"The Reason For Christmas," Luke 2:13-15

THE REASON FOR CHRISTMAS Luke 2: 13-15 (7) 2005 years ago. You are in the land of Israel with dusty roadways and Imagine it's over by foot or animal. It up one one valley time and time again. transportation hill and down is among the massive crowd back to their home land to pay their Two travelers are traveling taxes. They are coming up from Galilee and are approaching the city of David. They are both of the lineage of David and neither is married just yet. One is a young man with sparkling eyes, the other is a young lady already pregnant. The area is the gleaned in the same one where the Moabitess fields after her husband had died. Jesse had lived there with his even sons and his youngest picked up five smooth stones, slung sling and sang his songs. Joab and Abishai emerged from this city to become two mighty warriors. The prophet Micah said of this place, his "Out of thee shall One come 1 forth unto me that is to be Ruler of Israel; whose going forth are from of old, from everlasting." (5: 2) You and people are anxious sensing that the time for that prophecy to be fulfilled is neat at hand. The two travelers go to the local inn only to be told, the "No Room." image another time. The paved roads are wet and icy. Cars and trucks are everywhere. People are coming and going like time is running out. Bring lights are shining everywhere. They have started before Thanksgiving and changed Christmas to Xmas or more recently just to holidays. The stores shelves are packed with merchandise. Advertisements are telling us what we ought to buy. There are crowds of people buying things they don't need and cannot afford and will struggle to pay for. Churches are closed and Fast forward and refuse to open their doors because the celebration is on Sunday and there are too many gifts to rip open. Nobody dare says it because it wouldn't be politically smart but there 2 is no room in the inn of our hearts for spiritual things especially not for Jesus. Why then did God send His son? Why was this lowly child born? Why was there no room for them in the inn? First, God sent His Son that you and I redeemed and man given a chance to live. All of the made remedies for sin The beds are too might be are short, and the not sufficient. covers are too The blood of birds and bulls may cover but cannot wash away the sting of sin or the narrow. grave. So God sent His Son that and for all the whole world might believe victory of the once in the Everlasting One. "God who at sundry spake in time past unto the father by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who bing the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, which he had by himself purged our sins, sat time and in divers manners 3 right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1: 1-3) Second, He came born of a virgin and a lowly child as your and my example of humility. "Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of down a the on servant, and and being humbled death, was made in the likeness of men: found in fashion as a man, he himself, and became obedient unto even the death of the cross." (Philippians puffed Himself up but came and dwelt among us. He pulled off the slippers of eternity and put on the robe of human flesh, was delivered in a lowly stable of Bethlehem and walked among us some 33 years getting hungry and thirsty until the work assigned by 2: 6-8) He did not His Father was finished. departed this life, towel and show He us wrapped Himself in there a how to wash feet in obedience and Finally, Just before He humility. was no room 4 for Him in the inn then or now. Our lives about with the are busyness crowded and rushed of this world. We are caught up in darkness rather than light. We are asleep when we ought to be awake. We are talking when we ought to be listening. We miss the mark and cannot hear the calling of His . VOIce. So I've come one more angelic God in the highest time to join the host and announce, "Glory to and on earth peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:14) So like the lowly shepherds, "Let go even to Bethlehem, and see this which is come to pass, which the lord us now things hath made know unto us." 5 (Luke 2: 15)