David Bahn – Reflections

Use these Psalm verses for your personal edification on this Lord’s Day.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.  – John 1:9-13

Which are you? Optimist or pessimist? Half full or half empty? Hopeful or holding fast to the brutal facts? Melancholy or manic? Glad 2020 is now over or hopeful for what 2021 will bring? Saint or sinner? 

Most of us will admit to struggling with keeping the proper balance with both dynamics. We never outgrow the need of the savior. But we are new creations in Christ Jesus. This is a paradox. Paul says it this way:

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. – Galatians 5:17

That’s why we must repent daily. “The old person in us with all sins and evil desires must be drowned and die through daily sorrow for sin and through repentance, and on the other hand daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever (based on Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, The Purpose of Baptism).

Jesus shines the light of grace and truth into our hearts. And in doing that, our need for his grace becomes ever more clear. But so does our new identity as children of God. It’s a work of God’s Spirit. And it needs to happen again and again. Every day. Every Day we must reject the ways of sin, and reclaim our identity as children of God. And that needs to happen again and again. Daily. Not just once a year. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^[d] from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side,^[g] he has made him known. – John 1:1-18

Have you heard anyone express this thought? Dreading the New Year, we might say, “The holidays aren’t quite over and already I’m about 90 days ahead on my calories and 90 days behind on my bills.” We might want to add, and 9 years ahead on my worry allotment and 9 years behind in my goals and dreams for 2020.

Remember the 2020 craze? 2020 eyeglasses. 2020 “Looking Good” mugs. 2020 hopes posters? Now there are 2020 1 star out of 5 tee-shirts. 2020 “Don’t recommend” mugs, and “2020 Survivor” ornaments.

The date on the calendar will change for us tonight at midnight. We may be looking forward to that. But we know lots of things won’t change. We’ll still have to deal with Covid-19. We’ll still be struggling with a politically divided nation. We’ll still have to cope with financial and economic realities, disease, distress, and death. That’s the bad news. But the Good News is God’s got this. And he has words that will fortify our souls and bolster our spirits in the months to come; challenging though they may be.

I’ll be sharing the verses below at St. John at our New Year’s Eve service tonight. 

Jeremiah 29:10-13

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Hebrews 6:18-20

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. ¹⁹ This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. ²⁰ Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Romans 8:28-39

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:11-20

“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, ¹² lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, ¹³ and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, ¹⁴ then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, ¹⁵ who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, ¹⁶ who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. ¹⁷ Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ ¹⁸ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^[d] from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side,^[g] he has made him known. – John 1:1-18

When a police officer stands in front of traffic and holds out his hand. People stop not because of his power. Even if he doesn’t have a gun to threaten them, they stop because of his authority. He carries the authority of the badge. Certain people may buck that authority, and resist his orders. But if they do so it is to their potential punishment. 

When a bully pushes his way to the front of the line and intimidates everyone into letting him have his way, he does so by his power. Perhaps it is the power of intimidation, but it’s quite possible that he is strong enough to back up his threats and cause physical harm to those who stand it his way. No authority, but he is willing to yield his power to get his way. 

Either can be abused. And in fact we’ve seen evidence of such abuse of authority – even within the church. Whether it’s physical abuse or emotional harassment, those who have authority can cause great harm to others.

What does it look like when someone has both power and authority and uses it properly for good purposes? It looks like Jesus. Walking on water and then casting a demon out of the Gadarene Demoniac (cf. Mark 5). It looks like the One who said on his last day on earth, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…” who also stopped a funeral procession on the way out of the town and touched the funeral bier and raised a dead man to life and restored him to his mother (Luke 7:7-17).

In the middle of this profound account of the incarnation of the Son of God, John tells us that we who believe in Jesus have the authority to become the children of God. We don’t have the power. And what authority we do have comes only by God’s grace. But authority we do have, by grace, through faith. The Word-become-flesh (Jesus) would come to his own people, but they would not receive him. “But,” John tells us, “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right (authority) to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John uses the same word that Matthew uses to describe Jesus’ “all authority” (Matthew 28).

Fallen human beings have no innate right to claim to be God’s children – modern universalism notwithstanding. We are not all children of God by nature. We are, rather, children of wrath. Enemies of God. Blind to his goodness, and dead in our sins. But Jesus gives us the right to become children of God. And this is a miraculous re-birth. No man can make it happen. But what man cannot do, God does by his grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

If you receive Jesus – a grace-upon-grace process – you can properly call yourself a child of God. You have that authority. And God has the power to make that happen in you.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^[d] from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14

Thanks to Quilting Crosses with Threads of Hope, I have a new insight into the incarnation. I’ve always thought of it personally as God becoming real to me, or better yet,  perceptible to me. But I’ve been thinking more today about this implication of Jesus’ incarnation:

Jesus knows the hearts and minds of men. John tells us so: Jesus…understood people and didn’t need anyone to tell him about human nature. He knew what people were really like (John 2:24-25). That was in reference to entrusting himself to people’s whims and fickle praise. But if he knows that, then he also knows our hurts, dreams, yearnings, and desires. He was tempted in every way we are, but without sin. Jesus took on flesh to rescue and redeem us. And in the process gained a deeper insight into the human condition – humanly-speaking. 

I tread on dangerous theological turf in that last assertion. Jesus is fully God. And as such is not subject to human limits of knowledge. But we believe, also, that Jesus emptied himself, and laying aside the prerogatives of his divine nature (cf. Philippians 2:6-8). He knows our frame (Psalm 103:14). We’ll never surprise him by our outlandish imaginations, hubris, deceit, or doubt. We may sadden him. We may disappoint him. We may even weary him. But we’ll never surprise him. Nor will he turn away from us if we are coming to him for help. 

One other facet of Jesus’ knowledge of our hearts. We’ll never pull the wool over Jesus’ eyes. He knows if we’re up to something. He sees right through posturing and pretense. Better we go to him in sincerity and truth. Better we admit our struggles. Better we ask for his healing touch and never relent from seeking his blessing. It’s his to give. And we honor him by seeking it. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people^[c] did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^[d] from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side,^[g] he has made him known. – John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people^[c] did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^[d] from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side,^[g] he has made him known. – John 1:1-18

A personal favorite idea of mine is all about the reality behind the idea: the Word became flesh. The idea is that God came to save us. The idea is that there is an eternal God who created the heavens and the earth. The idea is that the Word of God – the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son – was part of that creative act. The idea is that we nor anything else would not exist apart from the Word. That’s the idea.

That is also the reality that showed up 2000 years ago in a Bethlehem stable. That reality behind the idea that we are creatures of the Creator, that God dedicated himself to save us, and that the Son of God always existed, manifested itself in Jesus. The Word became flesh. 

This removes God from an abstract idea to a flesh-and-blood presence in our world. This spells the end of pretentious religion. It puts the kibosh on presumptive outward righteousness. It makes God approachable. Who, after all, does not love a baby?

There is much more to consider this week, and we will look at this passage deeply. But one more thing bears mentioning now. The Word-become-flesh – Jesus – is the embodiment of all that we are meant to be. He is everything God intended for us from the fullness of time. Jesus embodied perfect fear, love, and trust of God, and perfect love and kindness to his neighbor. All the laws and commands of God are fulfilled in him. The commandments, promises, affirmations, blessings, and prophecies of God are embodied in Jesus of Nazareth. 

This is a most blessed mystery!

Here is a selection of Psalm verses for your meditation this Lord’s Day.

Psalm 27:1, 13-14

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living!
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

Psalm 57:1-2

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
² I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

Psalm 87:1-3

On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
²     the Lord loves the gates of Zion
    more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
³ Glorious things of you are spoken,
    O city of God. Selah

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all nations!
    Extol him, all peoples!
² For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 147:1

Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
    for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Today we celebrate the birth of the Son of God. The Baby Jesus is the incarnation of the One through whom the world was created, in whom was light and life, and who came to his own but was not received by his own. We celebrate an incredible mystery!

We also celebrate an incredible blessing. God took on human flesh to lift us from the burden of the Law of Moses. Peter says it well, of Moses’ Law: “Why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10). Rather than having to deal with our just desserts, we receive grace upon grace. Rather than having to live under a system of religious ceremonies, laws, and requirements, we live under grace. We celebrate an incredible mystery! 

Thanks be to God!

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. ² (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. ⁴ And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. ⁵ He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. ⁷ She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. ⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

¹⁵ When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. ¹⁷ After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. ¹⁸ All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, ¹⁹ but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. ²⁰ The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. – Luke 2:1-20

Wikipedia is not by any means infallible, but this information about Caesar Augustus seems to be fairly accurate:

Caesar Augustus (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) was the first Roman emperor, reigning from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. His status as the founder of the Roman Principate (the first phase of the Roman Empire) has consolidated an enduring legacy as one of the most effective and controversial leaders in human history. The reign of Augustus initiated an era of relative peace known as the Pax Romana. The Roman world was largely free from large-scale conflict for more than two centuries, despite continuous wars of imperial expansion on the Empire’s frontiers and the year-long civil war known as the “Year of the Four Emperors” over the imperial succession.

There is no Wikipedia post about Christmas shepherds. A quick google search will turn up a number of links to stories and articles about these shepherds. One has it that they were most certainly priestly shepherds, and therefore not merely rag-tag everyday ordinary shepherds. The research I’ve done does not dismiss that idea. But I am not convinced that to be the case. I would rather go with historian and Professor Paul Meyer who states: “the shepherds stood for the cross-sectional, average Judean — quite literally, ‘the man on the night shift.’” I found this article about these shepherds quite enlightening and much in keeping with the nature of the Christmas story itself of God becoming a baby.

Whether they were charged with tending the flocks that would be sacrificed in the temple at some future date, or simply “the men on the night shift,” they were going about their duties when the angel appears to them, they become terrified, and after being urged to “fear not,” they were the audience of a spectacular angel choir, and the first to visit the newborn Babe. Then they become the first ambassadors for Christ as they leave the manger and tell everyone what they had seen and heard.

The honor and rise in status would be unnoticed by Caesar. The religious leaders would never know. But the people who heard the shepherds marveled at their message. 

Kings and Caesars reign from their thrones. They travel in an entourage. Philip Yancey in his book, The Jesus I Never Knew, tells of a visit Queen Elizabeth II made to the United States. He says that reporters delighted in spelling out the logistics involved: for example, “her four thousand pounds of luggage included two outfits for every occasion” . . . For some reason she carried along “forty pints of plasma.” Most unusual of all, the list included “white kid leather toilet seat covers. She [also] brought along her own hairdresser, two valets, and a host of other attendants. A brief visit of royalty to a foreign country,” says Yancey, “can easily cost twenty million dollars.”

I do not wish to make light of the queen’s travel arrangements, but I do wish to make a comparison. Queen Elizabeth II brought 4000 pounds of luggage. Jesus brought nothing. He made a longer trip. He stayed a longer time. He endured harsher conditions right from the start. He did that to save us. He did that to reach down to the depths of our being and rescue people who would have no hope apart from God’s mercy and grace. 

Emperors rarely take note of Jesus. Religious leaders too easily lose sight of their desperate need for him. But he took note of us. He never lost sight of his mission, steeped in the love of the Father, his love for us, and his absolute rule over all things – even if for a time it appeared completely abandoned. 

At that time the Emperor Augustus ordered a census of the Roman Empire. ² This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ All the people went to register in the cities where their ancestors had lived.

⁴ So Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem. Joseph, a descendant of King David, went to Bethlehem because David had been born there. ⁵ Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant.

⁶ While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child. ⁷ She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there wasn’t any room for them in the inn.

⁸ Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. ⁹ An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. ¹¹ Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city. ¹² This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly, a large army of angels appeared with the angel. They were praising God by saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those who have his good will!”

¹⁵ The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger. ¹⁷ When they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him. ¹⁸ Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was amazed.

¹⁹ Mary treasured all these things in her heart and always thought about them.

²⁰ As the shepherds returned to their flock, they glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel had told them. – Luke 2:1-20 [God’s Word Translation]

Sergeant Friday is famous for saying, “Just the facts, Ma’am.”  He didn’t want any embellishments, opinions, or conjectures on the part of the witnesses. He would figure out what to do with the facts. He wanted to make his on conclusions. He didn’t want the facts to get clouded amidst the ideas or potential motives of those he was interviewing. 

Friday would have loved Luke. That’s especially true in the account of Jesus’ birth. I see it especially in Luke’s matter-of-fact report, “Joseph went there [Bethlehem] to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant.” No mention of the miracle of the virgin conception. Nothing about Joseph’s righteous behavior toward Mary (cf. Matthew 1). Just the facts. 

Luke is both a historian, and a physician, but he makes little over the birth details. At this point he is conveying the facts of Jesus’ birth just as he said he would in the prologue of this account of Jesus’ life.

Many have attempted to write about what had taken place among us. ² They received their information from those who had been eyewitnesses and servants of God’s word from the beginning, and they passed it on to us. ³ I, too, have followed everything closely from the beginning. So I thought it would be a good idea to write an orderly account for Your Excellency, Theophilus. ⁴ In this way you will know that what you’ve been told is true. – Luke 1:1-4

John will provide deep theological truths and profound insights into the person of Jesus and the implications of his being, life, and ministry. Mark will take us on a rapid fire highlight reel of Jesus’ actions. Matthew will connect Jesus’ ministry to the Old Testament. Luke gives us the facts. 

But these are not just cold historical factoids. These facts spring from profound theological truths. There is nothing lightweight about Luke’s gospel. The factual manner in which he conveys the history of Jesus invites us to do as Mary did at Jesus’ birth. We do well to, “treasure all these things in our hearts and think about them always.”

I wonder if we take the facts about Jesus’ life seriously enough, or too quickly shelve them for mere warm sentimentality of the season. A virgin gave birth to the Savior of the world! That’s a fact we ought to consider  deeply, daily, and joyfully.