I’ve heard the story of the first Christmas for 67 years now. Probably you have too. I’ve sung the Christmas carols. Probably you have too. I’ve gone to countless Christmas Eve services and probably you have too. I feel like I know the characters in the story really well and maybe you do too - but maybe we still have things to learn about them. Maybe they are more human than we make them out to be. Maybe they are just like us - but were part of the greatest event that has ever happened on this earth in all of history. So - one more time ….enjoy my thoughts about them. If you have never met these people - well then - today’s the day - to meet the primary men and women who first met the baby Jesus - and then later - the child Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way! When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph , son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: (Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his hame Immanuel - which means God with us!) When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name - Jesus.”

Joseph - was young - probably a teenager still - a carpenter by trade. He made things. Measured twice. Cut once. He planned things. Get betrothed to his beautiful Mary. Marry her when the betrothal was completed. Just a normal teenager - anxious to get on with life with his sweetheart. Everything was prefect - until it wasn’t. Everything was normal - until it wasn’t. After Joseph hears Mary’s news - pregnant (and he knew he wasn’t the father) - by law - he could have divorced her. He could have abandoned her. He could have sent her packing right back to her parents - in shame and in embarrassment. But he didn’t. He was a righteous man. Before Joseph gets an angel. Before Joseph gets a sign. Before Joseph gets a dream. He has already chosen to be a godly man. Way to go - Joe! You did the right thing. You took Mary as your wife. You honoured your God. You named the baby Jesus. Hey Joseph! Nobody clapped for you but Heaven noticed your obedience to God and your love for Mary.

Luke 1:26-38 “In the 6th month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, O favoured one, the Lord is near you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirt will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy - the Sons of God. And Mary said - “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.”

Mary - a young girl - a teenager! Just living life! Learning from her mother how to eventually run her own household. Betrothed to Joseph. Counting the days until the betrothal would be permanent. Longing to be married. Dreaming of her wedding day - as every young, engaged girl does. Pining. Couldn’t wait to be Joseph’s wife. Until the unthinkable happens. An angel appeared and everything changed. All of Israel had been waiting for 400 years to hear from God about the prophesied Messiah but to Mary it must have been unimaginable that she was the chosen one. And yet! She was. Her response was one of trust over fear - obedience over disbelief - surrender over rejection. Mary didn’t live by her feelings - she lived by faith. Way to go Mary. Thank you that you didn’t give into your fears - that you trusted in the teaching of your people - that you went with Joseph to a strange town and gave birth to the Son of God in a barn. Thank you that you were wise beyond your years. Thank you for your mother’s heart.

Luke 1:5-23 “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. And he had a wife - Elizabeth - and they were both righteous before God. But they had no child. Now while Zechariah was serving as priest, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Zechariah was troubled and fear fell upon him. But the angel said - “ Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And Zechariah said to the angel - “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years?’ And the angel answered him - “I am Gabriel. I stand in the Presence of God and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news!” And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did no believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them and the people realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived.”

Zechariah - you were a priest - godly man - righteous - blameless in observing the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. Waiting. For the Messiah. Waiting for your own child. You remind us that God is always working in the waiting. You remind us that waiting is never wasted. God may have been silent for a very long time but He was not still. Way to go Zechariah! Yes! You doubted the angel’s proclamations. Yes! You doubted that your wife would still conceive! Yes! You were silenced by the angel Gabriel. But even in your doubting - your prayers for your own child would be answered and your calling as a priest is still recognized 2000 years later.

Luke 1:39-45 “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Elizabeth - you were an old woman when we first meet you - childless - feeling and knowing that shame - longing - lonely - but still full of faith and love for your God. You were surprised when your relative, Mary, arrived on your doorstep when you were six months into your own pregnancy and you welcomed her with open arms. You had waited so long! You prayed. You hoped. And finally it was happening. And yet - when Mary arrived - everything changed for you. You were so excited for Mary. Your spirit knew something was very different about Mary’s baby. You had a very specific revelation about the child in Mary’s womb. You called him “my Lord.” Way to go Elizabeth! You supported - encouraged and celebrated Mary’s pregnancy above your own. I can only imagine the conversations you enjoyed with young Mary during the three months you spent together. An older woman. A young teenager. Both pregnant in unusual ways. Both carrying very special cargo. After you gave birth to your son - the relatives wanted you to name him after your husband but you insisted that his name would be “John”. Thank you for reminding us to be Elizabeth’s to all the Mary’s we meet. I’m that “older” woman now. Help me to be aware of the “Mary’s” in my life - encourage them - love them - support them.

Luke 2:25-32 “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came into the temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he (Simeon) took him up in his arms and blessed God and said - “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

Simeon - you were an upright and devout God follower all of your life - hard to do in that first century - the rule of the Roman occupation was not easy - but you lived your faith anyway. You were waiting to see the Messiah. God promised you would see Him before you died. And then one day it happened - I wonder if you woke up that morning thinking that “today would be the day” or did you anticipate that everyday? Did you arrive at the temple every morning expectant? I think you did. It was going to be a celebration day for you. Way to go, Simeon. Your example of waiting with anticipation is something we should be doing too. You were calmly expectant. “One look into the face of Jesus and you knew the hope of your life had been fulfilled. One look into the face of our Saviour and we will know the same.” (Max Lucado)

Luke 2:36-38 “And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin and then she was a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

Anna - you were there at the temple too - on the 8th day of Jesus’ life - when Joseph and Mary brought him to the temple for the purification. You had been married for only seven years. Seven years! And then your husband died. You were such a young widow. We don’t even know your husband’s name. No children are mentioned. It is believed you were a widow for 84 years which meant you were close to 100 years old. You spent every day of all those years - at the temple - praying and fasting - night and day. Waiting! (Seems to be a theme here). Way to go Anna! What joy you must have felt when you saw the Messiah with your own eyes. And what was your response? Thanksgiving. Your whole being was consumed with gratefulness. And to everyone who would listen, you spoke of the redemption for Israel. Makes me want to do the same.

Luke 2:8-21 “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” The shepherds said to one another - “Let’s go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherd told them. And the shepherds returned (to their flocks). glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

Shepherds - “The night was ordinary until it wasn’t. The sky was ordinary. Until it wasn’t. The sheep were ordinary. The shepherds were ordinary. And then God hooked on an EXTRA at the beginning of that word. Had He not - everything would have stayed the same. But God dances among the common and that night He did a waltz. The sky exploded with brightness. Sheep baaed with curiosity. Shepherds awoke. The night was ordinary no longer.” (Max Lucado)

Shepherds - scruffy peasant men watching over a bunch of common sheep - wearing all the clothes they owned because it was cold - a winter night. You probably smelled like your sheep - pretty stinky. You were conscientious - some were dozing but one or two of you must have been awake - keeping their eyes on the flock. You are nameless. Way to go - Shepherds! Even though you must have been in shock when the angel appeared and gave you a message - and more shock when the skies were filled with a multitude of heavenly host praising God - you instantly decided to head into Bethlehem and find the Baby. When you found Mary and Joseph and the Baby (just as the angel said) - you purposed to tell everyone you met about your “God-moment”. Thank you for not keeping it to yourself. Thank you for being brave. Thank you for your example - showing us that our response must also be to - glorify and praise to God.

Matthew 2:1-12 “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying - “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him - “In Bethlehem of Judea.” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when yo have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him. After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.”

Wisemen - were there three of you? Tradition says so. Probably because three gifts are mentioned. Some say that your names were Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar. We know you were scholars from the East - probably Persia. You followed a star for a very long time. You wandered for months - perhaps years - always looking to the sky! Seeking the new King. You had gifts to give Him. I imagine Mary and Joseph and the child - Jesus - now a toddler - were in wonder when you entered their house. Way to go - wisemen. Thank you for not ever giving up. It’s a reminder to me to do the same. Keep seeking. Keep asking. Keep following - not a star - but the King of Kings. Thank you for offering your gifts to the young Child. It reminds me to offer gifts too - my time - my energy - my presence - my faith - my love - my worship.

My Christmas wish this year - - -

Obey like Joseph!

Surrender like Mary!

Pray likfe Zechariah!

Cheer like Elizabeth!

Wait like Simeon!

Give thanks like Anna!

Rejoice like Shepherds!

Worship like Wise Men!