Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

A crime has been committed. Christmas has been hijacked. It has been taken away from us. The Grinch is alive and well, and he’s doing everything he can to steal Christmas from all us Whos here in Whoville.

But our Grinch isn’t an ugly green guy in a homemade Santa suit with a reindog that has one antler. The Grinch stealing our Christmas is our culture and our own traditions.

Christmas has been hijacked and so many changes have been made that it barely resembles its former self. Enough is enough! In this series, we’re taking back Christmas.

That means that over the next three weeks, we’re going to challenge a lot of your preconceived ideas. We’re going to dismantle this false holiday that our culture has created. Some of it might hurt a little bit. For a lot of us, this series might hit pretty close to home.

But it’s worth it because Christmas is about Christ. And as Christ-followers, we can’t allow culture or tradition to dictate our faith to us. That’s why we have the Bible. Through some serious, intense teaching from God’s Word, we’re going to take back Christmas.

We’re kicking off the series with the Christmas story itself. As God’s people, the Christmas story is ours. The Christmas story is about the birth of Jesus Christ. As His people, it belongs to us, so it’s time to take it back. We’re not going to listen to our culture. We’re not going to listen to religious tradition. We’re going to explore the Bible. We’re going to strip away everything else and just let the Bible speak. What a novel idea, huh?

The story of Jesus’ birth is found in the book of Luke. It’s the third book in the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke. Today, we’re going to spend a lot of time in Luke 2. We’ll start in the first verse. Let’s take back Christmas.

“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 Quirinius 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.” (Luke 2:1-7, NIV)

That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. This is the story. Much of the Christmas season comes from seven verses out of the entire Bible. And yet it’s amazing how much this simple story gets messed up by our culture and by our own traditions.

This story has been so romanticized in songs and dramas and stories and poems that it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. But that’s exactly what we’re going to do today. There is so much lacquer applied to the story that it becomes very difficult to see the real thing. But today, we’re going to sand it down and get to the heart of the Christmas story.

We’re going to go back and walk through the first part of Luke 2 step-by-step. And we’re going to see how this story comes to life when we don’t romanticize it, but we just allow the Word of God to speak.

In the first two verses, Luke writes, “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 Quirinius was governor of Syria.)” (Luke 2:1-2, NIV)

The Bible tells us that Jesus was born while Caesar Augustus was ruling. He ruled over the Roman Empire; one of the most expansive, powerful empires in the history of the world.

Quirinius was a regional governor. To put it into terms that we’ll all understand, Augustus would be like the president and Quirinius would be like a member of his cabinet.

Now, I know you didn’t come here for a lesson in ancient history. Why is this significant? Who cares about who was ruling in this ancient empire?

This is incredibly significant, because it was Augustus who established and maintained the Pax Romana, or the Roman peace. This was a long period of peace in which the Roman Empire flourished. Up until this point, there had never been a time like this: a time of peace. A time where roads were being built like never before. A time when there was a nearly universal language.

Why is that important? Think about it. God sent his Son during the exact time period when the gospel message could spread like wildfire. Jesus came to earth in time of unprecedented peace; in a time where travel and communication were easier and faster than ever before. God didn’t just hang up a calendar and throw darts to determine when Jesus would be born. He choreographed the story according to His sovereign and perfect will.

The Bible says it this way in Galatians 4. “But when the right time came, God sent his Son…” (Galatians 4:4a, NLT)

The timing of Jesus’ arrival was no accident. All of human history had been building to this moment. God sent His Son at the exact right time…the most perfect time in history.

Sometimes, from our perspective, God’s timing seems suspect. Sometimes it feels like His timing just flat stinks.

You’ve been waiting for God to bring you a man or a woman, but it hasn’t happened.

You’ve been praying for God to provide you with a new job, but nothing is happening.

You desperately want to have kids, but God hasn’t come through yet.

You’ve prayed for God to bring miraculous healing, but so far, He hasn’t.

You don’t understand why God allowed that person you love to die right now. Why couldn’t He have waited? Why did this happen now?

From our perspective, it can absolutely feel like God is asleep at the wheel sometimes. God’s time and our time are rarely the same time.

It certainly had to feel that way for Mary & Joseph. We’re going to learn more about them as we go through the message today. As you hear the truth about who they were and where they were, think about God’s timing. His timing had to seem a little off to this couple. But it was through His perfect timing that God gave us Jesus.

The greatest blessings often come through times of greatest challenge. If you’re in a tough season and God just isn’t coming through, hang on. I can’t tell you exactly what God is doing. I can’t tell you what His precise plan is. I can’t explain your situation. But I can tell you that He loves you like crazy and, in His perfect timing, He will work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. That’s what I can tell you.

Now, let’s get back to Luke 2. Luke tells us that Augustus decreed that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was a massive undertaking. At its height, the Roman Empire encompassed something like 2.5 million square miles. This census was a huge effort that required a massive move of humanity.

In verse 3, Luke tells us, “And everyone went to his own town to register.” (Luke 2:3, NIV)

You couldn’t just stay where you lived, raise your hand, and be counted. The census required everyone to go to their hometown.

In this culture, your hometown wasn’t necessarily where you were from. It’s the town that your family line emanates from. And that’s why Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem.

Pick it up in verse 4. “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.” (Luke 2:4-5, NIV)

Joseph came from David’s family. Bethlehem was the town of David, so even though Joseph was from Nazareth, Bethlehem was his official hometown.

He traveled to Bethlehem with his fiancé, Mary, who was pregnant.

And this is the point where we need to throw on the brakes. In our culture and in our traditions, Christmas is about a sweet, warm-and-fuzzy story. In reality, it was anything but that.

We’re in Luke 2 today, but we actually need to back up to Luke 1 and get a sense of what is going on in Joseph & Mary’s life.

Pick it up in verse 26. “In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.” (Luke 1:26-38, NIV)

Only two angels are named in the Bible: Michael & Gabriel. Gabriel was the angel who appeared to Mary while she was living in Nazareth.

Now, you have to understand something about Nazareth. Nazareth was nothing. It was a town of probably a few dozen people. At the absolute max, a few hundred people lived there. For perspective, it is highly likely that we’ll have more people in our church building today than lived in the town of Nazareth.

People in Nazareth lived in homes that were 500-600 square feet, part of which was occupied by livestock. This was a town of simple, dirt poor, country people.

And it was in this simple little town that a girl named Mary got engaged to a fellow named Joseph. Joseph and Mary likely grew up together. In a town of less than 200 people, there aren’t a lot of marrying options. He probably had a little crush on her from childhood. He was always trying to impress her. Doing whatever he could to make her notice him. That’s probably how these two got started.

And it’s at this point that Gabriel comes to Mary. She was betrothed to Joseph. This was a pledge to be married. In first century Jewish culture, you could get married at 13 years old. Girls as young as 12 could be betrothed. The betrothal would last for a year and then the marriage would be consummated.

The betrothal began with a ceremony where the parents of the young couple would sign a document stating their approval for the marriage. This document was a legally binding agreement until the marriage was consummated a year later. The betrothal was so serious that to terminate the relationship required a legal divorce.

And that’s where Mary is when the angel Gabriel appeared to her. She’s excited because she’s a young girl who is planning her wedding.

Now, let’s explore a little more about Mary. Mary was probably illiterate. Very few women in this culture were formally educated. Most likely, she couldn’t read or write.

She was a peasant girl, collecting water, gathering wood, illiterate, dirty clothes. That was Mary.

This is how we often think about Mary. In reality, Mary wouldn’t even know who this person was. This is the way that Mary is often depicted in Catholic art, but this is far cry from reality. Mary was not in her late 20s or early 30s. She was not Caucasian. She didn’t have fine clothes to wear. And she didn’t have a weird halo around her head.

Mary was a peasant girl. A teenager, probably somewhere between 12-14 years old. Let that sink in. Mark Driscoll said that many parents don’t even trust their 13 year old with an iPod. How about God?

This is the image of Mary that most of us have.

This is a lot closer to reality. This is my niece, Shelby, and her friend Alexis. And this is a lot closer to Mary’s life situation than anything you’ve ever seen in Catholic art. Now tell me…doesn’t that add some flavor to the story? Doesn’t that make you rethink what you thought you knew about the Christmas story? Don’t you think that Mary, the Jr. High girl, had to wonder about God’s plan and His timing?

God didn’t choose a rich, affluent, beautiful, powerful woman to be the mother of His Son. He chose Mary. The Jr. High girl.

God doesn’t value what we value. He doesn’t see what we see. He isn’t governed by human standards. If we were writing the story, Jesus probably would have been born in a castle instead of a cave. His parents would have been wealthy, powerful people. That would have been more fitting for the birth of the King.

But that’s not how God scripted it. Instead, he chose the poor, illiterate, farm girl from a nowhere town.

I love what the Bible says in Psalm 113. “[The Lord] raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people.” (Psalm 113:7-8, NIV)

Isn’t that awesome? I love that. I love that God chose two poor teenagers from the middle of nowhere to raise His Son. Joseph and Mary wouldn’t have even been a blip on the radar screen of history if God hadn’t entered into the equation. But that’s what God does. He gives significance and meaning to the most insignificant life.

Now, let’s go even deeper into this story. Ladies, how would you like to be Mary? This was Mary’s world before the angel appeared to her. “I’m going to marry Joseph, the man of my dreams. I have my dress. I’ve picked out my flowers. I’ve sent my invitations. It will be a wonderful day. Then, after our wedding, we’ll go on our honeymoon. We’ll have lots of babies. It will be a wonderful life.”

Then Gabriel shows up and says, “Mary, I know that’s how you thought your life was going to play out, but I’ve been sent to tell you that this isn’t exactly how it’s going to go down. It’s time for a new script.”

In many ways, this angel showed up to ruin her life. I know that’s not a very Christmasy thought, but it’s true.

Mary wasn’t married yet. That’s why the Christmas story is anything but warm-and-fuzzy. This pregnancy was absolutely scandalous.

Joseph could legally divorce Mary for this. He could break the betrothal and call off the wedding.

When Mary told the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said,” here’s what she was really saying:

“It’s ok. I may lose my husband. I may never be married because of what this pregnancy will do to my reputation. And I’m ok with that.”

Ladies, how many of you would be ok with that? How many of you would give up your wedding day, your husband, and your family if God asked you to?

There was also a provision in the law that said that Mary could be stripped naked, redressed in rags, abused verbally and physically, tied up in the center of town, called a “whore,” and left there for a long time. This was done so all the other young women in town would get the idea that being a fornicator and an adulterer was not acceptable.

Mary was called incredibly derogatory names her whole life. Jesus grew up hearing, “Well, at least I know who my dad is. Your mom slept around so much you don’t even know who your real father is.”

Mary was willing to give up her husband, her reputation, and all of her future plans to do what God had called her to do. Seriously…who was going to believe the whole virgin birth thing? Nobody. Mary would be treated like a prostitute. People would look at her son, point, and whisper all kinds of demeaning, derogatory things. This was going to be Mary’s life from now on. She had everything to lose by following God’s will for her life…and she followed anyway.

Not the beautiful Christmas story we’re used to, is it? But actually, the truth is so much better than what we get from cultural tradition. Mary is an incredible example for us. So often, when God calls us to do something, we immediately think about what we’ll have to give up. What will it cost me? How will this affect me?

That type of selfish, self-centered thinking is completely out of line for those of us who follow Jesus. The first question isn’t, “How does this affect me?” The first question is, “How will God be glorified through this? If I have to suffer to bring God glory, I’m ok with that.”

That was Mary. And that should be us.

And what about Joseph? Joseph was a man of honor. He had every legal right to leave Mary. People would have told him that he made the right decision. He could have found a different girl. One without a kid on the way. He could have gone on to have a nice, normal, peaceful life. But he chose Mary. He endured the insults and criticisms. He heard what people said about his wife and the child that she bore. He was called a fool, an idiot, and much worse. But he was a man of honor. He didn’t leave when things got tough.

We need more Josephs. We need men who will stand up and be men. Men who don’t bail out on their family when everything doesn’t go exactly as planned.

I had a counseling session not too long ago with a guy who is seriously thinking about leaving his wife and their young children. His reasoning was, “I just don’t feel like I used to feel anymore.”

We need more Josephs. Men who base their decisions on what IS good instead of just what FEELS good. Joseph was a good man who stuck by his fiancé when things got incredibly tough. That’s because godly men understand that any wuss can walk away from his commitment when things get hard. But a man of God stands with a spine of steel in tough times. Walking away isn’t even an option to him.

You see how much better it is when we explore the truth about Christmas? The Christmas story is about a girl who had faith enough to give up everything if that’s what God wanted. And it’s about a guy who didn’t bail on his family when things got tough. He knew that godly men are in it for the long haul. Instead of running away, they take the lead during tough times.

And don’t forget that these two were teenagers! Some of us need to repent of the way we view young people. Instead of holding them to high, godly standards, we teach them that this is the time of life for them to be immature and stupid. Adolescence is a false creation of western culture. God chose Jr. Highers to raise His Son. He knew they had the capacity to make good, godly choices. And teenagers today have the same capacity. Instead of writing them off, we need to challenge them to step up. Too many of us have set the bar too low, and then we’re surprised when kids consistently live down to our expectations.

Let’s go back to Luke 2 and wrap up the story. Mary and Joseph made the trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census. This was a journey of about 100 miles, and Mary was VERY pregnant.

Any of you ladies who have been in that situation…would you want to go on a 100 mile trip across the wilderness where you either walked or, at best, rode on a donkey? Doesn’t sound fun, does it?

Joseph and Mary set out on this journey, knowing that she was ready to have this baby. It was very possible that she would have this baby on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with no doctor or medical care in sight. Moms, can you think of anything more terrifying than that? We know that they made it to Bethlehem for the birth. But when they started the journey, they had no idea what was going to happen.

By the grace of God, they made it to Bethlehem. Luke 2:6-7 says, “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.” (Luke 2:6-7, NIV)

They made it to Bethlehem, and right after their 100 mile journey, Mary went into labor. Now remember, like Nazareth, Bethlehem was a small town. There weren’t a lot of hotels here. There weren’t a lot of places to spend the night. And this town that barely had a hotel at all was flooded with people because of the census. Because this small town was so packed with people, there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn.

So Mary was forced to give birth in a stable or a cave. The Bible doesn’t specifically say this, but after Jesus was born, the Bible says that “she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger.” A manger was a feeding trough for animals.

That’s how Jesus made His entrance into our world. Jesus, Immanuel, God in the flesh, lying in a dirty, straw-filled feeding trough.

It’s not how we would script it. Our songs and plays and pageants have romanticized it, but this story is hardly romantic. It’s not warm-and-fuzzy. It’s hard. It’s rough. It’s cold. It’s dangerous. But it’s ours. This is our story, because it’s the story of our Savior.

Jesus traded the throne room of heaven for a manger. He left the riches of his Father to grow up in poverty, the son of two Jr. High peasants whose reputations had been completely ruined by His arrival.

The Bible says it this way in Philippians 2. “Though [Jesus] was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8, NLT)

This is exactly how God scripted the story. God didn’t enter our world in immaculate perfection. His entrance was scandalous, filthy, and dangerous…which is so incredibly appropriate, because the world He came to save is scandalous, filthy, and dangerous.

Jesus didn’t live a life removed from the pain and cruelty of our world. He lived in the middle of it. His birth was scandalous. His life was hard. His death was excruciating. And He didn’t have to do any of it.

At any point, Jesus could have said, “No. They’re not worth it. They’re not worth what I’m giving up for them.”

But He never said that. Never even thought it. Jesus gave up everything for you because you are worth it. You are the most valuable thing in the world to Him. He died so you could live. He paid the price for your sin so you wouldn’t have to. He gave up everything for you, because you are everything to Him.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: Christmas, Jesus' birth, Luke 2, Taking Back Christmas