Sermon Tone Analysis

Overall tone of the sermon

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*Philippians VIII: Servant King*
*/Philippians 2:5-11/*
*December 23, 2007*
* *
 
Welcome on this *Sunday* before *Christmas*.
I am really looking forward to our *Candlelight* *service* tomorrow night.
Invite your *friends* and *family* and join us.
And have your *kids* come in *PJ’s*.
Thank you to *Peter* for speaking last week.
I really *enjoyed* his *message*, especially since I wasn’t giving it.
·         I really appreciated him filling in so *last minute*; calling him last minute like that was *pretty* *cruel*.
I was really *inspired* by his sermon, and I have been considering running a *marathon*.
Just *thinking* about it has been the *most* physically *grueling* thing I’ve done, so I have *already* *given* *up*.
*When is Christmas?*
This morning, I want to start with a *Christmas* *history* lesson.
We all know that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus.
Q   But what is Jesus birthday?
We *don’t* really *know* the answer to that, but we know that it *wasn’t* December 25th, 1 AD
 
·         First of all, the *year* is completely wrong.
As you probably know, *BC* means “*Before* *Christ*” and AD means “*Anno* *Domini*,” which means “In the year of our Lord.”
This system was created in *525*, by a *monk* named “Dennis the Short.”
·         Oops, wrong picture.
Here is a better one.
So this system Dennis created has now become the *world’s* *standard*, and it’s based on the year Jesus was born.
Problem is, ol’ Dennis didn’t have really *good* *records*, and it turns out he was *off* a couple of *years*.
·         So Jesus was born around 4 years *Before* Christ.
*Unlikely day*
 
But *December* *25th* is an unlikely *day* as well.
*Luke* tells us that the *shepherds* were out in the *fields* watching their sheep.
Typically, sheep were not kept *outside* at *night* in *December*, because it was *too* *cold*.
We always think of Israel as being *hot* and *dry*, but the temperature in that *region* of *Israel* is only an average of *10* *degrees* warmer than *Mount* *Vernon*.
In December, nights are in the *low* *40’s*.
In fact, *snow* is not that uncommon.
Here is a picture of Jerusalem covered in snow, about *6 miles* from *Bethlehem*.
·         That to say, *sheep* and *shepherds* typically would not spend the night *outdoors*.
But not brought into the barn, *into* the *house*.
They sheep served as the *central* *heating* system for the house.
·         You think a *wet* *dog* stinks – imagine a *house* full of *sheep*.
*When was it?
*
 
Q   So when was Jesus born?
We simply don’t know.
*Observing* and celebrating *birthdays* is *pagan* *tradition*.
Neither the Jews nor the early church celebrated birthdays, so no one *bothered* to *remember*.
One early *church* *father*, named Origen, even wrote that it would be *wrong* to celebrate Christ’s birth because that’s what they did for *emperors* and *false* *gods*.
So where *hard* *facts* are in short supply, *theories* *abound*.
And there are a lot of different theories about Christ’s birth.
One guy from olden days said it was *March* *21st*, because that is when God *created* the *world*.
But *how* do we know that God created the world on March 21st?
Because that is when Jesus was born!
 
·         The *best* *theory* I’ve heard says he was born in *late* *fall*:
 
*Ancient* *culture* had to be based around the *agricultural* *year*.
In the *spring* it was time to plant, in *summer* you had to *tend* the fields, and in early *fall* you *harvested*.
*Late* *fall* would have been the *ideal* *time* to hold the *census* that *Luke* talked about.
The food was *harvested*.
You had *money* in your pocket to pay the taxes that probably came with the census.
But you didn’t want to *wait* too long, because the *winter* *rains*, which made travel *dangerous*.
*Flash* *floods* were a huge danger.
·         Put that all together and *late* *fall* is a very likely time for Jesus’ birth.
·         I am campaigning to make it *November 5th*, my birthday, especially because I am *named* after *Jesus*.
So *chronologically* speaking, December 25th is an *unlikely* choice.
But that doesn’t mean we should *abandon* it, especially since we don’t have *another* *option*.
Besides that, I believe December 25th *is* *accurate*, incredibly so, in *another* way.
Looking at the entire *scope* of human *history*, December 25th holds a *symbolic* and *meaningful* *connection* to Christ’s birth.
·         But you will have to come to the *Candlelight* service to hear about that.
*Today* we are still in *Philippians*.
*A Christmas story*
 
But not just any passage in Philippians.
Today’s passage also tells the *Christmas* *story*, but from *heaven’s* *perspective*.
·         Here I tip my hand: It was largely for *selfish reasons* I asked Peter to speak.
Christmas sermons are always a *challenge* to pastors.
Most of us have heard the Christmas story a *hundred* *times*, so our challenge is to shed *new* *light* on a very *familiar* *topic*.
So last month I was *mapping* *out* the Philippians series, I saw that if I *timed* it just right, I could save this week’s passage for *this* *Sunday*.
It is a *celebration* of the *Christmas* *story*, God becoming a man, but it is seen from *heaven’s* *view*.
In today’s sermon, we will see the nature of *God* as a *servant*, and see the *wonder* of *Christmas* when God became *one* of *us*.
*Hymn to Christ*
 
This passage, Philippians 2:5-11 is considered to be one of the *richest* passages in the Bible.
It’s topic is a *theologically* *profound* topic: the *incarnation*, when God become a man.
But it doesn’t *examine* or *explain* it as a thing to be *studied* and *dissected*.
We believe that it is a literally a *hymn*, a song in *honor* of this *marvelous* *event*.
It is written in a very *poetic* way, and has some *unique* *words* in it, so scholars are pretty sure it was one of the *Christian* *hymns*.
Perhaps written by *Paul*, or perhaps by *someone* *else*, but Paul *incorporates* into *Scripture*.
*Older* *translations* mashed it all together so the poetic element is lost, but *NIV* *brings* it out.
Let’s read it now.
Turn to Philippians 2:5, page 831 in the pew Bibles:
 
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
 
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be
grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death –
   even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
 and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
 in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
 to the glory of God the Father.*
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