There are so many material things but so little happiness. Christmas has been made into a fairy tale and the nativity woven in with the myth. To say it’s a holiday is okay, but the real thing must be accentuated. Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth. They would not have gone to Bethlehem on their own. There was no need to until the taxing and census were ordered. They were from the lineage of David; David came from Bethlehem, so they had to go there to register.
Those were terrible days. The Romans had taken away the freedom of the Jewish people. There was an economic crisis. Herod was a puppet king. Pilate was renaming things. Augustus was a ruthless man. It was bad news for Israel. Although poor, Joseph and Mary were taxed anyway. The taxing was a curse that made the dream of the Messiah almost dead.
There was a purpose in it all. God’s son had to be born in Bethlehem; the taxing brought the couple there. Caesar was not the ultimate ruler; God was. This has been a tough year on many of us. God still had the upper hand in our lives just as he did in that day. We have no idea what is ahead. We have no idea what “Bethlehem” God will send us to. We do know that there will be a new day. At one of the worst days in Jewish history, God made his move.
Luke 2:8 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”
Last week we talked about a time 600 years before the birth of Jesus. Isaiah said “unto us a child is born.” It is no coincidence that Gabriel told the shepherds “for unto you is born…a Savior.” Isaiah said “unto us” and it came to pass in the words “unto you.” Us meant everyone but each individually, but here it is simply “unto you.” The shepherds knew prophecy, and these ordinary men were given the message. Their names are not mentioned. Gabriel said he brought great joy “which shall be to all people.” Then he looked right at those shepherds and said “for unto you is born a Savior.” Their greatest joy was in being told “unto you” not “unto them.” They were not spectators in the whole event of the birth of Jesus. He came to be their Christ, their Messiah.
When daddy and mommy bought us something at Christmas, they put a gift tag on it so we’d know who it belonged to. That tag meant this gift is for you. When I opened it, I found just what I wanted. One year they left the tags off; they knew whose was whose. The gift tag is the most overlooked part of a present. We make sure it’s ours, then we tear off the paper and the tag is lost among all the wrapping.
Everything about the birth of Jesus means something. It is the gift chosen for us. It was the wish of the Father to give it to us. Daddy’s happiness was what he did for us. He worked hard to pay for it all, but he handed it to us free of charge. Sometimes he’d pay from one Christmas to the next, so it cost him a lot. Our gift is the best thing; it’s been given to us completely and forever. God knew our wish was not to go to hell. He picked out our salvation; it cost him everything. He wrapped it in swaddling clothes. He wrapped it in a dusty robe. He wrapped it in a cross. He wrapped it in a tomb. He stayed in neither. On the third day, the gift came from the tomb.
Jesus is the world’s Messiah. He died for everyone. He came to me. He came to you. There is a gift tag with my name on it. There is a gift tag with your name on it. That tag tells me he is mine. He’s my Savior. The wrappings have been discarded, the swaddle, the cross, the tomb. They are all gone, but the gift that was inside is still here. As long as we have a Christmas, there will be a gift tag, and it will have my name on it, and it will have your name on it—all because the tag says “unto you.”
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 