“The Simple Nativity”
12-15-2024
Grace, mercy, and peace be unto from God our Father and our Advent King, Jesus Christ. Amen. What did you think of the Children’s Program? I certainly hope that none of you were disappointed. The reason why I say that is because I’ve discovered over the years that quite often people come to be “entertained” by the kids during the program. They may want to see the children do or say something cute. Inevitably, one of the kids will embarrass their parents or makes the congregation burst out laughing. Or, sometimes people are expecting the program to have a cutesy and funny theme. I’ll be honest, when I first read over the program, I thought to myself, “Well, that was pretty simple.” And the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. That’s because it reflects what actually happened 2,000 years ago when the Christ Child was born. It really was a “Simple Nativity.”
I don’t know about you but I find that very appealing in our modern era. Allow me to explain why. When Gayleen and I were on one of our trips to Germany, our German friends were showing us around. We were in a relatively small town and as we drove by a particular house our host, Sonja, made a one-word comment: “Kitsch!” We had never heard the word before but we quickly figured out the meaning by looking at the property. The yard was full of all kinds of lawn and garden ornaments—things like gnome statues beside wild colored porcelain mushrooms and plastic flowers and a set of those flamingos and other fake birds, and… Well, I think you get the drift. It was just too much stuff thrown together in one small space. Even though the owner may have intended for this conglomeration to beautify their yard, it had the opposite effect. It was gaudy and very distracting.
Now, I sincerely apologize if I offended someone here who has a yard like that. If it makes you happy then have at it. But hopefully we can all see how the illustration works for our discussion of the birth of Christ. Over the years, our modern world has taken the simple nativity and cluttered it with all kinds of “stuff.” I’m not talking about surrounding the manger scene on your lawn with reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, or the Grinch. Nor am I thinking of the focus shifting from the worship of Jesus to gifts, parties, and the commercialization of Christmas. No. Just look at the scene itself which Scripture lays out for us. It truly is a simple nativity! It begins with a very common, basic couple: Joseph and Mary. They weren’t celebrities. Instead, they were working-class people. Yes, the angel Gabriel announced the miraculous conception of Jesus. But while both of those things are outside the norm, none of it was done with fanfare. When Joseph was told about it in a dream, he quietly did what the angel told him and took Mary as his wife.
Next, they were forced to go to Bethlehem for the census of Caesar. God took a political function and used it to get them to where they needed to be for fulfilling the prophecy of the coming Christ. Notice, they were sent to the simple, lowly town of Bethlehem rather than the exciting nearby capital city of Jerusalem. The trip must have been uneventful because no details are given. Once they arrive, they end up at the most unlikely place for the baby Jesus to be born: a simple stable with a manger for a cradle. Now, I readily admit that the birth announcement to the shepherds was spectacular. Angels filling the sky, singing praises to God. But who did they appear to? The important muckety-mucks of society? Nope. Some of the most simple and disregarded people you could find.
I could go on and on but I hope you get the point. Jesus our Savior was born in very simple conditions and greeted by the most basic, simple people you could think of. But why? Why did God choose to do it this way? Well, no pun intended but the answer is simple. There’s nothing kitsch about it because He didn’t want anything to distract us from the “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” And it emphasizes the fact that Christ was sent into our world to save everyone, from the greatest to the least. His salvation is for the most intelligent person on down to a helpless, little baby. His salvation isn’t contingent on what you do or how much you know. Rather, it’s all done by God’s grace. He uses the simple means of plain water to distribute that grace and forgiveness in Holy Baptism. He brings you the knowledge of salvation not through great orators but through simple (and sinful) preachers like me. And through the simple elements of bread and wine in Holy Communion, Jesus Christ Himself comes to you with His body and blood for the assurance of your forgiveness. It’s really that simple. It’s so simple that an infant can receive God’s grace and little children can tell about how God the Father sent His Son into the world to redeem us. Like the Virgin Mary, may we also now ponder that “simple” but glorious good news in our hearts and rejoice together over it. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria