Three Roads to Christmas*
Dr. Larry Thorson
Luke 2:1-20
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,
keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to
them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of
great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his
favor rests."
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to
one another, "Let's go to
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying
in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what
had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at
what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and
pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising
God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had
been told.
Today’s New International Version Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society
Christmas Eve, it’s a night of memories. I remember the Christmas Eve one year in
Tonight, as a family of faith we have a story
in common. Remember the night when God
entered the world. This is our story
which we tell year after year. But we
come to this story on different roads.
Just as some of us come here on
Some of you have taken the road of the
shepherds. At a time when the story of your life was dark and you had about
settled into the darkness, God broke into the night to say you are not alone.
What you experienced at time can only be called a miracle. But like the
shepherds you may be afraid to talk about it because no one would believe you
if you did, and those who hadn’t experienced what you experienced would try to
talk you out of it anyway. You know what happened to you when you were alone,
despairing, in trouble, or sick. God intervened. It was so dramatic, you could
swear that you heard angels sing.
After the shepherds had their miraculous
experience, they didn’t really care that it, and they, were unbelievable. It
was their Christmas gift, and no one could take it away so they went on their
way praising God. Maybe that’s your
road.
Others have come by the road of the Magi. They
were astronomers, students of the stars.
This is the path taken by seekers who are simply in search of answers.
On this road there are no miracles. The wise men simply followed the light they
had because they were the philosophers and scientists of their day. When they
got lost, they asked for directions. Although this journey takes longer,
eventually they, too, found Jesus.
The
rational journey of the mind can also be a very spiritual pilgrimage. If that
is your path, then don’t ridicule the testimony of the shepherds. What is
critical is that we all come to the one who brings salvation, not how we find
our way to him.
There is the third road to the baby, that of
Joseph and Mary. Remember when all of
this happened, how confused they were? First came those incredible visits from
the angels. Then came nine months of sheer embarrassment because they were
unwed teenagers. Now the child has come but so far from home and with such a
humble beginning. This is not what any parent has in mind. They looked down at
their son: naked, totally helpless, lying in an animal’s feeding trough, not
much bigger than a loaf of bread, and they remembered what the angels told them
about their son when he was conceived. Now they hear what the shepherds tell
them about the angels they saw. We are told that in response, “Mary kept all of
these things, pondering them in her heart.” That’s the third road to the Savior.
To ponder means to hang onto an experience
that is penetrating but unclear. You don’t quite know what it all means, but
you have taken the story to heart. You couldn’t shake it even if you wanted to.
It has grabbed hold of your life. Mary is still pretty much in the dark about
what God is up to with her son. It is as if a flicker of light has appeared in
the silent night, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
For many of us, the arrival of Jesus Christ
into our lives is not what we had in mind any more that it was for Mary and
Joseph. God is born into our lives, usually as a great disruption of the plans
we did have. But at Christmas we remember how the story goes.
Life is not something we plan; it is
something we receive. Imagine what would have happened to the world if Mary had
lived the quiet life she had planned. Imagine what would have happened to you
if you got everything you wanted as a young adult. But when your plans were
interrupted, mostly you were left pondering your confusion. You didn’t see the
skies miraculously open like the shepherds, and you didn’t think your way into
salvation like the wise men. But through the strange turns life has
taken, you may be coming to see that God is
up to something that will lead to salvation.
There they are: three very different roads
that all lead to God’s good news for the world. But all of them lead to the
story beneath the story. The people we pray for tonight are those who can find
no room in their lives for this child. We pray for those who are too satisfied
with life, like Caesar and Quirinius; those who are too busy, like the
innkeeper; and those who are too certain they know the story to enter it, like
the religious leaders. Take whatever path seems right for your life, but by all
means enter the real story of Christmas. Your hope, peace, joy, and your ability
to love again depend on it. Amen.
*This
sermon was adapted from a sermon written and delivered by Dr. Craig Barnes at
the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in