Listening for Christmas
It all began with listening ears. The listening ears of Christmas 2,000 years ago overcame the damage done by a refusal to listen 6,000 years ago. Let me explain…….
In Genesis 1 we begin at the beginning as we read of creation, then in Genesis 3 we read the story of the serpent’s arrival, the woman’s conversation with it, the man’s silence, and the curse that followed. Warren Wiersbe writes a poignant, poetic, powerful sentence that incapsulates it well in his book Be Ready. He writes, “The woman listened to the serpent, the man listened to the woman and no one listened to GOD."
We call it “the fall”. When sin entered the world and much was broken.
We still feel the impact of their choice to NOT listen to God. (6,000 years later)
As we pass through the pages of the Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi — we finally arrive at the threshold of the New Testament. From Genesis to Matthew we journey through about 4,000 years.
The New Testament begins with the 4 gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Mark and John begin their writings at the beginning of Jesus’ years of ministry; Matthew begins by telling us the genealogy of Christ, Luke begins with His birth. It is in Luke and Matthew we find our Christmas story.
As we slow down and look closely, reaching further into the story, beyond the manger and the star, we find a powerful element of Christmas that is a direct, overcoming response to the loss in the Garden of Eden. In the garden, no one listened to God….
Oh but in Luke 1….
The woman listened to the angel (Gabriel), Joseph listened to the angel (in a dream), the shepherds listened to the angel in the night sky — they all listened to God’s message — Christ was born
...and we call it Christmas.
We still live in the goodness of their listening, we can celebrate because they listened.
When the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her of God’s plan for the arrival of the Messiah, Mary listened, and then she asked, “How will this be…since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34) Gabriel answered, she listened and replied, “I am the Lord’s servant”… (Luke 1:38)
Then, in the very next verse we see that Mary goes to visit someone who will understand. “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to go see Elizabeth.” (Luke 1:39)
...She hurried...
She did not lay in her bed and worry, she did not try and make a plan, she made no attempt to control what was about to happen…..she immediately hurried to Elizabeth.
Joseph’s angel visitation came in a dream (Matthew 1: 20) when he woke up, he did what the angel had commanded him… (no chance for conversation or questions). Joseph listened and did something with what he had been told.
Joseph is visited a 2nd time by an angel in a dream (Matthew 2:13) after the Magi visited Jesus bringing gifts. The angel says, “Get up, take the child…Herod is searching to kill him…”
“So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt…” (Matthew 2:14)
Luke 2:8-14 tells us how Shepherds, caring for their sheep in the fields at night, were visited by an angel of the Lord, whose glory shone around them - they were terrified. But the angel said “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people…a Savior has been born to you, the Messiah, the Lord….” More angels appear praising God — “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels left the shepherds talked with one another and agreed, “Let’s GO and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Christmas is ours because they all chose to listen & obey.
They did not hinder the plan of GOD.
They chose to respond to what they had heard from God.
What about us?
Do we listen?
Do we listen like Adam and Eve OR do we listen like Mary and Joseph?
How can we listen to Him?
How can we know it is Him?
Where can we find His voice?
We can find His voice in His Word. But if we don’t read His Word, we will miss His whispers to our soul. We can hear His voice in our hearts, but we can only know it is His voice if we are acquainted with His ways and the character of His heart. His Word reveals His ways and His character. The Bible is our treasure map. God, the Triune God, is our Treasure. But how could we ever find Him if we never listen to His Word?
What hinders us from hearing His voice in our hearts?
What pulls us away?
Listening is so often hindered by:
Our own thoughts
Planning what we will say instead of listening to what is being said
Pride compels us to elevate our opinion over what is being said
Distractions
The opinions of other (society is plagued by the voices of self-proclaimed “influencers”)
A longing to be accepted by other. We want to “belong”. God has a solution for that…
A busy schedule can keep us overwhelmed and unable to “listen”
Excuses
Choosing our way because we feel able to manage those variables
Feeling safe (falsely) with what we think we can control because we fear the unknown
Consider that Adam and Eve were surrounded by opulent abundance. Wealth of provision, peace, no illness or sin burden, no taxes or bills or debt. — or influencers…well, until the first influencer appeared….
Mary and Joseph were surrounded by work, need, law, taxes, cultural expectations, government requirements and physical challenges. Sickness, sin, human demands were always lurking about them.
Shouldn’t Eve have been better able to listen with her opulent and plentiful surroundings?
Shouldn’t Mary have brought more excuses and distractions with her humble standing?
So often we think — “if I had more financial security”…or… “if I had better health”…or… “if my job or my family or my boss or my relationship with ______ was better - then OF COURSE I’d be better able to hear, listen, and obey.
Consider Mary. She did not have financial security. She was a young teen girl now facing pregnancy within a culture that could lawfully stone her for being pregnant, all her relationships hung in the balance ——and yet, she heard, listened and obeyed. No arguing or excuses given. She could do this because she truly believed God was able to overcome and do all He said.
Christmas reminds us of the birth of our Savior.
Jesus knew the heart of The Father,
listened to God’s plan,
and obeyed — all the way to the Cross.
Christmas can also inspire us to redefine who and what we listen to — we get to choose the Mary, Joseph and shepherd way…and become a part of His Good News. The “most wonderful time of the year” can become THE MOST WONDERFUL WAY TO LIVE.
May your Christmas be filled with MORE OF JESUS, more than ever before.
Merry CHRISTmas to you and yours from all the Reach-for-More-of-Jesus family.
