Back in olden days, we had something called postcards. In those days of yore you would take a road trip to, say, the Grand Canyon, and you would actually look at the Grand Canyon, taking in its breathtaking majesty, instead of spending the whole time looking at it through a five inch screen taking pictures and posting them to Instagram or Facebook.
Once you were done taking in the beauty of the canyon, you would then go into a tourist trap known as a gift shop where you would use the bathroom, buy some snacks for the road, some trinkets for the kids that would break within ten minutes of getting back in the car, and a packet of glossy photos printed on cardstock with just enough space to write a little note to grandma or your friend, and for their address and stamp. 4 for a dollar. The pictures on the postcards were always the most iconic and idealistic images associated with wherever it was that you went. That is how you used to brag about where you went on vacation.
In this sermon, we’re going to look at some postcards from a road trip. I want to share with you some postcards from Bethlehem. We’re going to look at some of the most iconic images from the birth of Christ– angels, shepherds, baby Jesus, Mary, and I want to share a few things about each of them. We want to look at the iconic image of Christmas and then pause to consider the reality behind the picture.