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Message Notes 01/12/2024 - Gareth
Some words' meanings shift over time, for example. Black Friday, Awful, Awesome, Bet, Cancelled Drip, GOAT, Slaps... and Christmas!
Christ [Messiah - God's anointed King] + Mas [Ite, missa est, (go, sending, mission)]
This is a reminder of a bigger story! ○
As we started to prepare for this CHRISTMAS series, we began to read the usual Christmas passage. Something caught my attention in the first few verses.
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, Luke 1:1-3
4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. Luke 1:4
We've been taught some things about Christmas, about Jesus. Do you know with certainty?
Where there is uncertainty, there is chaos
Where there is certainty, there is peace, in the chaos.
Luke writes to bring certainty.
When you have a revelation of Christ, you find certainty, in the midst of chaos.
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea… Luke 1:5
Roman Empire
Augustus Caesar (Octavian), was in charge. Rome controlled all the land from Western Europe to the Middle East. This was the time of Pax Romana - Romans regarded peace not as an absence of war, but as a rare situation which existed when all opponents had been beaten down and lost the ability to resist.
He was believed to be the son of a god, the saviour of the world.
‘Since Providence, which has ordered all things and is deeply interested in our life, has set in most perfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a saviour, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar, by his appearance, surpassing all previous benefactors, and not even leaving to posterity any hope of surpassing what he has done, and since the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good tidings/news for the world . Priene Inscription , Asia Minor. 9 BC.
Herod.
A procurator for the Romans. A practicing Jew, loyal to the Romans, butdisliked by he Jews. He was cruel and suspicious (the one who carried out the infanticide when he was threatened by Jesus).
Judea
The land that belonged to Judah (which means "Praise")
Context: there is chaos in the land - Pax Romana, but no freedom. Occupied territory God's people, conquered, exiled, And, the presence of God gone for 400 years. A hopeless, despairing situation.
Yet…a promise from 800 years before:
“But you, Bethlehem though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.” Micah 5:2
And it's in this context, that suddenly things begin to change. As people have this revelation of the Christ, they respond in song. Over the next few weeks, we're going to unpack these encounters as they find Christ, in the midst of chaos.
Proximity is Personal. Emmanuel, God with us!
The ruler who comes to restore order.
I don't know what your chaos is. Perhaps you are despairing, hopeless, fearful, stuck, worried, addicted, abused, hurt, betrayed, in too deep, wanting to give up. Perhaps your praise has been silenced, and you feel like you are oppressed by an evil power.
This I know… When you find Christ, you find certainty, in the midst of chaos.
And when you encounter him, he starts to bring order from chaos and sends you on a mission.
This is the Christmas story.
God's anointed King is in proximity. He brings peace, and He sends you.
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