O Holy Night

O Holy Night  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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One holy night, outside the rural town of Bethlehem, the heavens touched earth. Angels appeared to lowly shepherds and gave them the good news that the world had been waiting for. They delivered a holy message of the Savior's arrival. The Shepherds went on a holy search to discover all they had been promised. They found the holy child lying in a manger. That night changed the world, and nothing would ever be the same.

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Sing “Silent Night”
On Christmas Eve night 1914 something amazing happened. Something that still has the world scratching its head. It was at the beginning of WWI and there was a fierce battle going on in Belgium between the French and the English on one side and the Germans on the other. The battle had reached a stalemate, and each side had bunkered down and dug trenches. They were about 60-80 yards apart from one another and the space between was called No Man’s Land because no one could venture there and survive.
It’s estimated that over 100,000 troops were involved in this battle and these trenches went on for miles. The conditions were horrible, and both sides had lost thousands of lives. There were bodies scattered all over No Man’s Land because if someone tried to retrieve them, they would be shot.
As Christmas approached, the Germans started decorating some of the trees around their bunkers with candles. On Christmas Eve both sides were settled down on their respective sides and some of the British were playing their bagpipes and singing some of their favorite pub songs, which no doubt brought them some sense of comfort being so far away from home and in the middle of war on Christmas Eve.
Meanwhile, on the other side, some of the Germans began to sing one of their country’s most beloved Christmas carols, Silent Night, and after singing it through several times, something incredible happened. The French and British joined in on the familiar tune. Unbelievably, that night led to a ceasefire that lasted until New Year’s Day. On Christmas Day, each side helped the other bury their dead and over that next week they celebrated Christmas together, they played soccer together; they gathered around the same campfires and told stories and laughed long into the night.
It was a holy night. Neither side could have seen a week of peace being born out of the singing of a Christmas carol, and yet, that is exactly what happened. A song about the birth of a baby in Bethlehem who would bring peace on earth, brought peace to a war-torn battlefield and, for a handful of hours, turned enemies into friends.
All of us probably have our favorite Christmas carol. We may have even sang one this morning. It is a song that when it is sung you just melt. You fill a peace come over you. The song warms your heart, it stirs your soul. For some of you it may be this song.
Sing “O Holy Night”
You may know this, but O Holy Night actually follows the birth narrative of Jesus that is found in Luke 2.
If you have your Bibles let’s go to Luke chapter 2 and look at this story. I want to begin reading at verse 8.
Luke 2:8–14 NIV
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Can we think about these Shepherds for a moment?
Here they were minding their own business. They were doing their daily job. The life of the shepherd was no easy task. They were outcasts to society. They weren’t allowed in the city. The people in the general public didn’t trust them. Some of the shepherds were even thieves. But Luke tells this story for a reason. Jesus would come, not to the proud and powerful, but to the outcasts, the humble, those considered “last” on the social lists. And it was to these men that God would bring the first news of His Son’s arrival.
This was a Holy Night, this night would bring a Holy Message and a Holy Search that would ultimately bring them to a Holy Child. For the next few moments I want you to take this journey with me.

The Holy Message

The first words that came out of the angel’s mouth was words of comfort. Look at verse 10 again.
Luke 2:10 NIV
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
The shepherds that night had never experienced anything like this before. This was something new to them. You can only imagine being in a field and all of a sudden an angel and all the glory, splendor that would occur, appearing before their very eyes. You and I would probably be afraid as well. So, the angel calms their fears by saying, “Do not be afraid.” They eased any fears that they may have had. They let them know that what they were about to tell them was going to be the best news that they have ever heard.
The angel told them,
Luke 2:11–12 NIV
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
The Holy Message was that a Savior had been born. There is only two times in the Gospels where the word “Savior” is used to refer to Jesus. Here as the angels proclaimed his birth, and in John 4:42 by the Samaritans who came to believe in Jesus as “the Savior of the world.”
For the Greeks and Romans, the word “savior” could be applied to their gods as well as to great military or political leaders. Julius Caesar was called a “savior.” The basic meaning of the word was readily understood by Jews as well as Gentiles.
The title Messiah comes from the Hebrew term with the meaning “Anointed One.” In the Greek the word used is “Christ.” It has the same meaning “Anointed One.” To be anointed meant to be set apart for some special purpose. Moses anointed Aaron and his sons as the first priests of Israel. The prophet Samuel anointed both Saul and David as kings of Israel. The title was applied to that future one whom God would raise up. The Jews were awaiting this special deliverer, one who would be the Anointed One of God, the Messiah, the Christ.
The word “Lord” refers here to deity. That this tiny baby was the “Lord” means that God had arrived in human form. Thus the angel gave no doubt as to the identity of this child. He was the one for whom all Israel had been waiting.
So, this message was Holy because it was the announcement that the Savior of the world was here. The Messiah had arrived. The One they had been waiting for.
And it was a Holy Message because of who was receiving it. Of all the people who would have been in line to receive news of the birth of God’s son, the shepherds would have certainly been last in line. The fact that the angels came to them first seems to suggest that this good news is truly, as is said in verse 10, for all people.
From the least to the greatest, from the poor to the rich, from the nobodies to the somebodies, Jesus was born and is Savior to all.
And it was also a Holy Message because of who was giving it. These were divine messengers of God. They arrived on behave of God himself. For the last 400 years God had been silent. And now He was bringing a message of hope, a message of peace, a message of forgiveness, a Holy Message. God’s son, Jesus, the Savior of the world, had been born, and now these shepherds needed to go and see this child and proclaim the good news to all.
So, the shepherds went on a Holy Search.

The Holy Search

All of us are searching for something. Some people are searching for the meaning of life. Some are searching for happiness and fulfillment. The problem is that many people search for these things in the wrong places. But the shepherds search is a different search because they are searching for the Messiah, Jesus, and in Him is found all of our meaning, significance, happiness, fulfillment and so much more.
Luke 2:15 NIV
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
I went out this week and bought a few gift cards and I have placed them all under the seats in the sanctuary. There are five gift cards. In a minute, when I say search, whichever one you find, is yours. Are you ready? Ready, set, search!
The quick response from everyone in the room proves my point. When we really think something is important, valuable or prized, we are quick to go on the search. During this time of year, we are reminded that there is nothing more valuable than the birth of Jesus Christ into the world. His birth gives us hope that our lives can change. His birth gives us joy because He offers us salvation. His birth gives us peace by making us right with God. His birth offers us love through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. The birth of Jesus changed everything, and it has the power to change everything for all of us today.
This Saturday, we will celebrate Christmas once again. This is a perfect time for us to value Jesus Christ more than the gifts under our tree, more than our own ambitions, or our bank accounts, or even our own selfish desires. We 100% need to value Jesus Christ more than any other thing that we could search for. The best search that we could do is to search for the one who saved us, Jesus Christ.
Jesus told his followers to...
Matthew 6:33 NIV
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
What is it you are looking for? Happiness, then seek Jesus first. Are you looking for hope? Then seek Jesus first. Are you looking for forgiveness? Seek Jesus first. Whatever you are looking for, if you will seek Jesus first, then you will find it.
This year all of us need to join with the shepherds in their holy search to see what this holy message was all about. The Bible makes a promise to us that when we truly search for Jesus, we will find him.
Jeremiah 29:13 NIV
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
It was through Jesus that God came to us. God wants to be with us. He wants to heal your brokenness. He wants to give you hope. He wants to give you the peace that you need. He wants to take away any fears you may have. He wants to be with you.
At the end of their search in Bethlehem, the shepherds found what they were searching for: The Holy Child.

The Holy Child

Luke 2:16–20 NIV
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The word Holy means sacred and set apart. Jesus was not some ordinary child. He was sent to earth with a divine mission. This mission would begin in a Cradle, but it would end on a cross. Jesus came to earth so that someday he could die for the sins of the world.
Some people may ask why did Jesus have to die. The simple reason is sin. The only way for sin to be forgiven was for a sacrifice to be made. A pure and spotless lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus came to earth and lived a spotless life so that He could go to the cross and die for all man-kinds sins. Our forgiveness, redemption and new life are all made possible by this holy child.
And these shepherds had an important message that they had to tell everyone about it.
Verse 18 says that all who heard it were amazed...
The amazing thing about this is shepherds were not supposed to know much, and these shepherds had startling information. The message was revolutionary, breathtaking, and transformative. It changed listeners’ lives. The shepherds spoke from the heart, and their words connected to the deepest needs of others. The messages the shepherds would give was about the holy child that had come to the earth to save the people from their sins. It was a message that changed the world.
And just like the shepherds, if you have had an experience with the Holy Child, you too need to go and tell someone about this important message. Will you share this message of hope? Will you share this message of good news to others? Will you share the power of God’s arrival among us? Will you share the joy you have in him?
The 16th century theologian Martin Luther once wrote this poem about Jesus’ birth and captured that holy night in Bethlehem.
Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.
My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep,
I too must sing, with joyful tongue,
That sweetest ancient cradle song,
Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given
While angels sing with pious mirth.
A glad new year to all the earth.
So, all eyes on Jesus. He is the reason we celebrate. He is the reason we have gathered here. He is the true meaning of Christmas. He is our hope of new life.
Let’s pray.
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