A demonstration of worship the first Christmas...

 At the church where I serve we have been spending the weeks leading up to Christmas looking at an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke, where we are discovering several timeless truths when it comes to how we respond to announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah that marks the Christmas season. This week as we come to the conclusion of this opening section of the gospel of Luke, I would like for us to pick up where we left off.

And as we jump into the next section of this account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke, we are going to discover another timeless truth when it comes to how we can respond to announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah that marks the Christmas season. So let’s do that together, beginning in Luke 2:21:

And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Luke begins this section of his account of Jesus life by explaining that eight days after Jesus birth, and before Jesus was circumcised, Mary and Joseph officially named their child Jesus. Now a natural question that arises here is “Why did they wait until eight days after Jesus was born to name Him?” Usually, in Jesus day, just as it is today, the naming of a child would take place immediately after the child was born. Here however, Joseph and Mary waited until the day that Jesus was circumcised. But why would they do that?

To understand why they would wait until just before Jesus was circumcised, we first need to understand what circumcision is and its significance to the Jewish people. Circumcision involves a surgical procedure that involves removing the foreskin from the male genitals with a surgical knife, or in this case, a knife made of stone. In a letter in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Leviticus, we see God command that a circumcision was to be performed on the 8^th day after a male child was born.

The reason that circumcision was so significant was that circumcision was a covenant sign that identified the Jewish people as being God’s people. Circumcision was a religious act that was required to be performed under the Law so that you would be able to be identified as being right with God as part of the Jewish religious system.

Here we see Luke reveal for us the reality that Mary and Joseph were responding to the birth of Jesus by following and fulfilling God’s commandments when it came to Jesus. Instead of naming Jesus, as the first born son, after Joseph or another male family member, Mary and Joseph followed the angel Gabriel’s command to name the baby Jesus.

And Mary and Joseph also followed God’s command in the Law to have Jesus circumcised. Mary and Joseph were responding in worship to God by being obedient to God. Mary and Joseph were making sure that Jesus was identified with God’s people so that He would be able to fulfill His role and be identified as the rescuer of God’s people. But that is not the only way that Mary and Joseph were responding to God’s call to worship, as we see in Luke 2:22:

 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD "), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS."

Now to understand what is happening here, we first need to ask and answer several questions. First, what is Luke referring to when he talks about the days for their purification? We God’s command regarding the days of purification recorded for us in Leviticus 12:1. Let’s look at it together:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: 'When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean. 'On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 'Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. 'But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days. 'When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. 'Then he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. 'But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"

According to the Law, which are the first five books in our Bibles that contain a list of commands that reveal God’s nature and character and the nature and character that the Jewish people needed to possess and display in order to experience a right relationship with God, a Jewish mother would be viewed as being unclean for 40 days after the birth of a male child. Now a natural question that arises here is “why? Why would a mother be viewed as being unclean after giving birth? I mean doesn’t God command us to have children? Aren’t children a blessing from the Lord?”

To understand the answer to these questions we first need to understand some biology and some theology. The mother, after the birth of a child was viewed as being ceremonially unclean and unable to enter into the temple to worship because of the discharges of blood that occurs after a woman gives birth to a child. In the Old Testament, bleeding or the discharge from a body lacked wholeness and was therefore viewed as being unclean. As we know, the loss of blood can lead to death, which is the antithesis of a normal healthy life.

Thus, in the Bible, we see blood portrayed as, on the one hand, representing a cleansing agent for the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God, and on the other hand, a polluting substance when it is in the wrong place. And because God is perfect; and because God is Holy, which means to be totally separate in terms of character and conduct, God presence could not be present with anything that was unclean.

So, after a male child was born, on the 8^th day that male child would be circumcised, but the mother would remain unclean for 33 more days. During that time, the mother was forbidden to enter into the temple area to worship God as she recovered physically from giving birth. After the 40 days for her purification were over, the mother was to present a lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering. This set of offerings was required before the mother could return to the state of being considered clean and able to participate in the worship of God.

This leads to a second question, which is, “why did the mother have to bring these offerings and present her firstborn son to the Lord?” We find the answer that question in the second letter in our Bibles, called the book of Exodus. In Exodus 13:1 we see the Lord say the following to Moses:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me."

A few verses later, in verse 11, we read the following:

"Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. "But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. "And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' then you shall say to him, 'With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 'It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

In these verses we see God command the Jewish people to respond to what He had done to deliver the Jewish people from slavery at the hands of the nation of Egypt. As part of that deliverance, one evening, the Lord went through the land of Egypt and struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, but He passed over all of the Jewish homes who had marked their doors with the blood of the lamb. This feast was referred to by the Jewish people as the Passover. In addition to celebrating the Passover feast, God commanded that all firstborn sons of the Jewish people were to be consecrated to the Lord as a response to the sparing of the lives of the firstborn Jewish people during that first Passover.

Now, with these questions answered, we get a picture of what Mary and Joseph were doing in response to the birth of Jesus that first Christmas. Mary and Joseph were responding to the birth of Jesus by following and fulfilling God’s commandments to dedicate their firstborn son to be Holy to the Lord.

In other words, Mary and Joseph were following God’s command to dedicate Jesus to be wholly devoted to the Lord. Jesus was being dedicated to live a life that is separated to God and separated from all that is unclean. Jesus was being dedicated by his parents to live a life that was committed to God and the mission of God in the world. Mary and Joseph worshiped God by giving their son who was the Son of God back to God.

Now you may be thinking to yourself “well Dave, why did Mary and Joseph offer up a pair of turtledoves instead of a lamb?” If you are here this morning and that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that is a great question to ask. And we find the answer to that question from Leviticus 12:8, in God’s command when it came to the days of purification:

'But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"

Now look again at how Joseph and Mary fulfilled God’s command in Luke 2:24:

and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS."

You see, Mary did not offer a lamb and a young pigeon or a turtledove, did she? No, Mary only offered a pair of turtledoves of pigeons. And the reason that Mary did not offer a lamb was because Mary and Joseph could not afford a lamb. Mary and Joseph grew up in blue collar working class families. Mary and Joseph were most likely teenagers from a small town who were newlyweds and had little or no financial means. Most likely, Joseph had just opened up his carpentry business. For Mary and Joseph, their response to the birth of Jesus and what God was calling them to that first Christmas was to respond in worship to God through their obedience to God with whatever resources they had.

However, as Mary and Joseph worshipped the Lord for their firstborn son who just happened to be the arrival of the Messiah, they were not the only ones who were aware of the announcement of the arrival of the Messiah. Tomorrow, we will see Luke reveal for us how another man responded to the presence of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the Temple…

The announcement of the arrival of the Messiah invites us to experience the relationship with God that we were created for...

At the church where I serve, we  spent Christmas Eve looking at what we often refer to as the Christmas message. And it is in the Christmas story that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to how we can respond to announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah that marks the Christmas season. So let’s do that together, beginning in Luke 2:1:

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

Luke begins this section of his account of Jesus life by providing us the context for the event from history that we know as the Christmas story. At this time in history, the land that belonged to the Jewish people was under the control of the Roman Empire, which was the dominant military and political power in the world. And as part of their military and political dominance, the Roman Government required that every person who lived in the Roman Empire over the age of 20 pay a tax that was called the poll tax. 

So to make sure that they were receiving the maximum amount of taxes that they were able to gather, the Roman Empire called for a census. This census required every Jewish family to travel to their ancestral home town to register for the census so that they would be counted for tax purposes. Every Jewish person, in essence, needed to travel to the place where their family tree was planted. And for Joseph and Mary, that meant traveling to Bethlehem, as Joseph came from the family tree of David, who was the most famous king to ever ruler the Jewish nation. So Joseph and Mary left Nazareth and made the trip to Bethlehem.

Now to understand the significance of this trip, we first need to understand some things about this journey. First, the distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem was 80 miles. Second, there are no cars, buses, or airplanes. So Joseph and Mary walked 80 miles, which would take approximately five days for an average person to travel.

But as Luke tells us, Joseph and Mary are not average; Because Mary is with child. When Luke says that Mary is with child, she is with child. Delivery could occur at any moment. Most scholars believe that this trip would have taken at least one week to accomplish. And as we see next, however, Mary is not just with child:

While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

 After arriving in Bethlehem, Mary discovered that she was not just with child; it was time to have the child. There was a problem, however. You see, Bethlehem was not a bustling metropolis filled with hotels and motels; Bethlehem was a small rural community that was busting at the seams as a result of all the out of town visitors that were required to come to register for the census. Bethlehem was not a destination that up and coming people moved to in order to start their careers; Bethlehem was a departure point that people left as soon as they grew up. 

So there was no place for people to reside, unless there were close family that still lived in town. Bethlehem was so crowded that the only place that they could find for Mary to give birth and stay in was with domesticated animals. Most likely this was in a cave on the outskirts of town where animals where kept for their safety. Instead of a crib, all Mary could lay her newborn in was a manger, which was a feeding trough for animals.

 Now imagine yourself as Joseph and Mary. How would you be feeling right now? You are a teenage girl who is in a cave, 80 miles from home, where you have placed your firstborn son in a box that a few minutes ago, farm animals were slobbering in as they ate. And if that is not enough, your son is God in a bod. God, who has taken on flesh, is lying in a feeding trough. And where do you think they got the cloths to wrap baby Jesus in?

What would you be thinking? Do you think Mary thought that this is how the Messiah was going to enter into the world? Do you think Mary thought that this is how God was going to come to earth? And if that was not unexpected enough, let’s look together at what happens next:

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

You think? Of course they were frightened. Wouldn’t you be frightened? It’s not every day that the angel Gabriel, who was the Lord's personal messenger shows up. And if that was not frightening enough, Luke tells us that the glory of the Lord shown around them. When Luke refers to the glory of the Lord, he is referring to the awesome presence, splendor and radiance of God displayed for others to see. This is God in His greatness revealed.

Throughout the Bible, when we read about the glory of the Lord, we usually discover two things. First, we discover that humans usually cannot handle being in the presence of the glory of the Lord. Usually, people respond to being in the presence of the glory of the Lord by falling on their face or fleeing.

Second, when we read about the glory of the Lord, we usually read about God’s glory being revealed either in the tabernacle or the temple in Jerusalem, which was the only church in Mary and Joseph’s day. The glory of the Lord did not just show up in a field in the middle of nowhere. And the glory of the Lord did not show up around shepherds. The glory of the Lord may have been revealed to kings or priests, or to really religious people; but not to shepherds.

Shepherds were blue collar, lower class people who earned their living taking care of flocks of sheep. Shepherds were peasants who were located on the bottom of the scale of power and privilege. So of course the shepherds were frightened; this was most unexpected and frightening; “what’s going to happen to us now” was what they probably were thinking. Luke tells us what happens next:

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid;

To which the shepherds probably thought “easy for you to say”…

for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

The angel Gabriel explains “I have announcement for you, which is for you to announce to all the people. Down the road from you has been born the savior; you know the promised one that you have heard about since you were a child that is coming to rescue you and your people from your selfish rebellion and sin. You know the Christ, the Messiah. And this Savior, Christ, that has been born, oh by the way, He is God. Now go and check it out for yourself. This is how you will know; Your God, your Savior, your Messiah, He’s in the cave on the edge of town, where He is wrapped up in clothes in a feeding trough”.

Now you are a shepherd. What would you be thinking? What questions would be running through your mind? Here’s what I think was running through their mind. “Why would God send an angel to make this announcement of the Messiah to us? Why us? Why not make this announcement of the arrival of the Messiah to the priests in Jerusalem? Why not make this announcement of the arrival of the Messiah to the religious people like the Pharisees or Sadducees? Why not make this announcement of the arrival of the Messiah to those in positions of power or influence? Why not make this announcement of the arrival of the Messiah  to Joseph and Mary’s family who are in Nazareth?"

 Instead, the announcement of God fulfilling His promise of rescue and deliverance was made to lowly peasants who were viewed as outsiders. While the shepherds were frightened and were pondering this announcement, there were others who had a much different response:

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

Can you imagine what that must have looked like? Can you imagine what it must sound like to hear a multitude of angels worship God in one accord without anyone being off key? So what would you do if the angel of the Lord and the glory of the Lord showed up to announce the arrival of the Messiah to you? Probably what the shepherds did, which we read as Luke continues the Christmas story:

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."

Notice the shepherd’s response here. There was no doubt that the shepherds believed that they had an encounter with God. The shepherds recognized that they were given an opportunity to participate in God’s activity in the world because God had chosen them to be the first to hear of the announcement of the arrival of the Messiah into the world.

And as they watched the angels return to Heaven, this unexpected announcement of the arrival of the Messiah to this unexpected group of people created an uncontainable passion to see God’s entry into the world that had been announced to them. This uncontainable passion to see the evidence of God’s activity and entry into the world caused them to go straight to Bethlehem. No time to find someone else to watch the sheep; not time to tell family and friends where they were going; just a desire that is focused on encountering God and experiencing and participating in His activity in the world.

And it is God’s activity in the world and in our lives that can change the desires, the focus, and even the trajectory of our lives. Luke then shows us how the announcement of the arrival of the Messiah's entry into the world to the shepherds changed the trajectory of their lives:

So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and began to search for the baby wrapped is clothes in a feeding trough. This evening, can you imagine what that must have looked like? Can you imagine the shepherds going through town asking “have you seen him? Have you seen a baby in clothes in a manger? Is he here? Where do you keep the animals in town? Why are we looking for a baby in a manger? We are looking because this baby will be our rescuer, our deliverer. We are looking because this baby is the Lord God who entered into humanity”.

And all in Bethlehem who encountered these shepherds looking for a baby in a feeding trough were amazed and impacted by the shepherd’s uncontainable passion as they searched for a baby in a feeding trough. I mean how unexpected would it be for shepherds to be searching for the Messiah, instead of religious or political power players. And when they found the baby, in a cave, in a feeding trough, any hesitation or doubts were removed as to what they had seen and heard that night. For Mary, however, there was a different response:

But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Mary responds to this unexpected arrival of shepherds announcing that arrival of the Messiah by making another page in the mental scrapbook that she was creating about the role that God had given her in His huge story.

Now, wouldn’t you like to look at that scrapbook? Can you imagine what Mary’s scrapbook would look like as she placed treasured moment after treasured moment of the evidence of God’s amazing activity in her life? Luke then reveals for us how the shepherds responded to all that they had heard and seen:

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

The shepherds, after seeing God entry into humanity as a baby in a feeding trough, return to the sheep and to the field. The shepherds returned to their relatively mundane lives that most would view as being of little importance and as having little impact on the world. However, the shepherds were forever changed as a result of the announcement of the arrival of the Messiah.

Luke tells us that the shepherds went back glorifying God for all that they had heard and seen. And it was these shepherds who God gave the role to announce to the world the arrival of the Messiah throughout the world. Instead of announcing the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah through a prophet, priest, or king, God announced the arrival of the Messiah through a most unexpected announcer- a shepherd.

And for 2,000 years, God has continued to announce the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah and His offer of the forgiveness of sin and the relationship with God that we were created for by believing, trusting, and following Jesus through unexpected announcers. Announcers like a fisherman named Peter who denied Jesus three times. Announcers like a religious zealot named Paul who had earlier persecuted Jesus followers. Announcers who had flawed and scandalous pasts prior to meeting Jesus. Announcers who questioned how God could love them after they had stumbled and fallen in horrible ways. Announcers like me; Announcers like you.

And it is here in the Christmas story, that we see Luke reveal for us a timeless truth that is the point of the Christmas story. And that timeless truth is that the announcement of the arrival of the Messiah invites us to experience the relationship with God that we were created for. Just as it was for the shepherds, just as it has been throughout history, the announcement of the arrival of the Messiah invites us to experience the relationship with God that we were created for.

And because of that reality, here is a question to consider: how have you responded to announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah that makes up the Christmas story?

The announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah provides us an opportunity for second chances...

At the church where I serve we are spending the weeks leading up to Christmas looking at an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke, where we are discovering several timeless truths when it comes to how we respond to announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah today.

This week I would like for us to jump into the next section of this account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke,  where we are going to discover another timeless truth when it comes to how we can respond to announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah that marks the Christmas season. So let’s do that together, beginning in Luke 1:57:

Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.

Luke brings us into this section of his account of Jesus life by describing the response of Zacharias and Elizabeth’s family and friends to the birth of their first son. As family and friends heard the news that Elizabeth had successfully given birth at her old age, they responded by celebrating with her with great joy.

The family and friends recognized that the Lord had demonstrated His great kindness and concern for Elizabeth over the fact that she was unable to have children by miraculously providing her a child. The Lord had demonstrated to Zacharias and Elizabeth that He was a promise maker and a promise keeper who was able to bring forth life from that which had been unable to bring forth life. And it is in the midst of this celebration of joy over the blessing of new life that Luke provides the context for another announcement of the arrival of the Messiah in verse 59:

 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. But his mother answered and said, "No indeed; but he shall be called John." And they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name." And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.

Luke explains that eight days after John the Baptizer’s birth, as they came to circumcise their firstborn son, Elizabeth officially announced that that they were going to name their son John. Now a natural question that arises here is “Why did they wait until eight days after John was born to name him?” Usually, in John’s day, just as it is today, the naming of a child would take place immediately after the child was born. Here however, Zacharias and Elizabeth waited until the day that John was circumcised. But why would they do that?

To understand why they would wait until just before John was circumcised, we first need to understand what circumcision is and its significance to the Jewish people. Circumcision involves a surgical procedure that involves removing the foreskin from the male genitals with a surgical knife, or in this case, a knife made of stone. In addition, in a letter in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Leviticus, we see God command that a circumcision was to be performed on the 8^th day after a male child was born.

The reason that circumcision was so significant was that circumcision was a covenant sign that identified the Jewish people as being God’s people. Circumcision was an outward sign was done in order to demonstrate an inward commitment and relationship to God. Circumcision was a religious act that was required to be performed under the Law so that you would be able to be identified as being right with God as part of the Jewish religious system. Here we see Luke reveal for us the reality that Zacharias and Elizabeth were responding to the birth of John by following and fulfilling God’s commandments when it came to John.

Luke tells us that Zacharias and Elizabeth’s friends and family wanted Elizabeth to name her first born son after his father Zacharias. However, instead of naming their son, as the first born son, after Zacharias or another male family member, Zacharias and Elizabeth followed the angel Gabriel’s command to name the baby John. And Zacharias and Elizabeth also followed and fulfilled God’s command in the Law to have Jesus circumcised.

You see, Zacharias and Elizabeth were responding in worship to God by being obedient to God. Zacharias and Elizabeth were making sure that John was identified with God’s people so that He would be able to fulfill the role that he had been given in God's story to be the messenger who was to prepare and announce the arrival of the Messiah who would bring the Jewish people back to God and back to prominence in the world.

Luke tells us that the move by Elizabeth to name her firstborn son anything other than Zacharias was met by skepticism and objections by the rest of Zacharias and Elizabeth’s family and friends. And in their skepticism, the family and friends asked the wordless Zacharias his opinion when it came what he wanted his son to be named. You see, the rest of Zacharias and Elizabeth’s family and friends assumed that Zacharias would want to name his firstborn son, who he had waited so long for, after himself.

But since Zacharias had not been able to speak for the past ten months as a consequence from the Lord of doubting the Angel Gabriel’s announcement, they had no idea what was going on in his mind regarding the naming of his son. So Zacharias family and friends signaled to Zacharias to make his wishes known concerning the naming of his son. Luke records for us Zacharias response in verse 63:

 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, "His name is John." And they were all astonished.

Luke tells us that Zacharias responded to his friends and families request concerning the naming of his son by asking for a small wooden tablet that was used for writing notes. And on that tablet, Zacharias made his wishes concerning the naming of his son crystal clear: “His name is John”. In other words Zacharias basically says “This is not up for debate. We have already made our decision. We have already named our son and his name is John”.

When Luke tells us that they were all astonished, this phrase literally means to be extraordinarily disturbed by something. Zacharias family and friends were extraordinarily disturbed that Zacharias would not want to pass on his name to the next generation after God had acted in such a miraculous way to provide them a son by which to pass on his name. However, Zacharias family and friends would become even more disturbed with what was about to happen next, which Luke records for us in verse 64:

 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, "What then will this child turn out to be?" For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

Luke tells us that as Zacharias made his wishes concerning the naming of his son known, his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed. In other words, Zacharias mouth and tongue were once again enabled to function by the Lord. And here we see the Angel Gabriel’s words come to fulfillment. As Zacharias responded to the announcement of the arrival of his son who would be the Lord's messenger to prepare and to announce the arrival of the Messiah by obeying the Lord’s command to name his son John, the Lord enable Zacharias to be able to speak.

And as Zacharias spoke, he responded to the evidence of the Lords activity in his life by praising and worshipping the Lord. And as those who lived around Zacharias and Elizabeth received word of all that was happening in their lives, Luke tells us that fear filled their lives. And in their fear, word spread throughout the region regarding the events that surrounded the birth and circumcision of John the Baptizer.

Throughout the region, those who heard of the evidence of the Lord’s supernatural activity wondered aloud what this activity meant for their lives. Those in the region wondered aloud what role John the Baptizer would play in God’s story as a result of God’s activity in his entry into God’s story. However all of those questions would be answered by the Lord through Zacharias as he exercised his renewed ability to speak in verse 67:

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant-- As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old-- Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

Luke tells us that Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. But this morning, what does that mean? When Luke says that Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, he is explaining that Zacharias was controlled, influenced and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do something. And that something was to prophesy.

Now to prophesy is to declare new verbal revelation about God and God’s divine plan that lies in the future and that could only be known by God. So Zacharias was empowered by the Spirit of God to deliver new verbal revelation about God and His divine plan in the world to the world.

Zacharias statement about God’s Divine Plan, if communicated in the language that we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Praise be to the Lord God who is going to look after us and come to help us in a way that is going to bring about a great deliverance for us. Praise be to the Lord God who is going to cause to come into existence as the Messiah through a descendant of King David and who has the mighty power to deliver and rescue us from the transcendent danger of selfishness and rebellion according to the promise that He made to us. Praise be to the Lord God who is going to fulfill His promises to extend kindness and concern for us in need as He promised our ancestors in Psalm 106:10. Praise be to the Lord God who is remembering the promises that He made to our Father Abraham in Genesis 22:16 to rescue and deliver us from our enemies so that we would be able to serve and worship Him fearlessly with a proper attitude toward God that is reflected in our actions and that results in a life that is right in God’s sight.”

You see, when provided a second chance to respond to the announcement of the Messiah, Zacharias responded by proclaiming that announcement to everyone around him. Zacharias then continued to announce God’s Divine Plan by shifting the focus of his announcement to the role that his son would play in the announcement of the Messiah in verse 76:

  "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace." And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

As the family and friends of Zacharias and Elizabeth looked on in fearful and disturbed astonishment, Zacharias continued by announcing that the son whom they just circumcised and strangely named John would become the prophet of the Most High. Their son would grow up to be the fulfillment of a promise God made some 400 years earlier in a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Malachi.

In Malachi 3:1, the prophet Malachi had predicted and proclaimed to the Jewish people that the Lord would send a messenger ahead of the Messiah in order to announce the arrival of the Messiah. That messenger would call the people to prepare for the Messiah’s arrival by removing the obstacles of unbelief that would cause them to miss the Messiah’s arrival. And here Zacharias is proclaiming that his newly born son would be that messenger that would prepare and make known how all of humanity could have the opportunity to be rescued from the selfishness and rebellion that separated them from God so that they could experience the forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for.

Zacharias then quoted from a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of our Bible called the book of Isaiah to reveal the reality that their son would be the messenger that would announce the arrival of the Messiah who would be sent by God as a demonstration of His merciful heart to reveal and explain God to those who were far from God. Their son would announce the arrival of the Messiah who entered into humanity to direct and point humanity to the path that would provide them an opportunity to live in a state of harmony and well being with God in relationship with God.

And it is here, in this event in history, that we see the Lord reveal for us a timeless truth as we approach Christmas. And that timeless truth is that the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah provides us an opportunity for second chances. Just as it was for Zacharias, just as it has been for humanity throughout history, the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah provides us an opportunity for second chances.

Just like Zacharias, we can find ourselves in a place in our lives where we have responded to the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah with doubt, despite all the signs that point to His arrival. Just like Zacharias, we can find ourselves at a place in our lives where we are experiencing the consequences that flow from a life of doubting unbelief in Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Messiah. And just like Zacharias, the Lord responds to our doubts by providing us an opportunity for second chances to respond to the announcement of the Messiah by placing our confident trust in Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise by believing, trusting and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

So have you responded to the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the rescuer, deliverer, and Messiah with doubt in the past? How are you going to respond to the idea that the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah provides us an opportunity for a second chance when it comes to how you are living your life?

The announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah calls us to respond in worship...

This week we are looking at an event from history that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Wednesday, we looked on as a teenage girl named Mary traveled to visit her relative Elizabeth, who experienced a similar connection as a result of experiencing God's miraculous activity in their lives.

We looked on as Elizabeth responded to Mary's arrival by worshipping the Lord as her unborn son announced to her that she was in the presence of the Messiah. Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as Mary. I want us to place ourselves in her shoes. You travel four days to see your relative, after an angel tells you that, in spite of the fact that she was incapable of bearing children and was at a place in her life where children were beyond a possibility, she has become pregnant.

Then, as you greet her, and before you can even tell her why you have traveled so far to see her, she breaks out in worship of the Lord after telling you that you are pregnant with the Messiah before you could even tell her that you were pregnant with the Messiah. Can you imagine what that must have been like? You are Mary. What would you be thinking? What would you be feeling? How would you respond? We seem Mary’s response in verse 46:

  And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. "AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. ⁵¹ "He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. "He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. "HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; And sent away the rich empty-handed. "He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever."

Luke tells us that Mary responded to Elizabeth’s response of worship by worshipping the Lord. And in these verses that we see five aspects of the Lord’s character and conduct that Mary exalts, or makes much of, in worship. First, in verses 46-49, Mary expressed, from the center of her feelings and emotions, her exceeding joy in worship over the Lord’s activity in her life.

Mary made much of the fact that the Lord looked with concern over her despite the fact that she was just a teenage girl from a small backwater town. Mary made much of the fact that the Lord responded to her humble circumstances by choosing to extend grace to her in such a way that all humanity would now view her as being especially favored by God as being the mother of the Messiah. Mary made much of the fact that the all powerful Creator and ruler of the world, who is set apart in His character and conduct, would choose her to do such a great thing in her and through her for the world.

Second, in verse 50, Mary expressed, from the center of her feelings and emotions, her exceeding joy in worship over the Lord’s faithful devotion to His people. Mary made much of the Lord by quoting from a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Psalms. In Psalm 103:7, King David worshipped the Lord as he proclaimed the Lord’s covenant promise to demonstrate His faithful devotion to His people when they lived their lives in submission and obedience to Him.

And here we see Mary quote King David’s words as evidence that the Lord was fulfilling the promise of His faithful devotion to His people in the fullest way possible as a result of her response of submission and obedience to the announcement of the arrival of the Messiah that the Angel Gabriel made to her. 

Third, in verse 51, Mary expressed, from the center of her feelings and emotions, her exceeding joy in worship over the Lord’s activity in history when it came to the Lord’s power over the proud. Mary made much of the fact that the Lord scatters from Him those who arrogantly believe that they do not need Him.

Fourth, in verses 52-53, Mary expressed, from the center of her feelings and emotions, her exceeding joy in worship over the Lord’s activity in history when it came to the Lord’s ability to reverse the fortunes of people based on their response to Him. Mary made much of the fact that the Lord dealt with those who were in a position of leadership and authority and who arrogantly oppressed others while denying God by removing them from power. Mary made much of the fact that the Lord dealt with those who were of humble circumstances and low class but who placed their confident trust in God by elevating their circumstances.

Mary made much of the Lord by quoting from another section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Psalms. In Psalm 107:9, the psalmist worshipped the Lord as he proclaimed the Lord’s provision to those who trust in Him. And here we see Mary quote the psalmist’s words as evidence that the Lord was large and in charge over the provision of resources to people. Mary made much of the fact those who are humble and hungry will have their needs met by God while those who are arrogantly wealthy will lose the very things that they had placed their confident trust in instead of God. 

And fifth, in verses 54-55, Mary expressed, from the center of her feelings and emotions, her exceeding joy in worship over the Lord’s activity in history in light of the promises that He had made to the Jewish people. By echoing sections of letters in the Old Testament of our Bible including Isaiah 41:8-9, Psalm 98:3, and Micah 7:20 Mary made much of the fact that the Lord remembered His promises that had been made to Abraham, Jacob, and the Jewish people by demonstrating His faithful devotion to keep those promises by His activity in her relative Elizabeth and her life.

You see, as Mary reflected on the evidence of the Lord’s activity in her life and the life of her relative Elizabeth, she was moved to respond to that activity by worshipping the Lord in a way that made much of the Lord. Mary was driven to respond to the Lord by making much of the Lord’s activity in her life. Mary was driven to respond to the Lord by making much of the Lord’s faithful devotion to His people.

Mary was driven to respond to the Lord by making much of the Lord’s power over the proud. Mary was driven to respond to the Lord by making much of the Lord’s ability to reverse the fortunes of people based on their response to Him. And Mary was driven to respond to the Lord by making much of the Lord’s faithful devotion to fulfill the promises that He had made to the Jewish people. Luke then concludes this section of his account of Jesus life in verse 56:

And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

Luke explains that after spending three months connecting with her relative who shared the similar connection of experiencing God’s miraculous activity in their lives, Mary made the four day, 80-100 miles trip back home. At this point, Elizabeth, who was now in her ninth month of pregnancy, was preparing for the arrival of the messenger who would announce to the Jewish people the arrival of their Messiah. And Mary, who was now three months pregnant, needed to make the trip back home before the pregnancy would make that trip much more difficult.

Next week, we will look together at the birth of John the Baptizer. In the meantime, it is here, in this event in history, that we see the Lord reveal for us a timeless truth as we approach Christmas in that the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah calls us to respond in worship. Just as it was for Elizabeth and Mary, just as it has been for humanity throughout history, the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah calls us to respond in worship.

Just like Mary, the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah should move us to respond to that arrival by worshipping the Lord in a way that makes much of the Lord. Just like Mary, the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah should move us to respond to that arrival in a way that makes much of the Lord’s activity in our life. Just like Mary, the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah should move us to respond to that arrival in a way that makes much of the Lord’s faithful devotion to His people.

Just like Mary, the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah should move us to respond to that arrival in a way that makes much of the Lord’s power over the proud. Just like Mary, the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah should move us to respond to that arrival in a way that makes much of the Lord’s ability to reverse the fortunes of people based on their response to Him. And Just like Mary, the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as Messiah should move us to respond to that arrival in a way that makes much of the Lord’s faithful devotion to fulfill the promises that He had made to His people.

So here is a question to consider: How are you responding to the announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the rescuer, deliverer, and Messiah? Are you responding to the announcement of the arrival of Jesus by worshipping the Lord in a way that makes much of the Lord? Are you responding to the announcement of the arrival of Jesus by making much of the Lord’s character and conduct? Or are you responding to the announcement of the arrival of Jesus by refusing to worship and rejecting the arrival of Jesus as rescuer, deliverer, and Messiah?

Worship from the Womb...

At the church where I serve we are spending the weeks leading up to Christmas looking at an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke and have been discovering several timeless truths when it comes to how we respond to announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah today.

This week I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke, we are going to discover another timeless truth when it comes to how we can respond to announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah that marks the Christmas season. So let’s do that together, beginning in Luke 1:39:

Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

Luke brings us into this section of his account of Jesus life by providing the context for the event from history that we are going to look at this morning. After hearing the news from the Angel Gabriel that her relative Elizabeth had become pregnant as a result of the God’s supernatural activity in her life, Mary immediately left Nazareth to visit Elizabeth. This journey from Northern Israel to Southern Israel would have covered between 80-100 miles, and would have taken around four days to complete.

You see, Mary desired to connect with her relative who shared the similar connection of experiencing God’s miraculous activity in their lives. And that desire drove this Jr. High girl to make the four day journey to share in what God was doing in both their lives. However, upon arriving and greeting one another, Luke gives us a glimpse into how Elizabeth and her unborn child responded to the arrival of Mary in verse 41:

 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! "And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? "For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord."

Luke tells us that before Elizabeth could begin to tell Mary about her encounter with the Angel Gabriel; before Elizabeth could share with Mary about the Angel Gabriel’s announcement that that their son would be the messenger prepare the Jewish people for and to announce the arrival of the Messiah; before Mary could begin to tell Elizabeth about her encounter with the Angel Gabriel; before Mary could share with Elizabeth about the Angel Gabriel’s announcement of the arrival of Messiah through her as a result of the supernatural activity of God in her life; before any of that could happen Elizabeth’s yet unborn son leaped in her womb.

Now when Luke says that the baby leaped in the womb, he is not saying that the baby kicked in the womb. Luke is saying that the baby literally leapt in an exuberant springing motion out of joy. You see, as we discovered two weeks ago, the Angel Gabriel had explained to Zacharias that their child would be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. The Angel Gabriel had explained to Zacharias that their child would announce the arrival of the Messiah who would bring the Jewish people back to God and back to prominence in the world.

And as Mary walked into the room and greeted Elizabeth, John the Baptizer fulfilled the very words of the Angel Gabriel. John the Baptizer, while still in the womb, announced to his mother that the Messiah had just entered into the room. John the Baptizer, already alive in the womb, was already fulfilling the role that he would have in God’s story by announcing the arrival of the Messiah while still in the womb.

And as Elizabeth experienced the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, Luke tells us that Elizabeth responded to her unborn child’s announcement and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence and influence in her life by rejoicing in the Lord’s supernatural activity in Mary’s life; "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! "And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?”

Elizabeth’s proclamation, if communicated in the language we us in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Mary, how blessed are you to be the recipient of God’s favor and activity in your life. And how blessed is the child that is within you. And how has it come to be that I would have the privilege to have the mother of my Messiah come to visit me!” Elizabeth then explained to Mary that at the sound of her voice, her son announced to her that she was in the presence of the Messiah.

And Elizabeth proclaimed to Mary that she was the recipient of God’s favor and activity in her life as a result of her placing her confident trust in God’s promise that had been proclaimed to her by the Angel Gabriel and that had driven her to travel to visit Elizabeth. You see, Elizabeth responded to the Lord’s supernatural activity in her life and in her relative Mary’s life by worshipping the Lord.

Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as Mary. I want us to place ourselves in her shoes. You travel four days to see your relative, after an angel tells you that, in spite of the fact that she was incapable of bearing children and was at a place in her life where children were beyond a possibility, she has become pregnant. Then, as you greet her, and before you can even tell her why you have traveled so far to see her, she breaks out in worship of the Lord after telling you that you are pregnant with the Messiah before you could even tell her that you were pregnant with the Messiah. Can you imagine what that must have been like?

You are Mary. What would you be thinking? What would you be feeling? How would you respond? Friday we will see Mary's response and discover another timeless truth about Christmas...