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Luke 2
The Birth of Jesus
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
His name was Noel Regney. He died seven years ago this month. While few of us know his name or his life story, we do know the famous Christmas song that he wrote; Do You Hear What I Hear? In 1962 he wrote the lyrics and his wife, Gloria Shayne, wrote the tune. Among the words to this familiar and moving song are these...
"Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy.
Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing thru the sky, shepherd boy.
Do you hear what I hear?
...the unwavering truth of this holy time...the spiritually assuring words...God invests Himself into our personal lives and into the movements and actions of history! We are never alone!
May this inviting tune and these moving words be more than just another song for the season; may they be the faith and conviction which sustain us every moment of our lives. Again, Emmanuel...God with us!
A song, a song.
High above the tree.
With a voice as big as the sea...
Listen to what I say!
The child, the child,
Sleeping in the night.
He will bring us goodness and light.
He will bring us goodness and light."
"He will bring us goodness and light!"
This, it seems to me, is the heart of the Christmas story! God entered human history in a manger in Bethlehem so that none of us would ever wonder or question what God intends for our lives and for our world. Will there be times of darkness? Yes. Will there be moments when the foundations of our faith and our hope are shaken? Yes. Will there be circumstances which will try our courage and our trust? Of course. But through it all we hear the resounding promise of Christmas
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