What the Greatest Gift from God Teaches Us About the Family of God
Reflections on Pastor David's message on December 18, 2022 at Link Church
In the second chapter of the book of Luke, we are given this introduction to the birth of Christ:
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the entire inhabited earth should be taxed. 2 This taxation was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone went to his own city to be taxed.
4 So Joseph also departed from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, in Judea, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be taxed with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So while they were there, the day came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in strips of cloth, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And in the same area there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And then an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were very afraid. 10 But the angel said to them, “Listen! Do not fear. For I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign to you: You will find the Baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly there was with the angel a company of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, and good will toward men.”
Visions of Angels
When you think about the details of the Christmas story that are shared in Luke and in Matthew, it’s actually pretty wild. According to the customs of that time, Mary was most likely a teenager when the angel Gabriel appeared to tell her that she was going to give birth to the Savior. Mary wholeheartedly believed that God was going to send a Savior, but a lot of the details about exactly how it would happen were less clear. At the time of the angelic visitation, Mary was a virgin. She logically asked how she could get pregnant as a virgin, and the angel explained that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her, and she would become pregnant with the Son of God. Many of us have heard that story so many times that we don’t even stop to consider the absurdity of it. I do not mean that it didn’t happen. I simply mean that, naturally speaking, it sounds pretty crazy.
Soon, Mary has conceived the Christ child, but there’s a problem. She is engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, and he is not the father. When Joseph learns that Mary is pregnant, he doesn’t want to shame her publicly, so he determines to give her a private divorce. As a brief explanation, betrothal in that day and culture was legally binding. Even though the marriage was not yet consummated, the law bound Mary to Joseph. To conceive someone else’s child meant she could be charged with adultery! Joseph loved Mary, but nothing about her story would have seemed believable.
That’s where God stepped in. Soon, Joseph himself receives a visitation from Gabriel. By the way, Gabriel was not just a random name. Any devout Jew would have known that Gabriel was the angel that spoke to Daniel the prophet and foretold the coming Messiah. Now, he was there speaking with Joseph about this Messiah. The angel told Joseph not to be afraid but to go ahead and marry Mary. Pastor David jokes that this must have sounded like quite a story to anyone who heard it.
A Strange Way to Save the World
When I was a teenager, I heard a Christmas song for the first time that expressed the oddity of God’s plan.
I'm sure he must have been surprised
At where this road had taken him
Cause never in a million lives
Would he have dreamed of Bethlehem
And standing at the manger
He saw with his own eyes
The message from the angel come to life
And Joseph said
Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
To think of how it could have been
If Jesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem
No lowly shepherds at His birth
But Joseph knew the reason
Love had to reach so far
And as he held the Savior in his arms
He must have thought
Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
Now, I'm not one to second guess
What angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world
This is such a strange way
Such a strange way
A strange way to save the world1
It was a strange way indeed. Nonetheless, as Pastor David powerfully explained on Sunday morning, this incredible gift of God offers much insight into how the family of God works. Stated another way, the natural family of God the Son teaches us a lot about the spiritual family that we now call the church.
It Doesn’t Always Make Sense, but If It Works, Let it Work!
It didn’t make sense to the natural mind that God would choose a teenage virgin who was engaged to be married to carry His Son.
It didn’t make sense to some people that the Messiah would be raised as the son of a carpenter.
It didn’t make sense to the religious elite that the Savior would grow up in Nazareth and be uneducated according to their expected standards, but it was God’s plan, so it worked!
Pastor David shares, “People may look at our church sometimes and ask, ‘Why would you want to be part of that? They are so loud! Did you hear the way the drummer was playing in church?!’”
“Why would you want to go to church with people that are nothing like you?” If you’re from a background of addiction, why would you want to worship with people that don’t really understand where you’ve been? If your family make-up isn’t the same as other people’s, why would you want to go to church with people that haven’t walked in your shoes? It doesn’t always make sense, but if it works, it works.
Imagine being Joseph and Mary trying to explain that your baby was conceived before you were married, but it’s ok, because He belongs to God. It doesn’t always make sense, but if it works, let it work!
Whatever Role You Are Called to Fill in the Family of God, Choose to Fill It
Joseph doesn’t have to choose to be the adopted dad of Jesus, but he chose to. God called and he answered. This decision likely resulted in ridicule. Scholars have noted that Bethlehem was Joseph’s hometown. He most likely had family there, and yet there was no one willing to make room for them on the night when Christ was born. Joseph didn’t have to go through all this, but it was his calling, and he gladly embraced it.
The family of God functions best when each person willingly fills the role that God has given them. 1 Corinthians 12 teaches that every believer is a member of the body of Christ. It goes on to compare people to feet and hands. Just because a foot is not a hand, it shouldn’t say that it’s not part of the body. Every role matters, and if you’re part of God’s family, you should choose to fill that role!
To successfully bring Christ to our community, we need people to park cars, people to hold doors, people to pray, people to teach kids, people to sing, people to preach…we don’t need everyone to do the same thing. We need to fill the roles God gives us.
Every Family Has Family Members That Are A Little Bit Out there
Pastor David jokes that if you think your family doesn’t have someone that’s a little bit out there, it’s probably you. Surprise! As we briefly survey Christ’s Earthly family, it should be evident that being a little bit out there isn’t a bad thing.
When Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth following her miraculous conception, Elizabeth immediately began prophesying, claiming that the baby had leaped inside her womb! That’s a little out there. Guess what? The family of God will always have people that seem a little over-charismatic to others but whom God uses mightily. Remember, Elizabeth was an elderly woman when she became miraculously pregnant herself. She had a right to seem a little out there. How should you act when the Holy Ghost falls on you and does things most people believe are impossible? Other people may think you are strange, but maybe you’re just an Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth’s son, John the Baptist, reached adulthood, he didn’t do things in a socially acceptable way. He was a prophet of God with a message for everyone, but rather than going to the city, he went to the wilderness to preach. Baptismal rites were generally reserved for Gentiles who wished to convert to Judaism in that day. Yet, John the Baptist called everyone to repent and be baptized. John was known for eating locusts and wild honey and dressing in camel’s hair. That’s a little out there. Leonard Ravenhill once observed that John came in the spirit and power of Elijah. Elijah raised the dead. John did not such miracles. Still, John was used by God to raise an entire nation from the dead in preparation for the Messiah! John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, was a little out there. Maybe others find you a little eccentric, but maybe you are a John.
Pastor David explains, “Some folks are gonna be louder than others, and some people are gonna express emotions in other ways. It is a mistake to assume that just because someone responds differently than someone else, that one is more spiritual than the other.” This is wise counsel. Some shout. Some cry. Some are silent. God is not limited by emotions or by their absence.
People claimed that John the Baptist had a devil because he didn’t eat and drink with people and then turned around and accused Jesus of being a drunk and glutton because he did. Some people are just looking for something to criticize, but this must never be true of God’s family.
When I was a young man, a person in the church I attended went to my pastor and asked, “What’s wrong with Robbie?” His name was Eric. He was not from a Pentecostal background and found it puzzling that I shouted and danced and sometimes fell in the floor. I suppose some people would have been offended. Me? I considered starting a website and calling it www.whatswrongwithrobbie.com. Thankfully, there is room in God’s family for both Erics and Robbies. Every family has relatives that are a little bit out there. There’s a place for us all.
Some People Will Be Excited That You Are Part of the Family of God, But Others Will Not
The shepherds and wise men were excited about Christ’s birth, but Herod wanted to kill Him. To the shepherds, Christ was a Savior to the poor. To the Wise Men, He was the long-awaited King. To Herod, Jesus was a rival for the title King of the Jews. Those who welcomed Christ welcomed His family. Those who hated him were a threat to everyone He loved.
We must stubbornly refuse to base our excitement about being in God’s family on the opinions of others. There will always be Herods, but remember, when Herod is long gone, the family of God will still be around.
I’ve seen people get saved when everyone around them were excited. I’ve seen others come to Christ when critics murmured, “I’ll give it two months.” I have rejoiced with people who got saved in a prison cell only to hear tongue-waggers judge, “That’s only jailhouse religion.” Dear friends, we at Link Church want to welcome you to our family regardless of what your past is like. Our family is a diverse family that is made up of people from all backgrounds. We are united by a common faith in Jesus Christ that celebrates cleansing from all kinds of sin.
In First Corinthians chapter six, Paul supplies a list of sins and strongholds that lead to destruction, but he concludes it with words of assurance that God cleanses and delivers all those who repent and put their faith in Jesus:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, and you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Not everyone is going to rejoice with you over your entry into God’s family. Accept that and press forward anyway. Turn from sin and to God and watch as He continually transforms you more and more into His own image.
The Family of God Can Withstand Anything, As Long As It Is United
Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus, but that didn’t stop God’s family. Joseph didn’t just say, “Oh well, Jesus is actually God’s son. It’s not my problem.” He took Mary and Jesus and they fled to Egypt. The withstood Herod’s reign of terror, and they did it together.
When Jesus was about twelve years old, Joseph and Mary accidentally left Him in Jerusalem. They didn’t just say, “Oh well, He’ll be ok.” They searched until they found Him, as any good parents would do. Even though He told them that He must be about His Father’s business, they refused to abdicate their role as His parents. They stayed together.
At some point in the life of Jesus, Joseph died. He endured the death of His adoptive father, suffering the same pain that so many know today.
It is noteworthy that the first miracle Jesus worked only happened after His mother made a direct appeal to Him (John 2).
It is more noteworthy still that one of Christ’s final concerns on the cross was to make sure His mother was taken care of.
His friends fell asleep when He needed them most, but He didn’t forsake His friends. He would later welcome them into God’s family.
His earthly brothers mocked Him and refused to believe. Yet, two of them emerged as leaders in the early church. I cannot prove this biblically, but I suspect that Jesus appeared to His natural family after the resurrection. There was nothing His family could not endure as long as they did it together.
This remains true today. The gates of Hell cannot prevail against the church Jesus is building (Matthew 16). Jesus prayed for His followers as well as for those who would later follow Him “that they might be one” (John 17:21). The supernatural power of Pentecost only fell on the early church when they had gathered in absolute unity (Acts 2). The family of God can endure anything, but we must do it together. When Peter and John were threatened by the religious leaders of their day, they returned to their church to pray (Acts 4).
In the late second century, the African Church Father Tertullian wrote that “the blood of the martyrs is seed for the church.”2 The church was undefeatable because it was undividable. Death does not stop the family of God because we know that death is not the end. We can endure anything, but we must remain united.
Christmas has now come to a close. We are left reflecting on the beauty of the holiday and waiting until it rolls around next year. Still, we have the great opportunity to continue reflecting on the lessons learned from the Christmas story about what it means to be part of the family of God. It is the sincere hope of the pastoral staff at Link Church that each of you who read this will surrender your life to Christ and become part of the family of God. To all who have already joined this family, remember that you’re not alone. If one suffers, we all suffer. If one rejoices, we all rejoice.
Questions to Ponder
Are there things that seem odd to you about the Christian faith, even though you recognize that God works through them. As you seek to grow in understanding, how can you live by faith even when some things are hard to understand?
What is your role in God’s family? What has God called you to do? Are you being faithful to that role?
Some people seem a little bit out there. Have you judged anyone recently because they are different than you? If so, take time to humbly repent. Ask God to help you embrace the variety that He builds into His family.
How do you respond when others don’t share your excitement about what God is doing in your life? How do you respond when people criticize the church you are part of? Choose today to let love govern your responses.
What can you do personally to contribute to the unity of your local church? If you don’t have a home church, consider how badly you are needed, and find a family you can worship alongside.
This song was written by Mark Harris, Donald Koch, and David Clark in 1997.
The Blood of the Martyrs- seed for the harvest | ChristianToday Australia