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1.
Christmas Eve: What Was Seen At Bethlehem - Luke 2:8-20
2. Candle
Lighting Service & Sermon: A Great Light - Matthew 4:16 3. Christmas Sermon: No Room In The Inn - Luke 2:1-7
4. Advent Sermon: Surprise, It's Christmas - Luke 1:26-38
5. First Person Skit: "A Personal Testimony" - Luke 2:1-7
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1st SERMON FOR LUKE 2:8-20
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Sermon
Opener
I wonder what I
would have heard had I been there that night. It is a question that annually
haunts me. Would I have heard the choirs of angels singing or simply the sounds
of barnyard animals shifting around? Would I have seen the star in the sky that
night or simply two poor and very frightened kids? Would I have understood the
hushed silence of the divine presence, or simply the chill of a cold east wind.
Would I have understood the message of Emmanuel, God with us, or would the
cosmic implications of that evening have passed me by?
I am convinced
that had two people been there that night in Bethlehem it is quite possible that
they could have heard and seen two entirely different scenes. I believe this
because all of life is this way. God never presents himself in revelation in a
manner in which we are forced to believe. We are always left with an option, for
that is God's way. Thus, one person can say "It's a miracle, while another says
"It's coincidence."
Certainly very few
people in Palestine saw and heard and understood what took place that night. The
choirs of angels singing were drowned out by the haggling and trading going on
in the Jerusalem bazaar. There was a bright star in the sky but the only ones
apparently to pay any attention to it were pagan astrologers from the East. If
anyone did see Mary and Joseph on that most fateful night, they were too
preoccupied with their own problems to offer any assistance.
In one of the All
in the Family episodes that aired some years ago Edith and Archie are attending
Edith's high school class reunion. Edith encounters an old classmate by the name
of Buck who, unlike his earlier days. had now become excessively obese. Edith
and Buck have a delightful conversation about old times and the things that they
did together, but remarkably Edith doesn't seem to notice how extremely heavy
Buck has become. Later, when Edith and Archie and talking, she says in her whiny
voices "Archie, ain't Buck a beautiful person." Archie looks at her with a
disgusted expression and says: "You're a pip, Edith. You know that. You and I
look at the same guy and you see a beautiful person and I see a blimp. Edith
gets a puzzled expression on her face and says something unknowingly profound,
"Yeah, ain't it too bad."
You see, what we
see and what we hear in life depends not upon the events but
rather....
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2nd SERMON FOR LUKE 2:1-7
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Wally was big for
his age--seven years old. Everyone wondered what role the teacher would give him
in the annual Christmas play. Especially considering the fact that he was also a
slow learner. Perhaps he could pull the curtain.
To everyone's
surprise the teacher gave Wally the role of the innkeeper. The boy of course was
delighted. After all, all he had to learn was one line:
"There is no room
in the inn." He had that down in no time.
Then came the
night for the program. The parents took their places. Every seat in the
auditorium was filled. The children entered singing "Oh come all ye faithful."
The lights dimmed. A hush moved over the audience. The curtain opened on Scene
One. Mary and Joseph entered the stage and walked up to the inn. "Please sir, my
wife is not well. Could we have a room for the night?"
Wally was ready
for his line. He had rehearsed it all night. He began, "there is", and he
hesitated. He started over again. There is. . .and again his mind went
completely blank. Everyone was embarrassed for him but poor Wally just didn't
know what to do. Joseph thought he would improvise and started walking away
toward the stable on stage left. Seeing him walking away Wally in desperation
called out: "Look, there's plenty of room at my house, just come on home with
me."
That seems a
rather delightful twist on a familiar story. Over the years the characters in
the Christmas story have become clearly defined for us. The issues all seem so
clear cut. Herod was a villain and the wise men were heroes. The shepherds were
heroes and the Innkeeper--well, the poor innkeeper has gone down as one of the
heavies in the story. In our minds eye, we envision him as a crotchety old man
with a night cap on his head sticking his head out a second story window and
tersely shouting: Take the stable and leave me alone.
But perhaps the
innkeeper has received bad press. Preachers over the centuries have had a field
day with the poor fellow. But was it his fault that the inn was built with
twelve rooms instead of thirteen? Was it his fault that Caesar Augustus had
issued a decree that the entire world should be taxed? Was it his fault that
Mary and Joseph were so late in arriving?
But you know
something; this simple little statement about there being no room in the Inn
becomes a symbol for Luke. As he writes his gospel it almost becomes a theme.
Luke takes this one line, "There is no room in the inn," and shows us how this
phrase was recurrent throughout Jesus' ministry. The question that Luke leaves
for us is--will there ever be any room for him?
1. There was no
room for Jesus in the economic world.
2. There was no
room for Jesus in the legal realm.3. There was no room for Jesus in the realm of the religious order.
4. There was no room for Jesus in the world of politics.
5. Let's look at us today--to you and to me. Do we have room for Christ in our lives?
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First Person Skit for Christmas Eve LUKE 2:1-7
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A Personal
Testimony
Would you allow me
to be personal? I have an unusual story to tell, and I delight in telling it. My
work brings me into contact with many people. In fact, I deal with
all kinds of people from the humblest country folk to the highest
officials.
But the event I
most vividly recall happened at one of the year's peak seasons. Our country's
leader had felt that additional taxes were needed for us to meet our budget, so
he had urged all local citizens to have their names registered at the polls, so
they could be duly taxed. Of course, this meant many thousands had to make their
way across the countryside to the city which represented their political
interests.
I recall the
weather...still cool...although the fresh smell of spring was in the air. Grass
was even good enough for limited grazing on the nearby hillsides. And the
days...rather pleasant, but I must admit the nights were somewhat
chilly.
But one night in
particular stands out in my memory. It seems that the crowds had been unusually
large that day. And many had come by seeking lodging for the night, as they
lived at too great a distant to return home for bedtime. Already I had turned
dozens away to seek shelter elsewhere. [If stool is used, sit here] Exhausted, I
had dozed off at the register's counter when I was awakened by a gentle
"tap-tap-tapping" on the counter-top. "Coming to" with a start, I made out the
figure of a young couple, standing in the lingering shadows of the lamp
light.
"May I help you?"
I asked, [jumping-up and off of stool]. As the young man stood by his pretty
companion, he began to speak in a low, trembling voice....
