The Birth from Heaven s Perspective. A sermon preached on December 30, 2018 at St. Giles Prince George, BC by Rev. Herb Hilder.

Transcription

1 1 The Birth from Heaven s Perspective. A sermon preached on December 30, 2018 at St. Giles Prince George, BC by Rev. Herb Hilder. Lessons: Revelation 12:1-9 Luke 2:1-8 How many of us have ever received a Christmas card that comes anywhere near the one pictured on this morning s bulletin cover? There are no shepherds, angels, straw or soft light Rather, this is a picture more in line with a science fiction thriller. Seven headed, red dragon on the attack of a woman dressed in a diamorphous gown, Wearing a crown of 12 stars pulsating red and white fire. She stands on the moon and she is pregnant. The dragon s tale has swept away a good proportion of the stars in the sky This is no Puff the Magic dragon though or Sinbad the Friendly Dragon. This is a dragon set on destruction waiting for the birth of the child being carried by the woman What will happen next? We stand waiting to see The child appears the dragon lunges to devour the child. We shut our eyes!

2 Too terrified to witness the outrage Or we scream NO. At the last possible moment the child is snatched away and taken to God and his throne. The woman flees into the wilderness where God has prepared a place of safety for her. This triggers a war in heaven. Michael and his angels the good guys fight against the dragon and his demonic angels. Michael triumphs the dragon and his legions are no match for him. The dragon and his angels are cast out of the heavens and fall in a heap, Unceremoniously tossed out like a pile of dirty laundry They are defeated in heaven, but on earth, their work has just begun. A story from the pen of one of the graphic novels we see today in bookstores? No it is story from scripture It is a story from the book of Revelation. It is what Helen read moments ago. The Revelation to St. John the Divine. A couple of things to keep ever before us as we look at any passage from the Revelation. First, there is nothing new in the Revelation that has not already been cited in the previous books of the Bible 2

3 Nothing in the Revelation is made up or added as it were. Everything in the Revelation can be found in the previous 65 books of the Bible. The truth of the gospel is already complete, revealed in Jesus Christ There is nothing new to the say on the subject. Second, The Revelation was written by John to a people under horrific persecution by Roman officials and sanctions. Even John himself was in exile on the Isle of Patmos when he wrote the Revelation. Third, The Revelation was not written solely to dazzle or entertain, But rather to give its readers hope, To remind them not to be intimidated or discouraged about the persecution they saw all around them. Hang on! John says for evil will not triumph in the end. Evil will not have the last word. Someday, all will be well Anchoring or grounding yourself in the promises of God and Jesus is not an empty or pointless exercise. What is promised in scripture does not have an expiry date nor is it limited only to a select few The invitation to follow Jesus remains open-ended. 3

4 So John gives us this birth narrative from heaven s perspective. Is it to supplant the birth narratives of Jesus in Matthew or Luke? NO! I think not Certainly it is more graphic and memorable than the gospel accounts I think the why is bound up in the need John saw to give the persecuted people hope and perspective. I think St. John knew of the birth narratives of Jesus the basic details While St. John agreed whole-heartedly with the mystery and wonder that surround those narratives, I like to think St. John was concerned as to whether narratives as we have come to know them in the gospels, Would be enough to sustain God s people in the really hard times of persecution Or in the desert, empty spiritual times. I think John was worried that there might come a time when the birth stories of the gospels in and by themselves would become too sentimentalized, Too cozy, Too domesticated And too drab. So in chapter 12 of the Revelation, St. John makes explicit what is implicit in the Gospel stories. This is the entrance of God into history in a powerful way 4

5 And such an entrance will result in short term and long term consequences. Consequences of good and evil What then does this text say to us today? It is a powerful reminder that the coming of Baby Jesus is not limited to a particular time and place. And his coming does make a difference in our lives. We live in a world where we are encouraged to get back to normal, To return to business as usual I would be surprised if there are Christmas decorations or Christmas stuff for sale in 10 days time save for the Boxing Day stuff now picked over more than once. Ours is not a widely celebrated 12 Days of Christmas world is it those who do mark it are often seen as a bit odd! On the street where we lived in Sackville, New Brunswick, it was more than a little sad to see Christmas trees with remnants of tinsel still stuck to the branches discarded at the bottom of driveways on December 26 or 27 th awaiting pickup and chipping. I also had more than one parishioner who started tidying up from Christmas on the 26 th and by evening everything was back to normal That sort of behavior shouted to us There! It s over for another year. We can now pack up 5

6 Baby Jesus and the manger scene until next Christmas. But can we, dare we? Maybe in such an atmosphere we need more than ever the account in Revelation 12 to remind us that more is in play that just putting Baby Jesus away in a box until next Christmas Pure and simple the coming of God as Jesus is not about getting back to normal as soon as possible. Rather, it is a reminder of new hope and new possibilities. Revelation 12 reminds us that Jesus coming is not just for us in earthly terms. It is also about a victory in heaven big story, wide perspective, long view. More mystery and wonder. More things to ponder and treasure in our hearts! I think that though this account from the Revelation excites wonder and mystery, It also graphically shows us the reality of evil. That is not unique to Revelation 12 if we read beyond the birth narrative in Matthew we hear about the wise men from the East. We also hear about Herod s paranoia that results in the killing of all the boy babies in Bethlehem. Do not get hung up on numbers even one baby killed in such a way and for such a reason is pure evil. 6

7 The church marks that event on December 28 th Holy Innocents Day. The church has also long claimed these children to be the first Christian martyrs. Many years ago, the Sunday after Christmas happened to fall on December 28 th it will again in I preached on the theme of Holy Innocents that morning and more than one person met me at the door with a frown, scowl or accusing finger you spoiled my Christmas. How could I speak about such a nasty so shortly after Christmas? I listened. The senior minister had words with me on the Tuesday about my insensately. But this once I stood my ground and said to him--i do not expect Jesus and his family had a great and festive first Christmas either. You cannot ignore that sad and upsetting things are part of many Christmases. Evil never takes a holiday. The senior minister s facial colouring showed me that I was about to get yelled at for insubordination. I was simply dismissed with a scowl and wave of his hand And an under his breathe comment about me being a real piece of work. There was no further discussion--- I have always preached on Holy Innocents when Sunday falls on December 28 th not to spoil 7

8 8 anyone s Christmas, but to remind people that evil has never taken a holiday. Revelation 12 does not centre on the evil dragon and his actions but it does not sugar coat them either. If we read ahead in chapter 12 of Revelation we are soberly reminded that the dragon being cast out of heaven does not end his power to work evil or do violence From verse 17 of chapter 12 7 Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus. Read evil, violence and wickedness great and ordinary will continue to be with us until our own death or Jesus return Hear though the real exciting news highlighted by John s narrative in chapter 12 evil, sadness, wickedness, despair, hopelessness are not the last words. God and his actions are! St. John s first readers needed that reminder. They were in the midst of horrendous physical persecution which seemed to be endless. To say Jesus, not Caesar is Lord was an automatic capital offense.

9 9 And we all know what Romans did with those charged with capital offenses!! Today we still need that reminder evil, sadness, despair; hopelessness is NOT the last word. We still need to remember that the child was snatched away and taken to God and his throne (vs.5 To remember that 9 The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Vs.9 Not owing to physical persecution for our faith, though we must never forget to pray for Christians around the world where to confess that Jesus is Lord can still result in harassment, imprisonment or death. No the things that make us wonder whether it is worth hanging on until the Lord comes are things like apathy, indifference or the busyness of the world around us. Such things can and continue to sap the life blood from an active and vibrant trust in God. Such things can unless checked make us believe that either there is no God, Or that there is nothing beyond this life.

10 Revelation 12 provides us with an account of the Birth of Jesus from Heaven s Perspective big picture, wide view, eternal consequences As with the gospel narratives, it is meant to highlight, to encourage, to fortify us in the midst of our daily struggles whatever they may be. The work of God continues The promises of the One eagerly awaited have been fulfilled Promises that include God s love, his personal involvement is moving forward for his people you, me, all of us. AMEN 10