Inside Out

Luke 2:1-20

The Christmas story is a familiar one – so familiar that we can lose sight of how radical it is. Looking at the historical big picture should show us that Rome is in control. This is when the Roman Empire was on the rise, annexing or conquering everyone around. Augustus Caesar is the emperor of the most mighty nation/empire known to man. What Caesar says, goes. So Caesar decides to flex his muscles and count his subjects. Just an aside, it is never a good idea to count how awesome you are, whether it is counting your subjects, as Caesar is doing, or counting your fighting men, as King David did in 2 Samuel 24. Why is this a problem? Listen to Psalm 20:7. Some trust in chariots some in and horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. There is a reason why God chose this exact time for the birth of the Messiah – it was when Caesar was counting how powerful he had become.

Before you nod your head in agreement, remember this when you start counting your money, when you start comparing what you have to what others have. It was when Caesar was at his most powerful that the true King was born. Listen to the contrast prophesied by Isaiah:

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.  For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it  with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:2-7)

Much as in the time of Caesar’s census, we live in the land of the shadow of death. I read the 23^rd Psalm at most funerals: Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death… but it is not the dead who walk through that valley. It is those living in a world tainted by sin and death. And world leaders, relying on their military might, lead in a culture of death. I do not mean any disrespect to military men and women, but military might is not God’s way.  God’s way is inside-out.

Talk about inside-out; next we get to Joseph. He isn’t a rabbi or a prominent Pharisee or scribe. He is a carpenter from Nazareth. As the saying went, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”  (John 1:46). And the manner in which Jesus was born was anything but kingly – attended by shepherds and animals, laid in a manger, homeless, for there was no room for them in the inn.

Of course there wasn’t room for them in the inn. And let’s put this “inn” thing to rest – the “inn” as we know it, kataluma in Greek, was simply a guest room. This word is only used twice more in the Greek New Testament. Do you know where the other use is? In Luke 22 (or in Mark 14), Jesus sent Peter and John to make preparations for their Passover celebration. He told them to follow a man carrying a jar of water and say to him, “The Teacher asks, “Where is the kataluma where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” (Luke 22:11) 

This time, instead of finding no room, the room was prepared in advance for Him, so he could celebrate Passover, the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery, and after which, he would go out and deliver the entire world from slavery to sin, and then do you know what Jesus does? He goes to prepare a room for us in His Father’s house (John 14:2-3).

Many of us have faced troubles and suffering, and it can be easy to get stuck in a victim mindset, complaining about everyone else and about our circumstances, but Jesus turns his inside-out. He was born homeless, and his ministry was characterized by his homelessness (later when he was telling his would-be followers about the cost of following him, he told them, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58)). But Jesus, instead of whining about his situation, goes to prepare a place for us, an eternal home. This for the one who was born where there was no room.

You know who else there wasn’t room for in polite company? Shepherds. They were stinky and dirty and they were considered at that time to be untrustworthy. Certainly not the ones who you would invite to your delivery room. But they are not only invited, but they are summoned by angels.

I want to pause a moment here, because many of us have some idea about who God speaks to. Pastors, sure, God can speak to us, because we’ve been to seminary and we have done our continuing education  and we have all kinds of training and stuff. There are some older saints who pray all the time – God can speak to them. But the average Joe? Not really. We don’t expect them to be the ones God speaks to. But God does the unexpected and not only bypasses the Temple and the priests and the scribes and Pharisees, the religious elite, and goes to the shepherds.

This should bring both a warning and hope to us; to we who are comfortable in our Christianity, a warning that God just might be calling to outsiders, those who don’t look like us, dress like us, listen to the same music as we do… and God might want to do that calling through us. And the hope is for those who are discarded or marginalized by polite society: God not only loves you, but demonstrates his love by going directly to you. Jesus himself later pronounced that “He who is least among you all – he is the greatest.” (Luke 9:48)

In fact, the angel’s words to the shepherds are words of hope: But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)

The good news of great joy was supposed to be for Jews. They were the people of God. But the angel clearly extends the great joy to all people. Around Advent and Christmas we often focus on Jesus as the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies, but he fulfills so much more. For example, he fulfills the covenant God made with Abram, where God said, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3)

Good news of great joy – is that Jesus comes, bringing life, life to the full, and that life is available for all people!

OK, now we come to the big “So what” moment. My good friend, Pastor Greg Roberts, used to share his sermons with me, and I would often tell him, “That’s a really good sermon, but so what? What do you want people to do about it?” It can be easy to preach a Christmas sermon, focus on the good news, focus on the angels and the shepherds and the star and the manger, focus on Mary and Joseph, even focus on who that baby was (and is) and we can leave this place thinking about how much we love the lights and decorations, how pretty the poinsettias are, and don’t forget to take yours with you when you leave, and think about the real reason we celebrate and never do anything about it.

What might we learn from this inside-out Christmas? What might God want us to do about it?

I believe that learning about who God specifically reached out to at the birth of His Son might give us an indication about to whom we should reach out – after all, in Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about a king separating people like a shepherd separates sheep from goats, and the reason for the separation is how they treated him. He specifically calls one group “blessed by my Father” meaning that they have been given life by his Father, and it’s obvious because of what they did. They gave him food when he was hungry, water when he was thirsty, took care of him when he was sick, naked and in prison. When they question when they saw him hungry or thirsty or lonely or in need. The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40).

So what does Jesus’ birth mean for us today? It means that Heaven’s gates are open for anyone who accepts him. And anyone means everyone. It means real life is available for everyone, not just in heaven, but right now.  If you are someone who isn’t usually in church, Jesus invites you to real life, life abundantly. If you are someone who has spent all your life in church, please make sure you don’t miss out on Jesus, that you don’t get so busy doing religious things that you miss out on what Christmas really is, God’s gift to everyone – a gift of real life, from the inside out.