THIS Baby

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay on 24 December 2023 at 23:15

Readings: Micah 5:2-5a, Luke 2:1-14

Why did you come tonight?

I wonder why you came to church tonight? To get out of the cold? To have a sit down? Because you enjoy singing carols? Maybe you came because you always do – it's a tradition. Perhaps you even came reluctantly and would have preferred to stay at home, watch some telly, have an early night – after all it's a busy day tomorrow. You couldn't, because it's Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Eve we always go to church. Or was there some other reason?

Why did I come?

I've been coming to this service for more than 40 years and for a variety of different reasons:

at first, it was just a late night out with friends

later it was to meet with friends and exchange gifts

when the children were young, I'd wake them up and bring them, so that Father Christmas could sleep in late

more recently, it is back to seeing old friends

but tonight it’s because I have the privilege of sharing some thoughts on the bible readings.

Start of Christmas – do it ASAP

It's the start of Christmas, and we want to get the celebration going as soon as possible. That's what this service is supposed to represent. Get here for 11:15, and you will be able to take communion as early on Christmas day as is physically possible – so long as the preacher doesn't go on all night! We can sing the last verse of O Come all ye faithful too, because that can only be sung on Christmas day, when Jesus has been born.

Reminder of the story

Let’s outline the story before we look closer at these readings. Jesus born in Bethlehem, in Judea, (not the one in Caesarea, or Wales), because this Bethlehem is David's Town. He was born to the Virgin Mary and her betrothed Joseph, who is descended from David. They have come to Bethlehem because of a census and the town is full, so they are in a stable.

Announced to shepherds

The birth is announced to shepherds, out on the hills around Bethlehem:

“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 Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign a to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Shepherds

Shepherds were the lowest of the low. They were not allowed in the temple because they were ritually unclean (from dealing with dead sheep). They were out in all weathers, wind, rain, and cold. Most people thought of them as thieves. To look after the sheep they would have to face the dangers of bears and wolves, so they would be armed, with a sling and a club, or a crook.

The shepherds got their things together, tied them up in their goats skins, picked up their crooks, wrapped their cloaks around them and, leaving the sheep, went off to look for the sign that the angel had promised.

Now you might think wandering around town looking for a newborn baby was quite a challenge, but the town would have been dark, with very few lights. The commotion around the birth would have been quite noticeable.

A new Baby

Of course, anyone will go and visit a new baby. Even as a young single adult, I went to visit my Sister and new baby in hospital. As I bent over the cot, he formed a fist, and reached sharply upwards. I just got out of the way in time – imagine explaining that black eye!

Even if the baby doesn't give you a great welcome, there's still a sense of joy, anticipation, and hope that comes from hearing of a newborn. That's one of the reasons we have to go to see them, to be sure it's real — “I have seen it with my own eyes”.

What has a baby got more of than the rest of us?

What has a baby got more of than the rest of us?

Bones – yes, 300 compared to 260 in an adult, but that's not what I was thinking about. A baby has more time left on this earth than we do, or at least that is always the hope that we have. The next generation is here, the future of our family, the next layer in the family tree is created, or is starting to fill up. We can somehow look further into the future than we once did. What will the world be like when he or she is grown? — and has children of their own?

Every baby brings hope to its parents and their families for these reasons, but THIS baby …

Birth Announcement – normal

Most babies arrival is announced by the parents, probably on social media, or possibly in the local paper. If you're born into royalty, you'll get an announcement on the TV news – explaining what your position is in the line of succession. As we heard in 2021, with our latest royal birth “Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor”, now Princess Lilibet who was eighth in line when she was born on 4 June. But in this announcement there is more fascination with the name than the position in the line of succession.

Well, it was an impressive way to enter the world, I'm sure she is destined for greatness, but it's not quite a choir of angels like THIS baby.

Jesus’s announcement

THIS baby comes, not just with lots of expectation and joy from its parents, but with a message from God. There's all the prophecies about His birth, and the sort of person he will be. There's the angels visit to Mary and then to Joseph. Then, when He arrives, the angels delivered a message about Him to the shepherds, and all heaven celebrates.

“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 Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

There’s even a new star, but we’re not going to cover that tonight.

Expectations for the Christ

The Jews had been waiting, hoping for the Christ (or Messiah) to arrive, for hundreds of years. God had been silent for about 400 years. Many of them were hoping that the Christ would re-establish Israel to its golden age when David was king, and conqueror of the surrounding lands. That would have to be a military solution – to kick out the Roman occupiers. THIS baby comes with a different promise, and causes a different hope. THIS baby brings hope to everyone – all the people. It must be all the people, otherwise why tell the shepherds? That's hope for the Shepherds, the Jews, the wise men, the hated Romans, all the other human beings living in the world that the Jews had no idea about, and all their descendants all the way down their family trees to you and me.

Prophecies → military leader?

Many of the prophecies can give the impression that a great military leader is expected – particularly if that’s what you want and believe. Even the Micah reading we had could be interpreted that way. In reality, though, if you put aside your own pre-conceptions and desires and let the text speak to you, the emphasis of the prophecies is on character traits like ‘shepherd’, from our Micah reading and ‘counsellor’ from Isaiah 9:6:

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 Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Kenny Richey

Let me tell the story of Kenny Richey. He was on death row for 20 year because he started a fire in an act of revenge on his ex-girlfriend. It killed a two-year-old girl. Eventually, because of a plea bargain, he had a hearing that might lead to his release.

That's like the position each of us finds ourselves in with God. We are effectively on death row. The apostle Paul says in his letter to Titus:

“we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

It was hate that drove Kenny, the two-year-old was what the American's call 'collateral damage'.

Our Hatred

Most of us won't act out our hatred to that extent, but it's there inside each of us. You can see it. Just catch the eye of the driver you've just beaten into a parking space, or the person who can't get a seat on the train because you're ahead of them, or the person in the supermarket queue, when something you do causes them to be delayed – there are hundreds of other examples. We've all been that person too. Think back to the events of last week, or yesterday, or perhaps tonight in the church car park.

No contest

Kenny entered a 'no contest' plea – neither 'guilty' nor 'not guilty' – at his hearing. That fudge would not be good enough for God, but it served for Kenny in the American justice system, and he was released.

With God, there can be no plea bargains, only a plea of 'guilty'. God already knows that we are, but he needs to know that we know, that we have admitted it to ourselves. That we no longer want to live your life as one who is “disobedient, deceived and enslaved.” If that's the case then God because of His mercy and graciousness and because of what THIS baby achieved when he was a man, will not apply the ultimate penalty to us.

Hope

THIS baby is the source of our hope. His birth, His life, His death, and His Life show us what God is like. He is merciful, gracious, and is prepared to release us from the sentence we are facing and accept us back into his family, so that we will no longer have to live in hatred.

I wonder if anyone will ever tell Kenny? Who has spent two further terms in jail for various less serious crimes.

I wonder if anyone will tell those who are busy cooking the turkey, or watching the television, or tucked up in their beds, preparing to celebrate a festival they don't know the real meaning of?

For those of us who do know what the celebration is about, let us proclaim:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.”

Amen.

 Link

The service was not live-streamed, so there is no recording.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Richey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Lilibet_of_Sussex

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021