Title: First Christmas
Contents
As Christmas approaches, there is something in our hearts we want to know. What was the first Christmas like? is the thought. The atmosphere of Christmas that we now welcome every year has changed so much that it is difficult to recall the true meaning of Christmas. These days, Christmas is so commercialized that it causes a lot of social problems. The fact that the true meaning of Christmas is fading in this way also means that the Christian gospel is changing a lot. The crisis of today's Christian faith is that the image of Jesus is becoming too distorted. This phenomenon is also closely related to the loss of the true meaning of Christmas.
Fortunately, in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the circumstances of the first Christmas are recorded, which satisfies our thirst for the first Christmas to some extent. However, the early Christmas news delivered by the two evangelists do not match. The Christmas story told by the evangelist Matthew emphasizes the birth of the king of the Jews, centering on the stories of the wise men. Meanwhile, Luke's message of the first Christmas is described as an idyllic landscape centered on the stories of the shepherds. Here the baby Jesus is emphasized as the King of Peace that transcends borders.
Today's text is the story of the birth of the Prince of Peace as told by Luke. As I have already said, the depiction of the story of Christmas is very peaceful, rustic and lyrical. However, the social situation of this era containing such a lyrical story was a very dark and hopeless era.
Luke tries to convey the news of Jesus' birth in comparative detail in relation to the historical background of the time. Luke records the story of the birth of Jesus against the backdrop of Caesar Augustus's order to register "all the world". It is recorded that this family register was first conducted when Quire o became governor of Syria. At that time, it is recorded that Joseph of Galilee with his fiancee came to Bethlehem from Nazareth in Galilee, and it was because of this registration order that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The description of the birth itself is much simpler than Luke's story of the birth of Jesus, which explains the background of the birth. Luke tells the story of the birth of Jesus:
When Joseph and Mary were there in Bethlehem, when the day of childbirth was fulfilled, and they gave birth to their firstborn son, they wrapped the baby in cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke is more interested in telling where Mary placed the newborn child rather than the fact that the baby Jesus was born. You can think of it as someone who has a special intention in making the place stand out like that.
The historical event was taking place on a very dark night not only in time but also in history. In the same area where these events were taking place, a group of shepherds were tending their flocks. They have no idea what is going on in their area right now.
Then an angel appeared to the shepherds and informed them that something very important was happening where they were. The angel informed the shepherds that the “baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” was the Savior. And he told me that this event is an event of "glory to God and peace for those who live on this earth." Then the shepherds went to Bethlehem and worshiped the baby Jesus, lying in a manger, as the angel had told them. Although the shepherds did not ask for a sign, the angel gave the shepherds a sign, as in the case of Zacharias and Mary. The sign the angel gave the shepherds was an unexpected sign that no one could have imagined. The sign is that you will see "a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
The Jesus we celebrate every Christmas was not born in a lavish royal palace, but as a “baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” This baby Jesus was born among simple and poor shepherds, and when he finally died on the cross, he died among poor sinners.
At the heart of the story of the first Christmas that Luke tells us, this will be a sign for you: “You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
First, Luke tells us that the incident of a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger is a world-historical event. It is with this intention that Luke describes the birth of the baby and the political context of that time.
It tells us that the true Prince of Peace is not the emperor of Rome, but this baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. At that time, it was said that Rome was politically ruling the world and it was said to be an era of unprecedented peace in world history.
Nevertheless, the spirits of the people were very exhausted, and it was a period of profound moral darkness. The people of that era were looking forward to the dawn of history with a deepening night. In such a time, God has spread the hand of salvation. God has found it directly in human history. The sign is the baby Jesus wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And the place where the baby Jesus was born was in the manger. Luke attaches great importance to the fact that when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, came to this world, he chose a manger, a simple and humble place.
The prophet Isaiah had this to say about the manger.
“The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, and my people do not understand” (Isaiah 1:3).
Luke, with reference to the 'manger', is declaring that the words of Isaiah are now repealed. It tells us that now the shepherds were sent to the manger, and there they found the Lord, the source of joy for all the people of Israel. The manger is no longer the object of people's indifference and scorn. It has become a precious place to discover the Lord, the source of joy.
One of the problems that people suffer in their hearts in life is the inability to find their own place. Especially in today's society where families are destroyed and relationships are extremely closed, there are too many people who are wandering because they can't find a place for themselves. It has the same meaning as finding one's own place in a modern society where the burden of life is heavy and mentally restless.
There was also a time in my youth when I was wandering around this thought, that thought, this group, and that group, without finding a place in my heart. There is no peace of mind until you find a place for your heart. The stable, restful, peaceful place we are so thirsty for is the manger. The manger also symbolizes a simple and lowly heart.
The next time the angel went to the shepherds and announced the birth of the baby, the shepherds were doing their daily work. Not only the shepherds, but also when the angels visited Zacharias, the father of John, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, when they were engaged in their daily work. Luke specifically emphasizes this point.
The situation in which God comes to us is the field of our daily life. In the midst of many of our daily life problems, there is a manger. The manger is not in a special place, but in the reality of everyday life. The place where we can meet God and experience his salvation is the field of our daily life. And God comes to us in the time of our lives within the time of being born and leaving this world.
Among Jesus' parables, the 'treasure buried in the field' and 'the story of the pearl merchant' tell us that it is a field of everyday life.
Finally, “a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” is an event of glory to God and of peace among those with whom God is pleased.
The peace referred to here is not a popular concept of peace. This peace is a new future for God, man and the world in this history. That future began with the birth of the baby Jesus. This future began in the public life of Jesus Christ as healing to the sick, acceptance to the marginalized, forgiveness to sinners, and the preaching of the gospel to the poor.
This peace is the content of hope that all mankind longs for until the coming of Jesus Christ. And it is an important mission imposed on the church.
The first Christmas marks the beginning of a new future for God, man and the world. A target for that is a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.
Finally, we read the 'Prayer of Peace' by St. Francis.
Lord use me as an instrument of peace
love where there is hate
Forgive where there is a wound
Unity where there is division
Let faith be planted where there is doubt.
truth where there is error
Hope where there is despair
light where there is darkness
Let me sow joy where there is sorrow
Consoling rather than being comforted
understand rather than be understood
to love rather than to be loved
It is because we receive eternal life by completely believing in the Lord.
Lord, use me as an instrument of peace, Amen-