Sabbath Day Thoughts — “Christ the Savior Is Born” Luke 2:1-7
Every Christmas Eve, we host a family-friendly service of worship at church for the children and those feeling a bit childlike. This Christmas, we shared the stories of the Angel Gabriel, the shepherds Reuben and Simka, and the Wise Ones. Merry Christmas, my friends!
“The Most Important Message”
As told by Gabriel
Greetings, favored ones! Do I have a story to tell you! Whew! Let me catch my breath. I just flew in from the great beyond.
(Takes a seat in the rocker and pretends to take a big drink from a goblet).
That’s much better. How very nice to meet you! I’m the Angel Gabriel, God’s finest messenger. Whenever there is important news to share, you can count on me to get the word out.
Many, many years ago, God had the most important message of all to share. It was a very difficult time in the life of the Hebrew people. King Herod was in charge and he had to be the greediest and the grouchiest king ever. He loved to build fancy palaces, and who do you think had to pay for them? The people! Herod got richer and richer, but the people got poorer and poorer.
The people dreamed of the day when a true king would come to Israel. In fact, God had long ago promised to send a special child who would grow up to be their king. This child would speak God’s words to the people. This child would teach them how to love God and love one another. This child would be holy. The people so longed for the birth of this child that they used to sing about it,
Sings: “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel…”
Do you know what Emmanuel means? It means “God with us.” This special child to be born to the Hebrew people would remind them that God was with them, even when their lives felt very hard.
One day, God knew that the time was right for this special baby to be born. Of course, there was only one messenger who could carry news that important: me!
God said, “Gabriel, I have an extra special mission for you. Go to the village of Nazareth in Galilee. There you will find a young woman named Mary.”
I have to say that when I heard I had to go to Nazareth, I wondered if God had the right destination. Nazareth! You know what they say about Nazareth: can anything good come from there? It was just a poor and sleepy little village, filled with farmers and carpenters and shepherds. And how would I find the right Mary? It had to be the most popular name for girls in all of Israel.
I must have looked like I was confused because God smiled at me. My heart got all warm, my halo began to glow, and I just knew that God had it all figured out.
God said, “Go to young Mary, who is engaged to the carpenter Joseph, who is descended from the house of King David. Tell her that I have chosen her from among all the women in Israel to bear a holy child.”
Well, I was ready to fly off right away, but God stopped me and said, “Gabriel, don’t forget to tell Mary that her baby boy will be the Messiah. She is to name him Jesus because he will save the people from their sins.”
So off I went to Nazareth. The village was even more miserable than I remembered. It didn’t seem like a very promising place for the Messiah to be born, but God always knows what God is doing. Even humble beginnings can lead to great things.
In Nazareth, I found Mary. Her mother had sent her to the well to collect water for her family. I must have been a very surprising sight. Mary looked ready to run away, but I told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” That got her attention.
Mary wasn’t much more than a girl, but as I looked into her eyes, I could tell that she was very special. She was kind and generous. She liked to laugh, and she was very patient with her little brothers and sisters. Best of all, Mary loved God with all her heart. I knew she was just right for the special mission that God had given her, so I told her, the Holy Spirit would be at work within her and she would give birth to the holy child that the people had longed for all through the long years.
Even though it sounded a little scary and really impossible to have such a special baby, Mary thought hard about the message that I had given her from God. Then she gave the answer that God was counting on, “Here I am, Lord. I’m ready to be the mother of that special child.” Do you remember what that child would be named?
(wait as if to hear the name Jesus)
Right you are! Jesus!
Well, you know me—God’s finest messenger. Time to deliver some more important news. Gotta go, but I have arranged for some special people to come and tell you all about the birth of that special child Jesus.
Shalom, my friends!
“The Shepherds Hear Good News”
2 shepherds are seated at the campfire. One sings,
“Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!”
Reuben: Hey, we’ve got company! Come on over, watch out for the lambs. Take a seat by our campfire.
Simka: Did Gabriel send you? I bet you want to hear the story about that special night. The night when the skies were filled with choirs of angels. They sang for us, sharing good news of great joy.
Reuben: Those holy sounds are still ringing in my ears.
Simka: Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Simka, a shepherd by trade.
Reuben: And I’m Reuben. We tend sheep and goats. We spend most of our time with the flocks.
Simka: We have to keep them moving so that they find green grass to nibble, clean water to drink, shade from the noonday sun, and shelter for the night.
Reuben: (brandishes his staff) Sometimes, I have to keep them safe, too – protect them from wild dogs or even lions.
Simka: It’s hard work being a shepherd – it takes patience and bravery. At night, we shepherds bring our flocks together.
Reuben: We light a small fire, share a meal, tell stories, and take turns watching the animals. Can’t you just imagine us with the other shepherds at the campfire with our flocks gathered around us?
Simka: Well, the story that we’re about to tell you is the best story ever. I know because I was there.
Reuben: So was I! One night, on the hills just outside of Bethlehem, we were spending the night with our flocks.
Simka: It was dark and quiet on the hillside – just like every night. Then suddenly, there was a great light, shining and sparkling in the sky.
(Gestures to the sky, pointing to where the angels appeared.)
Reuben: We looked up and saw an angel, a messenger from the Lord. The glory of God shone down upon us, all shimmery and beautiful and good.
Simka: We were so amazed that we were also very frightened. Nothing like this had ever happened to us before, and we didn’t know whether to cry or laugh or run away – or maybe all three!
Reuben: The angel could see just how frightened and uncertain we were, so the angel said to us, (speaks in a loud angel voice) “Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news which will be a great joy to all people. Today, in the town of Bethlehem, a Savior has been born, Christ the Lord. This will be the sign for you: you will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
Simka: Suddenly, there was a huge crowd of heaven’s angels with the first angel. They filled the whole sky with their light and their wonderful song, “Glory to God in the highest and peace to God’s people on earth.” The memory of those angel voices still gives me the shivers!
Reuben: When the angels had left and gone back to the heavens, we looked at one another in amazement. We pinched ourselves to make sure that we were really awake.
Simka: Then, we began to wonder. Could this baby be THE BABY? You know, the special baby that God had promised to our people, a baby who was God’s child, who would grow up to be a great king for our people.
Reuben: There was only way to find out. We had to go to Bethlehem and see for ourselves. We left our sheep on the hillside and hurried into the village.
Simka: When we got to Bethlehem, we looked around until we found Mary and Joseph in the stable. And there he was! The baby Jesus was lying in the manger.
Reuben: It was just as the angel had promised! This was our newborn king! Seeing him filled us with hope. We celebrated and told Mary and Joseph all the things that the angels had said about the child.
Simka: Even the animals seemed to find joy and peace in the presence of the baby. I think even the camels were smiling! As wereturned to our flocks, we were filled with joy. We sang and praised God at the top of our lungs.
Reuben: The villagers thought we had stopped at the tavern for a libation, but we were just filled with the Holy Spirit. God had sent a holy child who would be the savior of our people.
Simka: Do you know who that child was?
(cups her hand to her ear and waits to hear, “Jesus.”)
That’s right, Jesus! Holy be his name!
Reuben sings:
“Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!”
The Wise Ones Seek the Newborn King
Props: a Bible Atlas, bincoulars
The Scene: Two wise men stand at the front of the sanctuary. One is pondering a Bible Atlas. The other scans the horizon with the binoculars.
Balthazar (with Atlas): I wonder what happened to Melchior. We sent him over to Blue Moon more than an hour ago for bagels and coffee. I’m hungry!
Caspar (with binoculars): You know his sense of direction. I bet he got lost.
Balthazar: Hey, Caspar, put those binoculars down. We’ve got company.
Caspar: Greetings honored guests! (bows humbly) I’m Caspar, the youngest and most handsome of the Magi. If only Melchior had returned, we would invite you to share breakfast with us.
Balthazar (grandly): Allow me to introduce myself. I am Balthazar, the wisest of the Magi. Give me a star chart and a telescope and I can take you from one end of the Milky Way to the other – and back.
Caspar: I am only a young and humble learner, yet even I can tell you the secret language of the heavens. (Listens carefully.) Ah! Alpha Centauri just ordered brunch! Hey! She ordered lox for her bagels! Why didn’t I think of that? I hear the lox is so good at Blue Moon, too!
Balthazar (rolls eyes): We have spent many, many years learning the mysteries of the heavens. Great Kings call on us for advice. They wouldn’t so much as launch a ship or build a palace without checking with us first to see if it was in the stars.
Caspar: As long as you’re here and we’re waiting for Melchior with the coffee, allow us to tell you about our greatest journey ever. Back in our homeland Persia, we saw a star. (points to the heavens)
Balthazar (stands extra tall with importance): This was a special star, the star of a king. The heavens were telling us that a child was to be born who would be the king of the Jews! God had promised this child to the people from of old – a Messiah, a Prince of Peace who would lead the people in paths of peace.
Caspar: Like a beacon, the star called us across the desert sands to Israel: (speaking with the voice of the star) “Balthazar, Caspar, Melchior! Come, come to Israel to see the little tiny Hebrew King!”
Balthazar (rolls eyes): So, we left Persia with a great caravan to meet and worship the newborn king. We brought special treasures, gifts to honor the baby king.
Caspar: Gold! Hah, hah! A king’s ransom!
Balthazar: Frankincense! A fragrant offering fit for the holiest of children!
Caspar: Myrrh! Ooh-hooo! The rarest of oils to anoint the greatest of kings!
Balthazar: At last, our caravan came to Jerusalem, the holy city. We stopped at King Herod’s Palace, seeking the newborn king. But alas! Herod the Great new nothing of our Messiah.
Caspar: He was very interested, though, in what we had to say.
Balthazar: Herod gave us directions to Bethlehem, the city of David. Long ago, the Hebrew prophets had foretold that from Bethlehem the true heir of King David would one day arise.
Caspar: That Herod, what a great guy! He even wanted us to come back when we found the little king so that he could give him a special present.
Balthazar: Across the miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, we rode our camels through shepherd’s fields and olive groves. Ahead of us in the night sky, rode the star of wonder. It led us to the strangest of places.
Caspar: You see, we believed that we would find the holy child in a great palace, swaddled in silks and tended by an army of nannies. But God had something different in mind.
Balthazar: We found the little king in the humblest of homes. He had been born in a stable, surrounded by camels, sheep, goats, chickens, and oxen! His mother was the youngest of maids, not much more than a girl. Her husband Joseph was a humble craftsman, a carpenter by trade.
Caspar (in awe): Yet the star stopped and shone its beautiful light upon that humble dwelling, upon that tender babe. The heavens had brought us to the Lord of the Universe!
Balthazar (confessing): Even I, the mighty Balthazar – the wisest of the Magi – was overcome by the wonder of that moment and the holiness of the child.
Caspar: We fell to our knees in worship. Then we shared our royal gifts.
Balthazar: We would have stayed in Bethlehem forever to worship him. Yet we were warned in a dream to leave, to return home by another way.
Caspar: The heavens told us to avoid King Herod at all costs! It seems he wasn’t such a nice guy after all.
Balthazar: Returning by another way brought us to your lovely village, honored guests.
Caspar: Hey! I think I smell coffee! (points to the back of the church) Look! It’s Melchior. Hey, can you go back and add lox to my order!
(The Wise Men depart with singing)
“Star of wonder, Star of night, Star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light!”
Luke 2:1-20
2In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”[ 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.]
Joann White 