You remember the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians that the glory of God has been displayed to us in the face of Jesus Christ and it's that person, Jesus, who we'll be reflecting on this evening. And you can, I'm sure, imagine the fear and trepidation that occurs in a seminarian when And he finds out that Reverend Camminga has preached the same text the morning right before he's about to preach. But I'm sure Pastor Cam would agree, after much reflection on this text this week and study of it, that the Scriptures, the Word of God, really are inexhaustible, really a treasure chest of riches for the people of God. And so it's my delight to once again bring God's word to you from Luke chapter 2. So if you'll turn there in your Bibles, Luke chapter 2. And before we read from God's word, let's go to him in prayer. Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that Luke wrote these words down many years ago as he was led along by the Holy Spirit. We ask, Father, now at this time that you would send your Holy Spirit to illumine our hearts and our minds. May it always be fresh to us and may you speak a word of truth and grace into our lives this evening. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. Luke chapter 2, beginning at verse 1. In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinus was governor of Syria and everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly hosts appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Here ends God's Word. You know, I suspect that for followers of Jesus Christ, there is always a danger of familiarity lurking around the Christmas story. We, or at least I myself, have a tendency to sentimentality. You get the point. We tend to sanitize the Christmas story. We tend to make it sentimental. There we go. During the Christmas season, we're bombarded with Christmas carols, Christmas cinema, Christmas cards. And after a certain amount of time, that Christmas story can sort of become commonplace, right? That story about Jesus' birth 2,000 years ago on December 25th, after his mother Mary rode a donkey 80 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, was turned away by a rude innkeeper and had to give birth that same night in a stable surrounded by animals and then was visited that night by three kings from the east with choirs of angels singing out in the fields. That extraordinary story can just become ordinary. And of course, most of what I just said probably did not actually occur. Jesus probably wasn't born on December 25th, and the scriptures don't tell us. Mary might have ridden on a donkey, but the scriptures don't say. There's no mention of an innkeeper anywhere in the Gospel accounts. And the place that's commonly translated inn in your Bibles probably evokes the wrong imagery for us today in 21st century America. Mary might have given birth the night she arrived in Bethlehem, but the Scripture is not entirely clear on that point. There's no reference to a stable, No description of barnyard animals nuzzling the baby Jesus. No evidence that Jesus, when he woke after cattle were lowing, made no crying. The three kings of the east who visited the manger were not kings. They probably did not arrive in time to see Jesus in the manger. And scripture actually doesn't say there were three of them. Bah humbug, right? Do we really need to be Scrooges about the Christmas story? Well, yes and no. On the one hand, I think Scripture invites us to sort of imagine the circumstances that surrounded Jesus' birth. This lowly virgin teenager giving birth in awful conditions with her fiancé probably helplessly standing beside her. But on the other hand, over time, that story, that true story of God become man, the enfleshment of the infinite one, the creature, the creator become the creature, can sort of be embellished and cloaked in a garb of fanciful tales. There's always a temptation that we lose the true historical account of Jesus' birth and its real-life significance. See, we might just get lost in the nativity narrative and lose sight of what God actually did 2,000 years ago when he became man in the person of Jesus. So this evening I want to focus with you on Luke 2, 1-20 and see here that Luke is showing us that God has become man in the person of Jesus. The Most High has become the Most Low. And to do that, I just want to focus on three things from Luke 2. When Jesus was born, to whom He was born, and where He was laid on the first night of His life. So when was Jesus born? Luke records for us that Jesus was born during the days of Caesar Augustus. Now, oftentimes an objection comes to Christianity. Perhaps you've heard it before. That really, Christianity may work for you, but it doesn't work for me. The Christian faith may work for you, but it doesn't work for me. But the problem with that is that Christianity is not just about your personal walk with God. It's not about how God took you out of some addiction. It's not how He's helping your marriage currently. It's not how He's aided your business. Christianity is fundamentally about historic events. It's about real history. Fundamentally, it's about a historic person. A historic person who came into real time and real space. See, we would never say about the Holocaust, the Holocaust works for you, but it doesn't work for me. It's a historical fact. And those who would deny that would be labeled insane, or at least they should be labeled insane. And the same is true with Christianity. you have to do something with this baby Jesus born under the reign of Caesar Augustus. You can't remain neutral to this baby Jesus. Luke presents this, and you can ask any historian of antiquity, Luke presents this account as real history. But if we just stop there, if we just stop with real history, then we'll miss what Luke is actually trying to communicate to us, what he is communicating to us. That there's a story behind this story. You remember in Proverbs 21, the writer says that the king's heart is like a stream of water that the Lord directs at his command. See, if we just stop with the historic events of Jesus, we'll miss that story behind the story. We'll miss the fact that a decree actually went out from the heavenly courtroom of God. In eternity past, in the fullness of time, a son would be born. See, Caesar sent out this decree to have his entire empire registered. It was likely an act to show and demonstrate his power. To demonstrate that he was the ruler of the world. To show people who was pulling the strings. but there's a king above Caesar and there's an emperor above all emperors and it was from his courtroom that a decree went out that when the time had fully come God's son would be born of a woman and all that was him making good on his promise His promise that began in Genesis 3.15 and carried on throughout the entire Old Testament. See, it's easy for us to criticize the supposed inhospitality of Bethlehem. It's easy for us to pity the poor birthing conditions of this Virgin Mary. It's easy for us to criticize the rejection of Jerusalem. But you have to see here, friends, that this is all taking place. This is all part and parcel of a divine plan. This is God fulfilling His promise. He's always faithful to His promise. This is God being true to His Word. And do you think anything's changed? Do you think anything's changed for you or for me? That same sovereign God is still ruling His kingdom. Caesar has come and gone. The Roman Empire has come and gone. But the God who's pulling the strings in Luke 2, His dominion is an everlasting dominion. His kingdom is an eternal kingdom. He's forever faithful. And God's complete reliability, His eternal kingdom, should show us in Luke 2 what's ultimately going on. It's a radical reversal that's happening. Christianity turned the world upside down. See, it's about a kingdom that does not privilege the powerful or the rich. What Mary sang of in Luke 1 is coming to pass. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich He has sent away empty. See, the whole irony of Christmas is that everyone's gaze is on Caesar in Rome. The philosophers in Athens. Everyone's sight is set on the rich and the prosperous, the ones who had influence and significance. A virgin teenage girl, pregnant, a lowly blue-collar woodworker, and a newborn baby. It didn't attract any attention. See, what God is showing us is that He loves to use a small stage to put on a big show. He loves to use the foolish things to shame the wise. He loves to use the weak things to show up the strong. It means that if you're here today and you know that you have no power, no control, no earthly significance, then God has His sights set on you. You're in his line of sight. You're exactly the person who God has come to save. And that's my second point this evening, that God has come to save sinners. Martin Luther has this incredible little book called The Christmas Book. And in it he writes that God looks to the depths here I'm paraphrasing but he says that God looks to the depths he reveals the gospel for seemingly the first time in Jesus' life to poor shepherds he has his eyes fixed on those who are low he says we run around we chase after climbing up the scales of power the ladders of influence but Luther says really what that does if God has his sights set on the depths is take you out of the line of sight of God and you see who Jesus comes to who God comes to in Luke 2 he comes to poor shepherds you know probably most of our images of shepherds are a little bit romanticized. This was a dirty job if there ever was one. Luther, in his little book, called it a mean job, being a shepherd. You're out day and night, long hours, probably little sleep. You can bet these guys smelled a little bit ripe. I don't know if you've ever been around ranchers or on the construction site, but you can imagine the language and the jokes told by these shepherds was a little bit off-color, probably wasn't the best language. And it's these shepherds who God reveals the birth announcement of Jesus. It's these shepherds who get the very first invitation to Jesus' birthday. And you know, no one ever talks about the shock and horror that must have occurred on Mary's face when these shady, suspicious, smelly shepherds showed up in her birthing room unannounced and uninvited by her. Remember what the angel said in Luke 2, that it was to the shepherds. It was to people like the shepherds who Jesus came to. the angel says, for to you is born this day a Savior. You know, Caesar Augustus was known across the Roman Empire as being the Savior of the world. He had established peace throughout the empire. He was known as a Savior as well. But what kind of Savior is Jesus? Well, I think Luke tells us in Luke 2 based on the shepherds' reaction. What happens when the angel appears to these shepherds? They're terrified. And I think mostly we're under the impression that these shepherds are terrified at the sight of an angel and we would have good reason to expect that. In Luke 1, Zechariah is in the temple and an angel appears to him. And Zechariah is terrified. And the angel says, do not be afraid. When the angel Gabriel comes to Mary, he tells her not to be afraid. But you know, it's interesting that when we get to Luke 2, the language used to describe the fear of the shepherds is a little bit intensified. It literally says that the shepherds feared a great fear. And you know, the one thing that's different about Luke 2 from the angel appearances in Luke chapter 1 is that not only does the angel appear, but the glory of the Lord shines around these shepherds. They feared a great fear because the glory of the Lord was shining around them. It's the same language that's used in Mark's account where Jesus has just calmed the winds and the waves He's spoken to the storm and it's listened to His voice. And after that, the disciples, they fear a great fear. See, the fear that these shepherds are experiencing is the fear that every sinner experiences when they stand in the presence of the glory of the Lord. They're not just merely afraid of the messenger. They're terrified at the sight of the presence and power of God. It's terror and abject fear when sinners stand in the presence of a holy God. That's been the story ever since Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It's the horrific realization that you and I have not measured up to His standard of perfection. We've not prized the person of God. We have not kept His commands as we should. If you want proof of that, just think back on this past day, on this past weekend, how many times did you count the presents under the tree that were for you and base that on what other people were receiving under the tree. It's constantly about what we get instead of magnifying our maker. But what does the angel say? Do not be afraid. I bring you great joy. The angel is saying to these poor shepherds, trade in your great fear for great joy. And why is that possible? Because a Savior has been born who is Christ the Lord. And what's the sign of that? The angel says that the sign of that is a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. It's the biggest anticlimax to any sermon. See, you see what's going on. The baby that's born in the manger is the Lord Himself. And it's the glory of the Lord that's shining around these shepherds. The Lord of glory is now the baby in the trough. And so you see that the glory of the Lord is no longer a terror to behold, but a little baby to hold. That's the good news of Christmas. And He came to save sinners. How is it possible that the Lord of glory should stand in the presence of sinners if He's not the Savior? You know, Richard Mao is president of Fuller Seminary just north of here. He had a very interesting article. He asked a very interesting question of Luke 2. He said, you know, I wonder what the sheep were thinking in Luke 2. Have you ever wondered that? What were the sheep thinking? These shepherds have abandoned them. And then after a while, the shepherds seem to come back to their flocks. You know, these shepherds went and saw Jesus. They came back. And I wonder if any of them knew their Old Testament really well. It's likely that once a year at least, these flocks that the shepherds were guarding would become diminished because you remember that it was sheep, it was lambs that were used to sacrifice to atone for the sin of the people. Probably once a year, some of these sheep would be led up the long trek to Jerusalem. Some estimates are around 30,000 sheep for one Passover. Blood would literally be running through the streets. And it was a picture. The sacrifice and slaughter of these animals was a picture. It was a sign that the price for man's sin was man's blood. God would not punish one of these sheep for something. that man had done but the difficulty is that you needed not just a man not just a mere man but someone who was able to bear a hell's worth of suffering and punishment and pain to satisfy the righteous wrath of God it couldn't be a mere man it could only be Jesus Jesus who is Christ the Lord the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world he was the one born to put these shepherds out of business it's by his stripes it's by his wounds that we are healed well Jesus was born God became man during the reign of Caesar Augustus he came to poor shepherds and he was born into a feeding trough into a manger you know Luke mentions three times the manger the feeding trough it's one of the very few details we have surrounding the birth account of Jesus It's the sign that the angels give to these shepherds how they can find Jesus. What does it mean? Dorothy Sayers was a British novelist and playwright. And speaking of the incarnation, writing about the incarnation, she says this, For what it means is this, among other things, that for whatever reason God chose to make man as he is, limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death, he had the honesty and the courage to take his own medicine. Whatever game he is playing with his creation, he has kept his own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that he has not exacted from himself. He has himself gone through the whole of human experience from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair, and death. When he was a man, he played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worthwhile. See, what Dorothy Sayers is saying there is that the Son of God has become a man. He has suffered that disgrace and he thought that you were costly enough, that I was costly enough to bear that price. He has entered into our misery by being born into a manger. But you know, you cannot stop. We must not stop at the manger. Because the misery that begins here in this feeding trough will climax on a bloody tree. It always surprises me around Christmas that this whole debate goes on and on about Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. And really, Jesus' very first birthday, He was already experiencing the rejection of this world. He's always been rejected. His entire ministry was one of rejection. Until finally on the cross, even His heavenly Father abandoned Him so that you and I would be freed and delivered from our misery. and you, you people of God, made that well worth his while. Well, have you ever thought about what the manger was actually made of? You know, I imagine from pictures we see in people's front lawns to in the paper and magazines, we probably often have an image of this feeding trough as being a little wooden box that Jesus was laid in. But it's interesting, you know, I did some research on archaeological excavations in Palestine. And, you know, it's likely from the evidence that they uncover that this manger was probably made of rock or hewn out of some kind of stone. That this little baby Jesus was probably laid in some type of rock feeding trough, a stone feeding trough. And you know, wouldn't it just be a little bit interesting here? Couldn't Luke be just in the slightest way hinting to us that this little baby that was wrapped in cloths and laid down in what appears to be this rock feeding trough would one day bear our misery, bear the mess of this world in his own body as it was wrapped and laid in an empty tomb. In a tomb hewn out of the rock. Could it be that Luke is just pointing us in the slightest way to the fact that Jesus would not only bear our misery to the cross, to Golgotha, but also take our misery and our shame and our death into the grave itself and come out victorious on the third day? see God incarnate would rise from death he would conquer the grave and his promise to each and every one of us this evening is that whoever trusts and believes in his name he's coming back to glorify our bodies to bring in a completely new creation see Jesus' incarnation means new creation a new heavens and new earth because our elder brother and king Jesus is now in a glorified resurrected body I'll close with these words from Saint Augustine man's maker was made man that he ruler of the stars might nurse at his mother's breast, that the bread might hunger, the fountain thirst, the light sleep, the way be tired on its journey, that the truth might be accused of false witness, the teacher beaten with whips, the foundation be suspended on wood, that strength might grow weak, that the healer might be wounded that life might die this Christmas friends consider afresh the wonderful and historical account that Jesus is God in the flesh God become man God faithfully fulfilling his promise all his promises from the Old Testament the one who bore our sin on the tree who came into our flesh bore our infirmities and is coming back as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to bring in an entirely new creation of which He is already a part and we with Him. The greatest gift is not wrapped under the tree but it was hung on a tree for you and for me. Friends, that's the greatest news of great joy for all the people. Go this week and tell it. Amen. Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Christ Jesus, into the world to save sinners. We confess and admit, Lord, that we are such. that we were in desperate need of Jesus Christ the Lord to come and save us. We thank You that You have kept Your promise, that You were always faithful to Your Word, that we can rely on it tomorrow, this week, and for the rest of our lives. We thank You that our Savior experienced our misery, the misery of the whole human race. And we thank You that He not only took our sins to the cross, but rose victorious over the grave. Father, in this Christmas season, help us to remember afresh and believe in the promise that You hold out to us of new life in Jesus Christ, our God and our King. It's in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. Thank you.