Rev. Charles S. Mims

Matthew 1:18 through Matthew 1:25 (KJV)
¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. ¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. ²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. ²²Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. ²⁴Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: ²⁵And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

This story deals with a rather old fashioned lady, who was planning a couple of weeks vacation in Florida. She also was quite delicate and elegant with her language. She wrote a letter to a particular campground and asked for reservations. She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped but didn't know quite how to ask about the "toilet" facilities. She just couldn't bring herself to write the word "toilet" in her letter. After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old fashioned term "Bathroom Commode," but when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being too forward. So she started all over again; rewrote the entire letter and referred to the Bathroom Commode" simply as the "B.C.". Does the campground have its own "B.C.?" is what she actually wrote. Well, the campground owner wasn't old fashioned at all, and then he got the letter, he couldn't figure out what the lady was talking about. That "B.C." really stumped him. After worrying about it for several days, he showed the letter to other campers, but they couldn't figure out what the lady meant either. The campground owner finally came to the conclusion that the lady was and must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church. So he sat down and wrote the following reply: "Dear Madam: I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take pleasure of informing in that the "B.C." is located nine miles north of the camp site and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along, and make a day of it..... They usually arrive early and stay late. The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats.....They plan to hold the supper in the middle of the B.C., so everyone can watch and talk about this great event.....I would like to say it pains me very much, not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely not for lack of desire on my part....As we grow older, it seems to be more and more of an effort, particularly in cold weather..... If you decide to come down to the campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go...sit with you...and introduce you to all the other folks..... This is really a very friendly community.....

Author Unknown

This one woman had difficulty communicating exactly what she wanted. Her miscommunication kept her from getting her message across. Today we live in a world of conflicting messages. Even about this most Holy of holidays, the celebration of Christmas.

The world has perverted the message of Christmas to the point where it is as unrecognizable as that ladies water closet. Christmas in our society is no longer about Christ, but rather it is about money.

An article in the Cincinnati Enquirer recently told how a federal judge ruled that “Christmas has become so secular that the government does not violate the Constitution by declaring it a federal legal holiday.” The ruling was brought about because of a lawsuit saying that making Christmas a legal holiday was unconstitutional because it was a religious holiday. Judge Susan J. Dlott determined that Christmas could be a public holiday because it has a secular purpose, does not advance nor inhibit religion as its primary effect, nor does it foster an excessive government entanglement with religion.

What a sad state we are in when the celebration of Christmas is relegated to “just another legal holiday.” There is a message to Christmas, and contrary to the advertisers and merchants, that message is not about a jolly old elf who parades around in a red suit doing benevolent deeds. It’s not about buying gifts, and it’s not about Rudolph or Frosty, or any of their friends. There is a message to Christmas, but it’s not being communicated to the world. Today I’d like to talk a little about what the message of Christmas is, using God’s Word as our base for discussion. The message of Christmas is a message of provision, promise, and of peace.

A Message of Provision (Luke 1:5-26)

Luke 1:13 (KJV)

¹³But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

Luke 1:13 shows us how God provided for Zacharias. The background passage is a story we are familiar with, Zacharias was praying desperately for a son. The angels appeared and announced to Zacharias that his prayers had been answered. God had provided for his needs. Not only did this provide Zacharias’ needs, it also provided the fulfillment of prophecy.

Malachi 3:1 (KJV)
¹Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

This is the message of Christmas today. God will provide. It doesn’t matter what our needs are or what our circumstances are, God will provide our needs. He met the needs of all of mankind by sending Jesus to be born of a virgin on the first Christmas day. This is the message of Christmas. This is the reason to celebrate the season. Without Christ we would have no provision.

A Message of Promise (Luke 2:26-38)

Luke 2:28 through Luke 2:35 (KJV)
²⁸Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, ²⁹Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: ³⁰For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, ³¹Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; ³²A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. ³³And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. ³⁴And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; ³⁵(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

What a promise! Every mother wants her child to become someone, to do something great, to leave his or her mark on the world. What was revealed in this scripture was a message of promise. Mary was raising the promise of the world!

Vince Prentz says:

About a year and a half ago, I bought a new navy blazer at Nordstrom. It was one of those cases you may have gone through where you buy an item of clothing and the more you wear it, the more you realize you don't like it. My blazer wasn't the right color, and to make matters worse, it attracted lint like it was going out of style. After wearing it pretty regularly for six months or so, I stuck it in my closet and didn't wear it for a long time.

Tucked away in the back of my mind all the while was that famous Nordstrom unconditional-return policy. I thought, I've had this thing for a year and a half. I've worn it lots of times, and there's just no way they're going to take it back. About two weeks ago I decided I had nothing to lose. I pulled the blazer out, threw a lot of lint on it to make it look bad, and took it down to Nordstrom's men's department. I walked in, and immediately I felt nervous. I felt like I was about to pull a scam of some sort, but I played it straight. I walked right up to the first salesman I saw and gave this little prepared speech. I said, "I am about to put your famous unconditional-return policy to its ultimate test. I have here a blazer. I've worn it lots. I've had it for a year and a half. I don't like it. It's the wrong color, and it attracts lint like it's going out of style. But I want to return this blazer for another blazer that I like." Then I stood there.

I couldn't believe it. This guy with a big handlebar mustache just looked at me and shook his head. He said, "For heaven's sake, what took you so long? Let's go find you a blazer." Ten minutes later I walked out with another blazer that was marked seventy-five dollars more than I paid for the one that I brought in. It was perfect for me. Didn't cost me a penny. God is like Nordstrom.

God makes all sorts of outlandish promises that we cannot bring ourselves to believe. Can we? When we get up enough courage or we're desperate enough, we finally take him at his word. He looks at us and he shakes his head. "For heaven's sake," he says, "what took you so long?"

-- Vic Pentz, "A Twinge of Nostalgia," Preaching Today, Tape No. 88.

We need a promise today that we can count on. Agreements are broken as a matter of course in today’s society. Families are torn apart when the promise to stay together falls through. Consumers lose money when merchandise doesn’t perform as promised. It seems that today it’s rare to take a man at his word, but the promise symbolized in Christmas is a promise we can count on.

Our eternal promise is found in Christmas. Jesus is the promise to fulfill all promises. He was promised to Israel, and that promise has been extended to us as well. The message of Christmas is a message of promise.

A Message of Peace (Mat 1:18-25)

Matthew 1:19 through Matthew 1:21 (KJV)
¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. ²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered.

The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled. As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd. A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner.

The man with the vision uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace?

A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-grey clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power.

A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil.

· A Wardrobe from the King, Berit Kjos, Page 45-46

Joseph was surrounded by turmoil much as this bird was, but the Angel gave to him a promise that allowed him to feel peace in the midst of his difficulties.

Peace seems to be more a matter of wishful thinking these days than an actual reality. Our armed forces are stretched thinner today than they have ever been in our history, including during wartime. We are in numerous countries “keeping the peace.” But can we keep peace? Can we bring peace to this fractious world in which we live?

We cannot, but Christmas is the promise of peace. Christ, who is at the center of Christmas, will bring peace. First to our hearts, then to our world.

This year at Christmas, remember the true messages. Christmas is a message of provision, a message of promise, and a message of peace.