December 20, 2010
ADVENT: WEEK 4
Posted by Michael
Learn:
Luke 2:6-20
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Main Idea:
This passage of Luke explains the “Where?” and the “To whom?” of Christmas. Three times in this brief passage Luke mentions that Jesus was born in a manger, but this story has become so familiar to us that it loses its shock value. Jesus, the God incarnate, was born in a stinky, messy, ugly, dark, un-sanitized place. He came into the world with no power, no money, no fanfare. We live in a messed up, broken world. But where does Jesus come to? Messy, broken places. Luke also emphasizes that the shepherds were the first people to come see Jesus. Shepherds were considered unclean by society. We, like the shepherds, are messy people. We have screwed up in every area of our lives, and we can’t fix things ourselves. But to whom did Jesus come for? Messy, broken people. Jesus is not scared off by our mess. He started His life in the mess of a manger, and He ended it in the mess of death on a cross. He did it freely. He loves us so much that He came to take on – and conquer – the mess of the entire world.
Know What: Jesus came to a messy place for the sake of messy people.
So What: There is no place Jesus won’t go – no depths to which He will not descend – to bring God’s love, grace, peace, and goodness.
Now What: Surrender your mess to God and accept His guidance, leadership, and grace in your life.
Discuss…
1. Why is it so easy to forget that at the heart of the Christmas story is a baby born in a barn, wrapped in rags, and laid in a feeding trough? As a group, take a moment to consider and discuss what that night must have really been like for Mary and Joseph.
2. In most myths, whenever a god comes to earth it is done in an extravagant form. Why do you think God chose to come to earth the way He did? If you were writing the story of a King being born, what would it look like? How does the true story of Jesus differ from what we’d expect it to be?
3. Have you ever been afraid to let Jesus into a messy area of your life? Why do we often feel the need to “clean up our act” before we let Jesus into those areas? Give an example of a time when you tried to clean up a mess by yourself. Did you eventually let Jesus in to help?
4. Think back on the goals and resolutions that you set at the beginning of 2010. How did you do in meeting them? Did you have any major mess ups? If so, congratulations… You are like everyone else on earth! Rather than being discouraged by this fact, how can you use it to draw closer to Jesus?
5. Why do some people refuse to acknowledge the gap between who they are and who they want to be? Why is acknowledging this gap such an important step for a Christian?
6. Why do you think God is so willing to enter into our messy lives?
7. What “mess” do you need to surrender to God right now? What does surrendering look like in your situation? Remember that what is unthinkable when it is just you becomes unstoppable when it is you and God together.
Next Steps…
It can be easy to get so caught up in the messes of our own lives and lose sight of the other messes in the world. Oppression, injustice, war, poverty, the AIDS epidemic, the list goes on. The power of prayer, especially intercession, is often overlooked. This week, choose one “mess” that may not affect you directly and be intentional about praying for it.
