Every Christmas, when my boys were little, I used to read them Christmas stories. Their favorite was “Twas the night before Christmas” but not just any version of the story. Being the little rednecks they were, they wanted me to read them the “Cajun night before Christmas”. It took my yankee tongue a while to adapt but eventually I was telling the story like a true Cajun. I got so good they even asked me to read it to their class. I always enjoyed hearing the children giggle as I read “‘Twas the night before Christmas an’ all t’ru de house dey don’t a ting pass not even a mouse. De chirren been nezzle good snug on de flo’ an’ Mama pass de pepper t’ru de crack on de do’.” I love telling a good Christmas story.
Tonight, in Luke 2:1-20 we have before us THE Christmas story. Don’t worry, I am not going to try and tell it to you with a Cajun accent. I don’t want to distract you from the meaning of the story.
The main character of this story, at least when it is told properly, is the baby Jesus. From the angelic announcements of his arrival and His miraculous conception in the womb of a virgin, to the implications the birth of one who is both Son of God and son of man has for sinners like you and me, it is understandable and appropriate that the baby Jesus would be the main character in the Christmas story. Indeed, one cannot properly tell the Christmas story without the baby Jesus.
It is my goal to keep the focus of the Christmas story on the baby Jesus, but, as I am sure you have noticed, there are other characters in this story. If you were going to assemble a cast of characters to help you tell the Christmas story the first character, after the baby Jesus, you would want to cast is the “highly favored” “blessed” “virgin” Mary. You would want to find for a young girl who is maintains that delicate balance between confidence and humility. After Mary, the next character, or characters you would probably want to cast are the heavenly hosts who tear the fabric of heaven apart as they sing, “14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” The people you cast as heavenly hosts should have a commanding presence and beautiful singing voices. Next to be cast would be the “8shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night” and who ran to Bethlehem to “15 see this thing that has happened, which the Lord had told them about”. This should be a group of excited and energetic individuals. After the shepherds you would probably want to cast the wisemen. Even though the wisemen likely didn’t show up in Bethlehem till sometime later, possibly even a year or two after Jesus was born, it makes for a beautiful scene to imagine three kings bending a knee and “presenting the baby Jesus with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”[1] You would want to find a handful of dignified and refined people to play the part of wisemen. After the wisemen there are not a lot of characters to cast but probably the person people think of next is king Herod, the bad guy; the guy who tried to trick the wisemen into telling him where the baby Jesus was so that he could kill him. You would want to find someone with a cold stare and sinister smile to play the part of Herod.
Finally, there is only one named character in the Christmas story that still needs to be cast. His name is Joseph, and he is the husband of the virgin Mary. Joseph is probably the last person you would think of because, well, almost anyone can play the part of Joseph. In the section of the Christmas story that is before us tonight Joseph doesn’t have any lines to speak and unlike all the other characters in the story, he doesn’t do much. I mean the virgin gives birth, the angels sing, the shepherds run, the wisemen worship, and Herod plots, but Joseph just kind of sits there and watches as the story unfolds. Maybe that is why, out of all the characters in the Christmas story, I can see myself playing the part of Joseph. I mean that is kind of what we are doing here tonight. We have, with the help of saint Luke, snuck into one of Bethlehem’s stables and gathered in the shadows around the manger to watch the Christmas story unfold. In that sense we have already been cast to play the part of Joseph. But just because we may not be as interesting as the other characters in the story doesn’t mean we should be disappointed with the part we have been cast to play.
I think Joseph is more interesting than people give him credit for. Out of all the characters in the Christmas story I think Joseph was the most observant. In Matthew’s gospel we learn that Joseph was a carpenter which was the ancient equivalent of an architect, contractor, and builder all rolled into one. I imagine Joseph’s personality to be similar to many engineers that I know. I don’t know if you have ever noticed this, but engineers tend to be perceptive observers and analytically thinkers. Which makes me think while Mary’s heart was pondering, Joseph’s mind was processing.
As Joseph watched his wife wrap her firstborn Son in cloths and place Him in a manger I wouldn’t be surprised if Joseph was wondering what he had to offer this child. I think most God-fearing fathers feel a responsibility to provide for their children, protect them from harm, and prepare them for the future. But as Joseph looked at the child that had been entrusted to his care; I am sure the words the angel had spoken to him when he first learned of Mary’s pregnancy came to mind. The angel said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”[2] The child Mary placed in a manger was no ordinary child. This child was the Son of God! Well, what could Joseph possibly provide the God from whom all blessings flow? What protection could he offer the omnipotent, all-powerful God? What preparation would the omniscient, all-knowing God need from him? I imagine as Joseph sat in the shadows that surrounded the manger, he asked himself, “What do I have to offer the baby Jesus?”
It's a good question, one I would not be surprised to learn you have asked yourself. What do you have to offer the baby Jesus? I mean, do you think the God who created light from darkness needs your acceptance before He can create faith in your heart? Do you think the God who fed thousands, gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, who cast out demons requires your assistance for salvation? Do you think the God who overcame all temptation, defeated the Devil, and rose from the dead is going to be impressed by anything you do? As you sit here in the shadows that surround this manger aren’t you asking yourself, “What do I have to offer the baby Jesus”?
It doesn’t take a great deal of quiet contemplation or thoughtful processing to come to the realization that there is nothing the baby Jesus needs from us (which really makes you wonder what part you have to play in this story). Thankfully Joseph was not wrestling with this realization for very long. Luke tells us a group of excited shepherds show up and started spreading the word concerning what had been told them about this child; how the angel had told them “11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah the Lord.” As observant Christians process the meaning of these words it becomes immediately clear that the Christmas story is not about what we have to offer the baby Jesus, but rather it’s about what the baby Jesus has to offer us.
A guy like Joseph would have noticed the angel described the baby Jesus as our “Savior”. That word says as much about us as it does about the baby laying in the manger. It reminds us that we don’t need a life-coach who will help us deal with our past, we don’t need a personal assistant who will help us get through the day, and we don’t need a guiding guru who will help us unlock our future potential. As sinners, we need a rescuer, a deliverer, a savior. Jesus was born to be the Savior we need by becoming our substitute. Those Ten Commandments we are in the habit of breaking, even though we try with all our might not to break them, Jesus kept every one of the Ten Commandments perfectly in our place. And because the wages of your sin and my sin were punishable by death, Jesus allowed himself to be hung on a cross and sacrificed in our place. When observant Christians look at the baby Mary placed in a manger, they do not see a coach, an assistant, or a guru, they see their “Savior”.
A guy like Joseph would have also noticed the angel identified the baby Jesus as “the Messiah”. It is easy for us to look in the manger and simply see a cute and cuddly newborn baby. But the word Messiah is an ancient word which speaks of prophecy and promise. To attach the word “Messiah” to the baby Jesus identifies Him as the fulfiller of the one and the keeper of the other. It does not escape the attention of the observant Christian that the prophecies of a virgin birth in the little town of Bethlehem Ephrathah to the descendants of David were each fulfilled by the baby Jesus. Further, understanding that Jesus is the fulfiller of past prophecy, fills us with the assurance that the future promises of forgiveness and salvation which God has made to us will also be kept by the baby Jesus. When observant Christians look at the baby Mary placed in the manger, they see more than a newborn babe, they see “the Messiah”.
Finally, a guy like Joseph would have noticed the angel addressed the baby Jesus as “the Lord”. Considering the humble circumstances under which the baby was born and the unpretentious way in which He chooses to rule still today, it is good to be reminded that the Jesus is the Lord, and not just any lord but the LORD of lords. As such, Jesus was not born to merely overthrow an oppressive government, purge corruption from our culture, or establish an earthly Eutopia. Jesus was born to be the Lord who rules our hearts so that peace may exist between us and our God, protection from the forces of evil may be extended to us, and one day the crown of salvation may be placed on our heads. When observant Christians look at the baby Mary placed in a manger they look beyond the humble circumstances of his birth and unpretentious way He chooses to reign, and they see “the Lord”.
There are a lot of characters in the Christmas story. Tonight, I have cast you in the role of Joseph, not because I think you lack the humility of the virgin, or the voice of an angel, or the energy of shepherd, or the dignity of a wiseman but because I want you to take a few moments to quietly contemplate and thoughtfully process what the baby Jesus has to offer you. As you sit in the shadows surrounding the manger, I want you to see the baby Jesus as your Savior, the Messiah, the Lord. Because only then will I have properly told you THE Christmas story. Amen.
[1] Matthew 2:11
[2] Matthew 1:20