in the bank? Today we have food in our bellies and clothes on our backs, but what can we do to make sure we will have them still tomorrow? A million trees. A million things. Finally we have eyes for nothing else, and whatever we see turns into a thing.”
Does the perspective of this innkeeper seem familiar to you? It does to me—because in a very real sense our world is full of “innkeepers” today—and I am often one of them. We are so busy—our “to do” lists are so long that needy people DO become little more than “things.” In every free minute we are either shopping, decorating, sending cards, going to school activities OR PREPARING to shop or decorate or send cards or attend school activities. Did you know that more people have nervous breakdowns at Christmas than at any other time of year? I’m not surprised to read this bit of Christmas trivia because…we literally run ourselves ragged in this season and in so doing we tragically miss out on much of the quiet joy God intended us to experience as we celebrate the birth of His Son.
But you know…the REAL tragedy is that these days—especially in our area—this busy lifestyle is not JUST at Christmas. No—we live hectic lives all year round. Our days are consumed with ACTIVITY—not necessarily sinful activity—just things that keep us constantly BUSY. I once read that a medical researcher discovered that one of the greatest cures for stress is for people to learn to stop and take deep breaths several times in the day. Apparently breathing deeply naturally releases relaxing agents into our blood stream…and this isn’t happening for many people because we rush around so much—panting and panting—that we never stop to simply relax and breathe correctly!
But, the worst consequence of this hurried way of life is that we don’t make the time to stop and think and pray and enjoy the intimate relationship with God that Christmas made possible. “Immanuel” means “God with us.” But we don’t take the leisure to enjoy that amazing blessing.
We rarely take the time to obey Psalm 46:10 and “…be STILL—cease striving—and know that God is God.” As John Ortberg puts it, “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life. For many of us the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted….and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it.” We rush around every day of the year doing everything BUT talking with God and listening for His response…It’s no wonder Carl Jung wrote, “Hurry is not OF the devil. Hurry IS the devil.”
The experience of the INNKEEPERS of that first Christmas should teach us all to slow down—to stop—to be sensitive enough to hear God knocking on our heart’s door and open it….and invite Him in…to make room for Him in our daily lives.
You may remember me telling you the story of Wallace Purling—a nine year old boy—who was big for his age. Wallace was clumsy and a little slower, mentally that his peers. When the time came for the annual church Christmas pageant, Wally—as he was called—liked the idea of being a shepherd and playing a flute. But, the director of the play recognized that because of Wally’s imposing size, he would be able to make the innkeeper’s refusal of lodging to Joseph and Mary DRAMATIC and FORCEFUL. So, Wally didn’t get the part of a shepherd. He received the role of the INNKEEPER. Well, he practiced his lines over and over. He was determined to do a good job.
On the night of the performance he stood in the wings and watched the Christmas story unfold with fascination.
At his cue, he took his place behind the wooden door that was part of the painted backdrop. When Joseph with Mary appeared before the door and knocked, Wally, the INNKEEPER, opened the door. Assuming as stern an expression as he could manage, he spoke in a loud, gruff voice, “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” “We seek lodging,” replied Joseph. “SEEK IT ELSEWHERE.” retorted Wally, the busily indifferent innkeeper. “The INN is filled.” But Joseph begged, “We are so tired. Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary, and she’s going to have a baby soon. Surely, you must have some place for her to rest.”
Wally’s brow furrowed and there was an embarrassingly long pause….from the wings the prompter whispered his cue, “NO, BEGONE!” Wally repeated, “No, begone!” but some of the pomp and power had gone out of his delivery. Then Joseph put his arm around Mary as they turned wearily away. Wally stood there in the open doorway—his expression one of anguish. Then he did something which made this particular Christmas pageant different from all the rest.
His eyes filled with tears and he cried out to Joseph and Mary, “Wait! Wait! Don’t go! Uh…uh…you can have MY ROOM.” Some felt that the Christmas play was ruined, but most church members thought it was the best Christmas pageant ever.
Wally’s example should remind us that life is not LIFE as it was intended to be if we rush around so much that we don’t have a place in our lives for our Creator and Redeemer. As some one long ago wisely said, “Life is a facade if it speeds past the LASTING in pursuit of the TRANSIENT.” Don’t let that happen! Don’t be an “innkeeper!” Slow down…experience the presence of God in your life…not just tomorrow…but every day.
(2) Another individual who missed the first Christmas was KING HEROD.
To understand how HE came to miss the significance of Jesus’ birth, we need to back up a bit and look at his background. You see, although Herod ruled in Israel, he wasn’t really a Jew. He was an IduMEan. And wasn’t REALLY a king either. He was more of an under-king of a far-flung province of the Roman Empire. His father, Antipater, had done some favors for Rome, and as payment, Herod’s family was given the right to rule Judea, which was under Roman occupation. Herod followed his father’s example and was a consummate politician in that he continued to do everything he could to gain favor with Rome. In return the Roman senate gave him an army. With that army Herod was able to extend his “kingdom” from Judea to Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. He was proud of his domain and called himself “King of the Jews,” a title he held until his death. History records that Herod was a ruthless cold-blooded ruler. The main reason Rome allowed him to continue ruling the region…was the merciless efficiency with which he was able to extract taxes from the people. He was a very evil man.
For example, early in his reign he had all the Hasmoneans murdered. They were the sons of the Maccabeans who had led a revolution against the rule of Greece. Herod wanted to make sure they didn’t do it again so he simply slaughtered them all. Herod had ten wives and twelve children. One of his wives, Mariamne, had a brother named, AriSTOBulus, who was the high priest. Herod was afraid of AriSTOBulus so he murdered him. Then he killed Mariamne too. Herod’s paranoia was legendary. He was afraid one of his two eldest sons might take his throne so he murdered them both. His entire life was one of plotting and execution. Five days before his death he had his eldest son killed for plotting against his throne. In one of the final acts of his evil life, he had the most distinguished citizens of Jerusalem put in prison, and commanded that they be slaughtered the moment he died. He explained,“The people will not weep when I die, and I WANT them weeping—even if they weep over someone else.” All this background helps us to understand HEROD’s panicked response to the announcement by the wise men that a baby had been born who would be the genuine King of the Jews. Scripture records that to insure that this would not happen Herod ordered all male children 2 years old and younger killed in Bethlehem.
His wicked act fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah which had said, “A voice was heard in Rama, weeping and great morning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more.” (Matthew 2:16-18) Herod failed in killing the CHRIST CHILD only because Joseph and Mary had taken Jesus and fled to Egypt after being warned by the angel of God.
So Herod missed Christmas. He passed up an opportunity to meet and come to know the KING OF KINGS—because of his fear that someone else would take his throne…and you know…I’m sorry to say there are “Herod types” in our society even today. There are STILL people who won’t allow anything—even God—to interfere with their career, their position, their power, their ambition, their plans, or their lifestyle. They’re not about to let someone else be KING of their lives. They see Jesus as a threat, just as Herod did and so they miss Christmas as well. These days people don’t mind taking time off work to commemorate Jesus’ birth. They will even embrace Him as a resource when they get in trouble. They might even be willing to add Him to their lives and CALL themselves Christians, but not if He insists on being King. Because that might be a threat to the things that are important to them in life. They are as fearful and as jealous of losing their own self-determination as Herod was of losing his throne. They will guard at all costs their own priorities, their own values, their own morals. They won’t come to Christ if He threatens to cramp their style. They will not accept His right to rule over them. They want to run the show.
And you know its easy to look around and point the finger of blame at our peers for this kind of behavior but you and I often make the same mistake. We SAY Jesus is Lord—but He is not really—for there are parts of our lives that we partition off from His presence and reign. Much like wicked King Herod we refuse to let Jesus rule completely. This is tragic because we really cannot experience the joy of the Christian life unless we commit to follow Jesus as Lord of ALL our lives. He is Lord OF all or He is not Lord AT all. C. S. Lewis once wrote, “[Jesus] cannot bless us unless He has us. When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we are actually trying to keep an area of death. He claims all. There’s no bargaining with Him.”
For us to experience the joy of the presence of Christ…the full benefit of His loving guidance that was made possible because of Christmas we must allow His reign to extend to every area of our lives…our work…our marriage…our parenting…our leisure time…ALL OF IT. In a stone cathedral in Europe there was a large, magnificent pipe organ. It was a Saturday afternoon, and the custodian was making one final check of the choir and organ loft high in the balcony at the back of the church. He was startled to hear footsteps echoing up the stone stairway, as he thought the doors were all locked and no one was around. He turned to see a man in slightly tattered traveling clothes coming toward him. “Excuse me, sir,” the stranger said. “I have come from quite a distance to see the great organ in this cathedral. Would you mind opening the console so that I might get a closer look at it?” The custodian at first refused, but the stranger seemed so eager and insistent that he finally gave in. But then the stranger asked, “May I sit on the bench?” That request was met with absolute refusal by the cathedral custodian. He said, “What if the organist came in and found you sitting there? I would probably lose my job!” But again the stranger was so persistent that the custodian gave in.”But only for a moment,” he added. The custodian noticed that the stranger seemed to be very much at home on the organ bench, so he was not completely surprised when the stranger asked to be allowed to play the organ. “No! Definitely not!” said the custodian. “No one is allowed to play it except the cathedral organist.” The man’s face fell, and his deep disappointment was obvious. He reminded the custodian how far he had come and assured him that no damage would be done. Finally the custodian relented and told the stranger he could play the instrument, but only a few notes and then he would have to leave.
Overjoyed, the stranger pulled out some stops and began to play. Suddenly the cathedral was filled with the most beautiful music the custodian had ever heard in all his years in that place. It seemed to transport him heavenward. Then, in what seemed all too short a time, the stranger stopped playing and slid off the organ bench and started down the stairway. “Wait!” cried the custodian. “That was the most beautiful music I have ever heard in the cathedral. Who are you?” The stranger turned for just a moment as he replied, “Mendelssohn.” He was none other than FELIX Mendelssohn, one of the greatest organists and composers of the nineteenth century!
The custodian was alone now in the cathedral, the beautiful organ music still ringing in his ears.
“Just think,” he said softly, “I almost kept the master from playing his music in my cathedral!”
Each one of us has the opportunity to have a personal—day by day—relationship with the Master of the universe, Jesus Christ. He wants to live in and through us—enabling us to do WONDERFUL things in His kingdom. All we have to do is yield to His rule. When we give Him total control of our moments and days, as is says in Psalm 27:2 our lives will, “make music to the Lord.” but He must be LORD…KING…if that is to happen.
So…the innkeepers missed Christmas…Herod missed it…but one last group did as well…and it is astounding to me that they did. I mean if you made a list of the people who it would seem LEAST likely to miss the coming of Christ, these guys would be at the top of the list…
(3) …In case you haven’t guessed, I’m referring to the Religious Leaders of the day.
Believe it or not, they were oblivious to the birth of the Son of God. Now, in my opinion that’s like saying the referees didn’t see the football game…but that’s exactly what happened. The role these religious leaders played in the Christmas event is recorded in Matthew 2:4-6 where it says that upon hearing of the birth of the King of the Jews from the magi…Herod, “…gathered together all the CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES of the people and began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. And THEY said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, ‘And you Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler, Who will shepherd My people Israel.’” That is shocking! Those chief priests and scribes—the religious leaders of their day KNEW exactly where Christ was to be born. In fact, they apparently knew Micah 5:2 by memory….the text that prophesied that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Yet—THEY missed Christmas. How is that possible? Well the answer may surprise you. It was their religion that made this happen! They lived in Jerusalem—the hub of all religious activity in Israel. The Temple was there and everyone who wanted to make a sacrifice had to come to Jerusalem. So, apparently these priests and religious leaders were so busy in the religious ritual that they missed the reality of what had happened that night. Consumed with all the activity of their feasts and festivals and ceremonies, preoccupied with washings and legal minutiae and other externals, they missed the message of Christmas. In essence they were busy worshiping the RIGHT God in the WRONG way. They were so caught up in the externals of religion that they had abandoned the heart of their faith.
Even today religious people can be the hardest to reach with the good news of Christmas. For if we are not careful our faithful religious activity can become a replacement for a genuine relationship with God. It’s like the flu shots they give these days. In those little hypodermic needles there’s a small amount of the dead virus. And that small amount, injected into the blood stream will make you immune to the real thing.
The same thing can happen with religion. Doing “church things” can make us immune to the genuine article….and when that happens our “faith” becomes nothing but empty ritual. You see, believe it or not it IS possible for an individual to be very involved in organized religion and not know Jesus Christ personally. Perhaps these people are the ones Jesus was referring to in Matthew 7:21, 23 when He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord,’ did we not prophesy in Your name…then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me you evildoers.”
You see, religion can be a deadly trap. Rituals and rules enable people to feel spiritual when they are not. Religious activity is not necessarily synonymous with genuine righteousness. Religion can damn people to Hell as surely as immorality. The message of Christmas is that God loved us so much that He wanted a RELATIONSHIP with each of us. He doesn’t want our religion unless it helps that relationship to grow… In Psalm 51:16-17 David says to God, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” Any religious activity that doesn’t lead a person to a deeper walk with God is a waste of time.
So….several people missed that first Christmas…the innkeepers…those people so busy that they gave up the opportunity to welcome the Christ child…..Herod…who was so selfish…that he foolishly ruled his own life instead of yielding his allegiance to the King of Kings….and even the religious leaders of the day…people who were so involved in religious ritual that they were oblivious to the God they claimed to serve.. Still today people…people like you and me…repeat their mistakes and miss Christmas as well…But…in our text for this morning there is a glorious promise. Remember verse 12? “…all Who received [JESUS], to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God….children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” This Christmas morning…won’t you claim that promise? Believe…put your faith in Jesus. Repent of your sin and follow Him as Savior and as Lord. What better day to find Christmas! And if you make that decision…that DISCOVERY…then won’t you come and share that news with me? Others of you may feel God calling you to make other public decisions…to join this church or to rededicate your life to God…
Whatever decision you have to make, I invite you to do so now by walking forward as we stand and sing.