Luke 2:8-20
Christmas Eve, 2009
If you had a choice, who would you invite to your birthday party? Famous folks, or street bums?
Or, to whom would you announce your greatest accomplishment? To the most influential news medium, or street sweepers huddled in a back alley?
God invited to the birthday of his Son the street bums, in an obscure place.
We tend to see the image of the shepherds tending their folks as quaint, but miss the fact that by Jesus’ time shepherds were considered low life’s. Were viewed as outcast as tax gatherers, unimportant as dung sweepers….
AND YET the heavenly host says to them:
v.10 I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people..
v.11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savoir
When God announces to the world the most spectacular event of all time, the coming of his Son to save the world, he does so first through nobodies. The good news comes to the lowly, the outcast, the unworthy, NOT religiously important, kings and priests, the scribes, theologians, philosophers, power brokers, or the highly influential.
Let’s ask three simple questions of this event:
1. How does God announce Jesus to the lowly?
He does so in a most spectacular fashion:
v.9 the glory of the Lord shone around them
v.13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.
In the first instance the glory came into their space
In the second instance, they were shown the space of the glory.
Do you see how this pictures God’s grace?
2. Why does God do it this way?
Should they be afraid of God, death, condemnation? Yes, without a savior.
See the point? We’re all shepherds; we all need a savior: He came to save sinners. We are outcasts from the presence of a holy God.
That’s why the announcement is:
Peace on earth, for all humanity, shalom to the fullest, in deepest part of soul.
3. What is evidence you understand the significance of Christmas?
The shepherd’s left the fields to find Jesus with great joy. You want to see Jesus. Our response to God’s good news of peace for sinners is faith.
Good news of forgiveness swallows up fear. What are you doing out of fear of God?
Through the incarnation Christ transforms the figure of shepherd by claiming to be one: John 10:11 Heb.13:20 1 Peter 5:4
Our response? 1 Peter 2:25
