The Gift

Sermon for North Hill Adventist Fellowship
Sabbath, December 17, 2011

Based on Luke 1 & 2.

It took special eyes to see the astonishing value of the gift earth received 2000 years in the birth of Jesus. In fact, to see clearly the nature of the gift in the manger, it took vision supernaturally informed by heaven.

First, there was the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary, the finance of a man named Joseph.

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

The angel's greeting spooked her. What was this about?

“Don't worry,” the angel said. “Don't be afraid. You have found favor with God. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You are to name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end.”

Wow! That's pretty amazing. But how could it happen? Mary was a virgin. And she wasn't naïve. She knew how babies were made.

The angel explained, “The Holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

Mary agreed. “I am the Lord's servant. Let it be to me as you have said.”

Soon after this, Mary took off to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who lived several days travel south of Nazareth. Elizabeth was six months pregnant. Her baby, too, had been announced by an angel. It was a miracle. Elizabeth as long past menopause. In fact, when an angel first told Elizabeth's husband that they were going to have a baby, he laughed. After all these decades? No way.

When Mary got to Elizabeth's house, called out her “Hello?” Elizabeth's baby kicked with delight and Mary broke into a fantastic prophecy.

My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name.

Mary was like all the rest of us. She was just a regular person. But the angel showed her that carrying this baby and caring for this baby was a task of dazzling significance. In her womb she was carrying the Son of God, the heir to the throne of David, the person righteous dreamers had been dreaming about for more than a thousand years. She was going to mother the boy who will turn out to be the hinge of history.

To uninformed watchers, her work will appear to be the ordinary work of ordinary mothering: nursing her baby, burping him, taking care of his messes, wiping his nose, kissing scrapes and bruises, snuggling with him, teaching him to say please and thank you, telling him stories. To the uninformed it would look ordinary, but for those with the secret knowledge, the inside information . . . ah, what words could capture the magnificence of her privilege?

Mary's prophecy goes on, celebrating God's power and his long-awaited decision to use his power to upset evil and establish righteousness:

God's mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich empty away.

He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever,

even as he said to our fathers.

Using modern words: Mary celebrates the deliverance God has accomplished in the past and has promised for the future. She envisions the grand, final comeuppance for the “high and mighty,” for all who act as oppressors.

Her son is going to be God's agent for all of this. HER son. What a fantastic privilege!

Mary is traveling with her fiance Joseph when she goes into labor. There are no vacancies at any of the inns in town, so Mary and Joseph camp out in a stable. She gives birth, bundles her baby in blanket and uses a feed box, a manger, for a crib.

If you had been in the barn, what would you have seen? An ordinary delivery. If you had looked at the baby lying in the feed box what would you have seen? An ordinary baby. Unless you had special knowledge.

Mary, of course, had special knowledge from the Angel Gabriel. Joseph, also, was in on the secret because of a visit by an angel.

Legend has it that the animals in the barn were in on the secret. I don't know about that, but it's a cute story.

Luke tells us that there were some animals that you might say were in on the secret. That night, an angel visited a group of shepherds out on the hills outside Bethlehem.

Can you imagine? You're camped way out in the middle of no where, sitting around in the dark, watching the stars and talking with your friends when suddenly a dazzling white being shows up. Spooked the shepherds, for sure. The Bible doesn't mention the effect of the angel on the sheep.

The angel reassured the shepherds: Don't be afraid. I am bringing good news of great joy for all people. Today, in the city of David (That was a nickname for Bethlehem.), a Savior has been born. He is Christ, the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find him lying in a feed box.

Then that first angel was joined with a huge crowd of angels. The choir blasts the night air with song: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.”

The shepherds raced off the Bethlehem. They found the baby. They saw the King, the Messiah of God, the main character in the dreams of prophets for a thousand years.

Because of the angels, they, too, could see that that ordinary little person, lying in that feed box in a stable on the back streets of Bethlehem was, in fact, extraordinary. He was the greatest gift of heaven.

Afew weeks later when Mary and Joseph took their baby to the temple in Jerusalem to dedicate him, to present him before God, it happened again – a moment of recognition.

While Mary and Joseph were engaged in the ceremony required for first born sons, an old man came into the temple and made a bee line for them. His name was Simeon. Simeon took the baby in his arms, then looked into heaven and said,

Almighty God, according to your promise,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

My eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all people,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel.

Simeon saw through the disguise. He saw the gift of heaven in this tiny human being.

And then there was Anna, the prophetess. She came into the temple right behind Simeon. She, too, had been given the secret by God. She recognized the baby as God's promise kept, as the great gift of heaven. And Anna did not keep the secret. She told everyone who might be open to the secret.

With ordinary vision you could not see the fullness of the gift of heaven living in the body of the itty bitty person, the son of Mary. But that was all right because God gave extraordinary vision to a few people. To Mary and Joseph, to Elizabeth, to the shepherds, to the old man Simeon, to Anna.

These people did not keep their secret. And now we know it, too.

The gift of heaven was born 2000 years ago. The wisdom of heaven was cradled in Mary's arms. The power of God lay in a feed box. And we have seen his glory, the glory of God, full of grace and truth.

Because we know the secret of the birth of God 2000 years ago, we are able to see more clearly the treasure that lies in every child. Every child deserves royal treatment. Every child deserves respect and nurture, high expectations and sweet affirmation. Every child deserves medical care and a social environment that encourages the development of their minds and bodies. Every child deserves quality education and clean air. Every child is related to the royal baby in Bethlehem. Every child is connected with the Great Gift of heaven.

Because of the great gift of heaven, we can say we have seen the Son of God, full of grace and truth. And we have pledged ourselves to be his associates in filling this world with treasures made available through heaven's greatest gift.