The Downtown Presbyterian Church

Sermons

Jesus Is Not Home

Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2:1-20

Rev. Kenneth M. Locke

December 24, 2004

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, for there was no room for them in the inn.” How quickly, how economically the birth of Jesus is announced.

We’ve been well prepared for this moment. Luke has already told us in great detail about Zechariah and Elizabeth having no children. Then when Zechariah was doing his priestly duty the angel Gabriel spoke to him and told him he would have a son named John who would prepare the way for the savior. We know how the angel appeared to Mary and told her she would have a son and he was to be named Jesus. We know how Mary and Elizabeth visited each other during their pregnancies.

We know this elaborate setting of an emperor ordering new taxes, and exactly when it was ordered and how everyone had to go back to their hometown. And then finally we come to the birth notice itself. “She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.”

After all this heavenly intervention and emperors making decrees and long journeys, does the birth of Jesus leave you a little deflated? Is it a little anti-climactic?

And what about this business of angels and shepherds? Do the angels come and sing to baby Jesus? Noooo, the shepherds come and visit. Of course shepherds held an honored place in the history of Israel; David, the greatest of kings, was a shepherd. But in Jesus’ day shepherds were the lowest of the low. Sort of like washing dishes in a restaurant, shepherding was what you did if you couldn’t find anything else. So instead of the heavenly host these nasty, smelly shepherds come and visit Jesus.

Does it seem like Luke is trivializing Jesus’ birth just a bit? After all this build-up of miracle pregnancies and heavenly messengers, is Luke downplaying the birth?

Or maybe Luke is telling us the birth of Jesus is important, yes. Jesus is born in humble surroundings like the people he came to save. We need to recognize the truth in that, Luke tells us, but then it is time to move on.

But moving on is not what we do, is it? We enjoy sitting there, camping in the barn, looking at the hay in the manger, drawn to the scene in all its romanticized glory. Smelling the hay, hearing the animals, gazing at the child. “The cattle are lowing the poor babe awakes. But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.”

The problem is we’re the only ones standing in the barn. The manger is empty. Because you know what? Jesus isn’t there.

In the neighborhood where we used to live my wife and I would take our dog walking and we always walked past one particular house. It was an interesting house because right above the front door someone had strung lights spelling out the word “Jesus.” Now this wasn’t last week, I’m talking about the middle of last summer we’d walk by at night and see these lights lit-up, spelling out “Jesus.”

It became something we’d look for and comment on. Sometimes “Jesus” was lit up and we’d say, “Oh look, Jesus is home.” Other nights the lights would be off and we’d say, “Oh no, Jesus isn’t home. Where do you think he is?” Then one week the house went up for sale. “Oh no! Is Jesus moving? Where will he be?”

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could pin Jesus to a particular place? But we can’t! Jesus isn’t in the manger, he doesn’t have a house with his name in lights. We can’t knock on the door and explain the angels sent us and behold, we want to see this thing that has come to pass.

We can’t do that because Jesus isn’t there. Jesus is here; he is with us. The dwelling of God is among mortals. No point leaving everything on a hillside and going looking for him. He is with us, no more than a prayer away.

If Jesus had stayed a baby in the manger, making Christmas the highpoint of our faith, if Jesus could be found in a particular place, that would be sad.

But Jesus grew, becoming an adult, facing all the issues and concerns we face. Jesus knows about anger and sorrow, fear and anxiety. Jesus knows what we feel when we feel that drive for power, succeed at all costs, uncertainty about the future.

In the cross Jesus redeems us, canceling our sin. In his resurrection Jesus is offering us new life. And by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus is with us now. The light of the world is lighting our path, the great shepherd is guiding us when we stumble. As one of our homeless brothers reminded me last week – Jesus is like scotch tape. You can’t see him, but he’s always on the job.

The good news of our faith is a savior was born for us, and he was laid in a manger.

The really good news is he’s not there. He’s not at “home.” Jesus is in your home, he’s in my home, he’s with us. This is the joy of Christmas. Thanks be to God. Amen.