It is no longer a news flash: The Christmas story is not a story; it’s a question. How is that possible? Because the whole purpose of the Christmas story is to ask a question. Let me explain with a series of stories; and to help us see some connections, let me highlight two key words
The children of Israel are slaves in Egypt and have been for centuries. It is a hopeless situation, and there is no indication that anything will ever change. These people will suffer and die in Egypt, not only as individuals, but as the people of Israel. But then, God speaks to Moses out of a burning bush and calls him to go to Pharoah and say those remarkable words, “Let my people go!” And Moses goes to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh won’t budge. In fact, Moses’ confrontation only makes things worse. In a show of force, Pharaoh prohibits the use of straw in making bricks. The people had not believed things could get any worse, but they were terribly mistaken. And Moses cries out to God in search of answers for why God would call him to liberate the people and then disappear, leaving the people to be slaves in far worse conditions. And God replies to Moses and says (Ex. 6:6):
“Say to the Israelites:
‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
I will free you from being slaves to them,
and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm
and with mighty acts of judgment.”
Armed with these words, Moses goes back to Pharaoh, but nothing has changed. Pharaoh remains obstinate and will not release God’s people. It is at this point that the story turns. God rises up and begins to confront Pharaoh and the Egyptian horde. He sends ten plagues upon them, with each plague being worse than the previous one. And after ten plagues, Pharaoh relents and frees the Israelites. Israel begins to make their way to the Promised Land, but come upon a major roadblock: the Red Sea. And while they are charting a course to go around the sea, Pharoah has seller’s remorse and decides that he wants the people back in slavery. He gathers up his army and pursues the Israelites and catches up with them with their backs against the sea. There is no escape. But then, God shows his power. He parts the Red Sea, and his people walk across the sea on dry land. And when they are across, the Egyptian army gives chase. They enter the Red Sea and soon are approaching the last of the Israelite train, when suddenly, the wind stops and the sea crashes down on the Egyptians. There are no survivors. Safe and secure on the far side of the sea, the people of Israel gather together in worship and give praise to God. We read in Exodus 15 (1-4):
“Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:
‘I will sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.
The LORD is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The LORD is a warrior;
the LORD is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.’”
See, when God redeems his people, they can’t help but to sing.
The psalms are often songs of desperation to God. The psalmist cries out to God because he is in dire straits. But amazingly, these same psalms often end on a positive note; in songs of praise and gratitude for God’s goodness and salvation. This fact is seen brilliantly in Psalm 107 (1-16, 22):
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the plans of the Most High.
So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
and broke away their chains.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.
Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.”
See, when God redeems his people, they can’t help but to sing.
Isaiah writes about a people in exile. The situation is bleak. No nation has ever returned from exile before, and there is no reason to think that Israel would be the first. But Isaiah comes to these people, beaten down by life, and says (Is. 40:1-2):
“Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
double for all her sins.”
This comfort is a gift of God’s redemption. And while it is addressed in many ways in the following chapters, we need to stop and hear God’s words to his servant in Isaiah 44. Here God comes to Israel and reiterates his redemption and reassures Israel of his love (Is. 44:21-23):
“Remember these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.
I have made you; you are my servant;
Israel, I will not forget you.
I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.
Sing for joy, you heavens, for the LORD has done this;
shout aloud, you earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,
you forests and all your trees,
for the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
he displays his glory in Israel.”
See, when God redeems his people, they can’t help but to sing.
God sends an angel to speak to Zechariah with the good news that his son will be the forerunner of the Messiah. And when John is born, Zechariah sings this song (Lk. 1:68-75).
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”
Redemption is coming to God’s people. God’s salvation will flood over the earth. And when the angels break the news to the shepherds, they cannot remain unaffected. They have to sing the good news. And so a whole angelic choir sings (Lk. 2:14):
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
See, when God redeems his people, they can’t help but to sing.
And when the story is being told from the vantage point of heaven, God’s redeemed people are seen singing a new song (Rev. 14:3):
“And they sang a new song before the throne
and before the four living creatures and the elders.
No one could learn the song except the 144,000
who had been redeemed from the earth.”
See, when God redeems his people, they can’t help but to sing.
Christmas is a celebration of God’s redemption come to earth. In our desperate need, God comes to set us free from our sin, death and despair. Once we were in exile, but now we have been brought home. Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God. Once we were weighed down by our sin and guilt, but now we are forgiven. Once we were lost, but now we are found. So, here’s the question: How are we going to respond to such a great salvation? God has spoken; can we hear him? God is on the move; can we see him? God has redeemed his people; will we sing for joy?
NOTE: There will not be a blog post next week. Merry Christmas . . . with singing! See you in 2025.
