Sermons
Back To Bethlehem
Series: The Way Of SalvationBACK TO BETHLEHEM
Sermon By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / December 22, 2019
My wife and I (and Mark) will be departing today for a brief vacation in the North Carolina Mountains.
We will be staying in Brevard - - just a little south of Asheville and a little west of Hendersonville.
Joining us will be Sharon Flanagan (from Waynesville, NC) and Tim Glasgow (from Milton, FL).
Our dog Bodie is also going - - as is his cousin-dog Buckaroo/Buckey.
May each of you have a very merry and blessed Christmas!
One of the challenges that comes with preaching in the same place over a lengthy period of time is holidays.
Be it: Easter ... Mother's Day … Father's Day … Veterans Day … Thanksgiving … or Christmas.
There are occasions when we as preachers come to feel a bit weary in well-doing.
Sometimes its a feeling of, “what more can I say that what I have already said?”
That's when we are tempted to REPEAT … and there is certainly nothing wrong with repetition.
In fact, Repetition ought to be deemed the fourth “R” in education (reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic).
And I've engaged in a little of repetition. Sometimes I have taken an old sermon, delivered years ago,
and re-worked it - - often times to the extent that you would not have known it was a repeat.
That may be attributed more to your lack of recall that to me being such a slick homiletician.
When it comes to Christmas, however, there are so many things to say.
There are nuggets of truth that are waiting to be mined.
There are a variety of angles and approaches that can be made to the very same text, year after year.
As to the birth of Christ, we could honestly declare, “The half has never yet been told.”
This morning I want to invite you to travel with me Back To Bethlehem.
We might be inclined to say that this was/is the starting place for our knowledge of Jesus.
I know, Jesus is an eternal being who has always existed with God, but we meet him “face to face” in Bethlehem.
Jn.1:1 states, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
But then John adds in Jn.1:14 - -
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
I read a newspaper editorial recently while I was eating lunch at the Howland Arby's.
It was a really well-written piece about how the Bible is so powerfully corroborated.
Many ancient books are received as factual and they very well may be, but no other book
has the manuscript evidence that accompanies the Bible - - both in terms of volume and accuracy.
The Bible is vouchsafed by textual evidence that far outstrips all of the other writings of antiquity.
We hear lots of fictional stories at Christmas Time. Stories about:
A Man in a Red Suit with a big white beard … A Reindeer with a Red Nose … An Elf on the Shelf …
Frosty the Snowman … The Grinch … Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim … Krampus ...etc..
But the story that I want to share this morning is REAL.
It's veracity is verified by textual evidence unparalleled by any other ancient story.
There is a mystery that continues to shroud the incarnation of Christ.
This mystery or mystique is not so much in what happened, but in how it happened.
Mt.1:18 records, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
Mt.1:19-20 adds, When (Joseph) had considered “putting her away”, behold, an angel of
the the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid
to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
Now, let's get on with our trip (Emmanuel Express) to Bethlehem.
Our first stop involves Mary & Joseph and the baby Jesus somewhere near an Inn in Bethlehem.
Read from Lk.2:1-7.
Joseph & Mary resided in Nazareth.
A decree by Caesar Augustus demanded that Joseph register for a census in his home town of Bethlehem.
So Joseph & Mary traveled some 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
As to when this transpired, scholars have had a difficult time uniting on the month, much less the day.
Vss.6-7 reveal that sometime (shortly) after they arrived Mary gave birth.
Bethlehem was a very small town and there were no vacancies to be found, at least not on such short notice.
It was a southern suburb of Jerusalem and often housed pilgrims traveling to Jewish festivals.
(Mary) gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths,
and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
There is a strong likelihood that this manger was a rough-hewn feeding trough made of stone or wood
which leads us to believe that it may have been a “facility” where the animals were housed.
Some think it was a cave of sorts chiseled into the side of a mountain.
Maybe it was a stable or a lean-to to provide a little shelter for the animals … or maybe it was a full-scale barn.
We don't know how they traveled. Did they walk? Did they ride a beast of burden?
Neither do we know how long it took them to make the trek (90 miles at 3mph = 30 hours of walking).
Was Jesus surrounded by a host of smelly critters when He burst forth with His first cry?
- But we cannot say with certainty.
I think we could safely speculate that no would-be mommy would want to give birth in such a setting.
The important aspect of this first stop is to recognize that Jesus was miraculously conceived
and eventually born in Bethlehem, just as it had been prophesied in the Old Testament (Mic.5:2).
It is also important to note that he was born to a father and mother of faith.
Both Joseph and Mary trusted in the Lord.
The second stop on our journey to Bethlehem involves some shepherds.
Not church elders, but real shepherds caring for real sheep.
Please follow along in the text - - Lk.2:8-20.
These were shepherds out in their fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood in their midst and they were terribly frightened.
The glory of the Lord shone around them.
The angel spoke (not in a dream), telling them,
Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people;
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ Jesus the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.'
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying,
'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'
After the angels ascended back to heaven, they decided among themselves:
Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.
And they came in haste and found their way to Mary & Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
They told others about the statement that had been told to them about this child.
And all who heard it WONDERED at the things which were told them by the Shepherds.
Vs.19 states, Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Vs.20 concludes saying, The shepherds went back, glorifying God all that they had seen and heard...
I find myself imagining that these shepherds could never just go back.
Their lives had been forever transformed by this brief visit to Bethlehem.
Our third and final stop on our trip back to Bethlehem involved Magi from the east.
This takes place sometime following the actual birth of Jesus.
Read from Mt.2:1-12.
These Magi were wise men specializing in astrology, medicine and natural science. cf. Dan.4:7
Who were these men? From exactly where did they come? How far did they travel?
What star guided them and precisely how did it do so? How did they know the meaning of the star?
Had they received a special revelation from Jehovah God and in what form - - an angel, a dream, or something else?
Why did they journey so far to worship a child born to be king of the Jews?
All of these are questions seeking answers, but there's another question that is the most perplexing.
Vs.3 records, when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Why was the king and the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem troubled (disturbed/NIV)?
As Jews schooled in Old Testament did they not live in eager expectation of the arrival of their Messiah?
Did they not know Micah 5:2 - - from you (Bethlehem) One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel?
King Herod was disturbed in more ways than one. We expect a paranoid response from him.
But how does one explain this reaction from the chief priests and scribes?
I suspect that as caretakers of the Holy Scriptures they may have resented being one-upped by outsiders.
Yet here we find one of the most baffling behavior among any of the characters in the story of Jesus' birth.
Why didn't they go to Bethlehem and investigate for themselves?
They were in Jerusalem and Bethlehem was just 5 miles away - - Just a two-hour walk at a relaxing gait.
The Magi knew so little, but came such a great distance to worship a king unknown to them.
The Jewish teachers of the Law knew so much and were so very close, but did nothing!!
Their response (or lack thereof) was not only inexplicable but also inexcusable.
It is easy to scold others for their apathy, but what about us?
The sacred writings remain plentiful. Bibles are everywhere and easily obtained.
We live in a country where freedom reigns and no one will be harmed for searching the Scriptures.
Mary & Joseph went to Bethlehem … The shepherds also went to Bethlehem, as did the Magi.
But the chief priests and scribes failed to make the journey.
Who will we be more like? Will we make the journey or will we stay at home?
If the priests and scribes had only gone to Jerusalem, how their lives might have been eternally altered!
My intention is that this term “back to Bethlehem” would serve as a metaphor for “back to the Scriptures”.
Going “Back to Bethlehem” could describe anyone who is genuinely searching to know God and Christ.
As we wrap up our series on The Way Of Salvation, may today's Christmas sermon help punctuate what
if means to be a disciple, to follow Jesus - - not only to be baptized into Christ, but to walk, talk and live like Jesus.
