"Crowded Lives, Empty Hearts!"

A sermon preached at Edgemont Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 24, 2006 by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp. Sermon based on Luke 2:1-7.

I read the other day of a minister in San Francisco who arrived at Church one morning after Christmas and discovered that baby Jesus had been taken from the outside Nativity scene on the church lawn. Immediately, the pastor headed toward the church to call the police, but as he did he noticed little Timmy with a red wagon, and in the wagon was the missing baby Jesus. The pastor approached little Timmy and asked; "Timmy, where did you get that baby Jesus?" Timmy replied; "I got him from over there on the church lawn." "And why did you take him?" asked the pastor. With a sheepish smile on his face, Timmy said; "Well, pastor, it’s like this, the week before Christmas I prayed to baby Jesus and told him that if he would have Santa bring me a red wagon for Christmas, I would give him a ride around the block in it!"

Sadly, for some, Christ has been removed from their celebration! I think it is rather ironic that the most familiar and recognized words of the Christmas story are those that read; "And she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7). These resounding words have echoed throughout the course of time and, what’s more, they challenge us to ask ourselves is there any room for the Christ of Christmas in our celebration – in our lives? Sadly, many have answered, "NO!" Perhaps, not deliberately; but unintentionally! Perhaps, they have allowed all of the commotion and confusion, all of the hype and excitement, all of the hustle and bustle that this season brings, to crowd Christ out. Perhaps, these words are so familiar to us because they ring true not only in our society and world today, but also in our own lives. Oftentimes, our lives become so busy that our hearts become empty!
Perhaps, you’ve heard the story of the woman who was shopping and happen to notice a nativity scene in a window of a department store. In disgust, she said; "Would you look at this, dragging religion into Christmas!"
History records for us an interesting footnote. It was during the dark winter of 1864, at Petersburg, Virginia, that the Confederate army of Robert E. Lee faced the Union divisions of General Ulysses S. Grant. The war was now three and half years old, and the glorious charge had long since given way to the muck and mud of trench warfare. Late one evening one of Lee’s generals, Major General George Pickett, received word that his wife had given birth to a beautiful baby boy. Up and down the line the Southerners began building huge bonfires in celebration of the event. As you might imagine, these fires did not go unnoticed in the Northern camps and soon Grant sent out a group of soldiers to investigate. The soldiers returned with the message that Pickett’s wife had, had a son and these were fires built to mark the celebration. It so happen that Grant and Pickett were acquaintances at West Point, so to honor the occasion Grant, too, ordered that bonfires be built. What a sight! For miles on both sides of the lines fires burned. No shots were fired! No yelling back and forth! No war fought! Only light, celebrating the birth of a child. But, sadly, it didn’t last forever. Soon, the fires burned down and the fighting resumed.
The good news of Christmas is that in the midst of a great darkness there came a light, and the darkness was not able to overcome it, as the Apostle John reminds us. It wasn’t a temporary flicker – it was an eternal flame. However, there are times when this light gets snuffed out by the busyness of life – especially the busyness of this season! At times, the light of Christ is a faint flicker, or completely removed from our lives. And sadly, that is the way many celebrate Christmas. It all began in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago. There, Luke tells us, "was found no room in the inn." The light was not welcomed!
Now friends, it is true that Jesus wasn’t actually born on December the 25th. In fact, most of the evidence gathered points to a time other than that date. In fact, we are told in Luke’s account of the Christmas story that the shepherds were "out in the fields" when they received the angel’s announcement. And so, this would place Jesus’ birth sometime between March and September, since sheep graze only during the spring and summer months in that part of the country. Some scholars determined that Jesus’ birth probably took place in the latter part of September, and probably occurred around 4 B.C. But, of course, we observe December the 25th as the birthday of our Lord because of what has been passed on to us by the traditions of the 3rd century church, to at least the time of Constantine. As I reminded you several weeks ago, this was traditionally the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which honored the sun – it was, in a sense, the birthday of the sun. But the Church, seeking to put an end to such pagan festivals replaced it with honoring a different "son" – the Son of God! What’s more, they adapted many of the pagan customs and traditions, giving them all Christian influence and meaning.

But, sadly, we are told that once Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem they found no lodging. One would assume, given Joseph’s ancestral connections to Bethlehem, he would have been able to obtain lodging. Yet, Luke tells us that "there was no place for them in the inn." The Greek word kataluma, translated "inn" can also mean the guest room of a house. Thus, this was probably a reference to a guest room in a private home, perhaps the home of one of Joseph or Mary’s relatives. And so, there only shelter was in a room on the bottom floor of the home, or connected to the house that was used to house and fed the family’s livestock.

Now, friends, I think it is important to realize that that scene in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago would have looked much different then that familiar scene we are accustomed too. For starters, it would not have been constructed of wood. You see, keep in mind, in biblical times stables or stalls were usually connected to the house, rather than being a separate building, and mangers in biblical times were made of clay mixed with straw or from stones cemented with mud. Mangers were, a lot of times, just carved in natural rock. And so the holy family’s only shelter was the room where animals were kept, and our Lord’s bed was a manger, or better yet, a feeding trough. Later in Jesus’ ministry he told his disciples; "Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, was born in humility. Jesus, leaving the riches and glories of heaven, was born as a tiny babe in poverty in a cold and dark, lonely and unwelcoming world.
Jesus’ birth emulated his life. We are also told that when Jesus was born Mary wrapped him in swaddling clothes, which is significant, and mirrors his death. The swaddling clothes Mary would have used were the same clothes or cloths used in wrapping the bodies of the dead. The fact that Jesus was born to die is apparent, even in his birth and especially evident in the later gifs of the Magi, who would have visited the Christ-child as much as 2 years later.

The Apostle Paul, speaking of Christ, writes in his letter to the Philippians; "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name…" Now friends, that’s the message of Christmas. God became one of us. He was born and died in humility and in poverty, that we might be spiritually exalted and wealthy.
As we consider the many service men and women who will not be home this Christmas, we can somewhat relate to the story that is told of a little girl whose father was overseas fighting. This little girl's Christmas wasn’t complete without her father! She didn’t feel much like celebrating. In hopes of cheering her daughter up, her mother took her to the mall to see Santa Claus. When Santa asked the little girl what she wanted most for Christmas, she took a picture she was carrying out of her pocket of her father in his military uniform and said; "I wish my daddy could step out of this picture and be with me." That is what God has done for us in and through Christ. God stepped out of the portrait of the eternal and invisible realm and has come to us. A great theologian put it this way; "In Jesus, the reality of God entered the reality of this world."

We can rejoice this day, because once God was beyond our reach - untouchable, unreachable, unapproachable; but now, God has come to us and he invites us to come unto him. Let us prepare well the room in our hearts, making sure there is plenty of room for him to live in us. And so, may we pray:

"O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!"