November 20, 2000

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Christmas Lesson

Transformation by grace changes perspectives ___Isaiah 9:1-7; Luke 2:8-14 ___Isaiah 9:1Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, but the way of the sea, along the Jordan--2The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 3You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. ... ___Luke2:8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring your good news of great joy that will be for all people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." ___13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

___By Joe Blair
___The birth of a child usually is a wondrous event. Seeing our son for the first time, a sense of awe came over me at this tiny life now occupying his special space in the world. What potential, what joy, what hope were wrapped up in that tiny son of ours.
___The whole world waited for a wondrous event in history, whether it knew it or not, epitomized in the hope for the birth of the Messiah.
___The people of Israel looked at each new king with great expectation for a blessed kingdom. The accession of the king to the throne was often announced in words of promise, joy and hope. This week's text reflects the accession of the king of Judah. While it is uncertain to which king, the time of Isaiah's prophecy belongs leads many interpreters to locate it at the accession of King Hezikiah in the latter part of the 8th century B.C. Deliverance, peace, prosperity, justice and righteousness were the best hopes of the people as a new king took the throne. These hopes became idealized in a future messianic child, a specially anointed king, who would actually bring all these hopes to their fullness for Israel. Isaiah's prophecy reflects the messianic hope that only God could fulfill. In the companion passage of Luke for this lesson, we hear the announcements to the shepherds of the fulfillment of that hope, the birth of a child.
___"Shepherds ... in the fields ..."
___Luke's gospel concerns itself very much with the outsider, the disenfranchised and the unempowered. Jesus was born and placed in a manger (Luke 2:7, 12), or feeding trough, in a place where animals stayed. This was no grand birth in a palace or wealthy home, or even in a middle-class type condition. The greatest person in history was in very humble, very meager circumstances. The circumstances of the birth remind us the deliverer, the king, the Savior, identified with the lowly and the destitute of this world. He identified with those who needed justice and hope.
___Are we not all destitute, no matter what our privileged circumstances? Indeed, Jesus thought the rich person's condition was a more perilous condition than that of the poor. Being poor does not merit any special status, and poverty is contrary to Jesus' standards of justice, but the wealthy found it easier to trust their wealth and status as a kind of salvation rather than turning readily to the Savior. So the fact that the Shepherds heard the good news is not surprising. They were a group of outsiders mostly. They had little status at this point in history, and were looked down on by some people. Yet they were the people who received the announcement of this wondrous birth of the Christ-child.
___The circumstances of Christ's birth, and the announcement about it, also remind us that God does not play favorites. Some people feel they simply are not worthy to receive God's attention and especially his salvation. That, they may think, belongs to the privileged, those with talent and status. After all, isn't the fact that they have such status evidence of the blessing of God, that they have done more to please God and God has blessed them? But remember the birth, and Jesus' identity in birth with the lowly.
___"The glory of the Lord shone around them ..."
___The glory of the Lord is his majesty, his power and his greatness. When we think of something glorious, we think of something beyond the normal category of things, something wonderful and magnificent.
___We may also think of the glory of God as his reputation, for when we speak of his majesty, power and greatness, we speak of his reputation. But how do we perceive this reputation? Someone has said that Jesus is God's answer to a bad reputation. God certainly has a bad reputation with some people. Insurance companies call major disasters "acts of God." People accuse God of murder and mayhem of all kinds, of being a despot who makes the earth a miserable place. However, when Jesus glorifies the Father, he glorifies who the Father is. Jesus has established God's reputation--who God is and what he is like, because Jesus is "God with us."
___And what is God like when we meet him in Jesus. Jesus did good wherever he went. The unincluded are included, the unlovable are loved and the disenfranchised of society become enfranchised. He quiets noisy crowds and disciples so that he may focus upon a blind man or a suffering woman. He talks to a woman by the well who has a sordid life she doesn't want him to know about (see John 4) and offers her the water of life freely from which she will never thirst again.
___You see, God in Jesus comes after us--not to get even with us, but to welcome us home as the father welcomed home the wasted prodigal (Luke 15:21-24). Perhaps God choose to make the happy, glorious announcement to the shepherds so all of us could understand that it is an announcement for everyone, for if the shepherds were worthy to hear it so are we. Had the announcement been made at the king's palace, would it have been an announcement for only those of king-like identity, or if made in the seat of government would it have been only for those of power, or at Wall Street, would it have been an announcement only for the wealthy? No, the announcement was made to struggling shepherds and before a few sheep on the world's stage, a blessing upon the sometimes excluded shepherds. A child is born, who is the Christ-child, what glorious news!
___"A Savior ..."
___In the ancient world, for Israel as well as others, a savior was looked upon as one who could deliver from disease, or threat, or bad circumstances or all of these. Greek and Roman rulers were viewed as saviors, or at least endowed with that hope on the part of people. But kings had weaknesses and shortcomings, and could not bring about the deliverance for which Israel hoped. Circumstances could be so difficult or so big that no mere human agent could function as a deliverer. So a special savior was needed; in the case of the hope which surfaces in the Bible, the Savior would have to be one specially anointed by God. The title "Christ" means anointed.
___How is Christ "Savior?" He saves us from our sins. Sin takes away authentic life, and that which is taken away we cannot restore, try as we may. God gives us life in Christ that is authentic life; it is eternal and cannot be taken away from us. Christ saves us from a burden of guilt when he declares us justified as we accept his forgiveness in faith. To be justified is to be acquitted, to be declared not guilty. He saves us from waywardness to his way, a way of freedom and life that leads us home to God where we really belong. Christ as Savior could be further explained theologically as well as by each person's experience, but we get the picture--we need the Savior, and the announcement of this Savior is just as important to humanity now as it was 2,000 years ago. Looking back from Jesus to Isaiah's hope for a messianic king will help us to see how Jesus is the fulfillment of such hopes.
___"The people who walked in darkness ..."
___Darkness symbolized evil. At the time of Isaiah's statement, the nation of Judah had been through a very difficult period. Some interpreters think Isaiah's words came after King Ahaz's death. Ahaz was an evil king who participated in idolatrous practices and was the source of much suffering among the people. The people who lived in that darkness had now "seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:2). The light of a new day inspires Isaiah to give expression to the deep hope and longing for the kind of king Isaiah describes. While the successor to Ahaz may offer some light, he would not meet the remarkable description in the following verses about the child born to reign.
___"A child has been born for us ..."
___Again, looking from Christ back to Isaiah's words we see how Jesus fulfills the hope for a king-deliverer. The "authority (or government) rests upon his shoulders" (9:6) means he is the one entitled to rule. Jesus is the one who has been given authority over all things, for he is "Messiah" (Luke 2: 11), the king (see also Matthew 28:18).
___Consider the other statements about the king in Isaiah and compare to Jesus. He is "Wonderful Counselor," that is, he has the ability to lead and give direction to the people. He is "Mighty God," which means he is the one who leads his people to victory as the divine warrior against evil forces. He is "Everlasting Father," the one who is ultimately concerned about the welfare of his people. He is "Prince of Peace," which means he is the source of well being and prosperity for the people. Of course, Jesus is all that to us. "A child is born"--when this is said of Jesus' birth it is the greatest birth announcement in history, for this is the Christ, the King.

For thought and discussion
___ How does Luke's gospel give us a special insight about Jesus in respect to the people with whom he identified? Name people who correspond in circumstance today to those outsiders Jesus so earnestly focused upon in his ministry. What does that mean for us as we follow the Lord, as Jesus sends us into the world as he was sent into the world (John 17:18)?
___ What circumstances in our day would parallel the circumstances of Jesus' birth had Jesus been born in our time?
___ This Christmas season ponder how important the birth of Christ was in human history. List some expressions from Luke and Isaiah that are helpful to understanding this importance.
___ From experiences in your life with Christ, give examples of how Christ is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace to you.
___ Give examples of Jesus as Savior. Explain what Jesus as Savior means to you; be as specific as you can.___
___ As you remember your child's birth, or the birth of a brother or sister, compare or contrast some of the feelings about that birth with your observance of the birth of Christ.
___ The glory of the Lord was part of the announcement to the shepherds. What is the "glory" of God? In what sense is Jesus the glory of the Lord?

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