Sermon: Advent 4C (OT)

23 December AD 2012

Title: Small Packages (MP3 Audio)

Summary: “Good things come in small packages.” Nowhere is this more true than in Micah’s prophecy concerning a tiny Judaean village. The “little town of Bethlehem,” all but forgotten since the days of King David, gained everlasting fame when the little Child of Mary was born there.

This Baby started out as tiny as any other human being. Yet even when He was one cell in His mother’s womb, He was also fully and completely God. The One who could spin worlds on His fingertips spent nine months floating about in Mary’s amniotic fluid.

Physical stature isn’t the only measure of Jesus’ “smallness.” Remember that He came as a Servant, lowering Himself below even the most insignificant person who ever lived. As Paul wrote, “He … did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)”

Thanks be to God bringing us the story of this “small town Boy makes good,” for this is the story of our salvation!

Text: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. Micah 5:2-5a

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of Small Packages, preached to the saints of God at Faith Lutheran Church, Knob Noster, Missouri.

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 80:1-7; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 (46-56)

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