Three lessons from the birth of Jesus

I preached this sermon Sunday morning December 28 (2014) at the Maraisburg (South Africa) Church of the Nazarene.

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TEXT: Luke 2:1-20 (Common English Bible)

I. INTRODUCTION

Have you heard the expression “familiarity breeds contempt”? The saying means that we no longer value what we think we know very well. Luke 2:1-20 may be one of those passages where we think we’ve “been there, done that.” As a boy, I recall on Christmas morning seeing the presents under the tree and wanting to open them up right away. But first we had to eat breakfast (so Mom insisted), then our tradition dictated that my Dad read Luke 2:1-20, the Christmas story, and that we pray before any gifts were exchanged.

And so even now as an adult, I must concentrate on what God is trying to say in this passage. It’s not “Let’s hurry up and get this over so we can get to the good stuff, the presents.” Rather, I understand that the best gift is hidden right here in the Bible passage. So let’s talk this morning about three lessons from the story of Jesus’ birth.

II. FIRST LESSON: GOD DELIGHTS IN SIMPLE PEOPLE WHO LOVE HIM.

The first lesson is this: God delights in simple people who love Him.

Remember Mary? She was a simple maiden living in Nazareth, an out-of-the-way town in an out-of-the-way corner of the Roman Empire. Most experts think she was only 14 or 15 years old, too young to have had sexual contact within her strict Jewish setting. Yet in Luke 1:38, once she has heard the news from the angel telling her that she had been chosen to carry the Christ child, her simple love for God shines through in her response:

I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.

Or how about Joseph? Matthew 1:18-24 shows a man ready to break off his engagement with Mary. Why? Because she is pregnant and Joseph knows the child is not his. How many of us men would be willing to accept the angel’s explanation in a dream, that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit? We have no recorded verbal response from Joseph, but the simplicity of his faith is proven by his actions. Matthew 1:24 says: “When Joseph woke up, he did just as an angel from God commanded and took Mary as his wife.”

Mary and Joseph, Joseph and Mary – together, they teach us a lesson: God delights in simple people who love Him. And what about us? Loving God does not exclude the educated or the wealthy, but it also embraces simple folks from humble circumstances. If God could use two humble individuals like Mary and Joseph, surely he can use people like you and people like me. The only question is: Are we available?

III. SECOND LESSON: BIG THINGS OFTEN START SMALL.

Yet not only do we learn that God delights in simple people that love Him. There is a second lesson tucked away in this story: Big things often start small.

Sometimes we see this in the corporate world. Steve Jobs began a company in 1976 out of the garage of his parents’ home in Los Altos, California. You may recognize the name of the company he founded: Apple Computers. In 2013, the value of Apple’s outstanding shares was $ 460 billion USD.

But if big things often start small in the business world, this is equally true when it comes to the Story of God. When Joseph and Mary laid the baby Jesus in an animal feed trough in the tiny village of Bethlehem, little could they fathom what a difference this child would make. In 2,000 years, the message preached by Jesus now echoes around the world, with as of 2010 more than 2 billion Christians living in virtually every country on Earth. Big things often start small.

I wonder: In 2015, is there something small but important that God wants you to do? Perhaps this is the year that you will discover your purpose. Don’t say: “No, it can’t be that. That’s unimportant.” God has a way of taking seemingly small things and using them in big ways. Just make sure it’s for God’s glory and not yours.

IV. THIRD LESSON: WHEN GOD SAYS OBEY, DO IT QUICKLY.

There’s a third lesson for us today from the story of Jesus’ birth. This lesson comes from the shepherds, that group of men (possible even some women included) who were watching their sheep at night. Luke tells us that the angels gave an impromptu concert of praise, announcing the birth of Jesus. I love the shepherds’ response once the angels were gone: Verse 15 – “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened.” Lesson? When God says obey, do it quickly. The command was implied in the words of the angel, in v. 12:

“This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger…”

It’s fun to think about the excuses the shepherds could have used. They could have said:

– “We can’t leave these sheep here. Someone else will have to find the Christ child.”

– “Don’t those angels know that Bethlehem is quite a walk from here? It’s the middle of the night. Let’s get some shut-eye.”

– “They said we’d find the baby, but they didn’t specify tonight. We can always go tomorrow.”

But the shepherds didn’t find ways to wiggle out of their duty. They went right away, so right away they found Joseph and Mary and the baby lying in the manger. Because they obeyed God’s instructions right away, they received the blessing of their obedience right away. Verse 20:

“The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.”

And what about you and me? What has God been telling us to do but we have been stalling? Obedience delayed has another name: disobedience. Let us not miss out on God’s blessing. When God says obey, let’s do it quickly.

V. CONCLUSION

Every Christmas present has been unwrapped. The Christmas tree and decorations will soon be stored away, yet three lessons remain from the story of Jesus’ birth. First, God delights in simple people who love Him. Secondly, big things often start small. Thirdly, when God says obey, do it quickly.

Benediction – Jude 24

“To the one who is able to protect you from falling, and to present you blameless and rejoicing before his glorious presence, to the only God our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, belong glory, majesty, power and authority, before all time, now and forever. AMEN.”

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Image credits:

manger scene – Nextara.org

shepherdess – Habetrot

Meet Greg

Gregory Crofford (Ph.D.) worked as a chaplain at Suncrest Hospice in Pittsburgh, PA, having served previously as chaplain with Traditions Health in Round Rock, TX. He completed a one year chaplain residency at Ascension Seton Hospitals (Austin) in August 2020. Ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene since 1991, he served as dean of the School of Religion and Christian Ministry at Africa Nazarene University (Nairobi). Other past ministry includes service as coordinator of Education and Clergy Development for the Africa Region (Church of the Nazarene) and pastor of the Church of the Nazarene, Sedalia, MO.

For an academic CV, visit the Manchester Wesley Research Center website.

e-mail: gregcrofford@gmail.com

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By Dr. Crofford

Mere Ecclesiology: Finding Your Place in the Church's Mission (Wipf & Stock, 2016) explores the church's purpose and mission in two movements: 1) "breathing in" (worship and discipleship) and 2) "breathing out" (transformational service in the world). It is available in paperback for $ 13.60 USD from Wipf & Stock by clicking here..

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-Jo Anne Lyon, Ambassador
General Superintendent Emerita
The Wesleyan Church

From the back cover:

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- Jesse C. Middendorf, General Superintendent Emeritus, Church of the Nazarene

"If ever the church needed a grassroots understanding to fulfill its mission in the world in this significant time, then this is the 'back to the basics' guide so desperately needed."
- Gabriel J. Benjamin, Church of the Nazarene, Africa Region Education and Clergy Development Coordinator

"Crofford invites us into a discussion regarding the theology of church and the practical implications for ministry...This work will prove useful for the church engaged in the formation of Christlike disciples."
-Carla Sunberg, President, Professor of Historical Theology, Nazarene Theological Seminary

"In promoting a healthy church, Dr. Crofford emphasizes the need for 'spiritual respiration.' His conception of church health first requires a 'breathing in' of personal growth that is spiritual, knowledgeable, and communal. Second, spiritual respiration requires a 'breathing out' that is missional, ministering practically to others for their holistic salvation, societal well-being, and ecological care-giving. . . Crofford identifies step-by-step strategies that help Christians to implement 'spiritual respiration' in finding their place in the church's mission."
-Don Thorsen, Professor of Theology, Azusa Pacific University Seminary

The Dark Side of Destiny: Hell Re-Examined (Wipf & Stock, 2013) is available in paperback and Amazon Kindle editions by clicking here.

It is also available here for just $ 6.99 for users of the Nook e-reader.

From the back cover:

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The Dark Side of Destiny: Hell Re-examined is an excellent primer, yet goes beyond a mere description of options. Dr Crofford weighs various views of Hell in the light of Scripture and finds them wanting. In the end, he champions a neglected view of last things that both responds better to the preponderance of biblical evidence and safeguards the character of God as equitable, holy, and loving.

With probing discussion questions at the end of short chapters, The Dark Side of Destiny is ideal for Bible studies, Sunday school classes, or small groups."

The buzz about Dark Side (from Amazon.com reviews):

"I read this book with my husband on a recent trip out of state. The book is short but says all I'd hoped it would say and does so very neatly. It gave us hours of discussions to make an otherwise dull drive very interesting." - Charlotte Burton

"Dr. Crofford thoughtfully engages with a neglected part of the biblical message: final judgment." - Andrew Pottenger

"Dr. Crofford writes well and treats all positions with gentleness and respect. Beware,-- this little gem is very thought provoking." - John Watton

Wesley and Methodist Studies (WMS) publishes peer-reviewed essays that examine the life and work of John and Charles Wesley, their contemporaries (proponents or opponents) in the eighteenth-century Evangelical Revival, their historical and theological antecedents, their successors in the Wesleyan tradition, and studies of the Wesleyan and Evangelical traditions today.

Dr. Crofford's article, ‘Grace to All did Freely Move’: Thoughts on Charles Wesley’s 1741/42 Hymns on God’s Everlasting Love' appeared in Volume 6 (January 2014). Based upon research conducted during the 2012 Wesleyan Studies Summer Seminar at Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmington, Kentucky, USA), the essay examines the predestinarian controversy between the Wesley brothers and the followers of George Whitefield, with special focus upon the pastoral concerns that motivated the publication of the Wesleys' hymn collection.

For further information about WMS, click here.

The Global Wesleyan Dictionary of Theology is available in hardcover by clicking here.

Dr. Al Truesale, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at Nazarene Theological Seminary, is editor of this excellent selection of essays by global scholars in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition of Christianity.

Dr Crofford contributed 6 articles, including essays on sin, prevenient grace, predestination, and John Wesley's small groups.

Streams of Mercy: Prevenient Grace in the Theology of John and Charles Wesley (Emeth Press, 2010) is available in both softback and Kindle editions at Amazon.com by clicking here.

This is the monograph form of Dr. Crofford's 2008 PhD thesis from the University of Manchester (Nazarene Theological College), U.K.

From the back cover of Streams of Mercy

"Exploring the theological roots of the doctrine of prevenient grace in Anglican, Puritan and Quaker sources as they streamed into the theologies of both John and Charles Wesley, Gregory Crofford has written an engaging account of the significance of this salient grace. In a work marked by careful balance, Crofford ably demonstrates that the doctrine of prevenient grace not only helped the Wesley brothers to integrate diverse elements in their respective theologies but it also enabled them to avoid rigid determinism on the one hand and the 'despair of moralism' on the other. This is an important contribution to the field."

- Kenneth J Collins, Ph.D., Professor of Wesley Studies and Historical Theology, Asbury Theological Seminary

Streams of Mercy was cited by Dr. Amos Yong (currently the Director of Fuller Theological Seminary's Center for Missiological Research) in his plenary address on religious pluralism given to the 2012 meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society held at Trevecca Nazarene University.