The reading
Luke 2:1-14
In those days a decree went out from Emperor 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 for them
in the inn.
In that 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!”
The message
Luke’s account of Christmas begins with the Census, a
relatively mundane and ordinary part of government work. Augustus, the emperor of Rome, decided that
the entire world (most of which was conquered by Rome at the time) should be registered
and counted. We have no other details
about this massive event that meant a lot of harsh traveling, fear and
confusion for many people. We do not know the questions asked or how the
information was collected in such diverse and widespread settings. We do not
really even know if it was completed.
This ancient census was meant to determine how many people were in a
place. This information could be used to figure out the needs of that area. In
case of a disaster or famine, the amount of help or food needed for relief
could be calculated based on the census data.
There were probably other, much more oppressive motivations behind this
census as well. Census information could be used to calculate tax burdens and
determine how many Roman soldiers would be needed to respond in case of a
revolt.
For Luke, the story of Christmas begins with the census for
very specific reasons. It provides an opportunity to show his audience that the
birth of Jesus fulfills two prophesies about the long awaited savior. First, it
places the birth in Bethlehem, fulfilling the words of the prophet Micah
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. He shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in
the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for
now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of
peace.
Second, the census provides an opportunity to show that
Joseph (and therefore Jesus) was from the family line of King David. This prophesy in found in many places
including Isaiah 11
A shoot shall come out
from the stump of Jesse (King David’s father), 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
The census provides a chance for Luke to mention that God
keeps God’s promises. The hope and expectation for the Messiah stretch back
over 1000 years before the first Christmas. People faced great anxiety,
tremendous loss and fear of the unknown knowing that peace would come, that
love would come, that God would save them.
I always just thought of this census as a little detail or
historical note. It provided a reason to
show that Jesus was the fulfillment of those ancient prophesies and that was
the point. As I started the work of every pastor at Christmas, to look at one
of the most familiar stories in the world and try to say something new or
different about it, I wondered about the possibility of other roles this census
could have in the story. I actually know a bit more about the Census than most
people. I spent the summer months in the
year 2000 working for the US Census department and we hosted trainings for the 2010 Census here at church.
Most of my job all those years ago involved ringing the bells and knocking on the doors of
people who did not complete their census forms. If I made contact with someone, I would try to
convince whoever answered the door to complete the form. When they asked “what this is for” or “why
should I bother”, I had a list of reasons ready. “The results of the census are
used to determine funds for school districts and teachers, federal dollars for
roads, repair work and infrastructure projects, the allocation of resources for
a community and emergency planning”. Most of the time, people filled out the
forms. They relented from their excuses, their, “I don’t want to waste my time”
doubts that the information will be used for anything or their “I don’t trust
the government with this information” paranoia.
In some cases, people were worried about reporting illegal apartments or
being found by immigration as a result of filling out the paper. The census,
which is mandated by the US constitution, is really committed to counting
everyone. The census tried to remove any barriers there might be to counting
someone. Census data cannot be shared
with Immigration enforcement, housing or any other government, public or
private agency. This is meant to ensure that people on the margins, overlooked
and hidden were seen and counted. There were also efforts centered in hospitals,
soup kitchens and homeless shelters to ensure that people often missed were counted.
The birth of this child tonight is an event that registers
everyone as part of God’s kingdom. At Christmas, we see that, for God, everyone
is known, everyone is seen, everyone is loved, everyone is invited, everyone is
welcomed, everyone is heard, everyone is forgiven, everyone is cared for and
everyone counts. This is radical,
counter cultural and just strange compared to the ways we treat we each other
and how the world around us works.
Christmas is the time when God’s love finds everyone, the hidden, the
annoying, the scared, the sinful, the imprisoned, persecuted, anxious and
tired. Christmas is our good news of great joy.
When people look at the suffering and evil in the world and say “God is
not here”, “God does not care”, or “your prayers do not matter”, we can say listen
to the story of Christmas, see God is in the world. At Christmas, God removes all the barriers we
have that separate us from God’s love, the sinfulness, doubt, pain and anxiety we
often find pushed into our lives.
Perhaps Luke starts the story of Christmas with the census as
a reminder that to God, all people count. After all in St Paul’s words to his
coworker Titus, he shares Christmas is the time when “the grace of God has
appeared, bringing salvation to all”.
The child whose birth we honor and celebrate tonight, will bring salvation
to all. This child will teach God’s ways
to all different people, express God’s power in healing and helping all those
in need and bring salvation to all through his death and resurrection. The birth of this child wraps everyone up in
God’s love.
Tomorrow morning, we will gather for a Christmas Day
worship. (I did my homework and prepared 2 sermons) Then, I will talk about
this news of Christmas. In our post
truth world of fake news, manipulated statistics, lies to affirm our prejudices
and just plain made up facts that tell us what we want to hear, we need to tell
people Christ our savior is born. If we care about the world around us, the
best thing we can do is to truly and honestly tell the story of Christmas, tell
people they count.
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