Guest Speaker: Benjamin Foote
Section 1: Christmas time is here!
It’s the Christmas season so today as part of our Christmas series I want to talk to you about the birth of Jesus Christ and share a perspective that will hopefully enable you to celebrate this season in spirit and in truth.
The Christmas season is full of celebration. Namely, we celebrate the nativity – Jesus Christ, God Himself, being born into this earth by the virgin Mary. There is much to celebrate and ponder about this season and my hope is that our celebration of this incredible event spurs us to love and worship God, because that is what Christmas is all about.
Section 2: Teaser – I don’t really like Nativity scenes.
So, today I want to focus specifically on the Nativity scene. I think you know the one I’m talking about.Now, I don’t like this. In fact, I don’t really like most any version of this scene that has appeared in our culture.
In today’s message I’m going to attempt to explain why, and somehow I’m hoping you are encouraged by it.
Now, to be clear, I am in no way trying to shame anyone who has a nativity scene set up in their home nor convince you to stop displaying or even enjoying them! Really, they’re fine. I just don’t like them. Rather, my desire is for you to see past what we typically think of and view when we hear the term “nativity scene” and instead begin to comprehend the humbling and extraordinary circumstances that the biblical, historical birth of the God of the Universe, Jesus Christ, took place in
3. So let’s back up. This is what we typically see as the nativity. There are a few things wrong with this picture. First, the wise men were not there – most scholars agree that the wise men visited Jesus in his 2nd or 3rd year of life. But, that’s not what I want to focus on. Instead, I want to consider the inaccuracies of this scene as it is displaying a quiet, clean, comfortable, warm, peaceful, glorious night. I would submit to you that in reality, it was none of those things save the word “glorious.” It was certainly glorious, just not in the way we usually view that word.
Section 3: Luke 2:1-21
So let’s see what the bible says about the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. In Luke 2:1-21 we read Linus’ favorite account of the nativity. It says this:
Luke 2:1-21
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
There is so much that I love about this passage, but what I love the most is that in a quiet, very dark pasture – where the shepherds were – an angel explodes into the scene. This was undoubtedly the most remarkable thing these shepherds had ever seen, yet the angel declares that they will see a sign that night.
Think about that. These blue-collar workers are just minding their own business when an angel appears to them, this brilliant heavenly sight, the most incredible amazing thing they’ve ever seen in their entire existence, and essentially says, “tonight you’re going to see something really cool. You’re going to see a sign.
The shepherds must have been thinking, “something better than this? What other sign could top this?”
But the angel explains. And what this angel describes was certainly something more extraordinary, more glorious than even this angel – exploding out of thin air into the pitch-black sky – was, than even the multitude of angels that appeared shortly afterwards was…
What the angel says they will see is this: the Savior of the world, Christ the Lord, the promised messiah, the God of the Universe (!!!), wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.
I also want to note that shepherds were among the lowest class of working people during this time. They were not in a place of honor, nor did they likely ever think they would receive any kind of great honor. In modern terms this would be like your janitors, your meter maids, your garbage men – hard-working jobs that receive little praise or admiration. But the angel appears to them. The first ones to hear about this awesome occurrence, the pinnacle of human experience up to this point, were shepherds. So, hold that thought…
Section 4: Back to the nativity scene
And let’s go back to our perceived image of the nativity. I would argue that if the shepherds were to go and see this image that perhaps it wouldn’t have been so miraculous. This is a beautiful scene, well lit, clean, warm, comfortable, glorious, etcetera. It’s a nice setting for the Savior of the world. Humble, yes, but nice!
But I don’t think that this is what they were expecting to see nor this is what they saw. The scriptures say that Jesus was laid in a manger. A manger was a feeding trough for animals, a feeding trough that was in a time where hygiene wasn’t really on the top of peoples’ list. Very likely it was not made out of wood as wood was an expensive and precious material during this time, it was probably a porous, stone basin a filthy piece of equipment surrounded by barn animals and soaked in barn animals’ saliva, droppings, etc. I’m sure Mary found some clean hay to place in the manger, but I’m not convinced that there was a high quality selection. Also, Mary had just given birth, and thus the aftermath of that birth could have been present among the floors of the barn, which by the way was probably a limestone cave of some sort – according to Third Hour or– like this . Our three main characters were likely wearing soiled clothes, or at the very least their soiled clothes were tucked away in a corner but ever present. The smell of the scene would have been thick and unpleasant, Mary and Joseph themselves would have been exhausted and not ready for visitors.
Yet this pitiful, humble environment was how God incarnate, that is the human form of God Himself – Jesus, decided to enter the world. This is why such a scene would have been a sign to the shepherds, who likely knew a King was coming because of the scriptures and were probably expecting to see Him in a place fit for a king – a palace surrounded by wealth and VIPs, or at the very least an indoor venue – like an inn – but instead they witnessed Him in a dirty, dark barn, with two very poor parents, lying in a vessel marked by animal saliva.
In modern terms, this would be like an angel appearing to garbage men and telling them that they would see the God of the Universe, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a dumpster. That would be quite a sign, wouldn’t it? Equivalently, this is what the shepherds experienced and witnessed.
I actually tried to input what I believe the nativity scene would have looked like into an AI generator to give you a better picture but this is what I got [Image 4]
The likelihood of the nativity scene is so different than what we commonly reference that even AI won’t imagine it for you.
Section 5: The Least of These
Why is this important? Why is it important to have a more accurate view of this scene? Ben, why couldn’t you just leave me alone to enjoy the image of cute baby cows gently nuzzling the porcelain white baby Jesus in the sparkly clean yellow hay that lays upon the conveniently propped-up, wooden manger?
To answer that we should consider another passage that strikes at the heart of both the Gospel and the work that God has charged every believer in this room and beyond to do. It is a prophecy told 30-some years after this nativity scene be Jesus Himself. His disciples had just asked him about the end of the world and what it would look like, what would happen. Among other things, Jesus tells them this prophecy:
Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
So what does this have to do with the Nativity… Jesus was not being entirely figurative when he said that serving the least of these is serving him. He is not an easier-said-than-done Savior, he literally relates to the lowest of all people, more than meeting is where we are at, he has gone through much worse, marked ultimately by the very beginning and end of his life.
When we have a more accurate view of the Christmas story, this ever-important scene that we call the Nativity, we realize that God Himself, Jesus, came and was born into the lowest of all circumstances: to parents so poor they had to bring turtledoves to the temple, into a cold, dark, dirty, and smelly cave surrounded not by royalty or religious leaders, but by barn animals and shepherds. When we consider this, we realize that Jesus became the least of these, the least of all of us, on our behalf. Jesus is the least of these.
Christmas is a time where we often realign our focus on giving. From December 1 to December 25 there are countless food drives, fundraisers, toy donations, you name it to help those in need. But I would submit to you that we as Christians are called to celebrate Christmas all year round! And how do we do that?
For those of you who start playing Christmas music in October, boy do I have good news for you! You all, we all can celebrate early by serving the most disenfranchised in our community, the least of these, every day of the year. When we do that, we serve Jesus, we serve this baby: No, not that baby, this baby, The one I’m not allowed to show you.
When your life is marked by your love of the least of these, your life is marked by your love for Jesus. A life saturated by love for the least of these is a life saturated by love for Jesus. That is the calling that each and every one of us has on our life,
Section 6: The Cross
We should all consider this calling, claim this calling, for three reasons.
The first is the nativity – we’ve covered that.
The second is Imago Dei – the fact that all of humankind was and is made in the image of God. When people are forgotten or cast aside, when they are deemed “less than” it flies directly in the face of God’s creation. Serving these communities is the clear response of the Christian, to see the image of God in everyone, and to treat all with love and respect.
The third reason is the cross.
It should come as no surprise to you that I am not a fan of crucifixes either.
The image that we typically think of when we think of Christ on the cross is hauntingly inaccurate. It is usually of a chiseled dude with a six pack, delicately hanging from a cross with single beads of blood dripping from his forehead, hands, feet, and side with a decency cloth wrapped around his waist.
I want you to hear me clearly: that is not what the crucifixion looked like. The scriptures say that Jesus was beaten beyond recognition, that his back was shredded into a bloody pulp by a whip. And I have to tell you, there was no decency cloth.
I didn’t even try to input this into an AI image generator. It was grotesque, humiliating, and explicit.
This is the God we serve and celebrate on Christmas. A God who saw it fit to be born into a dirty, smelly, cold barn and a God who saw it fit to die a truly horrific, violent, and dehumanizing death.
Why? Because He cared for the least of these. He cared for you. He cared enough that when He saw that we were dead in our trespasses and sin he went on a rescue mission for our sake. In lowly circumstances he lived a sinless life yet died a sinners death, a death that you and I deserve for our rebellion against God, and then rose again three days later thereby defeating death and sin so that anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord, anyone repents from their wicked ways, believes on his saving power on the cross and victory over death, can be saved from eternal death. That is who we celebrate on Christmas. And don’t you want to serve and worship that God?
Section 7: How?
So practically, how do we do this? How do we serve the least of these and thereby serve Jesus?
The passage I read in Matthew has Jesus acknowledging true believers by their lifestyle of serving the least of these. It follows that every follower of Jesus should be able to look at their life and clearly define how they are serving the least of these.
So, I want to ask you a straightforward question. It’s rhetorical, don’t worry, but I want you to truly think about this: can you look at your life as it stands right now and clearly identify how your lifestyle serves the least of these?
If you are having trouble identifying how you are living this calling out, but your heart yearns for such a lifestyle, I want to encourage you that you are halfway there! I have some suggestions.
I’m going to list some programs that help what I think should be considered “the least of these”. These programs I am about to list are by no means a complete or thorough list, but they are a good place to start. I also want to clarify that some of these programs are ones that Second City Church is partnered with, others are not, some aren’t even strictly Christian, but they all serve communities and individuals that are loved by God.
Safe Families [Image 5]
Safe Families for Children seeks to bring the church and community together to keep children safe and families together. Safe Families for Children is rooted in faith, fueled by radical hospitality, disruptive generosity, and intentional compassion, to build a network of caring and compassionate volunteers to support families facing social isolation. Their goal is to support and strengthen families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and reduce the number of children unnecessarily entering the child welfare system.
Safe Families PLUS [Image 6]
Safe Families PLUS, in conjunction with the
Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), provides
caring mentors to youth ages 14 to 21 as they
transition to adulthood. Mentors come alongside the
youth to provide them with support that endures.
Through consistent, one-on-one contact, mentors help
youth explore their self-identity, talents, strengths,
and career interests. These relationships open their
eyes to new experiences.By the Hand [Image 7]
Helping children who live in under-resourced neighborhoods have abundant life. By The Hand is a Christ-centered, after-school program that takes kids by the hand and walks with them from kindergarten through college, loving and nurturing them—mind, body and soul.
Exodus World Services [Image 8]
Exodus World Service mobilizes the Christian community to welcome and befriend refugees. We do this by educating churches and individuals about the plight of refugees, connecting volunteers with refugees through practical service projects, and empowering people to be champions for refugees.
Off the Street Club [Image 9]
Off The Street Club, Chicago’s oldest boys and girls club, is a non-profit youth center offering children in Garfield Park a safe place to laugh, dream, and reach their full potential.
Big Brother Big Sister [Image 10]
It is important to note that when we accurately consider the Nativity and the Cross – we realize that it is ugly. It is uncomfortable. It is painful. It is often without immediate or earthly reward. When we serve the Jesus in that manger and the Jesus on that cross, when we serve the least of these, it may be all of those things – ugly, uncomfortable, painful, thankless. But rest assured that serving Jesus in this way is not overlooked by our Savior, the God of the Universe, the Messiah who we will all meet on judgment day. Who will say, “did you serve me?” I, for one, want to answer, “yes, Lord.”
Section 8: Wrap up
So the next time you look at you or your neighbor’s nativity set, the next time you read the Christmas story, think and consider how wonderful a Savior we have to call our own. Think and consider how our God chose to live and die on our behalf. And think and consider how you can serve and worship Him by caring for the least of these.