Four Classes At Christmas

Four Classes At Christmas

On Christmas day, CDC had the distinct privilege of inviting one of their favorite guest speakers, Reverend Lai Mooi Him to give the Christmas message. In an interesting and unique approach, the dear Reverend chose to focus on four distinct classes of people who were actually there when Christmas first happened.

The Innkeeper

Joseph and his wife Mary looked high and low in all Bethlehem that night, but there was no room at all in sight. Finally, the “best” one innkeeper could offer them was the dirty, old manger where Christ was born that not-so-silent night. At the time of the census, where everyone was required to go back to his hometown to register, the inns would have been packed with guests, with every nook and cranny filled as much as possible. It was a very busy time for the innkeeper, and he had no time to have more than a little glimmer of compassion for a distressed mother who was about to give birth at anytime…. Christmas is a busy time, a time for shopping, parties, activities and even making money for some-yet in all our hustle and bustle, we must ask ourselves: have we lost our focus?

Have we forgotten what Christmas is all about? Are we too busy for Jesus?

The Shepherds

In those days, shepherds were deemed to be of little repute, people of the lowest class, even deemed hardly proper people at all. They kept to themselves and their flock by night. Humbly and patiently, they would sit by the quiet night, enjoying the night breeze and the vastness of the skies. However, that night, they were absolutely terrified, for the night skies was suddenly filled with angels everywhere, proclaiming the birth of the Savior of the World! The shepherds believed the angels and went to see the babe Jesus where they bowed down and worshipped Him, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Unlike the busy innkeeper, the shepherds were humble and patient, they had time for the Lord… Let us learn then to be humble and patient, and make time to spend with the Lord, and His favor will certainly follow us - like the poor shepherds who became most privileged of people that faithful night.

The Wise Men

From far, far away in the East, the Wise Men had perceived through the study of the stars, that a great King would appear in the West. For thousands upon thousands of miles, they persevered through desert and mountain to seek out He that would be Savior of the World. In their pursuit of the truth, they were willing to endure great hardship, and when they finally found the baby Jesus, offered costly sacrifices of gold and myrrh and frankincense. And they went away rejoicing…. These men were not Jews, but they were seekers, and because they did not give up, they finally found the truth……. Let us ask ourselves, are we seeking Jesus today? His Word promises that if we seek God with all our heart and soul, we will certainly find Him!

The Religious Leaders

The Chief Priests and Teachers of the law were with King Herod when the Wise Men arrived, and they could even tell them from Scripture where they could find the Messiah, in Bethlehem! But amazingly, they did not go for themselves! They knew all the answers, they knew the Scriptures, but they did not go, they did not need Jesus……… In their own eyes, they were the elite of the people, and did not need salvation from any Messiah. They were proud, and self-sufficient, they deemed themselves worthy on their own. Sometimes, we too in Church today can become like that- we pay our tithes, serve in so many areas, and do so many good deeds. We can easily become proud and think we are Ok and unwittingly, we do not realize that we live and think as though we do not need Jesus.

In conclusion, let us heed the warnings and examples of the four classes. Let us not be too busy for Jesus like the Innkeeper, or too proud and self-sufficient for Jesus like the Religious Leaders. Instead, let us be humble and patient like the Shepherds, and truly seek Jesus from the bottom of our heart like the Wise Men. Let us always remember and focus on the true meaning of Christmas always, for without Christ, there is certainly no Christmas.....