All Wrapped Up

All Wrapped Up

Text:  Luke 2:1-14

It was one of those prayers that asked God to help everyone in every place and it finished off with, “...and by the way God, help yourself!”  After the prayer was over I looked at my son and asked him, “Does God need help?”  Without skipping a beat the reply came back, “Of course God needs help!  That’s why he’s got angels!  Du-u-u-u-u-u-uh!”  This preacher/theologian was soundly put in his place!

God needs help.  He sends the gift and invites us to wrap it up with faith.  He enlists the help of rulers and peasants...rich and poor...angels and starry hosts. 

God needs help.  And unwittingly the Emperor Augustus wraps the gift in a census.  Putting aside the questions about Luke’s historical references what is important is that the Emperor’s decree ensures that Joseph and Mary will be in Bethlehem for the birth.  Bethlehem, the place the prophet Micah declared a ruler would arise (Micah 5:2-5).

But there’s more.  The Emperor was the most powerful man on earth.  Augustus’ birth was announced in the Senate, “...the ruler of the world has been born” (Suetonius Lives of the Caesars 2.94.3,5).[1] Augustus was acclaimed the Son of God and ushered in the Pax Romana – an era of peace from war. 

Augustus exercises his power in a census that will assess his human and economic resources, a decree that helps give birth to the true Son of God.  This baby’s birth announcement as saviour, Messiah, and Lord is proclaimed in a field to shepherds.  His rule will be the flip side of Caesar’s reign.  The baby wrapped in a feeding box will have no fixed address, putting his head down wherever he is welcome.  This baby’s throne will be a cross. 

God needs help.   And Mary with Joseph says ‘yes’ to God’s terrifying yet grace-filled choosing.  Mary is a virgin.  Joseph is a descendent of David.  The gift of a baby boy is given and she binds him with bands of cloth believed to make the legs strong.  The gift is wrapped and laid in a feeding trough.

God needs help.  Yet not even the guest room was made available to them.  A no vacancy sign hung in the window.  Was it the case that every room was full?  Or was it that no one wanted to welcome the scandal of this pregnancy?  The child placed in a manger proclaims good news to the poor. 

God needs help.  And in a surprise move shepherds become the audience for an angel and the heavenly hosts.  Why did God need the help of shepherds?  King David left life as a shepherd to become a king.  The Messiah would descend from David and be a shepherd caring for the people.  It seems fitting then that shepherds should be the first to hear the message from heaven. 

There’s probably more to it though.  These shepherds were so low down on the social ladder that they didn’t seem to be included in the empire wide census.  They were outsiders and there is evidence to suggest that they were commonly stereotyped as thieves.  God needs the help of the shepherds – those who were poor and marginalised.  It is they who respond to the good news and tell everyone about what they have seen and heard.  

God needs help.  And the angel of the Lord stands in front of the shepherds.  The angel exudes the glory of the Lord.  The shepherds are terrified.  God needs our help but does not want over familiarity.  God is holy and his presence is fearful.

The angel tells them not to be afraid.  Yes, an appropriate response to God is fear and from that fear we are moved into a state of peace.  Fear is dispelled when we catch sight of “the good news of great joy for all the people”.  God’s gift is good news to be seen.  In David’s city a Saviour, Messiah and Lord is to be seen wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger. 

The angel is accompanied by the heavenly host.  The heavenly host of angels or stars (Job 38:7) sing God’s praise and proclaim his peace.  The peace he brings will outdo the Pax Romana.  This peace is more than a ceasefire or a truce.  This peace is more than an absence of conflict in our personal lives and society.  This is a peace that is rooted in deep trust that God is in control.  This peace is wholeness in every part of our lives and world.  It is a vision of the salvation that God gives to us in this baby born to die and rise.

God needs your help.  He’s given the gift of Jesus to you.  Will you wrap up his gift with faith and receive the peace sung by the heavenly choir and seen in the babe all wrapped up in a feeding trough?