Robert Lowery

Long-time readers may recognize the title of this post as the same title of a previous post. The Christian Standard has now published this essay, which can be found online, in the December 23 issue.

Many years ago I became intrigued with the image of Bethlehem and the sermon that is posted was a result. In fact, I eventually had the sermon published. I invite you to journey once again with me to that “insignificant village.”

NOTE: This sermon was originally delivered by Dr. Lowery in 1982.

 

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To all visitors to rlowery.com–

May your Christmas celebration be joyful and may you remain an overcomer in 2007 through Him who has come and is coming.

Blessings–

Bob

The Christmas story occupies approximately thirty-one verses in Matthew whereas Luke’s devotes seventy-four verses. Because of these verses people have constructed pageants and plays and have composed carols and cards. Poets and preachers along with artists and authors, ancient and modern, continue to stir our hearts.

Many of us have heard the stories of Matthew and Luke so often that perhaps we have become numb to their beauty. On the one hand, perhaps the story needs to be rescued from either the contempt of so-called biblical experts who deny the reliability of Scripture. And on the other hand, perhaps the story needs to be rescued from the sentimentality of people who either follow Jesus or barely know of him.

Year after year, decade after decade, and century after century, the same cast members have been assembled each December: sleepy shepherds and wandering sheep; a wandering star and exotic (three!) wise men; blaring trumpets and singing angels; an expectant mother and waiting husband. This year children of all ages will march across the stage and act out their parts. The same cast members are found in our carols and are beautifully portrayed on cards.

But one little word unites these images and individuals. It is often over-looked and omitted from the newer translations. And yet it appears six times each in Matthew’s and Luke’s renditions: Behold! It serves as either a word of comfort or challenge, exhorting us to lift up our eyes and see the world from a different perspective or encouraging us in hard times.

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What in the world does Charles Dickens, the nineteenth century British author, have to do with the first century prophet John? I made a connection just the other night after reading Dickens’s short story, A Christmas Carol. The re-reading of this classic work intersected with a paper I had graded earlier in the evening, a paper written by one of the students enrolled in my class on Revelation. Over the years I have discovered that reading novels and short stories enhances my reading of Scripture and that Scripture helps me evaluate the stories offered by such individuals as Dickens. This discovery helped me merge the theology of John and Dickens late that evening.

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