New-Found Christmas Life
Commentary
Around the holiday season, there are hardworking faithful people who experienced heightened expectations which might even accelerate into burden, making this season less than festive. A modern example might an older semi-retired couple in their late 60s of age, sees the cell phone number of an adult child appearing, again! There is a knot in the pit of their stomach. This adult child seems to always call to ask for a financial loan (which is actually a gift). Around holidays, the pressure for this older couple to “loan” the adult child more money is accentuated with the threat that older couple’s grandkids, will not have a good Christmas if there is not enough money to pay bills, payments on overdrawn credit cards, and the latest car repair bill. The adult tells the older grandparents, “not to be a grinch in this season.” Of course, the requests for money do not end with the holidays, they are less frequent throughout the year. This might be the world of gloom and anguish for this older couple during Christmas holidays (Isaiah 9:1).
Their other adult son is a very responsible office manager who he works for a medium-sized graphics company in the area. The anguish he faces is on Friday afternoon, before quitting time. A salesman rushes into the office with a “hot job!” It needs to be processed now, and the salesman really needs to head back out the door. The office manager soon smells liquor on the salesman’s breath. As the salesman rushes out the door, he says, “Thanks, I owe you one!” These words go in one ear and out the other, as the office manager hears this familiar pledge repeatedly. Now the order will take two hours to process, not to mention having to announce the news of another rush order to the shop supervisor who also has been looking forward to going home on Friday late afternoon.
All three of today’s texts identify a heavy, burdensome time for the people of faith. Isaiah is speaking to a people who are under the yoke of Assyrian bondage. Titus speaks to a congregation where false teachings and maligned ethical practice is disrupting the church. Finally, in Luke, a family with a pregnant mother is on the road to register for imposed taxation by the Roman Empire.
Isaiah 9:1-7
While still walking in darkness, Isaiah promises that God will terminate the violent, hated hardships imposed on them by the latest empire, whom scholars believe be Assyrian occupation after the Syria-Ephraim wars (Tiglath Pileser, 733 BCE, c.f.: 2 Kings 15:29). This text is a subsection of a larger unit in Isaiah 7:1-9:7. The harsher reality of people of faith in any time is before they encounter a great light, they are thrusted into a time of bitter darkness. Both situations in the opening illustration might be modern day examples. In Isaiah, military oppression will one day come to an end for Israel. However, the people remain in darkness seeking a sign from God.
Isaiah speaks of a child being born, who is “a son given us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The New Testament writers in Matthew and Luke read this text through the lens of the Jesus’ birth and ministry events. Scholarly issues remain. Literally, if Isaiah is comforting the people of Israel in the 700 BCE era, the next good kings of Judah would be: Hezekiah and/or Josiah, who died within a reasonable lifespan of their times. How is this good news for the Judean people then? Some scholars say this is a “royal oracle,” which has multiple rehearings for many time eras (Brueggemann, Seitz, Kaiser). Others view this as an “eschatological” reading for an unknown but certain future (Hays, Witherington).
The bottom line is the good news of the sign of the child will result in reasons to thank God for victory over Judah’s oppressors (9:4), the burning of the spoils of war (9:5) and a Davidic King with Messianic overtones that will one day rule (a possible three point sermon here, 9:6-7; Kaiser, 2027). To preach this text on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day might be to challenge hearers to reflect on what is disturbing their peace, serenity or joy in this supposedly festive time of the year? Then claim the words of Isaiah 9 as God’s promise that better days are ahead. No exact time is given. Yet God remains good for God’s promises. Isaiah’s words of promise and hope definitely caught the attention of the New Testament writers and have been cited by writers from St. Jerome to Handel’s “Messiah” (Witherington, 94).
The grandparents in the opening illustration may remind their adult child that one day the proverbial “ATM” they are being used for is coming to an end. They will determine the date depending on their own financial needs. This might serve to empower the couple if they follow through on their words. The office manager simply needs to do what Luke the evangelist does in the gospel lesson by “documenting” all of these events and later submitting reports to the upper management when he feels his time of living in deep darkness needs to come to an end [Sources: Brueggemann, Walter, Isaiah 1-39, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998); Kaiser, Otto, Old Testament Library: Isaiah 1-12, Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1093); Hays Richard, Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels. (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2016); Seitz, Christopher, Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Isaiah 1-39, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993); Witherington, Ben, Isaiah Old and New: Exegesis, Intertextuality and Hermeneutics, (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2017)].
Titus 2:11-14
In National Lampoon’s 1989 movie, Christmas Vacation, the character of “Cousin Eddie” suddenly intrudes into Clark Griswold’s already stressful, congested Christmas holiday event, he drives an “RV” which he parks on the Griswold’s front yard while the toilet wastes goes into the front yard drainage line. Cousin Eddy does not respect the ethics and manners which the Griswold family tries to enforce among the other relatives. This even results in Cousin Eddie kidnapping Clark’s boss over a lack of Christmas bonus money, and a huge explosion at the end of the movie.
Titus 2 might be addressing many potential Cousin Eddie type of people who take unfair advantage of extended grace by others and are a source of perpetual chaos within a Christian community. As a result of the Christ event and the grace that follows, Christians are called to practice correct doctrine and right living (Hultgren 163).
Titus is one of the pastoral epistles with contested authorship. Earlier uncontested Pauline authorship is dated around 65 CE. The majority of scholars who believe that a later disciple of Paul wrote these letters after his death but those who are true to his doctrine tend to date the pastoral epistles around 85 CE, with fragments of Paul’ writings. Dating them around 100 CE, the view is of a disciple of Paul wrote the whole body of texts independently. Once compromised path a preacher can take is to suggest that Paul’s scribe or secretary took creative liberties in vocabulary, terms and ideas. The bottom line remains God is faithful to the covenant to his people. Redemption is only through Jesus Christ in the hallmark teaching of justification by faith alone, no works (Metzger, 574-575).
The opposition whom Paul counsels in Titus are gnostics of the time who are taking liberties with Paul’s teachings on grace. This has resulted in speculative philosophy of the time which leads to following local human unethical traditions and bad conduct (Hultgren, 163). Living under grace does not mean living in worldly passions, irreligion, and godless ways. During the holidays, there might be a tendency for people to justify taking advantage of others by rationalizing it to be the “spirit of giving or time of generosity.” The pastoral texts serve as a reminder that being cautious and prudent is not out of the question when one considers how much time and money to expend during the Christmas season. The credit card payments will come due in the coming months!
Christians are to live upright, godly lives as response to salvation and means to growth in discipleship. The Greek words in this text are imperatives meaning ethical behavior is connected to God’s will under grace. Since the first coming or carnation (tying this text to Christmas), God’s people are called to do good (Oden, 52-54). Simply put, the pastoral epistles suggest living under grace is also to carry out God’s will by means of treating other people as we might want to be treated during this time of the year, as well as year-round.
This would apply to people such as Cousin Eddie that they might live more ethical and courteous lives as guests of the Griswold family. Being an out-of-town guest does not translate into license to violate manners, etiquette and doing one’s share of family chores during the holidays. Titus, like the other pastoral epistles, suggests that good order and godly living which is consistent with solid Christian doctrine is important. This is taught by the Christian church as doing God’s will until the second coming of Christ (Oden, 54). Celebration of the first coming of Christ is a time of community courtesy and gratitude for another year of life under God’s grace, not pushing the boundaries toward disruption and chaos.
As applied to the older couple in the opening illustration, Titus might suggest that they may consider whether loaning money to relatives upon request is a good discipleship practice for the adult children as well as the retired couple. To preach on this text, one might take the path of asking what it is to live out the spirit of Nativity of our Lord when our society chooses a tangent of the latest commercial, corporate or nationalist philosophy? God’s desire is to live an ethical life that serves the community of faith until the second coming of Christ. [Sources: Hultgren, Arland J. and Roger Aus, Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament: I-II Timothy, Titus, II Thessalonians, Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 1984. Metzger, Bruce and Michael Coogan, Editors, The Oxford Companion to the Bible, (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1993); Oden, Thomas, Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: First and Second Timothy and Titus, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1989)].
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Regardless of whether the past year as resulted in loss, disappointment and worry, or it was a matter of survival to make ends meet, the Luke narrative of the nativity is intended to point to a new found Christian life. Whether there are gifts under the Christmas tree, gifts and money from loved ones or not, the gospel story of the birth of Jesus still is still timeless and inspires a spirit of joy and hope. It is probably one of the most over interpreted texts in the New Testament due to its only other account of the nativity besides the Matthew 1-2 and account.
One of the challenges of preaching the Nativity of our Lord is the familiarly of the text. Some preachers have simply read the Nativity narrative, or had lay readers so do, then proceed with the rest of the service. Luke’s gospel in this sense can be said to “preach itself” in this context. With use of drama and voice inflections, this story can be read in both a joyous and hopeful manner.
The author of the Gospel is “Luke.” Many scholars have speculated that he might have been a travel companion of Paul the apostle. Luke’s identity is uncertain. Internal document evidence suggests Luke is a highly educated writer who is familiar with Greco Roman culture philosophy of the day. His refined, polished style of writing reveals he is familiar with the Greek Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament, LXX). He holds a universal outlook or worldview, that Israel’s God reveals that God has a sovereign plan for the whole world, as recorded both in Greco Romans history and LXX books. God’s plan is salvation for the whole world, though God worked through the Jewish people since Genesis 12.
Depending on the scholar, Luke is generally dated anywhere from 60 to 90 CE. Luke is not a firsthand witness to the events of Jesus’ life. The recipient Theophilus has been disputed by many scholars. Suffice to say Luke’s audience are urban Gentiles who are spread throughout the Roman empire of the second century.
Within the content of the text itself, one can explore the path of Luke wishing to locate the birth of Jesus within history and the current rulers of the time. In the world of education and medicine, Luke follows the practice of, “document, document, document.” Despite, the technology Luke has available the time, his level of historical recording is reasonable. Historical scholars have challenged Luke’s dating of various rulers and times. It would be like having a rotary telephone in times past to communicate messages. However, those with modern android smart phones might be critical of the messages written down from a rotary telephone call. The message itself has its own integrity regardless of the technology used to communicate it.
To pursue this path might be to observe the irony of the Roman empire’s attempt to exercise lordship with the registration of citizens at their place of birth for purposes of taxation and military conscription. Meanwhile, the real Lord of the universe is born in the city of David, or Bethlehem. Luke does not make the explicit reference to the Micah 5:2 text as Matthew 2:6. The child is of the house of David, thereby validating his credentials as a Davidic King from Israel’s heritage. As early as his birth, this child is taking on the power structures of his time.
This might apply to the opening illustrations in that people of faith must consider how much personal power they give away to those who seek their time and resources? Also, when is the time to speak truth to power, knowing it might have lethal consequences. The newfound Christmas life here is that the Lord we serve is the ruler of time and the universe. Jesus will rise again from the grave. Those whose faith is in this Lord have new life, is the basic gospel message here. Even the mostly lowly of persons can find comfort in this regardless of how many gifts they receive on this holiday.
Another preaching path is that of highlighting the shepherds. They are the lowly working class of their time, as was David a shepherd before he was anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 16), In Luke’s cosmology (how the earth is structured with the universe), the heavens do impinge on one another, as angels pronounce the good news of the Savior being born in the city of David, or Bethlehem. As this might apply to modern terms, the in-breaking of God’s angels is more likely to occur where people work for minimum wage or less and are forgotten on holidays. One direction a preacher might pursue here is this is an example of the “transcendent” nature of God (beyond or above the range of normal human experience). Traditional Christianity does teach that God’s good works and miracles knows no earthly bounds. Without creating too many unrealistic expectations, a preacher might suggest that one never knows what God is up to on this day or any other day of the year. This might a sign of a new found Christmas life.
The singing of the angels suggests a glorious event that very often is beyond words and can only be captured in music and other arts. Once a pastor asked his confirmation class which hymns they want to be sang on their Confirmation Day? The class unanimously said, “the Christmas hymns they sing in church every December.” So, on a hot, scolding June Pentecost Sunday the church sang, “Joy to the World”, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” and “What Child is This?”
In the birth of the child, several discussions have occurred in recent years. First, the “inn” was nothing like the modern-day hotel. This makes the hotel clerk the “bad person” for turning away the family of Jesus. Rather, it was a house with a guest room, which was occupied with other boarders. The gesture of providing a cave below the house with the animals was more humane that turning the family away. The place of birth is literally a feeding trough for the animals. On a larger gospel scale, this is mirroring that the same babe who was wrapped in cloth strips and laid in a manger, will one day be buried in cloth strips and laid within a rocky tomb (Luke 23:53). A possible three-point sermon might be: God’s sign, wrapped and placed (Johnson, 52-53).
Another three-point sermon might be the shepherds: hearing, seeing and repeating the good news of a new Christmas life. Instead of a heaven-sent warrior, God sent an infant who is “gurgling in an animal feeder.” (Chen, 36).
Finally, in his own cryptic way, Luke is already setting the reader up for a conflict between the Lord who was born in humble circumstances the King Herod and Roman officials who hold the pillars of power in their times. The consistent message is that Jesus would embody reversals of rich to loss and those who are ill to wellness and wholeness (rich fool, Luke 12; rich man and Lazarus, Luke 16; blind beggar, Luke 18). This is good news for anybody who currently experiences powerlessness under people and groups who seek to drain every ounce of energy and financial resources from them in this season [Sources: Chen, Diane G., New Covenant Bible Series: Luke, Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017); Johnson, Luke Timothy, Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Luke, Collegeville, MN: 1991); Wright, Tom, Luke for Everyone, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001).]
Application
After thirty-three years of ordained ministry, how many different ways can a preacher create new sermons on the Nativity of our Lord? We have the John 1 and Matthew 1 and 2 accounts as alternative texts. One direction which attracts me is that God is still working in our midst even today after the latest pandemic, racial riot, financial crisis or local times of uncertainty. Luke’s gospel reminds believers that God does work through the historical events of the times, though we may only see through the mirror/glass dimly now (1 Corinthians 13:12). I will look back at the year’s events of a pandemic, racial tension driven riots, economic losses and consider that all things are possible with God in throughout the books of Luke and Acts. This is an opportunity to juxtapose how Luke’s Savior-Messiah compares to the latest political empire’s will to oppose the power brokers of the times (Chen, 38). The use of the Isaiah 9 suggests that Christianity is not simply another Graco-Roman religion but rooted in the children of Israel whom God called through Abraham in Genesis 12. Isaiah reminds people of faith of all times, that God is not finished with us yet, despite any economic, or worrisome medical news which suggests the contrary. The news of the Nativity of our Lord is good regardless of where our station of life is currently found. It is good in any given shaking of the constants in our universe, we can have hope that there is a newfound Christmas life.
Alternative Application
I have compared the birth of the Messiah with the birth of the church in the book of Acts. Both came under the radar screen of the political power structures of their times. There were various ethnic groups and social classes of people involved with the birth of both the Messiah and church. Finally, the same Holy Spirit plays a prominent role in both the life of Jesus and the church.
Their other adult son is a very responsible office manager who he works for a medium-sized graphics company in the area. The anguish he faces is on Friday afternoon, before quitting time. A salesman rushes into the office with a “hot job!” It needs to be processed now, and the salesman really needs to head back out the door. The office manager soon smells liquor on the salesman’s breath. As the salesman rushes out the door, he says, “Thanks, I owe you one!” These words go in one ear and out the other, as the office manager hears this familiar pledge repeatedly. Now the order will take two hours to process, not to mention having to announce the news of another rush order to the shop supervisor who also has been looking forward to going home on Friday late afternoon.
All three of today’s texts identify a heavy, burdensome time for the people of faith. Isaiah is speaking to a people who are under the yoke of Assyrian bondage. Titus speaks to a congregation where false teachings and maligned ethical practice is disrupting the church. Finally, in Luke, a family with a pregnant mother is on the road to register for imposed taxation by the Roman Empire.
Isaiah 9:1-7
While still walking in darkness, Isaiah promises that God will terminate the violent, hated hardships imposed on them by the latest empire, whom scholars believe be Assyrian occupation after the Syria-Ephraim wars (Tiglath Pileser, 733 BCE, c.f.: 2 Kings 15:29). This text is a subsection of a larger unit in Isaiah 7:1-9:7. The harsher reality of people of faith in any time is before they encounter a great light, they are thrusted into a time of bitter darkness. Both situations in the opening illustration might be modern day examples. In Isaiah, military oppression will one day come to an end for Israel. However, the people remain in darkness seeking a sign from God.
Isaiah speaks of a child being born, who is “a son given us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The New Testament writers in Matthew and Luke read this text through the lens of the Jesus’ birth and ministry events. Scholarly issues remain. Literally, if Isaiah is comforting the people of Israel in the 700 BCE era, the next good kings of Judah would be: Hezekiah and/or Josiah, who died within a reasonable lifespan of their times. How is this good news for the Judean people then? Some scholars say this is a “royal oracle,” which has multiple rehearings for many time eras (Brueggemann, Seitz, Kaiser). Others view this as an “eschatological” reading for an unknown but certain future (Hays, Witherington).
The bottom line is the good news of the sign of the child will result in reasons to thank God for victory over Judah’s oppressors (9:4), the burning of the spoils of war (9:5) and a Davidic King with Messianic overtones that will one day rule (a possible three point sermon here, 9:6-7; Kaiser, 2027). To preach this text on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day might be to challenge hearers to reflect on what is disturbing their peace, serenity or joy in this supposedly festive time of the year? Then claim the words of Isaiah 9 as God’s promise that better days are ahead. No exact time is given. Yet God remains good for God’s promises. Isaiah’s words of promise and hope definitely caught the attention of the New Testament writers and have been cited by writers from St. Jerome to Handel’s “Messiah” (Witherington, 94).
The grandparents in the opening illustration may remind their adult child that one day the proverbial “ATM” they are being used for is coming to an end. They will determine the date depending on their own financial needs. This might serve to empower the couple if they follow through on their words. The office manager simply needs to do what Luke the evangelist does in the gospel lesson by “documenting” all of these events and later submitting reports to the upper management when he feels his time of living in deep darkness needs to come to an end [Sources: Brueggemann, Walter, Isaiah 1-39, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998); Kaiser, Otto, Old Testament Library: Isaiah 1-12, Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1093); Hays Richard, Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels. (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2016); Seitz, Christopher, Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Isaiah 1-39, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993); Witherington, Ben, Isaiah Old and New: Exegesis, Intertextuality and Hermeneutics, (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2017)].
Titus 2:11-14
In National Lampoon’s 1989 movie, Christmas Vacation, the character of “Cousin Eddie” suddenly intrudes into Clark Griswold’s already stressful, congested Christmas holiday event, he drives an “RV” which he parks on the Griswold’s front yard while the toilet wastes goes into the front yard drainage line. Cousin Eddy does not respect the ethics and manners which the Griswold family tries to enforce among the other relatives. This even results in Cousin Eddie kidnapping Clark’s boss over a lack of Christmas bonus money, and a huge explosion at the end of the movie.
Titus 2 might be addressing many potential Cousin Eddie type of people who take unfair advantage of extended grace by others and are a source of perpetual chaos within a Christian community. As a result of the Christ event and the grace that follows, Christians are called to practice correct doctrine and right living (Hultgren 163).
Titus is one of the pastoral epistles with contested authorship. Earlier uncontested Pauline authorship is dated around 65 CE. The majority of scholars who believe that a later disciple of Paul wrote these letters after his death but those who are true to his doctrine tend to date the pastoral epistles around 85 CE, with fragments of Paul’ writings. Dating them around 100 CE, the view is of a disciple of Paul wrote the whole body of texts independently. Once compromised path a preacher can take is to suggest that Paul’s scribe or secretary took creative liberties in vocabulary, terms and ideas. The bottom line remains God is faithful to the covenant to his people. Redemption is only through Jesus Christ in the hallmark teaching of justification by faith alone, no works (Metzger, 574-575).
The opposition whom Paul counsels in Titus are gnostics of the time who are taking liberties with Paul’s teachings on grace. This has resulted in speculative philosophy of the time which leads to following local human unethical traditions and bad conduct (Hultgren, 163). Living under grace does not mean living in worldly passions, irreligion, and godless ways. During the holidays, there might be a tendency for people to justify taking advantage of others by rationalizing it to be the “spirit of giving or time of generosity.” The pastoral texts serve as a reminder that being cautious and prudent is not out of the question when one considers how much time and money to expend during the Christmas season. The credit card payments will come due in the coming months!
Christians are to live upright, godly lives as response to salvation and means to growth in discipleship. The Greek words in this text are imperatives meaning ethical behavior is connected to God’s will under grace. Since the first coming or carnation (tying this text to Christmas), God’s people are called to do good (Oden, 52-54). Simply put, the pastoral epistles suggest living under grace is also to carry out God’s will by means of treating other people as we might want to be treated during this time of the year, as well as year-round.
This would apply to people such as Cousin Eddie that they might live more ethical and courteous lives as guests of the Griswold family. Being an out-of-town guest does not translate into license to violate manners, etiquette and doing one’s share of family chores during the holidays. Titus, like the other pastoral epistles, suggests that good order and godly living which is consistent with solid Christian doctrine is important. This is taught by the Christian church as doing God’s will until the second coming of Christ (Oden, 54). Celebration of the first coming of Christ is a time of community courtesy and gratitude for another year of life under God’s grace, not pushing the boundaries toward disruption and chaos.
As applied to the older couple in the opening illustration, Titus might suggest that they may consider whether loaning money to relatives upon request is a good discipleship practice for the adult children as well as the retired couple. To preach on this text, one might take the path of asking what it is to live out the spirit of Nativity of our Lord when our society chooses a tangent of the latest commercial, corporate or nationalist philosophy? God’s desire is to live an ethical life that serves the community of faith until the second coming of Christ. [Sources: Hultgren, Arland J. and Roger Aus, Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament: I-II Timothy, Titus, II Thessalonians, Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 1984. Metzger, Bruce and Michael Coogan, Editors, The Oxford Companion to the Bible, (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1993); Oden, Thomas, Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: First and Second Timothy and Titus, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1989)].
Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)
Regardless of whether the past year as resulted in loss, disappointment and worry, or it was a matter of survival to make ends meet, the Luke narrative of the nativity is intended to point to a new found Christian life. Whether there are gifts under the Christmas tree, gifts and money from loved ones or not, the gospel story of the birth of Jesus still is still timeless and inspires a spirit of joy and hope. It is probably one of the most over interpreted texts in the New Testament due to its only other account of the nativity besides the Matthew 1-2 and account.
One of the challenges of preaching the Nativity of our Lord is the familiarly of the text. Some preachers have simply read the Nativity narrative, or had lay readers so do, then proceed with the rest of the service. Luke’s gospel in this sense can be said to “preach itself” in this context. With use of drama and voice inflections, this story can be read in both a joyous and hopeful manner.
The author of the Gospel is “Luke.” Many scholars have speculated that he might have been a travel companion of Paul the apostle. Luke’s identity is uncertain. Internal document evidence suggests Luke is a highly educated writer who is familiar with Greco Roman culture philosophy of the day. His refined, polished style of writing reveals he is familiar with the Greek Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament, LXX). He holds a universal outlook or worldview, that Israel’s God reveals that God has a sovereign plan for the whole world, as recorded both in Greco Romans history and LXX books. God’s plan is salvation for the whole world, though God worked through the Jewish people since Genesis 12.
Depending on the scholar, Luke is generally dated anywhere from 60 to 90 CE. Luke is not a firsthand witness to the events of Jesus’ life. The recipient Theophilus has been disputed by many scholars. Suffice to say Luke’s audience are urban Gentiles who are spread throughout the Roman empire of the second century.
Within the content of the text itself, one can explore the path of Luke wishing to locate the birth of Jesus within history and the current rulers of the time. In the world of education and medicine, Luke follows the practice of, “document, document, document.” Despite, the technology Luke has available the time, his level of historical recording is reasonable. Historical scholars have challenged Luke’s dating of various rulers and times. It would be like having a rotary telephone in times past to communicate messages. However, those with modern android smart phones might be critical of the messages written down from a rotary telephone call. The message itself has its own integrity regardless of the technology used to communicate it.
To pursue this path might be to observe the irony of the Roman empire’s attempt to exercise lordship with the registration of citizens at their place of birth for purposes of taxation and military conscription. Meanwhile, the real Lord of the universe is born in the city of David, or Bethlehem. Luke does not make the explicit reference to the Micah 5:2 text as Matthew 2:6. The child is of the house of David, thereby validating his credentials as a Davidic King from Israel’s heritage. As early as his birth, this child is taking on the power structures of his time.
This might apply to the opening illustrations in that people of faith must consider how much personal power they give away to those who seek their time and resources? Also, when is the time to speak truth to power, knowing it might have lethal consequences. The newfound Christmas life here is that the Lord we serve is the ruler of time and the universe. Jesus will rise again from the grave. Those whose faith is in this Lord have new life, is the basic gospel message here. Even the mostly lowly of persons can find comfort in this regardless of how many gifts they receive on this holiday.
Another preaching path is that of highlighting the shepherds. They are the lowly working class of their time, as was David a shepherd before he was anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 16), In Luke’s cosmology (how the earth is structured with the universe), the heavens do impinge on one another, as angels pronounce the good news of the Savior being born in the city of David, or Bethlehem. As this might apply to modern terms, the in-breaking of God’s angels is more likely to occur where people work for minimum wage or less and are forgotten on holidays. One direction a preacher might pursue here is this is an example of the “transcendent” nature of God (beyond or above the range of normal human experience). Traditional Christianity does teach that God’s good works and miracles knows no earthly bounds. Without creating too many unrealistic expectations, a preacher might suggest that one never knows what God is up to on this day or any other day of the year. This might a sign of a new found Christmas life.
The singing of the angels suggests a glorious event that very often is beyond words and can only be captured in music and other arts. Once a pastor asked his confirmation class which hymns they want to be sang on their Confirmation Day? The class unanimously said, “the Christmas hymns they sing in church every December.” So, on a hot, scolding June Pentecost Sunday the church sang, “Joy to the World”, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” and “What Child is This?”
In the birth of the child, several discussions have occurred in recent years. First, the “inn” was nothing like the modern-day hotel. This makes the hotel clerk the “bad person” for turning away the family of Jesus. Rather, it was a house with a guest room, which was occupied with other boarders. The gesture of providing a cave below the house with the animals was more humane that turning the family away. The place of birth is literally a feeding trough for the animals. On a larger gospel scale, this is mirroring that the same babe who was wrapped in cloth strips and laid in a manger, will one day be buried in cloth strips and laid within a rocky tomb (Luke 23:53). A possible three-point sermon might be: God’s sign, wrapped and placed (Johnson, 52-53).
Another three-point sermon might be the shepherds: hearing, seeing and repeating the good news of a new Christmas life. Instead of a heaven-sent warrior, God sent an infant who is “gurgling in an animal feeder.” (Chen, 36).
Finally, in his own cryptic way, Luke is already setting the reader up for a conflict between the Lord who was born in humble circumstances the King Herod and Roman officials who hold the pillars of power in their times. The consistent message is that Jesus would embody reversals of rich to loss and those who are ill to wellness and wholeness (rich fool, Luke 12; rich man and Lazarus, Luke 16; blind beggar, Luke 18). This is good news for anybody who currently experiences powerlessness under people and groups who seek to drain every ounce of energy and financial resources from them in this season [Sources: Chen, Diane G., New Covenant Bible Series: Luke, Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017); Johnson, Luke Timothy, Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Luke, Collegeville, MN: 1991); Wright, Tom, Luke for Everyone, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001).]
Application
After thirty-three years of ordained ministry, how many different ways can a preacher create new sermons on the Nativity of our Lord? We have the John 1 and Matthew 1 and 2 accounts as alternative texts. One direction which attracts me is that God is still working in our midst even today after the latest pandemic, racial riot, financial crisis or local times of uncertainty. Luke’s gospel reminds believers that God does work through the historical events of the times, though we may only see through the mirror/glass dimly now (1 Corinthians 13:12). I will look back at the year’s events of a pandemic, racial tension driven riots, economic losses and consider that all things are possible with God in throughout the books of Luke and Acts. This is an opportunity to juxtapose how Luke’s Savior-Messiah compares to the latest political empire’s will to oppose the power brokers of the times (Chen, 38). The use of the Isaiah 9 suggests that Christianity is not simply another Graco-Roman religion but rooted in the children of Israel whom God called through Abraham in Genesis 12. Isaiah reminds people of faith of all times, that God is not finished with us yet, despite any economic, or worrisome medical news which suggests the contrary. The news of the Nativity of our Lord is good regardless of where our station of life is currently found. It is good in any given shaking of the constants in our universe, we can have hope that there is a newfound Christmas life.
Alternative Application
I have compared the birth of the Messiah with the birth of the church in the book of Acts. Both came under the radar screen of the political power structures of their times. There were various ethnic groups and social classes of people involved with the birth of both the Messiah and church. Finally, the same Holy Spirit plays a prominent role in both the life of Jesus and the church.
