Bethlehem or Bedlam?
- no trip to Israel is complete without a visit to the Church of the Nativity, located in Manger Square, Bethlehem
- it was built around 325 A.D over the hillside grotto believed by most to be the site of the birth of Jesus
- it is a church that has never been destroyed, making it one of the oldest and most famous churches in the world
- to enter the church, you must enter what is called "The Door of Humility," just four feet high
- it was originally designed to prevent people from riding horses into the church
- but the effect today is that everyone – even President and Mrs. Clinton, who visited last week – must stoop in humility to enter the church
- within the church, located under the chancel, is the grotto of the Nativity
- in the crypt at the front of the grotto, you will find a silver star on the marble with the words, inscribed in Latin, "Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary"
- next door is located another church, where every year on December 24th at midnight, images of Christmas celebrations are broadcast around the world
- one hundred and thirty-three years ago, a young clergyman by the name of Phillips Brooks made a pilgrimage to Israel
- on Christmas Eve, while enroute to worship at the Church of the Nativity, he took time to stand in a field outside of Bethlehem, where sheep still grazed
- Brooks was so overwhelmed with emotion that when he returned home, he wrote one of the most loved Christmas carols of all time – O Little Town of Bethlehem
- the underlying theme of his Christmas hymn is the theme of quietness
- it begins, "O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!"
- later, it says, "For Christ is born of Mary; and gathered all above, while mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love"
- then the third verse reads:
How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts the wonder of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.
- Phillips Brooks was on to something
- he knew that the essence of Christmas calls for a quieted heart that has been unplugged from distractions and busyness
- you might not have heard of the name St. Mary of Bethlehem Hospital, located in London, England
- but you’ve heard of the English word that is derived from its nickname
- a slang name was given to this notorious insane asylum: bedlam
- a word today that is associated with mass confusion and madness
- but the word bedlam originated with the St. Mary of Bethlehem Hospital – an insane asylum
- just think of it: the name of the town in which Jesus Christ was born eventually became the basis of an English word meaning mass confusion
- I looked up bedlam in the dictionary and found this definition: "a situation of noisy uproar and confusion"
- that’s a pretty good description of a lot of Decembers that I’ve had
- could it be that one of Satan’s strategies is to lead Christians from Bethlehem to bedlam so that we don’t end up worshiping Christ
- we don’t end up being changed by the celebration because we’re absorbed with situations of noisy uproar and confusion
- Christmas calls for a quieted heart that has been unplugged from distractions and busyness
- those who are willing to quiet their hearts, and who place themselves in a position to celebrate God’s silent ambush on sin, will recognize the true message of Christmas – Jesus Christ
- my goal this morning will be for you to take very practical steps to take time away from the Christmas rush in order to become calm, and to focus your thoughts exclusively on Jesus
- I’m going to do something this morning that might, at first seem unfair
- I’m going to add three things to your to-do list for this week
- you’ve probably got plans of where you’re supposed to be at what time, not to mention last-minute items that you need to pick up
- you might have some gift-wrapping left, and I’m sure there’s at least one person here who hasn’t even begun his Christmas shopping
- but if we’re going to arrive at Bethlehem rather than Bedlam – if we’re going to quiet our hearts – then there are three things that we need to do, following the example of Mary in Luke chapters one and two
- FIRST, WE NEED TO RESPOND
- please turn your Bibles to Luke 1:26-38, where we see that Mary had a responsive heart
- the setting is Nazareth, a small town off the trade routes in Galilee
- Galilee was not the place to be in those days – it was surrounded by Gentiles; its residents were known to be lax regarding kosher laws, and had the reputation of being pugnacious
- and the angel Gabriel is sent there to visit Mary – a woman who was betrothed to be married
- in that day, betrothal was a legally binding relationship that preceded marriage
- although sexual intimacy was not allowed, only divorce or death could sever betrothal; and if death took place, the girl, even though unmarried, would be considered a widow
- so Mary was betrothed
- in all likelihood, she followed the custom of the day, in which betrothal took place soon after puberty
- it’s likely that Mary had just entered her teens
- the angel Gabriel appears to this girl, in an out-of-the-way location – a girl that we wouldn’t consider old enough to drive a car, and tells her:
- (Luke 1:30) "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
- (Luke 1:31) You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
- (Luke 1:32) 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,
- (Luke 1:33) and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
- now, pause here and ask yourself how you would respond
- when Gabriel made a similar announcement to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, Zechariah expressed doubt
- Zechariah momentarily doubted the angel’s promise because of his old age
- he made the mistake of trusting his intellect and understanding rather than accepting the purposes of God
- but unlike Zechariah, Mary didn’t ask for a sign – she only asked for an explanation of how God would do this, given that she hadn’t had sexual relations with a man
- and once Gabriel explained it to her, look at how she responded in verse 38:
- (Luke 1:38) "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
- now think about it
- in those days, a young, unmarried girl who became pregnant faced possible disaster
- unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life
- if her own father rejected her, she would then be forced into begging or even prostitution to earn a living
- on top of that, who would believe a story about an angel visiting her or being made pregnant by the Holy Spirit?
- and yet Mary responded, "I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said."
- in choosing her response, Mary was able to focus on God’s will rather than society’s approval
- then, as now, quietness involves attentiveness to God’s plans and a willingness to accept whatever he brings our way, regardless of what society tells us
- what is amazing about Mary is that she was able to hear and accept God’s will above the noise of society’s customs and her own intellect
- this week, you need to respond to what happened 2,000 years ago
- Jesus Christ came as the most amazing Christmas gift given ever, and yet it’s going to be difficult to focus on him rather than all the trimmings of Christmas
- most of all, there’s the danger that some of you might not even realize the true meaning of Christmas
- it’s not about Santa, presents, or family
- it’s about Jesus Christ coming on a rescue mission to save men and women who had destroyed their relationship with God
- the Bible tells us that the motivating factor in Jesus coming to earth was his love for you
- and this love deserves a response
- there’s no way to adequately describe what Jesus Christ left to come as a small, dependent baby born among smelly animals in a dark cave
- he came knowing that he would face persecution, hatred, and ultimately death
- and the motivating factor was his love for you
- it would be a tragedy if you didn’t respond to the greatest gift ever given, the way Mary did
- not only do we need to respond
- SECOND, WE NEED TO WORSHIP
- the second thing we need to put on our to-do list this week, if we’re going to end up in Bethlehem rather than in bedlam, is to worship
- Luke 1:46 and on records what is known as the Magnificat – a song of Mary that is an outflow of what had happened in her heart
- Mary was overwhelmed by the Lord’s goodness to her, and in response she sang one of the most beautiful and profound songs of praise in the Bible
- she said:
- (Luke 1:46) And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord
- (Luke 1:47) and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
- (Luke 1:48) for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,
- (Luke 1:49) for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name.
- and then Mary continues to praise God, not only for what he was doing in her life, but for his attributes, what he was doing in society, and what he had done in Israel
- I don’t know if it’s ever occurred to you before, but if you study the first two chapters of Luke, those chapters contain multiple songs
- it’s as if the only appropriate response to Jesus’ coming is music!
- from Mary, to Zechariah, to the angels, and even old Simeon – all found that the only way they could adequately respond to the coming of the Christ-child was to worship in song
- trying to stop their praise that first Christmas would have been like trying to stop the flow of a mighty waterfall
- worship is the only appropriate response
- Westminister Abbey is the most famous church in Great Britain
- it is located in London, and has been the site of coronations and burials, including the burial of Diana just over a year ago
- it’s also the site of some controversy today
- under a new vicar, the organist has been fired, and an admission charge has been levied for tourists
- there is a storm surrounding what he is trying to do, and I’m not sure what really is taking place
- but I like one thing he said
- he’s trying to change Westminister Abbey from a tourist attraction to a place of worship, which involves limiting the tourists
- and the three words he used, which I like, are "recover the calm"
- recover the calm of an abbey that was designed to be a place of worship
- this morning I’d like to apply these three words to Christmas
- recover the calm!
- make Christmas a time of worship rather than just a cultural holiday and attraction
- recover what Christmas was originally designed to be – a time of worship to the God who came to earth
- what a tragedy it would be if we let this week pass without taking time to worship the King of the universe, who came to earth 2,000 years ago
- take time to worship
- so far I’ve put two things on your to-do list for this week: to respond and to worship
- there’s one more thing I’d like you to do this week, and for many, this might be the hardest part
- WE NEED TO MEDITATE
- this coming week, I’m convinced that we all need to create some uninterrupted time in which we get alone, close the doors, and meditate
- (Luke 2:19) But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
- Mary took the time to ponder what God’s actions had been, and what they might mean for her and for the world
- Mary was able to do what we so often ignore – she was able to let the true meaning of Christmas percolate within her soul
- she was able to meditate slowly, to turn over in her mind the presence of God in human flesh
- to wonder, no doubt, at how the God of the universe entrusted her, a young married teenager, with the responsibility of raising the one who created all things
- we need to do what Mary did
- William Law writes, "To speak with the tongues of men or angels on religious matters, is a much less thing than to know how to stay the mind upon God, and abide with him in the closet of our hearts, observing, loving, adoring, and obeying his holy power within us"
- I’ve added three things to your to-do list, but this last one will require you to take further action
- if you’re going to meditate on Christ’s coming this week, you may well have to remove some of what you have planned
- you may have to make room this Christmas for Jesus, and block out some time for simplicity and meditation
- you may need to do major surgery to your schedule this week.
- it’s been said, "If your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall"
- that’s true in finances, but it’s also relevant to the health of your soul this coming week
- you may need to do only as much as you have energy to do, and to carve out some time for more important things – the reflection and meditation exemplified by Mary
- Basil Pennington uses the metaphor of a pond to describe the importance of stillness in our receptivity to God, and I think it has particular application to Christmas
- when you throw a stone into a pond, the stone will create ripples that reach to the shore all around – but only if the pond is still
- when the pond is quiet and still, the arrival of the stone can be read over the entire surface
- but when the pond is not still, when the surface of the water is already ruffled and tossed, the arrival of the stone will go undetected
- where the wind has disturbed the surface, the stone can’t be disturbing
- where a storm is present, there is so much commotion already going on that no one will notice a few waves more or less
- they will be lost in the frantic motion of the surface
- your life is like that pond
- if your life is quiet and still, the arrival of Jesus Christ will be read over its entire surface
- but if your life is not still – if your life is ruffled and tossed – the arrival of Jesus Christ will go undetected
- we need to develop a responsive heart this Christmas, and the prerequisite will be quietness
- so, my friends, I hope you’ll add three things to your to-do list this week
- to respond, to worship, and to meditate
- the city of Bethlehem is not a little town anymore
- it is a bustling Palestinian suburb of Jerusalem
- any pilgrim who has visited Bethlehem knows the sounds of car horns, the blare of the Moslem minarets, and the hum of industry
- in much the same way, our personal worlds are far from the quiet scene pictured in that famous carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem
- yet, whether we are living in modern-day Bethlehem or in Toronto, the quietness that Mary experienced firsthand can make our Christmas Day – or any day – an occasion to be responsive, worshipful, and reflective before God’s love