Christmas Sermon #2

FINDING JESUS Luke 2:1-20 December 24, 2010
“And the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.”
And that is just what they did - “with haste” the scripture says. Having been told that their savior had been born, they immediately responded by looking for him. I imagine that when they got to Bethlehem they found that it was a city full of people and excitement and even chaos. There was a census going on which was not like the 2010 census in the United States which was largely done by mail from the privacy of our own homes. For this census everyone had to go to the home city of the head of the household, and for Joseph’s family that was Bethlehem. When the shepherds approached Bethlehem it must have looked like, well a lot like a city celebrating Christmas: lots of people, lots of moving around, lots of buying and selling, lots of noise. Why, they were even putting people up in the stables because there was no more room in the inns. For these poor country boys, it must have been overwhelming. Where do you start looking for one little newborn?
Scripture says they “found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger,” but you can bet that they did not find them right away. There were many stables in Bethlehem, and there were many innkeepers bustling about trying to keep up with the crush of all the people. They must have gone from building to building inquiring about a young couple with a newborn laying in a manger. Perhaps Mary was not the only young woman to give birth that night. Perhaps this couple was not the only one to be housed in a stable that night.
So the shepherds look and look. All they have to go on is the cryptic word of the angels: “this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” No GPS like people have in their cars today. No people finder like people use on the internet today. No helpful hints beside the phrase “not the Joseph of Nazareth you are looking for” like pops up on Facebook today. They looked around. They inquired. And they found him. They found their Savior.
“And the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.”
Tonight it is Christmas 2,010 years later, give or take a few years. At this time of year there is a great deal of hubbub with parties and gatherings, gift giving and shopping. It can all be exhausting, sometimes confusing, and for many of us, overwhelming. What is the core meaning of Christmas? Is it the feasting and the drinking? Is it the family gathered from near and far? Is it the season when retailers finally turn a profit because of “black Friday” and “cyber Monday”? Is not the core meaning of Christmas finding that tiny baby in that humble stable, nestled in the straw? Is it not finding a savior who is Christ the Lord? We should all be like the shepherds in going to see what the Lord has made known to us.
In Isaiah 55:6 it says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near.” That’s what the shepherds did. After all, we know that he did not remain near to those shepherds all that long. After the three wise men visited Jesus, the whole family - Joseph, Mary, and Jesus – fled to Egypt. And then, when it was safe to do so, they went to live in Nazareth which is where Joseph had work and where, most likely, Mary was born. But while he was near, the shepherds went to find Jesus.
That is what we are to do. But Jesus is not as hard for us to find as he might have been for those shepherds. When we go to our Bible and read- or when we go to church and listen – or when we go to the Sacrament to eat and drink – Jesus is there. When we “fall on our knees” and pray, Jesus is listening. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus said, “…..seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” This is God’s promise to you – when you seek him you will find him; just as the angels led the shepherds to believe that they would find the baby Jesus. He is not hidden like a needle in a haystack. He waiting to be found.
A rather humorous story appeared in the paper one Christmas. “After someone stole a valuable ceramic figurine of Baby Jesus from a nativity scene in Wellington, Florida, officials took action to keep thieves from succeeding again. An Associated Press report described how they placed a GPS tracking device inside the replacement figurine. When Baby Jesus disappeared again the next Christmas, sheriff's deputies were led by the signal to the thief's apartment.” That’s how the police found Jesus.
As Christians, we believe that Christ has always existed, but he came into the world in a new and wonderful way with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. As Christians we believe that Christ is every where – omnipresent, as they say – but he is distinctively present in the Word and in the Sacrament, bringing us the salvation that only the savior can bring through the forgiveness of our sins. And so, when we find Jesus, we find what the shepherds had been promised they would find: a savior who is Christ the Lord.
2nd Chronicles 7:14 has a wonderful promise: God says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Forgiveness and healing – that is what all those who seek the Lord will find.
It is my prayer that this night you are glorifying and praising God for all you have heard and seen, just as the shepherds did as they, because you have found Jesus Christ to be your savior and your Lord and are living day by day for him. The invitation stands in Matthew 11 “come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” AMEN.