Christmas Eve 2009
My favorite moment within our annual Christmas Eve service here at Petaluma Valley is always the reading of the Christmas Story as presented in the Gospel of Luke. I’ve heard the story countless times and it never fails to touch my heart and stir my spirit. And one of my favorite moments within Luke’s telling of the Christmas Story occurs right at the beginning with these words, “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Gaglilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
I love that part of the Christmas Story and the reason I love it is because of what it tells us about God.
You see, centuries before Luke wrote the story of Jesus’ birth that we’ve just read, God had already revealed a number of details about Jesus’ birth through Old Testament prophets. And those prophets faithfully announced what God had revealed to them and their prophecies are recorded in the Old Testament. And one of the details that God revealed—once again, centuries before Jesus was born—was that he would be born in the seemingly inconsequential town of Bethlehem.
So now we fast-forward several hundred years and the long-anticipated time of Jesus’ birth has finally arrived. And, so far, everything is unfolding exactly as God had spoken through the prophets but Mary and Joseph are in Nazareth in Galilee…NOT in Bethlehem in Judea. And, remember, that God had said that the child would be born in Bethlehem. So, if He’s going to be true to His word and faithful to His plan, He would have to do something to get Mary and Joseph out of Nazareth and into Bethlehem.
–Clearly, He could have spoken to them directly through an angel as He had previously done with Mary.
–And, He could have spoken to them through a dream as He had previously done with Joseph.
Either strategy would have worked and either strategy would have fit in quite nicely with the rest of the Christmas Story. But, this time, God came up with an entirely different way to accomplish His purpose.
Completely undetected, God planted an idea in the mind of Caesar to count all of the people in his empire by having them register not in the place where they were currently living, but in town of their families’ origin. And since Joseph was from the line of David and David had been born in Bethlehem, Joseph and his extremely pregnant bride, Mary, would have to leave Nazareth and travel to Bethlehem to comply with Caesar’s order. All of which means that at exactly the right moment in history…and without having even the slightest clue about what he had done…Caesar Augustus, the most powerful ruler in the Roman World issued a decree that resulted not only in a census but in the fulfillment of God’s word…a word which had been spoken centuries before…and the perfect accomplishment of God’s divine plan.
Now, I told you a few moments ago that I love that part of the Christmas Story and that I love it because of what it tells us about God and here’s what it tells us: GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS WORD! Always. No exceptions. God is always true to His word.
And that means that if God needs to just move one person from one town to another in order to keep His word or accomplish His purpose, He is both willing and able to move kings or presidents to do so.
–There is no obstacle so high that it can keep God from keeping His word.
–There is no limit to what God is willing to do in order to keep His word.
–There is no amount of time so great that God will forget His word.
–And there is no person beyond the reach of God’s word.
So, when God’s word describes the birth of Jesus as it does in Luke 2:10 as, “good news of great joy that will be for all the people,” you can believe it because God always keeps His word.
And, when God’s word says as it does in Luke 2:11, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord,” you can believe it because God always keeps His word.
Shortly before the child in the manger fulfilled his calling as the Savior on the cross he said this in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Jesus doesn’t force Himself onto anyone. You can choose to reject Him and many do. But being rejected by some does not in any way negate God’s promise to everyone. The promise of God’s word on this Christmas Eve 2009 is that Jesus Christ is the God-sent Savior for all the people. And for those who believe that’s not only Good News that’s a promise that you can count on now and for all eternity.
