Preached at Christ church, Billericay on 25 December2025 at 10:00
Recording here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quW6tGZnghk 19:04 to 36:16
Prayer
Gracious God, on this holy Christmas morning we gather in awe of the good news proclaimed to shepherds long ago—that a Saviour has been born for us in Bethlehem. May Christ’s presence among us today renew our hope and deepen our love.
Star of the Show.
The star of the show is usually the actor with the most lines, or whose character has the biggest influence on the plot. I wonder, though, who you would consider the star of a game show – the presenter, or one of the contestants, the winner perhaps? The largest audience for a TV program this year was for Celebrity Traitors, I don’t know the numbers for the strictly final yet. Traitors is not a program I watch, but I understand that Alan Carr won the game. I also heard that he said something like, “I just kept quiet.” Quite an achievement for someone whose TV series was called “Chatty Man”.
Reading
In our reading today, we have two scenes from the birth of Jesus. I wonder which character you think would get the starring role in each of these scenes, if they were acted out.
Mary and Joseph
Our first scene is Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem. We only get the end of their story. It starts way back, when they were betrothed (that’s an agreement to marry, and it’s a full-on contract, not like our engagement at all really, although that is the nearest equivalent).
Angel visited Mary
Back then, an Angel visited Mary. He told her that she was going to have God’s child. That must have been quite scary for a girl, who was hardly even a woman at the time. But she was OK with it, and said “May it be for me as you have said”.
What Joseph did
Now, Joseph would be in big trouble if people thought that he had got the bride to be pregnant, but Joseph knew it wasn’t his baby. It took the intervention of an angel in a dream to stop Joseph quietly divorcing Mary and sending her away. That is the least that would be expected of him in those days.
More challenges
As the baby grew, Mary had to hide away with her cousin to stop there being a scandal.
Even that wasn’t the worst of the challenges they faced. Now, they have to make the trip to Bethlehem, because that’s where Joseph is from. He needs to go there to register with the Roman authorities.
Some estimates put the distance they must travel at 80 miles, but Google tells me it’s 90. That’s a lot of walking, but there were are no cars or trains back then.
Donkey?
In our crib scene, we have a donkey, a sheep, and a cow. If Mary had actually ridden a donkey, it would have taken longer than if she had walked. That’s partly because donkeys are slow, and also because some extra time is needed to feed and water them. The most likely thing is that she walked with Joseph and probably others who were travelling in the same direction.
Joseph – home at last
Some 4 or 5 days after they set out, they arrived in Bethlehem and would have headed straight for Joseph’s family home. It was probably a mud brick house, with just one room, divided in two – the sheep and any other animals in one part and the humans in the other. They would all sleep in the same space, or possibly, on the flat roof if the weather was warm enough.
If we are correct that Jesus was born in September, the conditions would be good for sleeping on the roof, it would be warm enough and it is generally dry. But, there is still a limit to the amount of space, so Mary and the baby would have ended up downstairs, inside with the animals, if there were any.
Starring Role?
So who do you think would get then starring role?
Mary or Joseph, or perhaps the donkey?
[Comment on result]
Shepherds
Once the baby was born, the focus shifts to the hills above Bethlehem. Up there are shepherds, looking after their sheep. The fact that they were living outside, suggests that it was warm enough, and that there was food for the sheep. So, again, this wouldn’t be likely to be winter.
We’re not told whether it was a clear night, or whether there was cloud cover. Cloud and rain are fairly unlikely in Bethlehem in September, so let’s assume that the Milky Way would be clearly visible.
Angel appears
The Angel appears quite suddenly, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. My imagination immediately goes to sci-fi film, with an alien abduction scene. It’s dark, a huge spotlight surrounds the victim, so bright that they cannot see beyond it. No wonder they were terrified, I think anyone would be. The angel said, “Do not be afraid”. Angels always have to say that, and I’m not sure, it is a great comfort, until you realise what’s going on.
The angel then makes his announcement.
I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Shepherds (outcasts, poor)
Even shepherds, who were generally outcasts, would have heard of the coming messiah. There was a lot of expectation that God would do something to free His people from the Romans. Now, here it is. A child is born to be their messiah, the Lord. They will find Him in Bethlehem, just down the hill. A baby of poor parents, wrapped in cloths, and lying in a feeding trough. Nothing like the sort of thing they were expecting. Which would be someone born in a palace, of well respected wealthy parents who would want for nothing – and would certainly have clothes bought from whatever the equivalent of Harrods was.
Heavenly Host
Then to underline the message, a heavenly host appears – loads more angels, I suppose. They are praising God, and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”
As suddenly as it started, it’s dark again. Their eyes probably took a few seconds to adjust to looking only at stars in the sky. They decided to go down into Bethlehem and see if it was true. Now, as I said, shepherds have a reputation. So a bunch of them, peaking in houses, looking for a baby, might have seemed a little suspicious. I can imagine there might have been one or two rather awkward conversations. They find Mary and Joseph and the baby, who hasn't yet been officially named Jesus.
It’s true
Now they know that everything the angel said was true, and they have to tell everyone about it. It’s the best news that they have ever had, and they can’t stop praising God, either. That must have been something to see and hear.
So, if this scene was acted out, who would be the star?
The angel, or one of the shepherds?
[Comment on result]
Jesus
Of course, I hope we all know that the real star of the whole show is Jesus, here he is just a tiny baby. As he grows he will experience everything that any normal human would experience – the joy, the tears, the confusion, the love, the successes, and the failures. When he’s grown up, He will show us all how we should live our lives. For this reason and others He is called the light of the world, and the sun of righteousness (that’s s-u-n).
Celebrate in winter
We celebrate today because we have just passed the winter solstice, and the sun – the light is coming back into the world. That’s why this time of year was chosen to mark His birth.
The birth of Jesus provided hope to the shepherds and all those they told, that God was finally going to do something for the Israelites. But the promise is
“on earth, peace to those on whom his favour rests.”
All humanity
So, we know that Jesus came not only for the Israelites, but for the whole of humanity. Through his death and resurrection, He will provide us with a way back to God, ending the separation caused by our sinfulness.
As we sit down to celebrate in our traditional way, whether that’s with turkey and all the trimmings, or something else, let’s remember, not only the baby who gives us so much hope, but the man who fulfilled the promises of God, and brings us life and light at all times of the year.
Amen.
References
https://mypastoralponderings.com/2024/12/30/the-joy-of-christmas-my-sermon-on-luke-21-20/
https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/luke/christmas/
https://shortpowerfulsermons.com/christmas-service-the-birth-of-jesus-luke-2-1-20/
https://www.revival.tv/sermons/topical-singles/the-christmas-miracles/
https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/870494/the-celebrity-traitors-most-watched-tv-show-of-2025/
https://influencermatchmaker.co.uk/news/top-20-instagram-influencers-trending
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