The final group of characters in the nativity—the wise men—teach us to respond this Christmastime with a spirit of lavish worship.

Many months after Jesus was born (perhaps up to two years; cf. “house” and “child” in Matthew 2:11), wise men from the East arrive in Jerusalem, inquiring about the one “who has been born king of the Jews” (v. 2). Herod’s counselors direct them to Bethlehem, quoting Micah 5:2, which prophecies that little town as the birth of a promised “Shepherd Ruler” (v. 6).

When the wise men arrived in Bethlehem and found Jesus, they immediately “fell down and worshipped Him” and “offered Him gifts” (Matthew 2:11). He was only a toddler, but that did not hinder their belief that He was also their King. Through eyes of humble faith, they clearly and correctly saw their God, their King, their Savior!

We’ll let a song that our choir ministered last Christmas (12/7/14) reveal to us the significance of their gifts:

​     Gold, a King is born today;
     Incense, God is with us;
     Myrrh, His death will make a way
          And by His blood…He’ll win us.

Application: This Christmas, let’s make sure that we don’t underestimate the babe in the manger. Let’s not allow His “safer” side—His love, grace, mercy, gentleness, patience, etc.—to lull us into a complacent forgetfulness of His power, authority, rule, and grandeur. On that first Christmas morning, He looked like a baby, but He was Lord of all! May wise men in our generation knowingly, humbly, actively, sacrificially, and lavishly worship Him as such this holiday season.

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CONCLUSION
So, what do you think about Christmas? In the midst of all its tradition and busyness, how do you respond?

Don’t forget the reason for the season. The centerpiece of the nativity is Christ, and may He be your focus, too. And as you consider each nativity character in turn, and see how they are gazing upon Him, respond like them—with the humble faith of Mary, the submissive obedience of Joseph, the enthusiastic evangelism of the shepherds, and the lavish worship of the wise men. Yes, this Christmas, put yourself in the nativity scene.

As we look back at our nativity set, we cannot overlook a pair of simple characters with shepherd’s crooks, one carrying a sheep, the other gently bending near the child. In the face of these characters, we are reminded to respond this Christmas with enthusiastic evangelism.

​The shepherds first heard the gospel in an extraordinary way in Luke 2:8-14—glorious angels appeared in the night sky to triumph God’s joy and peace and salvation, all wrapped up in a tiny baby who had recently been born nearby.

What a scene! How did the shepherds respond? How should we respond this Christmas? The shepherds reacted with enthusiastic evangelism that expressed itself in four ways:

1.  They personalized the gospel (vv. 15-16).

Having heard this angelic message, the shepherds first had to determine what they were going to do with it personally. They could deny it or doubt it. They could postpone it and forget about it. Or they could believe and investigate it.

The passage testifies that they did the later, “hastily” (v. 16) following the instructions of the angels to “see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us” (v. 15).

Application: What have you done with the Christmas story? What is your perspective on this “good news of a great joy”? Have you investigated the gospel for yourself? Do you understand that “Christ [i.e., the Rescuer God promised to fix this world and save us from our sin, when we rebelled at the Fall (cf. Genesis 3:15)] died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3b-4). It is of “first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3a) that you personalize this message and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior!

2.  They prioritized evangelism (vv. 17-18).

They were in middle of their work, “keeping watch over their flock” (v. 8), but they quickly left their responsibilities to search for the child of promise (v. 16) and then to tell others (vv. 17-18). These angels knew what we often forget—nothing is more important that the gospel! They were not going to let temporal matters rob them (or others) from eternal joy.

Application: Too often, our problem is that we are more like Jonah than these shepherds. They both had the same message to tell—the shepherds literally couldn’t wait; Jonah did all he could to avoid it. Jonah didn’t prioritize evangelism, because he simply loved plants more than people (Jonah 4). The shepherds couldn’t get over the wonder of it all, and so, as they had lavishly received grace, they shared it.

Are you prioritizing evangelism, especially at this time of the year when people may be more open? Or, are you distracted by your “plants”—your job (“sheep”), your reputation, your toys, your agenda, your calendar, your entertainment, your traditions, etc.? The shepherds teach us to use the Christmas holiday to verbally share the good news.

3.  They praised God (v. 20).

The shepherd scene ends this way: “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” For these shepherds, evangelism was natural (or supernatural), not contrived; it was a delight, not a duty; it was overflow, not “pulling teeth.” Why? Because it was the byproduct of worship!

John Piper has suggested, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” Too often, we aren’t good witnesses, because we aren’t good worshippers. We don’t tell others about the gospel, because we aren’t telling it to ourselves.

Application: If there is ever a helpful time in the calendar year to stoke the fuel of our praise, it is Christmas! Allow the riches of this spiritual season—its focus on the incarnation, which made possible Jesus’s substitution in life and in death, which resulted in the resurrection, and which guarantees our glorification—to lose your lips to declare God’s praises, and when you do, “many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:3).

4.  They pushed through the shame (v. 8).

Shepherds were largely avoided or rejected by society. They were humble commoners whose place was looked down upon. That didn’t stop these transformed nomads at all! Nor did the fact that it was the middle of the night. Like this child that had changed them, they “despised [i.e., “to count lightly or as insignificant] the shame” (Hebrews 12:2) and boldly declared good news.

Application: Let us not be silenced! Yes, let us be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16); yet, let us be gracious and kind; yes, let us be discerning and prudent—but let us not be ashamed! In America, we still have so little to fear in our freedom to witness, and yet we do fear. That spirit is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7), so let’s pray for boldness instead (Acts 4:23-31; Ephesians 6:18b-20; Colossians 4:2-4; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2).
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And even if cultural shame increases and we find ourselves oppressed, let us remember the hope of the gospel! We “are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in [us] is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). They may hate us, they may despise us, they may reject us, they may persecute us…but they can only kill us (Matthew 10:28)! In the very message we bear, “shame is shamed, and fear has fled” (C. Anderson, “Every Knee Shall Bow”)!

​The second character in our nativity set is opposite Mary and is her husband. He teaches us to respond with submissive obedience this Christmas.

​The first evidence of Joseph’s submissive obedience is found in Matthew 1:18-25.

• Verse 19 gives us the Spirit’s evaluation of Joseph’s heart—he was “a just man and unwilling to put her to shame.” In other words, Joseph is righteous and just, equitable and fair, kind and gracious.
• But now, in his integrity, he is understandably also concerned and confused, thoughtful and contemplative (vv. 18-19). This woman that he loves and trusts is now pregnant—he knows that the child is not his, and yet she “swears” that it is no one else’s. In fact, if it were not for his honorable fidelity, he would think her crazy, for she is providing an explanation that both shatters fixed natural law and goes against the grain of fantastical imagination, for they were commoners. And so, all things “considered” (v. 20) and all grace extended, Joseph comes up with a solution to “quietly” end the relationship (v. 19).
• However, before he finalizes his decision, the Lord informs him in a dream that Mary’s pregnancy is indeed miraculous and pure and prophetic, and he is instructed to marry her (vv. 20-21).
• So, this young lay carpenter, knowing full well the awkward and scandalous implications of marrying an already pregnant woman, simply “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him” (vv. 24-25). He was told to “take” Mary to be his wife and to “call” her son “Jesus.” Immediately after waking from sleep, he “took” Mary to be his wife, and when the child was born he “called his name Jesus.”
• Perhaps even more compelling in its evidence of his submissive faith is the text’s record that “he knew her not until she had given birth to a son.” He didn’t attempt any kind of human manipulation or “cover up.” He simply surrendered his anxiety and control to God in full obedience, which becomes characteristic of his life.

The second evidence of Joseph’s submissive obedience in found in Matthew 2:13-23.

• In Matthew 2:13, the verbs of command given by God to Joseph are “rise,” “take,” “flee,” and “remain.”  Joseph’s obedience is point for point in verse 14: he “rose,” “took,” “departed,” and “remained.” Again, in verses 20-21, he is commanded to “rise,” “take,” and “go,” and he follows in complete, step-by-step obedience.

Application: Two applications can be fleshed out at this point:

First, there is little doubt in my mind that Mary’s humble faith and Joseph’s submissive obedience fueled each other. This godly couple teaches us that our complete obedience will be in proportion to our faith in God’s revelation, specifically the gracious “Good News” of His Son Jesus.

As we grow in our understanding of and reliance upon God’s Gospel revelation, our obedience will follow suit. We must, then, be in our Bibles—learning God’s precepts, mining His wisdom, rehearsing His gospel—so that our lives might be characterized by the obedience that glorifies God, assures our own souls, and “adorns the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:10).

Second, we can’t help but wonder at the impact that Joseph’s submissive obedience had on his children. While we know that Jesus was God and did not sin (and, I believe, was not able to sin), the Scripture still speaks of His “learning” obedience (Hebrews 5:8) and “becoming” obedient (Philippians 2:5-8). Undoubtedly, He learned obedience, in part, by watching His dad.

We often muse while observing a child, “Like father, like son.” This was the case in Joseph’s home. While his life may not have been long (many Bible scholars believe he died during Jesus’ childhood), his inscripturated legacy is lasting—he submissively obeyed God! In fact, according to Matthew 1-2, Joseph obeyed God in the same way we teach our children to obey—quickly, sweetly, and completely. Indeed, his walk talked loudly in his home, and I think his children heard it and learned obedience.

Therefore, it is no wonder when he had a major moment of disconnect with his son, Jesus, in Luke 2:48-50 (a moment in which many 12-year-olds would complain, “My parents don’t get me! They don’t ever understand! They’re so old and outdated!”), that Jesus understood his position and “went down with [His parents]…and was submissive [lit. subject; cf. Luke 10:17, 20] to them” (Luke 2:51; a response that led to growth, v. 52). Indeed, “like father, like son.” Is this true in your home?

This Christmas, let the gospel empower you afresh to submissively obey God, even when it is shameful, confusing, or difficult. Joseph obeyed God, knowing that this baby would save him from his disobedience (Matthew 1:21); so may we also obey, rejoicing that Christ does the same for ours!

What are your first thoughts when you hear the word “Christmas”? How does your mind and heart respond?

For many, their first thought has to do with shopping and buying and spending and budgeting! In fact, the average Christmas spending per American adult in 2014 was $781.

During a time of the year that has been hijacked by our culture in its materialism and secularism, we should make it a priority to think rightly about the Christmas season. And there is perhaps no better teacher than those original nativity characters—Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men. Indeed, by considering their responses on the first Christmas, we learn how God would have us respond this holiday season. During this Christmas, put yourself in the nativity scene.

Luke paints an unmistakable contrast between the response of Zechariah (Luke 1:5-23) and that of Mary (Luke 1:26-38) to the angel, Gabriel.  Notice the similar situation: Gabriel appeared to both (vv. 11, 26), which provoked a response of fear (“troubled”: vv. 12, 29); the angel calmed their fear and assured them that God was showing them grace (vv. 13, 30); he then proclaims the glorious revelation from God that He had been sent to communicate, and in both cases, it is a message about a miraculous birth (vv. 13-17; vv. 31-33; notice all the “wills” in these verses–a clear expression of divine promise).

A contrast emerges between Zechariah’s response in vv. 18-22 and vv. 34-38.  Both servants ask a question of the angel, essentially inquiring, “How?” (v. 18). And it is at this point that the narrative diverges. On the one hand, Zechariah betrays an Abraham-like (Genesis 17:15-21) or Gideon-like (Judges 6:36-40) lack of faith in the improbable. In fact, he simply does not believe the Word of God, for he skeptically asks, “How shall I know this?” (v. 18; cf. v. 20b). And this is doubly-indicting, for he was a seasoned servant of the Lord (a priest), “walking blamelessly” and believing and obeying the “commandments and statutes of the Lord” (vv. 5-6), and he had actually been praying for this very thing (a child, v. 13).

Mary, on the other hand, also asks, “How?” (v. 34). But her question doesn’t reflect a disbelief in the improbable, but an attempt to discern the impossible (cf. v. 37). She is seeking to understand the mystery of the incarnation—that she, being a virgin, could bear a child (v. 34).

The contrast between this pious priest and humble girl is further sharpened by the angel’s answer to both. Zechariah is simply told of Gabriel’s position (i.e., he “stands in the presence of God”) and purpose (i.e., “I was sent…to bring you this good news”) and is rebuked “because [he] did not believe my words” (vv. 18-20). Mary is given additional revelation, culminating with the simple reality that “nothing will be impossible with God” (vv. 35-37).

Now, Mary faces the same decision as Zechariah: will she believe or doubt? Her response is humble and trusting: “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (v. 38).  \Considering the occupational, experiential, and age difference between the two, we would have expected this response from Zechariah. Yet, here is a young girl, who is beginning to understand the frightening implications of an unexplained pre-marriage pregnancy, and she simply humbles herself in trusting faith. And it wasn’t just that she submitted, she really “believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (v. 45). She knew and trusted her God well enough, that she could simply bank on Him, even when He didn’t make sense.
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Application: The miracle and grace of the incarnation reminds us to respond with humble faith in God’s Word no matter what the confusion and difficulty we may be facing. Believe God’s promises, cling to His Word, have confidence in His truth—“for nothing will be impossible with God”!

​My wife and I recently watched Newsies, the 1992 musical based on the New York City Newsboys Strike of 1899 and starring Christian Bale.

While I grew up watching this movie, it was the first time Dawn had seen it, and we both enjoyed the thick New York accents, the witty humor, the triumph of the riffraff over the societal elite, and the rousing original music — that is, with the exception of "High Times, Hard Times," the song that actually won the 13th Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song.

There were two moments in that 121 minutes of entertainment that my mind stirred from its momentary vegging and made a connection to something greater than the story I was watching.

First, I found an assertion by newspaper tycoon, Joseph Pulitzer (played by Robert Duvall), to be particularly relevant. In a warning to the newsboys’ rebel leader, Jack Kelly, Pulitzer declares, “The power of the press is the greatest power of them all. I tell people how to think, how to vote—I shape [this city’s] future”! Truly, that declaration stands today.

Too many people today are contentedly told what to think by today’s media. This includes many Christians, who not only don’t think for themselves, but also rarely exert themselves to think biblically. John Piper has said, “As few things are as easy as thinking, few things are more difficult than thinking well.” Indeed, it is so difficult that many of us simply opt not to do it. And so, “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) uses one of his many devices (2 Corinthians 2:11), the “power of the press,” to mold our thinking, and thus our deciding, and finally our living.

Dear fellow believer, let us “prepare our minds for action” (1 Peter 1:13; KJV, “gird up the loins of our mind”) and let us “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

To help train yourself to think well, let me encourage you to check out Dr. Albert Mohler’s daily podcast (and transcript), The Briefing.

Second, one of the compelling elements of (good) video is its ability to transport you into the story, causing you to strongly identify with the characters and feel their emotions. This happened for me powerfully at the 1:32:03 time mark of the movie, and I found myself again looking beyond the drama I was watching to something larger and more significant.

At that point in the movie, the newsboys have just printed their own paper, assembled a massive rally of people, and confronted their unfair and oppressive employer, who (it is implied) meets their demands. Jack Kelly departs his successful meeting with Pulitzer, and, to communicate the victory to the crowd, he hoists his young sidekick up on his shoulders and the two of them shout, “We won!”

The multitude erupts into a joyful, ecstatic celebration! And, as my emotions stirred and my eyes welled with tears, my mind wandered to another celebration, dramatically foreshadowed by the one I was watching.

This is the Story that all others point to; this is the Triumph that all others are longing for. This is the day—distant, perhaps, but certain—when the people of God (those who have by faith trusted in the salvation of Jesus the Lamb of God, who have experienced the full forgiveness of their sins through the One who died for them and rose again, and who have been everlastingly clothed with His blessed righteousness) will gather in mass and hear it proclaimed, “We won!” (Revelation 21:6; 22:3).

Indeed, the newsboys won and their legacy was eventually remembered in more far-reaching child-welfare reforms. But their victory was bound by the contexts of time, economy, and culture. The victory of our Lord, however, reaches to the ends of the universe (Revelation 21:1, 4-5) and the extent of eternity (Revelation 22:3-5).

How should we think about …
 
(1) TERRORISTS

• Mercy — Biblical evidence: (1) Jesus taught us to love our enemies by praying for them and actively doing good to them (Matthew 5:44-47; cf. Romans 12:14-21). (2) God declared that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but would rather have them repent and be saved (Ezekiel 18:23, 30-32; cf. 1 Timothy 2:4-6 [1:12-16]). (3) God patiently extended mercy to the terrorists of Nineveh, evidenced by His sermon, “yet forty days…” (Jonah). (4) God showed mercy towards us when we were His enemies (Romans 5:6-11).
• Justice — Biblical evidence: (1) A common theme throughout Scripture is that we are to do and seek justice (Micah 6:8). (2) We may pray for justice, even in the imprecatory vein of Psalm 10 (cf. Psalm 2). (3) The purpose of government is to  “bear the sword” in order to be “a terror…to bad” people and to be “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:1-7).

Balance — We pray for both generally, and allow God to act according to His specific will in these situations. We trust government to “bear the sword.” We mercifully preach the gospel to terrorists, perhaps like Jonah even taking the message to them.
 
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(2) REFUGEES

• Compassion — Biblical evidence: (1) God reiterates throughout Scripture that He is a God of the oppressed (Psalm 9:9). (2) The ethic of God’s people is to mirror that compassionate character of God, being further motivated by the compassion He showed us when we were “outsiders” (Exodus 22:21; Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 10:19 [cf. Ephesians 2:11-22]). (3) James says that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:26-27). (4) We are exhorted to “love…your neighbor [simply the one near me in need] as yourself” (Luke 10:25-37) and to “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers” but instead “remember…those who are mistreated” (Hebrews 13:2-3).
• Caution — Biblical evidence: (1) One of the roles of government is to protect us from real dangers (Romans 13:1-7): not all Muslims are terrorists—in fact, most are not—but some are, and they have declared their theology/strategy (i.e., Caliphate with sharia law). (2) It is good for Christians to “seek the welfare of the city,” our nation (Jeremiah 29:4-7).

Balance — We should pray for our government to wisely determine the appropriate response to this refugee crisis, resting in God's sovereign use of it, whether it makes the decision we want or not. We should show compassion whenever God brings us into personal contact with the refugees (and other neighbors).
 
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(3) SOCIAL MEDIA DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THESE (AND SIMILAR) TOPICS

• Beware ignorant arrogance! Today, we can read or listen to some news headlines, Wikipedia articles, blog entries, and podcast episodes and immediately deem ourselves experts on a topic, declaring our opinion as absolute truth. The resulting Facebook statuses, Tweets, and blogs often reveal a great lack of humility and true thought.
• Beware depersonalized harshness! Social media depersonalizes these complex and somewhat divisive discussions and empowers (often uninformed) language that is often rash, harsh, condescending, biting, and vitriolic. The fact that it was privately typed and submitted into the impersonal cyberspace does not make this language any less “corrupting” than what Christians are clearly instructed to “put off” in Ephesians 4:29. A personal mentor once challenged me to allow three simple words to govern my public declarations and confrontations: "slower, softer, sweeter.”
• Beware pressured opinions! Some confident personalities are able to form opinions rapidly and support them powerfully. And then there are the rest of us. For us, we can take encouragement from James command to “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19). In issues as complex as these, it is okay to quietly listen, to learn, to study, to research, to ask, to develop one’s opinion over time, and even to change one’s position. Let’s strive to be good thinkers, even as we want to be good communicators—for if we are not thinking well (John 17:17), then we don’t yet have anything worth opining.
• Beware distracted focus! The real need is for our world to hear from you, not your opinion on whether or not we should bomb ISIS or whether or not we should accept Syrian refugees, but your testimony of gospel truth—(1) that a personal and knowable God created and loves them, (2) that human sin has destroyed the perfection God made and cursed it with multi-faceted hurt, (3) that all the brokenness we daily witness within and without can be fixed only by Jesus Christ, who entered our shattered existence, took upon himself our weakened flesh, and endured our earthly striving unto the death of the cross and out of the empty tomb, that His might personally rescue us from the destruction of sin, and (4) that His work has accomplished the certainty of future and everlasting restoration.

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​Resources

• Albert Mohler, The Briefing 11-16-15, http://www.albertmohler.com/2015/11/16/the-briefing-11-16-15/
• Russell Moore, Stop Pitting Security And Compassion Against Each Other In The Syrian Refugee Crisis, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/11/19/stop-pitting-security-and-compassion-against-each-other-in-the-syrian-refugee-crisis/
• Kevin DeYoung, Immigration Policy Must Be Based On More Than An Appeal To Compassion, http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/kevindeyoung/2015/11/17/immigration-policy-must-be-based-on-more-than-an-appeal-to-compassion/
• David Crabb, Building His Church in a Refugee Crisis, http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/building-his-church-in-a-refugee-crisis
• D. Glenn, Eight Words from Jesus in a World with Refugees, http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/eight-words-from-jesus-in-a-world-with-refugees
• Joe Carter, 3 Ways to Pray for Our Enemies, http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/3-ways-to-pray-for-our-enemies
• John Piper, Terrorism, Justice, and Loving Our Enemies, http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/terrorism-justice-and-loving-our-enemies