Carols by Candlelight Service 2018 (HG010-11 pt2 Luke 2:1-20)
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1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered. 2 This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.
4 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to people he favors!
15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.
8-18, 20
In this morning’s service we had a look at the birth of Jesus born in poverty, in a place for keeping animals, laid in a feeding trough, all alone apart from one intrusion in the night; shepherds with their story of angels.
Not an auspicious start in the life of the one who is called the King of kings, Mighty God.
What of these shepherds? Well, they were the first to hear the wondrous news of a baby being born. The shepherds were despised in those times for they were unable to attend services or to keep the ceremonial laws of washing and cleansing. They were just too busy that when the Sabbath came round they had to keep on working. Animals still needed to be looked after. The shepherd’s were considered dreadful sinners, thieves according to the Mishnah. They were just a notch above only one other group more despised and that was the lepers.
I don’t know what happened since King David was around. For He Himself was a shepherd and so were all their forefathers. I think that it was just the religious people forgetting their history and coming down upon a group of people who could do nothing about their non-attendance and non-ceremonial-law keeping. Not their fault at all. There is nothing to suggest that these shepherds were bad characters, they were simply put down because of their occupation. And boy, does that mean we ought to be careful of judging just because of what someone does for a living.
Well, plainly God didn’t care about it. God gave His first message of His Son to these shepherds on the hillside, not to Herod the Great, not to the high and mighty, not to the religious leaders but to these despised commoners. How interesting! What for me is curious is that they were the ones who kept the sacrificial sheep, being shepherds so close to Jerusalem. The ones that helped keep others ceremonially clean were considered unclean by those who used their sheep. How ironic!
And what did the shepherds hear? After they were terrified at the sight of an angel, which is hardly surprising...
10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
The angel said that there is good news for all. All. From these shepherds up to royalty there is good news for all. Whoever you are, whatever you’ve done, He can deliver you, help you and save you. The first hearers of this, the shepherds heard the words: a Saviour has been born to YOU. It was for them on the hillside. To those rejected by the rest of society; to those who sense their need; to those who are not self-sufficient. The good news is for such people as these. The rest of the New Testament bears this out. Those who received Jesus were the tax collectors, prostitutes, the ostracised, the lepers, the blind, the lame. Indeed the Apostle Paul wrote:
26 Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. 27 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one may boast in his presence.
Jesus came for the nobodies. There were those who heard the good news and responded from the religious class. You’d think that there would be many as they were spiritual but we only hear of two. Just two. But even so, the offer is still to all.
What was the good news? The one born is a Saviour. To save us from our sin. He became poor so we could become rich. Not rich in worldly terms, for this is not promised. But rich spiritually. The material world is all good and fine but there is a day when we shall die. Today we are told there is nothing to worry about. Death is the end. Well, death is only the end of our earthly life. There is a hereafter. And there is a God who created us and expected much of us.
But all of us were born in sin and have committed sin. Sin basically is a term for doing wrong or missing the mark. God’s judgement is that we are deserve to die, not just physically, but for all of eternity. It might seem harsh but God is absolute perfection and cannot bear to look on sin. But God sent Jesus to come into the world to save us and pay the penalty and judgement due to us on our behalf.
We are being offered peace with God and we have the chance to accept it. Or reject it. We celebrate Christmas because this was God’s way of reconciling us to Him. He did not have to make the first move but He did.
The Christmas message of this passage should make us sing year-round. The substance of the angels’ song is instructive. It was first upward as they glorified God in “the highest” heavens, and then it was outward as it pronounced “on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests”—peace, wholeness, well-being for those who have been favoured by God’s grace.
Has God worked in your heart? Are you the object of his good pleasure? Then you have a song to sing, for the best part is yours. If you are able to receive what God wants to give, the message of peace is for you. Would that it were for all. It is available for all, and when and if we receive what God wants to give us, we have peace.
Immediately the shepherds began to announce the good news, telling all who would listen about the angels and this wonderful birth. When they left, they continued glorifying and praising God for all they had experienced.
It is not enough to hear about Jesus. It is not enough to peek in the manger and say, “Oh, how nice. What a lovely scene. It gives me such good feelings.” The truth is, even if Christ were born in Bethlehem a thousand times but not within you, you would be eternally lost. The Christ who was born into the world must be born in your heart. Religious sentiment, even at Christmastime, without the living Christ is a yellow brick road to darkness.
The Savior of the world is Jesus, the Son of God who came to earth was born in human flesh, lived in the flesh, died in the flesh, was resurrected in that flesh, and now lives in the same glorified flesh at the right hand of the Father. And at the end of time He shall return as Judge of the living and the dead. What will you do with Jesus this Christmastime? Forget Him or follow Him? Please, hear this, it is the most important message you will ever hear in your lives. Follow Jesus and you will have eternal life:
Preaching the Word: Luke, Vol. 1—That You May Know the Truth The Effect (vv. 15–20)
In this world of sin,
Where meek souls will
Receive him still
The dear Christ enters in.
The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 26: Luke A Threefold Peace
We can come home. We belong to Him. Whatever we have done, we can come home and be reconciled.
Be it shepherd or king, prostitute or magistrate or anyone in between there is space for us in Heaven next to Jesus who came at Christmas. Will we give Him room in our lives?
If You Look for Me at Christmas…
Author Unknown
If you look for me at Christmas,
you won’t need a special star;
I’m no longer just in Bethlehem,
I’m right there where you are.
You may not be aware of Me
amid the celebrations.
You’ll have to look beyond the stores
and all the decorations.
But if you take a moment
from your list of things to do,
and listen to your heart, you’ll find
I’m waiting there for you.
You’re the one I want to be with,
you’re the reason that I came,
and you’ll find Me in the stillness,
as I’m whispering your name.
Bibliography
Bibliography
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Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Grigoni, M. R., Custis, M., Mangum, D., Whitehead, M. M., Brant, R., Barry, J. D., & Vince, E. (2012). Mary: Devoted to God’s Plan. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Larson, B., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1983). Luke (Vol. 26). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). The Gospel according to Luke. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
Elwell, W. A. (1995). Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). St. Luke (Vol. 1). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 22:11 21 December 2018.