"WHAT WILL BE YOUR PRESENT?"
Isaiah 40:1-10; Matthew 3:1-3; John 8:1-15
Posted December 20, 2000
Before I remind you what Christmas is really all about, I need to dispel some of our images of how Christmas came to be celebrated on this day in the first place.
December 25 is not the date on which Christ was born. It is evident that Jesus was not born during the middle of winter, for at the time of his birth, the shepherds were living out in the fields with their flocks. As the bible says: "There were in the same country shepherds
abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke
2:8). As is well known, the shepherds in Palestine do not "abide in
the fields" during the winter season because of the extreme, cold
temperatures. The shepherds always bring their flocks in from the
mountain slopes and fields no later than October 15th!
Further proof of this conclusion may be seen from the fact that
at
the time Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary had gone to Bethlehem to
be taxed (Luke 2:1-5). There are no records of this period
whatsoever that would indicate that the middle of the winter was
the time of taxing. Even Jesus said, when talking of the end times,
"pray that your flight not be in the winter" (Matt. 24:20). And so
the
harshness of the winter season in Palestine, even though it is less
harsh than what is experienced in much of Canada, it is
harsh enough to stop people from traveling and certainly to stop the
shepherds from tending their flock at night. And so we see that
Christ could not have been born in the Winter. On the other hand,
there is evidence that taxes were paid in the fall season of the
year.
This was the logical time for the taxes to be paid since this was at
the
end of their harvest. There is also evidence that when Joseph and
Mary made this trip, it was the time of a great feast at Jerusalem.
This is the most logical reason why Mary went with Joseph, to attend
the feast, as they also did on later occasions (see Luke 2:41), for
there was no law that required a woman's presence at a taxing.
We know that the time they went to pay taxes was also the time
of one of the great feasts at Jerusalem because of the enormous
crowd, so enormous in fact, "there was no room in the inn" at
Bethlehem (Luke 2:7). Jerusalem was normally a city of only
120,000 inhabitants, but (according to the Jewish historian,
Josephus)
during the feasts, sometimes as many as two million Jews would
gather there. With such vast throngs of people coming to the feast,
not only would Jerusalem be filled, but the surrounding towns also,
including Bethlehem, which was only five miles to the south. Mere
taxation would not cause a crowd this big to be in Bethlehem, for
each person returned to his own city to be taxed.
The time of Christ's birth was in the summer or early fall. And so,
taking all of these things into consideration, it seems evident that
Joseph and Mary made the journey, not only to pay their taxes, but
also to attend a great feast at Jerusalem. This was at the end of
the
harvest season that they were taxed and this was also the time of the
Feast of Tabernacles. All of this, as well as the evidence already
given would mark the birth of Christ not in the winter and therefore
not December 25th
Since Christ was not born on December 25th, then how did this
particular day come to be a part of the church calendar? Instead of
this day being the time of Christ's birth, it was the very day and
season on which the pagans for centuries had celebrated the birth of
the Sun-god! A study into history shows how far apostate church
leaders went in their effort to merge Christianity and paganism into
one religion, even to placing the birth of Christ on a date to
harmonize with the pagan birthday celebration of the sun-god!
When Christianity gained influence in the fifth century they
outlawed the pagan worship of the sun holiday with little success.
Finally they adopted the holiday into the church and changed the
words and meanings of the festivities to fit with "christianity". It
took many years to effect this
It was in the fifth century that the Roman Catholic Church decided
that the birth of Christ be observed forever on December 25th, the
day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, one of the names of
the
sun-god!
For centuries we have been trying to overcome the struggle between
the worship of God and other gods. Christmas brings this struggle
into full focus. The season can highlight the spiritual quest of our
lives with the presence of the very light of the world or it can
deepen the darkness by becoming just a secular party in which
commercialism is the only end.
This week I read about a display at a shopping mall to highlight
the
spirituality of Christmas celebrations in various faiths. This is an
attempt to put some perspective on what all the celebration is about
and to bring the light of God's love into the lives of people who may
just find the season to be a cause for depression.
Shouldn't we try to convey the true meaning of Christmas?
Let's not get too carried away with the trappings of Christmas and
get more involved with the truth of Christmas.
Christmas is not only a time of remembering what gifts we should
give in Christ's name to those we love. It is also a time of
remembering the gift God gave in our names and for our sakes ,the
gift of Christ. What are some of God's gifts that come to us through
the Christmas story?
1. The first Christmas gift is the gift of Jesus,
the light of the world.
God began the custom of giving. So the first
Christmas gift given is the gift from God. His present is Jesus, the
light of the world. Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness of
our
lives. For the light of the world is Jesus. John 1:4-5 proclaims, "In
him
was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines
in
the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." Our Christmas
decorations of lights, whether they be electric bulbs on our tree or
candles on our table, remind us of the gift of the Creator the light
of
the world. The incarnation of God in a baby is the gospel's
affirmation of the invasion into human darkness of the light of the
world.
2. The second Christmas gift is the gift of Mary and Joseph.
God had prepared Mary, and Mary had prepared Joseph for the birth
of the Christ child. It was their arms that God chose to embrace and
cuddle the Christ child. It was their hands that God chose to wrap
the
infant Jesus in swaddling clothes to keep him safe.
3. The third Christmas gift is the gift of the shepherds.
They brought to the Christ child a very precious present the gift
of wonder.
The first people to see Jesus were simple people who were occupied
with daily tasks,
but were not preoccupied with temporal things. Wonder touched
their hearts and minds when they heard the angel, and they arose
and went to Bethlehem bearing their gift of wonder. Unlike the Magi,
who came with regal gifts, the shepherds probably came empty-
handed. These simple people of the fields hurried to Bethlehem with
nothing but their wonder to give. Their hands were empty, but their
hearts were full of awe. It is our sense of wonder and awe in the
face of God's glorious gift of Christ that emboldens us to follow in
the
shepherds' footsteps and proclaim the good news that Christ has
come into our world. Thankfully the gift of wonder is contagious. In
the words of Luke, those who heard the shepherds "wondered at
those things which were told them by the shepherds" (2:18 KJV).
4. The fourth Christmas gift is the gift of the wise men ,the gift
of
excellence.
Contrary to what you see in paintings, the wise men did
not come to Jesus' birthplace. They arrived late, after Mary and
Joseph had brought Jesus home to Nazareth. These magi, or wise
men, brought the child Jesus the most treasured gifts of their day
gold, frankincense and myrrh. They offered the gift of excellence
first fruits, not leftovers. Their gifts demonstrated that it is the
best
of our talents and our treasures that every wise man and woman will
offer to Christ.
5. Finally, the fifth Christmas gift is the gift of the
baby Jesus himself, the gift of joy.
Over and over again in the gospel
accounts of Christmas, you come across the word "joy." It is in the
angelic announcement: "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings
of great joy, which shall be to all people" (Luke 2:10 KJV). To a
world
crying out in all its confusion, pain and perversion for salvation,
the
baby Jesus brought the gift of good news, and with it, joy. In the
"worst of times," this tiny baby offered the best of truth. In the
worst
of times, God does the best of things. In Christ, we have been
gifted
with the pathway to God, the route to fulfillment in life, the light
which shines to illumine our steps toward God. Teilhard de Chardin
asserted that "If we have faith, then everything about us begins to
gleam." The gift of the baby Jesus was this gift of gleaming truth.
May I challenge you this Christmas season
to discover just how much you do spend on
Christmas and on what. May I suggest that you cut those
costs by twenty-five percent and donate that same percentage to the
poor, sick, hungry or needy this Christmas.
Other "alternatives" being advocated by various lifestyle watchers
include: encouraging each family in your church to adopt a "needy"
family for the coming year; hold a gift-making workshop at the
church, showing people how to put themselves into the gifts they
give to others; center Christmas on activities instead of "thing-
giving"visit sick or shut-in friends and neighbors, organize a
community Christmas worship service, or organize a study-action
group devoted to using the monies usually spent on commercial
Christmas celebrations for hunger projects or other human welfare
efforts both locally and globally.
As you search for presents for those you love, remember that the
greatest presents of Christmas are not physical, but spiritual. In
all
your celebrations take this journey to Bethlehem and share these
spiritual gifts of light, obedient preparation, wonder, excellence
and
the joy of truth.
At Christmas
may God open
Your heart to love,
Your mind to wonders,
Your ears to life,
and Your life to the divine presence.
May you experience
God's peace for your troubles,
God's forgiveness for your guilt,
God's presence for your loneliness,
God's light for your path,
God's guidance for your journey,
and
God's joy for your life.
May you know
The hope of the Christmas season,
The rejoicing and celebration of the carols,
The caring found under the mistletoe,
The sharing found in giving,
The good news proclaimed by the angels,
The anticipation and excitement of the prophets,
The assurance that all is well found in the Scriptures, and
The wonder of God's love
found in Jesus.
May you leave with
The twinkle of bright lights in your eyes,
The happy sounds of Christmas ringing in your ears,
A vision of the Savior in your mind,
The spirit of the season in your memory,
The joy of the season in your life,
The faith of the Christ child in your soul, and
The message of the season on your lips. Amen.
Return to Sermon Page
Return to FBC Homepage