Luke 2:1-14
One of the claims of the Christian faith is that it is rooted in real historical events, which can be verified from other sources. Some scholars question the timing of the census, but several took place at that time, and the Israeli procedure was to return to the town or city of your birth or that of your family. That rule still remains today.
Joseph was of the tribe of Judah, from which David was also, which meant that he had to travel to Bethlehem to register. He was living in Nazareth, some 70 miles to the north, so a journey of some three or more days was needed, with a wife in advanced stage of pregnancy
3 things:
1.God uses secular events to bring about his purposes. The census occurring at this time was no coincidence, for it brought Mary and Joseph to the right place at the right time in order that Jesus would be born in the right place, fulfilling the prophecy of Micah, hundreds of years before, that Jesus would be born there. Someone once cynically remarked that all Jesus did was to read the Old Testament, find the prophecies and then manipulate the circumstances to fulfil them; someone replied, “he did a pretty good job of arranging his own birth in the right place then didn’t he?!”
Whenever there are major issues going on in world events, God is at work despite them, sometimes because of them. Sometimes our newspapers and media are screaming about something they deem is important, when God’s workings are going on in the lives of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, helping the needy, caring for the sick, looking out for people who can’t help themselves, and doing acts of kindness seen by God alone.
2. God uses unlikely people to bring about his purposes: in the Christmas story we have Joseph, a man of integrity, faith, steadfastness and courage, a carpenter/builder; we have a young woman, Mary, with whom he is in love who is carrying a baby conceived in the most unlikely way; we have shepherds looking after their sheep – clearly October at Feast of Tabernacles, who were witnesses of the first massed choir of angels recorded: shepherds did not have a good reputation amongst the upper classes – their jobs left them smelly, often unkempt, yet the shepherd theme runs throughout the Bible – from Abraham through to David, the shepherd boy who became king and wrote a psalm known to millions – “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…”Jesus later said “I am the good shepherd, who gives His life for the sheep” – referring to us. God revealed His Son to these unlikely people – and not in some fancy palace or spacious warm home. When people say “God couldn’t use me”, it is just not true; if God can use a carpenter, a young woman, some shepherds, to bring about His purposes, He can use you too to share his good news of hope, forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, deliverance from guilt, and restoring us to be all He intended us to be.
3. God uses unlikely places to bring about his purposes. Israel was an outpost of the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus. It was not the centre of the universe, it was not a rich country providing sources of mining, timber, precious stones, but it was God’s Chosen place where He manifested Himself – at the crossings of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Far East, where merchants traversed across the known world then. But not even in Jerusalem but instead Bethlehem, some 5 1/2 miles south west, a small town up in the hill country, was the chosen place for Jesus to be born, to fulfil all that had been foretold about him.
We live in different times, but God still rules the world, and whatever politicians do, say, decide, argue about, God’s kingdom will continue to advance. With the crises facing the world and our own nation, Jesus reigns and answers prayer, loves us, will direct us if we ask Him, and He will use the events to change lives. Maybe what is going on now should be driving us to our knees in earnest prayer for God to act, to direct and overrule the decisions of human beings, in order that His truth, justice, godliness and hope will overrule the foolishness, lies and corruption we are fed daily in the media. What God is doing that is not being reported in the media because they ignore Him. Jesus said that unless a person has been born again he cannot see the kingdom of God – that’s why we need to know Jesus for ourselves so that we can see all He is doing.
Have you asked God what He wants you to do with your life? Do you know Him personally? It is in entering into His kingdom that we will find hope, guidance, forgiveness, and meaning. Too many are lost from fulfilling their calling because they didn’t know God wanted them to surrender to Him. Have you surrendered your life to Him yet? If not, why not? His plans for us are far better than anything we can come up with. Do you know He loves you, likes you and wants to help you? Why not start a new life with him tonight, by opening your life to Him and letting Him in.
Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him/her, and eat with him/her and them with me. “Revelation 3:20.
