In our series on Christmas as the Night that Changed Everything, this week we’re looking at how it’s the night that changed the poor.  The poor have a priveleged place in the story of Jesus’ birth at Christmas.  Here is where that really shows:

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.  (Luke 2:4-7)

When a politician visits a troubled area, it’s important.  I recall after the 1998 ice storm in Eastern Ontario, the Prime Minister visited Wolfe Island, where I used to volunteer as a paramedic.  Years later, people would still talk about how the Prime Minister had come, and how.  They knew in that moment that he’d seen what they were dealing with, through his own eyes.

Here in the Christmas story we see God doing that.  He has come to visit our broken and hurting world, and has let the entire population know that he is here with us – from rich to poor, young to old.  It’s so apparent in that he comes to earth not like pampered royalty, but as a homeless baby.

His parents are on their way to Bethlehem for the census.  They must travel, even though Mary is pregnant and close to birth.  They arrive, apparently without plans for accomodations (or their plans are cancelled when an unmarried pregnant woman arrives) and find no room in any inns.  If they had money, you can imagine they might buy their way out of trouble, but it doesn’t happen, and they end up in a stable.  The baby is born, wrapped in cloths, a poor, defenseless baby whose parents are doing the best they can, which isn’t much.  The word translated as stable may be a building dedicated to animals like we think, or it’s possible it represented a one room house with both animals and people, but either way it was modest.

This is not a story of privelege and power.  Why would God – who we would expect to come in majesty and splendour – arrive in this way?

Question: What might God be trying to tell us in coming to earth in this way?

Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community – so check out today’s reading here.

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - April 30, 2013

Tuesday - Study It - Pompous Prayer

Matthew 6:5-13 says “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:5-13 ESV) First, Jesus indicates prayer is a good thing. He says “when you pray” – not “if you like that kind of thing” It was expected - 3 times a day for devout Jews. Jesus’ followers were probably no different. So what’s his problem? Is it that hypocrites stand to pray? No – normal. Is it that they pray in synagogues and street corners? I could see street corners, but why would praying in synagogue be an issue? Posture and place are even okay...so what is the problem? Motivation is the problem. They are not praying in public to help others know something about God - they are helping others know something about themselves. That they're good, holy, spiritual people, or at least moreso than others. Using prayer like a tool to get ahead in society. For power and influence. When he says not to pray like those people, don't apply this as rigid legalism, where Jesus is saying no one should ever pray where anyone else will ever know. That would be pretty hard to do! And Jesus didn’t follow that. This is to do with private prayer. Christians are still allowed to pray as a group. It’s different, and permitted…in fact, encouraged. When Jesus taught them to pray in this passage, with the Lord’s Prayer, he started OUR Father. So his issue is when people making private prayer public, not to teach others about Jesus, not to pray to God with other Christians, but to make themselves look good, or make other people look bad. Question: Have you ever said a prayer, and not really meant it, or simply prayed because someone asked you to? How did it feel?

Related Topics: Prayer | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

From Series: "Sermon on the Mount"

Discuss the Daily Challenge

More Messages From Ryan Sim...

Powered by Series Engine