[The following is the full manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 13th of December, 2015. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Getting ready for Christmas can be a lot of fun, but it can also be an ordeal. We get too caught up in all the rush, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We try to do too much, spread ourselves too thin, run all over God’s creation trying to get everything done before Santa makes his visit.
Some of it’s fun, and some is easy. But a lot of what we put ourselves through this time of year is neither fun nor easy. And at least part of the reason for that, in my opinion, is due to our losing sight of just what Christmas is truly all about.
We can perhaps take some small comfort - in the vein of “misery loves company” – in knowing that even the very first Christmas was anything but easy for the mother and earthly father of our Lord Christ. Listen and follow along to how the Apostle Luke describes the days leading up to that first Christmas, from the 2nd chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 6, reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…
Some of it’s fun, and some is easy. But a lot of what we put ourselves through this time of year is neither fun nor easy. And at least part of the reason for that, in my opinion, is due to our losing sight of just what Christmas is truly all about.
We can perhaps take some small comfort - in the vein of “misery loves company” – in knowing that even the very first Christmas was anything but easy for the mother and earthly father of our Lord Christ. Listen and follow along to how the Apostle Luke describes the days leading up to that first Christmas, from the 2nd chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 6, reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.
--Luke 2:1-6 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, before we get too much more caught up in the busyness of the holidays, please calm our hearts and speak to us of the real meaning of Christmas and of being a Christian. Speak to us through Your Holy Spirit and give us the message we need to hear. Help us prepare room in our hearts for our Lord. In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus we pray. Amen.
Do any of you remember Duz laundry detergent? Well, a young boy entered a grocery store one day and asked the grocer for a box of Duz detergent. The grocer was puzzled and asked why the lad would want a box of Duz. “I’m going to wash my cat”, the boy answered. “Young man,” the grocer protested, “you shouldn’t wash your cat with this kind of soap!” But the boy insisted it would be OK.
A few days later, the boy returned and the grocer asked him about the cat. “Oh, he died”, the boy replied. The grocer shook his head and said, “Well, son, I warned you not to wash your cat with that Duz detergent.” The boy shot back, “The soap didn’t hurt him a bit. It was the spin cycle that did him in!”
[* From 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking by Michael Hodgin, #284, “Easy Duz It”, page 333. *]
You’ve probably heard someone say, “Easy does it”, usually as they’re trying to ease something delicate into position. Well, in this case, it doesn’t sound like there was anything easy about using “Duz” to wash a cat. Maybe the cat would have survived after all if the boy hadn’t tried to spin dry him. But anyone who has ever owned a cat knows that washing them is not an easy undertaking no matter how you do it, even using a washing machine and Duz detergent.
When I was trying to come up with a title for today’s message, the first thought that hit me was, “It ain’t gonna be easy”, which I’m sure would displease all our English teachers. Other ideas included, “Nobody said it was gonna be easy”, which is a little lengthy, and “If it were easy, anyone could do it”, which is both very true and very long for a title. No matter what label we put on it, the plain and simple fact is that there is nothing in our Bible that assures us of an easy life on this earth.
I want you to think for a moment about the 12 Disciples, the closest followers and dearest friends Jesus had while He walked this earth. One of them committed suicide, driven mad by remorse at betraying our Lord. Ten died horrible deaths, martyred because of their belief in and evangelism for Jesus as Christ, the one true Son of God and the only way to salvation. Only one of the 12 lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes, but he died alone in exile. They didn’t exactly have it easy, did they.
Consider the mother and earthly father of our Lord Jesus. They were blessed by God to bring forth and take care of His only begotten Son. If anyone should have an easy life, it would be them, wouldn’t you think? But our scripture reading today says otherwise.
Being privy to the full story behind Jesus’ birth, we know that Joseph had a pretty tough time accepting his betrothed wife turning up pregnant, when they had not yet been together in an intimate way. He was ready to call off the marriage and have Mary taken to the Jewish version of a monastery until God’s angel came to him and told him it would be OK, that Joseph needed to take Mary as his wife and take care of the child as if it were his own. I’m sure that wasn’t easy for Joseph or Mary.
And then there’s that journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Joseph had to go to be registered for the census. In our Bible Study class a while back, we looked at how they would have headed south and then turned east and crossed over into Jordan to avoid going through Samaria, the territory most good devout Jews would not set foot in if at all possible. This detour would have added days to their trip. The route was treacherous at places: crossing the river twice, climbing rocky hillsides and descending the scrabble strewn slopes, through desert and wilderness, at times in the presence of dangerous wild animals, with dwindling food supplies.
This journey would have been a difficult one for two normal, healthy adults, especially if they had proper conveyance. By all accounts, they had one burro which Mary rode while Joseph walked the entire trip. Oh, and by the way, what did Luke tell us about Mary’s condition? She “was now obviously pregnant”. How pregnant? “While they were there” in Bethlehem, “the time came for her baby to be born”. Natural childbirth, without the benefits of modern drugs or medical teams or even a midwife, is certainly not easy, and had to have been especially trying after such a long and torturous journey. The angel never told Joseph or Mary that it was going to be easy.
And then there’s the Apostle that never walked with Jesus, yet knew Him as well if not better than those who did. The Apostle that I tend to associate with personally because of the dramatic change Jesus made in him, from what he was to what he became.
The Apostle Paul had an easy life, didn’t he? He was a good Jew, a member of the Pharisees, the ruling class of religious leaders. He studied at the feet of the greatest teacher Gamaliel and was destined for great things. But then Jesus came to him on that dusty road to Damascus and everything changed.
Let’s listen to how easy Paul described his life to be, as he wrote in his 2nd letter to the church in Corinth, chapter 11, verses 22 through 27, when he is talking about those who persecuted and ultimately crucified Jesus, and then about himself…
Do any of you remember Duz laundry detergent? Well, a young boy entered a grocery store one day and asked the grocer for a box of Duz detergent. The grocer was puzzled and asked why the lad would want a box of Duz. “I’m going to wash my cat”, the boy answered. “Young man,” the grocer protested, “you shouldn’t wash your cat with this kind of soap!” But the boy insisted it would be OK.
A few days later, the boy returned and the grocer asked him about the cat. “Oh, he died”, the boy replied. The grocer shook his head and said, “Well, son, I warned you not to wash your cat with that Duz detergent.” The boy shot back, “The soap didn’t hurt him a bit. It was the spin cycle that did him in!”
You’ve probably heard someone say, “Easy does it”, usually as they’re trying to ease something delicate into position. Well, in this case, it doesn’t sound like there was anything easy about using “Duz” to wash a cat. Maybe the cat would have survived after all if the boy hadn’t tried to spin dry him. But anyone who has ever owned a cat knows that washing them is not an easy undertaking no matter how you do it, even using a washing machine and Duz detergent.
When I was trying to come up with a title for today’s message, the first thought that hit me was, “It ain’t gonna be easy”, which I’m sure would displease all our English teachers. Other ideas included, “Nobody said it was gonna be easy”, which is a little lengthy, and “If it were easy, anyone could do it”, which is both very true and very long for a title. No matter what label we put on it, the plain and simple fact is that there is nothing in our Bible that assures us of an easy life on this earth.
I want you to think for a moment about the 12 Disciples, the closest followers and dearest friends Jesus had while He walked this earth. One of them committed suicide, driven mad by remorse at betraying our Lord. Ten died horrible deaths, martyred because of their belief in and evangelism for Jesus as Christ, the one true Son of God and the only way to salvation. Only one of the 12 lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes, but he died alone in exile. They didn’t exactly have it easy, did they.
Consider the mother and earthly father of our Lord Jesus. They were blessed by God to bring forth and take care of His only begotten Son. If anyone should have an easy life, it would be them, wouldn’t you think? But our scripture reading today says otherwise.
Being privy to the full story behind Jesus’ birth, we know that Joseph had a pretty tough time accepting his betrothed wife turning up pregnant, when they had not yet been together in an intimate way. He was ready to call off the marriage and have Mary taken to the Jewish version of a monastery until God’s angel came to him and told him it would be OK, that Joseph needed to take Mary as his wife and take care of the child as if it were his own. I’m sure that wasn’t easy for Joseph or Mary.
And then there’s that journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Joseph had to go to be registered for the census. In our Bible Study class a while back, we looked at how they would have headed south and then turned east and crossed over into Jordan to avoid going through Samaria, the territory most good devout Jews would not set foot in if at all possible. This detour would have added days to their trip. The route was treacherous at places: crossing the river twice, climbing rocky hillsides and descending the scrabble strewn slopes, through desert and wilderness, at times in the presence of dangerous wild animals, with dwindling food supplies.
This journey would have been a difficult one for two normal, healthy adults, especially if they had proper conveyance. By all accounts, they had one burro which Mary rode while Joseph walked the entire trip. Oh, and by the way, what did Luke tell us about Mary’s condition? She “was now obviously pregnant”. How pregnant? “While they were there” in Bethlehem, “the time came for her baby to be born”. Natural childbirth, without the benefits of modern drugs or medical teams or even a midwife, is certainly not easy, and had to have been especially trying after such a long and torturous journey. The angel never told Joseph or Mary that it was going to be easy.
And then there’s the Apostle that never walked with Jesus, yet knew Him as well if not better than those who did. The Apostle that I tend to associate with personally because of the dramatic change Jesus made in him, from what he was to what he became.
The Apostle Paul had an easy life, didn’t he? He was a good Jew, a member of the Pharisees, the ruling class of religious leaders. He studied at the feet of the greatest teacher Gamaliel and was destined for great things. But then Jesus came to him on that dusty road to Damascus and everything changed.
Let’s listen to how easy Paul described his life to be, as he wrote in his 2nd letter to the church in Corinth, chapter 11, verses 22 through 27, when he is talking about those who persecuted and ultimately crucified Jesus, and then about himself…
22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
--2 Corinthians 11:22-27 (NKJV)
Yep, that’s an easy life for you – Not!
Notice that Paul mentions his labors for the Lord first, making them the least significant in this long list of woes. The Jews gave him 39 lashes five times. Three times he was beaten with rods, and stoned once and left for dead once. Shipwrecked three times, and always on the move. Facing perils on water and on land, from robbers and the Gentiles and even his own countrymen, perils in the cities, in the wilderness, in the sea, perils from those who falsely claim to be fellow believers in Christ. Hungry and thirsty, sleepless, cold and naked too often to count.
Anytime I start feeling I have it tough and self-pity begins to creep in, all I have to do is remember all that Paul endured for our Lord. You’d think that all of this would get Paul down, that it would slowly beat him up enough that he’d get tired and just give up.
Not Paul. Instead, he just kept giving praise and glory to God and to Jesus. Rather than lamenting, he would rejoice, just as he tells us to do, in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians when he says this in chapter 5 verses 16 through 18…
Notice that Paul mentions his labors for the Lord first, making them the least significant in this long list of woes. The Jews gave him 39 lashes five times. Three times he was beaten with rods, and stoned once and left for dead once. Shipwrecked three times, and always on the move. Facing perils on water and on land, from robbers and the Gentiles and even his own countrymen, perils in the cities, in the wilderness, in the sea, perils from those who falsely claim to be fellow believers in Christ. Hungry and thirsty, sleepless, cold and naked too often to count.
Anytime I start feeling I have it tough and self-pity begins to creep in, all I have to do is remember all that Paul endured for our Lord. You’d think that all of this would get Paul down, that it would slowly beat him up enough that he’d get tired and just give up.
Not Paul. Instead, he just kept giving praise and glory to God and to Jesus. Rather than lamenting, he would rejoice, just as he tells us to do, in his 1st letter to the Thessalonians when he says this in chapter 5 verses 16 through 18…
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)
Paul is saying it’s not always going to be easy, but no matter what happens, find something to give God thanks for. If life gets nasty and bad, rejoice in the Lord and pray to Him throughout whatever ordeal you’re going through, even pray without stopping. Why? Will this make it all better? Maybe, maybe not, depending on God’s great master plan. But it is what God wills for us to do, what Jesus wants us to do.
I don’t believe there’s a single person here who can look back on their life and say it’s been easy. We’ve all experienced trials, tribulations, problems, difficulties, times when our faith wavered. Paul would understand. And he’d say it doesn’t matter. In the end, in the grand scheme of things, none of what we have endured, endure, or have yet to endure will mean a thing once we have seen the glorious face of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I can only imagine that’s how it must have been for Mary and Joseph. After that brutal trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem, they couldn’t even find a decent place to rest their weary bodies. And then childbirth, without any help, in a crude stable with animals and straw all about.
But then they saw the face of the One of whom the prophets all foretold, the One promised by God’s messenger, the One who would offer salvation to the world. And everything they had just gone through was forgotten. Nothing else mattered but that sweet little Baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying there in a manger where the animals normally fed. Time just stood still as they quietly gazed into the face of God.
If we believe in Jesus as the Son of God and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, then one glorious day He will come to take us home. On that day, everything we have ever endured – all the hardships and perils and beatings and trials… everything will be forgotten. Nothing else will matter except the face of our dear Lord Jesus, smiling down on us.
It isn’t always going to be easy. But if we stay the course, it will all turn our wonderful in the end. God promised it. We can believe it. Amen.
Let us pray… Heavenly Father, You know how frail and weak we are. Even the strongest among us sometimes buckle under the weight of the world. We trip and we stumble over the traps that Satan lays all along our path as we struggle to walk that straight and narrow way of our Lord Jesus. You know our suffering, Father, because You know how much Your own Son suffered when He walked this earth as one of us. Forgive us, Father, when we fail to rejoice in You, when we forget to find something to give You thanks for even in the worst storms of our life.
Hear us now, Lord, as we come to You in the silence giving You thanks, offering You our praise, seeking Your help in our time of trial…
Father God, we know You never said it was always going to be easy. We know we will face trials in our life, just as Your Son and all those who followed Him faced. But Father, You have promised us that it will all come out good in the end, that all things turn to good for those who love You and follow Your voice. We believe that promise, Father, and we put all our hopes, our faith, and our trust in Your Son Jesus, our Master and our Redeemer. This we pray in that blessed name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I don’t believe there’s a single person here who can look back on their life and say it’s been easy. We’ve all experienced trials, tribulations, problems, difficulties, times when our faith wavered. Paul would understand. And he’d say it doesn’t matter. In the end, in the grand scheme of things, none of what we have endured, endure, or have yet to endure will mean a thing once we have seen the glorious face of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I can only imagine that’s how it must have been for Mary and Joseph. After that brutal trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem, they couldn’t even find a decent place to rest their weary bodies. And then childbirth, without any help, in a crude stable with animals and straw all about.
But then they saw the face of the One of whom the prophets all foretold, the One promised by God’s messenger, the One who would offer salvation to the world. And everything they had just gone through was forgotten. Nothing else mattered but that sweet little Baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying there in a manger where the animals normally fed. Time just stood still as they quietly gazed into the face of God.
If we believe in Jesus as the Son of God and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, then one glorious day He will come to take us home. On that day, everything we have ever endured – all the hardships and perils and beatings and trials… everything will be forgotten. Nothing else will matter except the face of our dear Lord Jesus, smiling down on us.
It isn’t always going to be easy. But if we stay the course, it will all turn our wonderful in the end. God promised it. We can believe it. Amen.
Let us pray… Heavenly Father, You know how frail and weak we are. Even the strongest among us sometimes buckle under the weight of the world. We trip and we stumble over the traps that Satan lays all along our path as we struggle to walk that straight and narrow way of our Lord Jesus. You know our suffering, Father, because You know how much Your own Son suffered when He walked this earth as one of us. Forgive us, Father, when we fail to rejoice in You, when we forget to find something to give You thanks for even in the worst storms of our life.
Hear us now, Lord, as we come to You in the silence giving You thanks, offering You our praise, seeking Your help in our time of trial…
Father God, we know You never said it was always going to be easy. We know we will face trials in our life, just as Your Son and all those who followed Him faced. But Father, You have promised us that it will all come out good in the end, that all things turn to good for those who love You and follow Your voice. We believe that promise, Father, and we put all our hopes, our faith, and our trust in Your Son Jesus, our Master and our Redeemer. This we pray in that blessed name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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