Sermon Tone Analysis
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A lot of ink has been spilled, and will continue to be spilled concerning the date of Jesus’ birth.
December 25 is the traditional date.
There is nothing to either disprove or prove it.
Some say that it is nothing more than the taking over of the pagan holiday Saturnalia.
What is interesting is that during Saturnalia, gifts were given (Christians approved the giving of gifts, esp. to the poor).
It celebrated the winter solstice, when the increase of darkness comes to an end, and the amount of daylight begins to increase.
Christians saw how well this fit, Christ the Sun of righteousness, Christ the light that overcomes the darkness.
So, it really is no problem, and, one can argue that it was more than simply Christianising a pagan holiday.
What we’re left with is a very good tradition.
The objections regarding the sheep in the fields, the weather at that time of year making travel difficult don’t hold up.
These sheep could have belonged to the temple—used for the sacrifices.
And the weather at that time of the year can vary almost by week.
I was there for three weeks in January.
We spent a whole week in Jerusalem and the weather, compared to Canada, was warm.
Sure, one weekend it did snow, and that did shut the entire city down.
We also saw sheep in the fields near Jerusalem during the day.
There are two astonishing things about this historical account.
That God would condescend to be born, taking on sinful humanity is totally far out.
That God first announced His Son’s birth to shepherds is incredible.
In those days, shepherds were men of ill-repute.
People assumed they were thieves, they were barred from normal religious practise, and they were treated with utter contempt.
That angels appeared to them fits with Isaiah’s prophecy which Jesus read and declared fulfilled in his hearer’s presence.
“The Spirit is upon me to preach good news to the poor.”
They were poor in every sense of the word.
Economically, socially and religiously.
In this, they represented the whole human race perfectly.
That being said, these shepherds were devout believers.
They were anxiously awaiting God’s promise fulfilment.
They had responded to God’s grace, mercy and love, through the person of the Holy Spirit working in their lives.
We know this from the way the angel spoke to them, telling them the good news, telling them to go see the sign.
God’s favour was on them—an angel was speaking to them!
It happened very suddenly.
One moment it was dark, the next, blazing with heavenly light.
An angel, holy, powerful, fierce, bright, standing right there, by them.
God’s glory, the representation of his presence, flashed all around them.
The shepherds feared with great fear!
Devout men or not, they were not perfect, they were sinners, they knew it, and it all happened so fast!
They feared with great fear!
“Don’t be afraid”.
Angels probably don’t look like the representations of paintings, or from the show, Touched by an Angel or Philadelphia Cream Cheese commercials.
Together with God’s power, the phrase, “Don’t be afraid” was necessary.
Why shouldn’t they be afraid?
Because the angel came to bring good news.
The word angel means messenger, the word for good news, euangelidzomai has the word messenger in it.
Same with evangelism.
Look at it, the word angel is right there, after ev, and before ism.
What’s the good news?
The announcement that God himself, through his Son’s sacrifice, would bring about the solution for sin.
This good news is for all people.
No one can be excluded because of status, gender, race, employment, history, genealogy, nothing.
It is for everyone.
Even the Shepherds are included, even we’re included.
All God’s people are included.
The good news?
The saviour is born, this night.
That thing you’ve been longing for, the promises made originally to Adam and Eve, and oft repeated, has happened, tonight!
The Saviour is born.
This is how you’ll know: in town, you’ll find a baby wrapped in baby blankets, lying in a manger.
Immediately verifiable.
If they go and can’t find the baby, the statement is false; there is no good news.
But if they find the baby, then they will know for sure that the statement is true, God has finally come to rescue, to save his people.
Then, immediately following this great pronouncement, a multitude of angels appear.
Why do they appear?
It is simply the realisation of what has just taken place.
Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, the Father’s son, the one by whom all things were made, the one who created and named every single angel, who knew the angels, and the angels knew him, was down there.
Just born.
Wrapped in newborn baby blankets.
The angels appeared and gave glory because the most amazing, most astonishing thing had just happened!
Jesus, the king of kings and lord of lords, was now the lowest of the low.
Jesus, who created everything, entered creation, was born!
Jesus, who is life, would suffer death.
Jesus would vicariously bear the curse which rested upon the people he came to save.
The Holy Spirit would condescend to live in the hearts of sinful people, giving them salvation, sanctifying them, making them holy.
Seeing all this happening, the angels were awestruck!
It is as though they’re saying, Wow! God’s love is amazing!
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Cor.
8:9 & 9:15).
Isn’t it God’s love that the angels desire to look into?
(1 Pet.
1:12).
What time of year it was, what the angels looked like, whether or not they actually sang, none of that matters, what actually happened was the actualisation of God’s plan of salvation.
The angels could no longer contain their exuberant praise of God!
Glory to God in the highest!
Peace among those with whom he is pleased!
Peace—reconciliation between God and man.
The dividing wall of sin, torn down.
The atonement perfectly given.
The being made forever right with God.
The serene assurance that we are forever right with God.
The more we praise God for the salvation he has won for us by his mighty hand, the more we realise how worthy God is of praise, what he’s done, the more we’ll praise, the more we’ll experience and possess this peace.
The text is clear; God’s peace is not on everyone.
This isn’t a blanket statement.
God’s favour, God’s peace rests upon only those whom he has given his favour.
Clearly, his favour rested on those shepherds.
Clearly, God’s favour rests upon us, all of us who are gathered here.
God brought you here this morning, do you realise this?
Yeah, we dragged our sorry selves out of bed, into the shower, into the car, into the church, only because God placed his favour upon us.
God willed us to will to come to church.
But knowing that God’s favour rests upon us changes everything, doesn’t it?
Nothing we did, nothing in our personalities, made us pleasing to God.
God didn’t chose us because of how hard we work at our jobs, how good we are with our kids, how obedient we are as children, how selfless we are as people, how disciplined we are as students.
God did it simply out of his good pleasure.
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