On the Way to Bethlehem – Bethlehem – Part IV
Sermon Title: On the Way to Bethlehem – Home found in Bethlehem
Good News Statement: Jesus’ birth shows us our own Advent Journey
Preached: Sunday, December 22nd, 2024 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC
Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.
Scripture (NRSVUE): Luke 2:8-20 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Luke who informs us about a group of shepherds, who are watching their flock by night, that are invited to the manger scene of Jesus Christ. They travel to Bethlehem as outcasts but leave feeling at home. Our scripture reading is Luke Chapter Two, Verses Eight thru Twenty. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, 19 and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.
This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”
Introduction:
Any important journey requires planning, preparation, and patience. Questions such as the following are often asked: How will we travel? Will we break up the trip along the way? What will be our route? What kind of weather should we expect? What clothing should we have? Will we need travel documents or even other currency? How long will we be gone for? Who is going to take care of the animals? Who should we notify that we are taking a trip?
Many of us associate the Christmas season with the birth of Jesus Christ, with festive colorful lights adorning the outline of our homes, with certain carols and songs, with photos sent and received in the mail, with packages wrapped in decorative paper and color-coordinated bows, with the smells of evergreen needles, with a tree decorated with memories upon every branch, and with certain iconic commercials. This time of year, the Christmas season is seen in almost everything and everywhere. However, there are many people out in this world that don’t necessarily associate Christmas with the things previously mentioned, but instead associate Christmas with travel.
As a matter of fact, according to a FOX News report from 2023 around this time, it reported that “The Vacationer, a travel agency specializing in theme park excursions, cruises and resort vacations, reported that its survey found more than 50% of respondents plan to travel during the Thanksgiving and Christmas period, suggesting that this holiday season will be one of the busiest.”[1] Later on in the article it noted, “In 2023, AAA projected that 55.4 million people would travel for Thanksgiving and another 115.2 million would travel for the Christmas period—the second-highest amount since 2000.”[2] I recently read that this number is projected to increase for this year. Shannon Thompson, with Elite Travel, said their travel agency has seen an over “20% increase in people traveling for 2024.”[3]
For many people, the anticipation of a journey is half the fun. Doing all this work—the planning and preparation—builds excitement about the places you will see and experiences you hope to have. No matter how much we plan, one thing is for certain, we never return from a journey the same. No matter how much planning and preparation we tend to do before leaving for any sort of journey, something during the journey changes us. As a matter of fact, our journeys shape us. We learn from them. We form and deepen relationships along the way. We have unexpected encounters that move us and provide memories that last the rest of our lives. Have you ever gone on a journey that changed your life or at least opened your eyes to something new?
“It is no wonder that the word journey is used as a metaphor for the spiritual life,” shares author Rob Fuquay in his book On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study. During our spiritual life—our walk with Christ—our life is changed much like it is when we take a vacation. From beginning to end, the Bible is a collection of journeys. God called Abraham to leave his home in the land of Ur of the Chaldeans and make his way to a place God would show him—a place where Islam, Judaism, and Christianity could trace their histories to. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into the wilderness where they journeyed for forty years: fraught with life-threatening obstacles and life-altering decisions, but yet were given the Promised Land. The residents of Jerusalem journeyed to Babylon defeated and hopeless but were given a new hope and a new desire to live faithfully once they returned to Jerusalem. The disciples journeyed with Jesus throughout Israel for three years not knowing where they were going, not understanding what was happening, and not realizing that their lives were being changed. Lastly, the Apostle Paul journeyed throughout the Mediterranean world starting churches and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, building churches and bringing hope to people of various nations, races, and languages.
The Bible ends by picturing a new heaven and earth, reminding us that when this life ends, all life doesn’t end. The journey continues and there are more adventures that wait. There are more adventures that change our spiritual life, that get us closer to following in the footsteps of Jesus. And during this specific season of life, of the year, our spiritual journey leads us to the place where the news given to a virgin named Mary by the angel Gabriel, a dream given to a carpenter named Joseph, and an empty stable and trough filled with hay, changed the world. This Advent Season, we embark on a journey of spiritual change: a journey to a small town known as Bethlehem. But along the way, we will encounter other places that help our spiritual life find the true meaning of Christmas: places such as Rome, Jerusalem, and Nazareth. The planning and preparation, for the anticipation and expectation of the arrival of Jesus, begins today. Are you ready for a journey? Are you ready to travel to Bethlehem? As the old saying goes, the journey is the destination
Each Sunday, we will travel to Bethlehem, making stops along the way. Rome helped us to think about what we are hoping for this Advent Season. Jerusalem invited us to experience peace as we wait for God to answer our prayers. And Nazareth taught us that God uses the simple and insignificant things and people to do extraordinary and significant things in our life. Today, our journey concludes with us arriving in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph have made the 70 mile, about a four days trek, from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be counted in the census as ordered by Caesar Augustus. When they arrive to Bethlehem, because people are traveling to their home towns, Mary and Joseph are unable to find room in the Inn or guest room to stay in. Therefore, they stay in a stable where Jesus is born. Why Bethlehem? Are we the Inn or are we the manger?
Body:
In the hit 1943 recording by Bing Crosby, the song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” was a significant morale booster for Allied soldiers, even if it concludes that “peace on earth” and celebrations with family are sometimes a hope yet to be realized. Lyricists Kim Gannon and Buck Pam reported that they weren’t thinking of soldiers specifically when they wrote the lyrics but rather all people who were separated from their families by the effects of World War II, which concluded on September 2, 1945 with the formal surrender of Japan.
Hear these lyrics from “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”: “I’ll be home for Christmas, You can count on me. Please have snow and mistletoe, And presents under [the] tree. Christmas Eve will find me, where the love light gleams. I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.”
Have you ever found yourself away from your home on Christmas day? Maybe you were on vacation? Maybe you were traveling for work? Maybe you were visiting friends or family? Maybe your plans got changed last minute and instead of being home for Christmas you were stuck somewhere trying to get home? Maybe the only way to be home for Christmas was to dream that you were home? Have you never not been home for Christmas?
The idea of being home seems to come with more sincerity, meaningfulness, and longing during the holiday seasons because it’s the place where people are no longer separated. And today, we find ourselves traveling with a family, back to the home town of Joseph, a place that he might have only dreamt about returning to because his wife Mary was from Nazareth not from Bethlehem. But yet, Joseph returns home, not to a house but to a humble stable that became the “home” of where promises are fulfilled, where people are transformed, and where lowly people are welcomed in. Bethlehem is the place, the home, where we all long to be during Christmas, to witness a miracle. But sometimes, we can only make it to Bethlehem in our dreams.
This idea of being “home” reminded me of a story I came across the other day regarding former President George H. W. Bush. One Sunday morning in 1989, the former President and his wife, Barbara, went to St. John’s Episcopal Church just a few blocks from the White House.[4] As the Bushes were about to enter, a homeless man named Wallace Brown said to the [former] president, “Would you pray for me?” Mr. Bush stopped, looked at the man and replied, “No.”[5]
Now imagine if news crews had captured that moment. What might have become of such a story? Reporters may have left off the rest of what the president said to the man. He said, “No,” but continued, “Why don’t you come inside and pray for yourself?” And so the man walked in that morning. Mr. Brown would continue attending the church, eventually becoming a member.
He never missed a Sunday. A woman in the church who was a head usher said that everyone knew he was living on the streets. One Sunday she was going to politely skip Mr. Brown during the offering, but he stopped her and insisted on putting in the offering plate a wadded-up dollar bill. He did this every Sunday. She said, “Some of our wealthiest members only put in a dollar.”[6]
He endeared himself to the congregation. When he died his unclaimed body would have been buried in what is known as “the potter’s field” in Washington, a place for paupers, unknown persons, and criminals.[7] But members of the church petitioned and were granted to have legal claim of his remains as his spiritual next of kin. They interred him in a sacred columbarium next to the church where fewer than one hundred people have been so honored since the church was built in 1816.[8]
In a way, Mr. Brown found his home. He found a place that welcomed him just as he was. A place he only dreamt about was for real. In a sense, he found what we all long for: he found the love that came down in Bethlehem.
Movement One: History of Bethlehem…
After traveling from Rome to Jerusalem and to Nazareth over the span of several weeks, we have made it to Bethlehem, the very place where Jesus was born, the very place where Mary and Joseph found rest, the very place where shepherds shared the good news, and the very place where we today feel as if we are home.
In Hebrew, the word Bethlehem means “house of bread.” Perhaps this name derives from the agricultural character of the region. Bethlehem was known for its bread. Jesus even calls himself the “bread of life” in John 6.[9]
More important is Bethlehem’s spiritual meaning. This was the ancestral home of King David. David was promised by God that a future Messiah would come from his descendants. Isaiah 11:1 says, “A shoot shall come from the stump of Jesse.” Jesse was David’s father, and the shoot is a reference to the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Savior. This is why Matthew and Luke are the only two Gospels to recount Jesus’ birth and offer genealogies that trace his ancestry back to David. Therefore, Joseph had to travel with his betrothed wife to Bethlehem to not only fulfill the prophecy of old but to register for the census that was ordered by Caesar Augustus because “he was descended from the house and family of David” (Luke 2:4).[10] Joseph had to return to Bethlehem and God knew that in Bethlehem a “shoot shall come” to the line of David.
Now, Bethlehem today is a city of more than twenty-five thousand inhabitants, mostly Palestinian Muslims and Christians. Tourism is the chief industry of Bethlehem, which receives over a million visitors each year. They come to see the place where Jesus was born and touch a rock believed to be part of the stable where Mary delivered Jesus that first Christmas. The grotto, where the access point to the stable is located, is beneath the beautiful Church of the Nativity and is believed to be the oldest site of continuous Christian worship. In spite of its popularity and tourism, Bethlehem still holds the mystique and awe of being the place where Jesus was born. Shepherds, angels, three Wise Men, a young couple, a manger, and a baby are the participants in this incredible drama of divine love. This is why we came all this way![11]
Movement Two: Why Bethlehem…
So, knowing a little bit about Bethlehem, we have to ask ourselves, “Why Bethlehem? Why is this village of bread the place where Jesus was born?” There are two generalized answers. First, the political answer is Rome. Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census to be taken throughout the Roman world. This decree was probably given before Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, when she came to be with child. Simply put, politically, Bethlehem is mentioned in the story because that is where Joseph was from and he had to return to his hometown to be accounted for.
Second, there is a religious explanation as well. Joseph had to go back to the place of his ancestral heritage. Joseph was a descendant of David from whom the future Messiah would come. The prophet Jeremiah foretold, “I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as a king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (Jeremiah 23:5).[12] But, still, how did Bethlehem get established as the ancestral home of David? To find out, we have to go all the way back in the Old Testament to the Book of Ruth.
The Book of Ruth is a beautiful story of a Moabite girl who married a Jewish man whose family lived in her country. Her mother-in-law was a devout Jewish woman named Naomi. Shortly after Naomi’s husband died, so did her son, Ruth’s husband, as well as her other son, whose wife was named Orpah. Naomi told her bereaved daughters-in-law that she was going to return to her home country, and they should return to their families of origin. After putting up initial resistance to leaving Naomi, Orpah relented and returned home. But Ruth refused Naomi’s request. She vowed to stay by Naomi’s side, speaking words that may sound familiar: “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). Together Naomi and Ruth returned to Naomi’s hometown of Bethlehem.[13]
Now they were without resources, so to help make ends meet Ruth found a field where hired pickers were gleaning the produce. The workers allowed her to go behind them and gather from what was left. The owner of the field, as it turned out, was a relative of Naomi. His name was Boaz. He learned Ruth’s story and how she refused to leave Naomi. He showed compassion for Ruth, telling his workers to protect her, allowing her to glean even from the main harvest, and offering her plenty to eat at mealtime. Hearing this, Naomi responded, “Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead” (Ruth 2:20).[14]
A few chapters we read that Boaz and Ruth marry and have a son. The women of the village said to Naomi, “May the Lord be blessed, who today hasn’t left you without a redeemer” (Ruth 4:14, CEB). The story says the women of Bethlehem named the child. They gave him the name Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse who became the father of David, the king who was promised by God to have an heir one day who would be the Messiah! The story ends with Naomi holding her grandson in Bethlehem.[15]
You see, Bethlehem has always been part of the story because Bethlehem is the place where not only one’s faith can be restored, but it’s also the place where everyone is included in God’s provision and hope. Bethlehem is the place where God’s promises, through his prophets, came true. Bethlehem is the place where new beginnings and transformations can take place. But most importantly, and this answers the question “Why Bethlehem?”, “Bethlehem,” according to Rob Fuquay, “is the place where simple acts of mercy or unexpected blessings can be claimed as evidence of God’s love in action.”[16] Bethlehem is the place where God’s love begins to flow throughout the land. It’s the place where love came down at Christmas.
What sort of simple acts of mercy have you offered to someone this season? How have you been or how have you offered an unexpected blessing? Has anyone been an unexpected blessing to you? Who was the last person that you invited to pick from the main produce instead of from what was left over? In what ways has God’s love in action gotten you closer to embracing the true meaning of Christmas? Sometimes in life great hope, great acts of love and compassion, come in little signs but do we notice those little signs?
So, why Bethlehem? Because Bethlehem reminds us that the love that came down at Christmas is the same love—unexpected blessings—that we are to share throughout our life. But what does that look like to you? How are you living out the meaning of Bethlehem in your life—a meaning and place that has always been part of the story.
Movement Three: There’s More to Bethlehem…The Shepherds…
In spite of Bethlehem’s ancestral connection to King David, there is still something extremely profound regarding why God chose Bethlehem. Bethlehem is the place where the least of society were welcomed home. This region marks the place where the angel visited shepherds as they watched over their flocks by night. The angel declared, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12).
The shepherds were the first ones invited to greet Jesus after he was born. Imperfect, dirty, hard-working, and possibly smelly shepherds were the first ones to meet the holy child. The shepherds weren’t wealthy, they weren’t royalty, they weren’t the most liked by the people, they didn’t live within the city walls, and they slept amongst the animals. But, yet, it’s the shepherds that find their way to Bethlehem on that first Christmas night. Did you know God is inviting you, just as you are, to Bethlehem to witness what the shepherds witnessed?
God was often described as a shepherd. David said, “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). Isaiah said that God’s relationship to his people is like that of a shepherd to his sheep: “He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms and carry them in his bosom and gently lead the mother sheep” (Isaiah 40:11). Jeremiah said much the same: “Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall no longer fear or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:3-4).[17] And God said through the prophet Ezekiel: “As shepherds sort out their flocks when they are among scattered sheep, so I will sort out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Ezekiel 34:12). Even Jesus called himself the “good shepherd” in the Gospel of John (John 10:11). Just like Bethlehem was always in the story, so was the idea and concepts of shepherds.
New Testament professor Alan Culpepper says that shepherding was a despised occupation at the time and “shepherds were scorned as shiftless, dishonest people who grazed their flocks on others’ lands.”[18] In Adam Hamilton’s book on Luke’s Gospel, he recognizes a derogatory term used in the first century, “Am ha-Arez,” which meant “people of the land.”[19] It was a label meant to mock those who were not among the educated or religious elite of the day. Certainly, shepherds were considered among the people of the land, but yet, again, they are the ones who are invited to go to Bethlehem, to see the baby Jesus, to stand near the manger, to be given the spirit to glorify and praise God for all “they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). They probably weren’t even devout followers of God’s word, but yet God used them to demonstrate the power of the good news.
Those living in the fields by night are the ones who receive “good news of great joy for all the people” by one of God’s messengers (Luke 2:10) and then they become the first ones to share the gospel with all those around (Luke 2:18). Above all else, the one that God favored, Mary, is said to have “treasured all [the words of the shepherds] and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19) instead of ignoring them. The shepherds—the outcasts—are welcomed to Bethlehem because God saw how His love could be put into action by those who society ignored. God saw how the shepherds could not only be restored but could restore God’s creation.
I believe that is why God invited the shepherds to be the first to adore the Christ child, to restore to them the honor and dignity that was their heritage. [20]They were the first congregation to praise God for the Christ-child because they represented God’s desire to come and restore people. Restore them to their true selves. Restore the very character of God in them. Why do you think God invites all of us to Bethlehem every year, every day of our life? Because we all need to be restored in some way. We all are struggling with something that we need God’s help with. We all need Bethlehem in our life.
God’s blessing is reserved for the lowly. God blesses those who recognize their need to be blessed. God blesses those who understand their need for God is more important than wealth, success, or recognition. Those blessed by Jesus are those most willing to depend on him and are seeking to be restored in Bethlehem. The Christmas story reminds us that we’re all shepherds at heart—not perfect, not always seen or heard or wanted, and not even welcomed at times—but chosen by God to do God’s work on this earth just as we are.
Conclusion:
We picture the manger as a tender place, but make no mistake, it is a volatile invasion. The Kingdom of God comes near in this manger. God is still in charge and will not quit. God does not give up. What happened in this tiny, dirty, remote location is the beginning of a rightsizing of the world. The Maker of heaven and earth has stepped into history, but God comes not with sword drawn or armies charging. God doesn’t come first to the halls of congress or parliaments. God comes as a frail baby needing care and love. God comes to every person who would open their arms to embrace him, not just because this baby needs our care, but because we need the care of this baby.
Friends, are you willing to go to Bethlehem to witness the “good news of great joy”? Are you willing to go to Bethlehem to be restored? Are you willing to go to Bethlehem to witness something that will change your life? Are you willing to become a lowly shepherd and know that God is still going to use you and call you to witness a miracle? Are you willing…?
Church, is there room in our Inn, in our guest room, for those needing to find rest and a home? Are we a Bethlehem for those needing to be restored, seen and heard, and welcomed in? Are we the place where we glorify and praise God for all that He has done and is doing in our life? And Church, do we have the manger inside of us?
Returning to the story of Mr. Brown. The story of how Mr. Brown came to be buried at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, all started when a person of high authority invited someone of low estate to have his own connection to God. That’s what God does with us every day. “Will you pray for me?” asked Mr. Brown to the president of the United States. “No,” responded the president. “Why don’t you come inside and pray for yourself.”
Mr. Brown was welcomed home into a place to which he only dreamt about going. Mr. Brown found Bethlehem, just as he was. God invites us every day to have a relationship, to have a connection with him, so that we make it to Bethlehem to witness a miracle that will change our life. In Bethlehem we are welcomed home! How long has God been inviting you to Bethlehem? How long have you turned him done because your own ideas are blocking the way? Are you willing to make the journey to Bethlehem to feel at home and to witness a miracle?
Bethlehem is the place where the love of God changed the world for forever; and it’s the place where we are changed as well. Let it be so…
Closing Prayer:
Let us pray: Dear God, continue to prepare our heart and mind for the birth of your Son. Grant us time this week to live in hope, experience peace, embrace joy, and embody your love so that we are able to find our way to Bethlehem to witness a miracle that will change and restore our life. Amen.
Benediction:
In just a few days, Jesus will be born in Bethlehem! The good news of great joy will arrive. Love will come down at Christmas. But are you ready? Is there room for Christ in your manger? May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth anticipated and expecting the birth of Jesus Christ. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.
Go; tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born! Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!
[1] https://www.foxweather.com/lifestyle/christmas-travel-air-roads-november-december
[2] https://www.foxweather.com/lifestyle/christmas-travel-air-roads-november-december
[3] https://www.kfvs12.com/2024/11/21/expect-another-busy-holiday-travel-season
[4] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study, Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, pg. 86. This is known as “the President’s church” because of the many presidents who have worshipped there across the years.”
[5] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study, Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, pg. 86.
[6] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study, Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, pg. 86-87.
[7] The meaning of potter’s field is a public burial place for paupers, unknown persons, and criminals. “Potter’s field” is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning field of blood in Aramaic), stated to have been purchased after Judas Iscariot’s suicide by the chief priests of Jerusalem with the coins that had been paid to Judas for his identification of Jesus.
[8] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study, Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, pg. 87.
Courtland, Milloy, “A Poor Man Who Enriched Others’ Lives,” The Washington Post, November 28, 2000, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/11/29/a-poor-man-who-enriched-others-lives/c90104da-6ac9-4027-bfdc-a2458fde6cc5/.
[9] In the Book of Ruth, when Naomi returned to Bethlehem, we are told that it was during the barley harvest. Situated between Egypt and northern provinces.
[10] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study, Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, pg. 83.
[11] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study, Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, pg. 83-84.
[12] Both Matthew and Luke include genealogies that clearly trace the heritage of Jesus’s earthly father, Joseph, back to David. Because Bethlehem was Joseph’s ancestral home as a descendant of David, Joseph and Mary were required to travel there from Nazareth to enroll for the census.
[13] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study, Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, pg. 89.
[14] Naomi was finding new joy and hope in her return to Bethlehem even though she endured hardships to get there because she found kindness in a stranger. She found hope in someone that could have simply said “No” to her request. It’s not just the stranger she found newness in; she also found newness in Ruth. Naomi told Ruth, “The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin” (Ruth 2:20). Notice how Naomi no longer talks to Ruth as someone who should go back to “her people.” She speaks to Ruth as someone who shares her family history: our relative, our nearest kin.
[15] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study, Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, pg. 94.
[16] Rob Fuquay, On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study, Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, pg. 90.
[17] Jesus leaves the 99 in search of the one lost sheep – Matthew 18:10-14 and Luke 15:1-7.
[18] Alan Culpepper, “Luke,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible, ed. Leander E. Keck, Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995, 8:65.
[19] Adam Hamilton, Luke: Jesus and the Outsiders, Outcasts, and Outlaws, Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2022. Pg. 15.
[20] The shepherds are in the story of Christmas because even though they possessed a proud identity and noble heritage—tied to how God works in our life—they lived in a world in which others could erode that pride and nobility.
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