In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 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. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 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 for them in the inn.
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before 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; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
15 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.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying, and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Luke 2:1-20 NRSV
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The fact that we are more connected to each other than ever before has led us to question what it means when someone says, “I’m so lonely I could cry! ” And yet, this is precisely where the church can be most effective. We do well by reminding ourselves of the words of Pope John Paul II: “Every man and woman need God’s mercy, his tenderness, and his care. Every person needs Christians who will help him or her find grace, joy, and peace.”
The good news for us all is that Jesus Christ himself never sinned and brought forgiveness, joy, and peace into this world; he showed us exactly how much better life with Him is.
He did not come as an enigma or a mystery. Anyone who truly believes in him knows without a doubt that they have been saved from eternal destruction because of His great sacrifice on the cross. Because He died for us—and we want to die for others—we are called to follow Him. That is why we say “One day at a time.” It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived here or how far away your loved ones live again. No one is too far away to touch their hand or hear them out if they ask.
From fairy tales to science fiction, all generations highlight fairy tales that serve as a reminder that the world is upside down. Dorothy thought that she was in Oz when in reality she was in Kansas. Alice traced the rabbit hole after she fell in.
Morpheus offered Neo the blue pill or the red pill — one would enable him to prolong his stay in a dream and another would set him free. Inception had left its audiences wondering whether they were entering a dream or if they were suddenly awakened by reality.
A similar affront to reality can be found in Luke 2. On the one hand, there is Caesar, the Roman Emperor and son of the divine Julius, who appears in all of his power and purpose, and whose interpretation of the world will determine the fate of his subjects. Things start to happen as soon as he says something!
This, however, is not God’s reality. And it isn’t the reality that Luke is experiencing. It’s as if Luke is offering a “red pill” to Theophilus, the Gospel’s audience (like Morpheus to Neo). There are contemporary Caesars all around us, men and women of power, prestige, and authority who believe their decisions and fortunes are determined by the sun. Some of them are only great in their own eyes, while others are famous all over the world.
In our own lives, we can be these modern-day Caesars! Regardless of whether Caesar lives in the White House, has a Senate seat, has “Manager” written on their door plate, lives in your own home, or occupies the space between your ears, he is not in charge. God is in charge, not Caesar. God’s love, not human power, is what transforms the world. God’s love has changed the world through Christ.
In this story, Caesar appears to be powerful. Caesar utters a single word, and the crowd begins to move. When Caesar Augustus issues a decree, the entire world stands up and takes notice. Joseph was one of the people who jumped.
The man is willing to travel with his heavily pregnant fiancée in order to obey Caesar Augustus’s command. Who can blame him, after all? Everyone was bouncing around! They were aware of the warning that came with Caesar’s decree. “Glory to the most august Caesar, and peace on earth to those with whom god Augustus is well pleased,” the census decree would have said. Is it true that you didn’t hear the warning? “Those who please August will enjoy peace; therefore, do not displease him!” Have you heard about the census yet? “Go for it!”
But, in the face of this reality, there is another message: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to those who are blessed by his favor on earth.”
This announcement comes after that of the birth of the true king, Jesus, the Messiah. The shepherds see a true display of majesty, while Caesar Augustus thinks he is displaying power. God is displaying his power across the heavens, while Caesar Augustus thinks he is measuring his power across the empire. Caesar issues his decree, and his people cheer, but he has no idea that God is putting the pieces in place for a specific birth.
Caesars of the twenty-first century may still wield power, but those who follow Jesus have been given the power of humility and perspective. Only God can set the spirit free from the law of sin and death, just as Caesar could make a taxation law.
The birth of Jesus changed the world because of God’s love. What evidence do I have? Because a powerless woman went on pilgrimage for Caesar with Jesus in the womb in those days, and we now go on pilgrimage for Jesus with his Spirit in our hearts. “People now name their daughters Mary and their dogs Caesar,” to paraphrase Andy Stanley. Love has transformed the world and empowered us.
Caesar believed he was doing worthwhile work, at least for the time being. This was the first census under Quirinius, the governor of Syria, according to Luke. There had to be more than one. As the empire expanded, more data had to be collected in order to collect more taxes.
Those performing this important imperial task would undoubtedly be proud. These, however, are not the ones featured in our story. The shepherds, on the other hand, are the ones to blame. They receive the notification and begin their investigation.
Luke informs us that they returned after seeing the sight. Where did you return? To their work in the fields. On the one hand, their work had not changed in light of the Lord. However, everything was different on the other hand. Luke doesn’t just say they came back; he says they came back praising and glorifying God.
Nothing appeared to have changed on the surface. The shepherds returned to tending to their flocks. Their work, however, was now imbued with God’s glory and worship. These shepherds were not only shepherds, but also priests who led the people in worship and prophets who spoke the truth to the people. Regardless of official title or role, we can share their pride and purpose.
C.S. Lewis once said something along these lines about the nature of humility in the Christian life: “The Christian life is to play great parts without pride and small parts without shame.”
By human standards, the shepherds’ role was minor, but it didn’t matter to them. Because they were in God’s presence, serving the Lord with pride and purpose in tending the sheep was a source of joy.
The birth of Jesus changed the world because of God’s love. What evidence do I have? Because, in those days, Caesar’s decree went out to the entire world in order for him to take from us; in these days, God’s decree goes out to the entire world in order for us to partake in Him. Love has transformed the world and given us meaning.
Caesar’s proclamation will provide him with strategic insight into his entire empire. Caesar’s entire realm will have been counted, and the details will have been arranged to allow him to continue his dictatorship.
At the same time that kings considered war against other kings (Luke 14:31). Others will not wage war against Caesar Augustus if he considers his own wealth carefully enough.
However, as the preceding points, war has not only begun, but has also ended.
The exalted would be brought low, Mary sang, and the arrogant would be brought low by the Lord’s mighty arm. The verdict was in! The lowly have been given pride and purpose, and the powerless have been given power.
Mary is now free to think about it. Perhaps the most powerless character in the story is given the chance to reflect and make sense of what she has witnessed. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of this story is that she is given a reason to reach her own conclusion. She cherishes and ponders these occasions. It is Mary’s pondering that is important, not Caesar’s.
The message has now been delivered to us. The story of Jesus has been entrusted to us. Christ’s birth, who is the pure light of God’s love. It is up to us to think about our world, to make sense of it, to see its battles as spiritual rather than physical. To see the lonely as having a need for God’s family. To see the broken as welcome participants in Christ’s healing power.
The birth of Jesus changed the world because of God’s love. What evidence do I have? Because, while Caesar pondered his empire to see his vast rule in those days, God in Christ empowers us to ponder the world as his mission partners in these days. Love has altered the world and caused us to reflect.
During this week, take a moment to reflect on the “power” that God has given you. What divine gifts do you possess, even if you don’t have a title? It’s important to know whether you’re a person of mercy or encouragement.
There is power in the name of Jesus. The phrase “pray in the name of Jesus” is often used by Christians, and it refers to the practice of praying to God and asking for His help, guidance, or protection.
Two things about the death of Christ. The first was that since one person died for and in place of everyone else, everyone had died. What is this death at the end? Either the death they deserved because of their sin.
It’s odd how we often acknowledge that we take on too much, and try to accomplish things in our own strength, and need to rely more on Jesus. And yet we continue to do the same thing over and over.
The conscience is a divinely given moral compass that can be swayed by many factors, such as our background, experiences, and thoughts. What is important is the truth that one has to inform their conscience.
Life is rough for most people today. Just when we have hope of a life returning to normal, we are seeing things none of us have ever seen in our lifetime.
To grasp the magnitude of our deliverance, we must first comprehend where we came from. We are not exempt from the repercussions of our actions because we are descendants of Adam.
