24 December 2010 – Christmas Eve, a look at Luke 2:8-14
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
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“…keeping watch over their flock by night…"
We do not know, of course, what time of day Jesus was born. We do know, however, that the angelic announcement to the shepherds came at night.
How fitting!
For as the Isaiah prophesied, "the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
And as it was said of John the Baptist, "He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light."
And as Jesus Himself said "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
And so, the angel came, in the middle of the night, dispelling the darkness with Heavenly light -- a foretelling of the Heavenly Light
that had been born into the world -- praise God!
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Questions:
1. Do you think it was with intent that the angel appeared at night?
2. Is there a significance to the 'glory' that shone around them?
3. What other passages about light does this remind you of?
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“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
“… all people.”
The ancient prophecies of the coming Messiah were held in Hebrew texts -- from Hebrew prophets -- and was believed by many to be only for the Hebrews. He was after all to be the "King of the Jews".
But there is Gospel, there is Good News for the rest of us --
Listen brothers and sisters -- all brothers and sisters, be ye Jewish or not. Regardless of race -- regardless of your race, your heritage, your parents, your past religious beliefs, the color of your skin, where you were born or where you live -- these good tidings -- this great joy -- this Savior is for you all people -- this Savior is for you!
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Questions:
1. Do you think that this was with intent of the angel's message?
2. Might this have been the first inkling that the Messiah was for all?
3. What other passages confirm this idea?
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"Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
The physical presence of the angel and the glory of God was so overwhelming -- that I wonder if they thought it odd, at first, that this newly arrived King was a baby -- and was in a feeding trough in barn. I'm sure that Jesus looked different and was in a different place than anyone expected.
Hmmm -- methinks there is a lesson there.
Are we not often guilty of looking back at the shepherds and the Pharisees and everyone else, and clucking our tongues that they did not recognize this Messiah?
And yet, doesn't Jesus still look different than we think He should and show up in places that we don't expect? Pierced, tattooed teenagers praising God with confidence, one hundred million believers in China, Orthodox Messianic Jews, priests with collars and pastors in Hawaiian shirts -- pews full of three-piece suits and folding chairs filled with blue jeans and t-shirts. Beautifully adorned cathedrals, little frame churches in the middle of cotton fields, soup kitchens, with the homeless huddled under the freeway overpass.
That was not just a baby -- Jesus is never just anything.
He came in a way that was totally unexpected.
He still does.
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Questions:
1. Why do you think God decided that Jesus would arrive as a baby?
2. In what ways do you see Jesus today that surprise you?
3. In what places?
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"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God."
The shepherds were a walk into town away from seeing the Savior, the Messiah, Christ the King.
But imagine the sight before their eyes at this moment! First, the angel and the Glory of God -- then joining the angel was a multitude of the heavenly host praising God! Can you imagine? These blessed shepherds got a glimpse into the Heavenly realms -- as it says in John's Revelation, "Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty… "
We often talk about the blessing they received by being among the first to see Jesus -- and I do not want to take away from that at all -- but imagine this scene -- as the Heavens opened and God's choir momentarily turned away from the throne to announce the arrival of the Son -- to herald the birth to these blessed few.
God bless the day when we shall all see what the shepherds saw!
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Questions:
1. Can you think of anyone else who saw a similar sight ?
2. Why, do you think, did God send the Heavenly Hosts along with the angel?
3. Beyond the obvious shock, what do you think was the shepherds response to this?
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“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
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There is much talk during this season, and this year it seems, in particular, about 'keeping Christ in Christmas'. Debates over nativity scenes on public property, Christian songs sung in public schools, store clerks being instructed to say "Happy Holidays" or some other generic greeting. Freedom of speech vs. not being offensive -- my rights vs. your rights. As with many issues, it looks simple from “my” side…
There is a place for public debate, and we as Christians certainly have rights, but,"…on earth peace, good will toward men."
Our ultimate goal as Christians is to bring as many people to Jesus as we can.
Jesus was pretty rough on the established church leaders, but kind and loving to those outside the body -- the tax collectors -- the prostitutes.
I'm not suggesting, ever, that we as believers roll over and let the world squash the church. There is a time to stand and fight. We must just make sure that we are fighting His battle and fulfilling His desires, His will, not our own egos. I do believe some of us are called to debate in the public arena. I also believe that the goal of such debate must be kingdom oriented -- centered, not on achieving civil rights, but bringing people to Jesus. We certainly don't want to be 'right', and drive people away from Him in the process.
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Questions:
1. How can we lovingly work at keeping Christ in Christmas?
2. What are specific ways we can do this, using Jesus' life as a model?
3. Does this perspective apply to the rest of the year?
Remember, as much as for anyone else in all of history, Jesus came for you. Merry Christmas, Pastor Jim
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