The God of the Weak and Lowly

I was honored to deliver this Christmas sermon at Living Hope Community Church on December 18, 2022.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place in the guest room.

Luke 2:1-7

What was this event, which Luke records with such simplicity?

A woman of humble means, wrapping her child in simple bands of cloth, laying him in a feeding trough for animals, because there was no guest room available.

There was no fanfare. There was no royal pageantry. There was no pomp and circumstance.

An estimated 385,000 babies are born every day.

This event – the birth of a single baby, in a seemingly insignificant region of the world, laid to rest in the humblest of circumstances – would, from a human perspective, have no obvious significance, and would not be expected to change the world or the course of history.

And yet, from God’s perspective, this was the most important day. And for those who believe, this day changed the universe, and has the power to change our lives forever.

It was, first and foremost, a real day. Unlike some religious figures such as the Buddha – whose births are unclear exactly when or, even if, they happened – this day is authenticated in history. A day attested to by historians – Christian, Jewish, and Roman. A real day, at a real time in history, when Caesar Augustus was Emperor of Rome and when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

A real place – Bethlehem. Here, Luke refers to Bethlehem by its traditional title “city of David” because of its historical ties to the ancient Jewish king. However, at this time in history, this “city” was only a small village. According to biblical scholar William Barclay, at the time of the birth of Jesus, the population of Bethlehem may have been as few as 200-300 people. John, in his gospel, uses the Greek word “ko-may” to refer to Bethlehem, a word meaning a small hamlet or village.

And what of Nazareth, the town from which Mary and Joseph travelled, and in which their child would grow up? Nazareth was not much larger – perhaps 500 people according to some estimates. It was, so to speak, “in the boonies” – so much so that the people of that day asked, as recorded in John 1:46, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

And the region of Galilee, such a backwater that the people of that day asked, as recorded in John chapter 7, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? No prophet comes out of Galilee.”

From a human perspective, this was a seemingly insignificant day, a seemingly insignificant place, a seemingly insignificant event.

And yet, this was precisely the day, precisely the place, precisely the event that God chose to change our lives, to change history, to change the world, to change the cosmos and the entire created order.

It was a day the prophets had spoken of for thousands of years.

It was a day that Abraham envisioned and rejoiced to see.

It was a day foretold since the Garden of Eden.

The rise and fall of empires, the decrees of governors, and even the appearance of the stars in the sky were all guided by the hand of God, so that this day would come.

Moses told the people of Israel:

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet

Deuteronomy 18:15

Likewise the prophets:

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

Micah 5:2

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Great will be his authority, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

Isaiah 11:1-5

These are just a few of the many prophecies of Christ found in the Old Testament. In fact, every book of the Old Testament points to Christ in some way. The Jews looked with eager expectation for a Messiah who would liberate their kingdom from oppression. A man who would be both priest, prophet, and king. One who would finally establish peace, justice, and righteousness on the earth.

How did the people expect this great Messiah to come?

Surely, he would be a powerful warrior. Surely, he would come on a mighty war horse, commanding enormous armies.

Yet God, in his subversive gentleness, chose to undermine empire and defeat the powers of evil through the meekness of a tiny baby laid in a manger.

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth, and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Isaiah 42:1-4

God could have brought his Son into the world any way he wanted.

How great is our God, that of all the ways he could have done it, he chose to work through a humble, ordinary woman named Mary?

Can you imagine the awe that Mary must have experienced when the angel told her that from her would come the Messiah, the one who would be priest, prophet, and king – the one who would save people from their sins?

Can you imagine her awe when she realized that of all the people who ever lived and ever will live, she was the one would bring the Son of God into the world?

Why Mary?

It was not because there was anything extraordinary about her – she was an ordinary woman!

But, she had extraordinary faith and obedience to God’s word.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be bornwill be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.“

Luke 1:26-38

According to some scholars, Mary was as young as 13 years old when this happened. She was a young, unmarried, ordinary woman.

There was nothing particularly extraordinary about Mary, except that she had the simple faith to say, “God, let it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

Do you have that faith this morning?

Do you have that faith to say to God, “Let it be done to me according to your word?”

God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

He doesn’t choose people who are good enough, strong enough, or wise enough.

God chooses people who are not good enough, who are not strong enough, and who are not wise enough.

He chooses the weak in the world to shame the strong.

He chooses the foolish in the world to shame the wise.

If you feel weak, if you feel foolish, if you don’t know how God can use you, if you don’t know where God is calling you to go next, I’m here to tell you, you don’t need to know. You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need to be strong enough, or wise enough, or good enough.

You only need to have the simple, humble faith, to say to God, as Isaiah said, “Here I am, Lord, send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

Do you have that simple, childlike faith this morning?

If you do, God can use you, to accomplish more than you could ever imagine.

As John Piper once said, “He’s a big God for little people”

Mary and Joseph had each received a promise from an angel that Mary’s child would be the Messiah.

But let’s not forget that they had 9 months of anticipation leading up this moment. And this time had not been easy for them. They had to suffer the shame of having a child out of wedlock – I mean, how are you gonna explain that to your family?

And then, unable to even secure a guest room, they had to lay the child in a manger – a feeding trough for animals.

At this point, they’re probably wondering, “Is this really happening?” The promise had come 9 months ago – that’s a long time! The memories of the angelic visitations are fading in their minds. The reality of laying a child down in a feeding trough is before them. They need to receive some comfort, some reassurance.

That’s what I love about this next part of the story. Picking it up in Luke 2 verse 8:

Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

Luke 2:8-20

Can you imagine the comfort and reassurance that Mary and Joseph must have felt when these shepherds showed up just gave them that confirmation: yes, this is really happening. No, you’re not crazy. We saw the angels too! We know that this baby truly is the Messiah.

What overwhelming joy Mary and Joseph must have felt when these shepherds showed up!

Of all the people to be the first to see the Messiah, how great is our God that he would choose shepherds?

Shepherds. Some of the poorest individuals in the ancient world. They were outcasts who lived at the margins of society. Yet, it was these humble shepherds who were the first to see the Christ.

How great is our God? He doesn’t choose the mighty. He doesn’t choose the powerful. He chooses the humble. He chooses the meek.

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
    and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of the proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews ask for signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to abolish things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. In contrast, God is why you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

I want to close with a poem – the lyrics to a song by Audrey Assad called “Winter Snow”

As you hear these words, consider all of the ways that God could have brought his Son in the world. God could have done it so many different ways. He didn’t need to work through ordinary people like Mary and Joseph. He didn’t need to call shepherds to rejoice.

But consider how much love God has for simple, weak, ordinary, people, that he would choose to work through them.

You could have come like a mighty storm
with all the strength of a hurricane
You could have come like a forest fire
with the power of heaven in your flame

You could have swept in like a tidal wave
or an ocean to ravish our hearts
You could have come through like a roaring flood
to wipe away the things we’ve scarred

But your voice wasn’t in a bush burning
Your voice wasn’t in a rushing wind

It was still, it was small, it was hidden

You came like a winter snow
So quiet
So soft
So slow