Luke 2 enjoys the spotlight at this time of year. Students recite these verses at Christmas programs. Many of us memorized these verses. Pastors preach multiple sermons from Luke 2. We sing Christmas hymns inspired by this passage: Once in Royal David’s City; Angels, We Have Heard on High; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night; Go, Tell it on the Mountain; Silent Night; and Angels from the Realms of Glory; to name a few.
Over the centuries this account has been embellished. As we read Luke 2, an image pops into our heads, of a cozy-looking barn, with a clean layer of straw, Joseph and Mary hovering over a manger with baby Jesus with a halo around his head, a group of shepherds kneeling with their lambs around them, a donkey, a cow and a star shining bright above the barn. The three wisemen are also there, offering the newborn king one of the three gifts. Do you see what I see?
As a preacher, I confess that as Christmas approaches, I sometimes turn to the much-worked-over, embellished Luke 2 and think, “Do I really want to preach through this passage again?”
Yes, I do! I may not preach it every year, but I routinely return to it. In Luke 1-2, Luke has given us the most detailed account of the birth of Jesus, a tremendous gift to the church. It is an edifying rhythm, to return to this account.
For this reason, I have chosen to lead you through Luke 2:1-40 over the month of December. Together, we will hear the good news of great joy for all people. We will ponder anew what the Almighty can do (has done) in sending his Son in the fullness of time to be born in humble circumstances on the fringe of the mighty Roman Empire. May Christ himself, by the power of his Spirit, meet us in the verses of Luke 2 and move us to rejoice and respond as the shepherds, Simeon and Anna did.
In those days
“In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” – Luke 2:1
Scripture reading: Psalm 33:6-11
Luke 2 doesn’t begin in Bethlehem. It begins in Rome. It doesn’t begin with Christ Jesus. It begins with Caesar Augustus. “In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus…”
In those days, all eyes were on Rome, not Bethlehem. Caesar’s decrees dominated headlines and news feeds. Caesar’s dictates impacted the daily lives of God’s people, just as they did the lives of others.
These days, decrees go out from President Trump and Prime Minister Carney. All eyes are on Washington and Ottawa. Their decrees dominate headlines and news feeds. Their dictates impact our daily lives.
Are your eyes so fixed on Washington or Ottawa that you’ve lost sight of Bethlehem? Do you fret excessively over decrees from Washington or Ottawa, leading you to sin? Conversely, do you rejoice excessively that your man is on the throne? Have you put “your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation?” (Psalm 146:3).
If your answer is ‘Yes’ to any of these questions, your ‘gut theology’ proclaims ‘Caesar is Lord,’ not ‘Christ is Lord.’ It is time to refocus our eyes and hearts on Bethlehem where the real action is. In those days, the birth of a baby in Bethlehem did not fill the headlines or news feeds. No doubt, Caesar did.
We, however, walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:11).
Suggestions for prayer
Thank God that His counsel stands forever, regardless of what happens in Washington and Ottawa. Pray that the Lord will give you grace to walk by faith and not by sight.
Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
