December 19, 2009

Behold Bethlehem's Miracle!

4th Sunday in Advent, 12/20/09
Micah 5:2-5a


Behold Bethlehem’s Miracle!
I. The birth of an eternal Ruler
II. The arrival of your almighty Shepherd


Have you ever noticed that Christmas is like no other event on the calendar each year? It has become the mother of all celebrations. It’s bigger than Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and Thanksgiving put together. People plan and work not just for weeks, but for months, in order to observe it. It’s become this juggernaut on the calendar that happens no matter what’s going on in a person’s life or in the world. Not even world wars stopped the celebration of Christmas. Whether we’re in a recession or a booming economy, we still celebrate it nearly the same. Christmas happens every year. You can bank on it.

And because the celebration of Christmas is such a sure thing in our lives and in our world, we can miss out on the wonder of it all. Some of that is due to the way our world celebrates Christmas. There are many aspects of what Christmas has become that we don’t enjoy or appreciate at all. We despise the commercialism. We fight daily to keep Christ in Christmas. It isn’t a happy holiday. It’s the celebration of Christ’s birth, for goodness’ sake. In the struggle to keep Christmas for what it is, we may lose some of the wonder.

But that birth, in every way, was a miracle, a working of the almighty power of God. Christmas just didn’t happen, at least not the first one. In fact, it was planned and foretold for centuries to be the miracle that it was.

And we hear about that miracle this morning through the prophet Micah in his familiar passage about the birthplace of Christ.

At the end of this week we will celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ. Don’t just let Christmas happen for you this year. Instead, stand back and behold it for the miracle that it was. In keeping with our worship theme, let’s behold it. Behold Bethlehem’s miracle! Join me in taking to heart what Micah foretells about that miracle.

Part I.

A little more than a year ago we were bombarded by the word “change” as two candidates vied for the presidency of the United States of America. Both wanted voters to believe that things would be different if they were elected. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t believe a word of it. And why not? Because that’s what you hear every election from presidential elections on down to the local level. But how much do things ever really change when it comes to governments and those officials elected to lead us? Not much. And the biggest reason for that is that all governments are comprised of sinful people who are leading sinful people. And I hate to sound pessimistic, but that’s not a very promising combination.

So, what’s the solution? Behold Bethlehem’s miracle! Really? Bethlehem? If you understand what Bethlehem was like in Bible times that wouldn’t be a very likely place to find the solution to sinful world governments. It was a small shepherd town, not the incubator for powerful world leaders. Some historians have estimated that Bethlehem only numbered about 200 people when Jesus was born. Micah refers to its insignificance even among the Jews when he tells us, “But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah.” When the Jews were settling in the Holy Land some 700 years before Micah wrote these words, the town of Bethlehem was too small to be listed with those belonging to the tribe of Judah. It was more or less a forgotten town.

And during Micah’s day Bethlehem was the last place someone would look for any powerful ruler. You see, the Lord used Micah and some other prophets like Isaiah at this time to inform the Jews that his patience with them had ended. First the Assyrians would cause them deep trouble and then the Babylonians would bring the end of nation of Judah. It was not time to look for a Jewish leader to help them out of their troubles; it was time to repent and prepare to go into exile.

Yet behold what Micah tells us! “Bethlehem…out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel.” Another ruler would come from Bethlehem! The birth of another king would occur. But what a different birth! The prophet Isaiah worked alongside of Micah and through Isaiah the Lord had foretold that a virgin would be with child and would give birth to a son. While we refer to any birth as a miracle, we understand the biology involved. But this birth of this ruler would be a miracle in every sense of the word. A virgin would conceive through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And what a different ruler he would be. Micah informs us that his “origins are from of old, from ancient times.” A better translation of the Hebrew words here would be, “From days of eternity.” The Child born in Bethlehem would have origins in eternity. That Child, then, could be none other than true God himself. As such he would come to establish an eternal kingdom. Again, hear these words in the context of Micah’s days and in the context of our own. The problems in their lives stayed the same even though the government leaders kept changing. The Lord’s solution was to promise them an eternal ruler who would establish an eternal kingdom.

That’s what Bethlehem is all about. It’s not just s sentimental story about two first-time parents having to experience a birth in a stable. It’s about a miracle. Behold Bethlehem’s miracle—the birth of an eternal ruler!

What do you want for Christmas? No doubt you’ve heard that question quite a bit lately. Children are eager to answer it. They made their list long ago and can’t wait to see what they’ll find under the Christmas tree at the end of this week. Those of us who are older, however, are more likely to wish for things that can’t be wrapped and can’t be placed under a decorated tree. How do you wrap a job? Have you ever tried to give the gift of good health? And while gifts of money are appreciated, they probably won’t be a long-term solution to the cash flow problems many of us may be facing. None of us will look for a solution to a broken relationship under the tree.

Instead, look for what you need the most. The gift all of us desperately need today and every day of our lives is an eternal ruler, someone who makes us members of a kingdom that will last forever and will bless us in that kingdom forever with eternal bliss. And lo and behold, that’s exactly the gift God gave you in Bethlehem. Behold Bethlehem’s miracle! That’s the birth of the Savior we need, the One who brings us forgiveness and eternal life. He’s the One who redeemed us with his blood to be members of his eternal kingdom. He’s the One who raised himself from the dead and lives to rule over us eternally. That’s just what we need! Don’t miss it this Christmas! Behold Bethlehem’s miracle—the birth of an eternal ruler!

Part II.

If the Lord had promised that he would send you a Savior from Washington DC, what would you expect about that Savior? No doubt you’d associate thoughts about a career politician with him. If the Lord had promised to send you a Savior from Hollywood, what would you expect from that Savior? No doubt you’d associate thoughts about glitz and glamour with him.

But that’s not what the Lord promised. Instead, he promised you a Savior from Bethlehem. So, what thoughts come to mind? No doubt, shepherds.

And that’s exactly what the Lord talks about through Micah. He writes about the Savior, “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord.” Bethlehem was known as a town of shepherds. Shepherds were the first to visit the Christchild. How fitting that the Lord would speak of the Savior as a shepherd!

Part of his work would be to gather his flock. Micah foretells that “the rest of his brothers” will “return to join the Israelites.” Exile in Babylon and several centuries of persecution lay ahead for the Jews. Many would fall away from the Lord. But he would preserve a remnant—people like Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna. The Savior would gather these Jews together to form his flock and then that flock would spread out to the Gentiles through the work of his apostles.

That was always the plan of the heavenly Father—to bring blessings to all people through the coming of the Savior. Micah points to one of those blessings. “They will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.” Our Savior is no ordinary shepherd. Micah speaks about his strength. In fact, he’s the almighty God. He’s the One who called heaven and earth into existence using only his word. He’s the One who can surely provide us with security—both spiritual security through the forgiveness of sins and physical security as he determines best.

But don’t miss the blessing Micah mentions at the very end of our text. It’s the blessing the angels sang about the night of Jesus’ birth. It’s the blessing of peace. Not peace between warring nations or neighbors or family members. Those types of peace come as a fruit of a different kind of peace—the peace between sinful people and the holy God. That’s the peace the Savior came to win for all sinners. It cost him his life on Calvary’s cross. Only the death of the Son of God could establish that peace with God for you.

That’s the miracle of Bethlehem. Behold it! It’s the arrival of your almighty Shepherd.

As event-filled and as exciting as the next two weeks will be, the days will pass by quickly and then it will be back to the cold grind of our daily lives. The problems in our lives that we avoid now will rush back over us all too soon. The new year just might bring some of the same old. So what’s a beleaguered Christian to do? Behold Bethlehem’s miracle! You have an almighty Shepherd who promises to feed you spiritually on his word and sacrament. You have an almighty Shepherd that guards and keeps you. You have an almighty Shepherd that will lead you to eternal glory with him. That’s what Bethlehem was all about. Don’t miss it as you celebrate the Savior’s birth this week! Amen.