Christmas Eve Message

“Glory to God in the Highest”

(Luke 2:1-20, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, Dec. 24, 2007)

Luke 2:1-20 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. ⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" ¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Introduction – Something to ponder; someone to treasure

We are here for a reason tonight. 2000 years ago a baby was born, and over the years, we have come to mark His birth on this night. We do many other things to celebrate the birth of Christ, but we start here, at the story of what happened so many years ago. Here we have something to ponder. Here we have someone to treasure.

In those days (1-3)

Before we can say something about here and now, we need to say something about then and there. This birth took place in a very different place and time. During the reign of Caesar Augustus, the emperor ordered that a census be taken. This was probably around 4 BC, the best estimate that we have for the actual year of Jesus’ birth. The specific details of all of this are not as important as the fact that there are details. The birth of Jesus is not myth, but a reality. Luke wants us to know that. For this reason he identifies critical markers of history for us, and connects these to the birth of a baby. Christianity is not a movement of disembodied ideas, but a faith based on historical truths. We can no more deny the reality of a man known as Jesus of Nazareth than we can deny the fact that there was a Caesar Augustus, and that he had a fairly close associate with a military background whose name was Quirinius who presided over the Roman province called Syria.

A simple but real birth (4-7)

The truth of this birth is not only based on the mention of the names of two rulers. The account of the birth contains details that further indicate that Luke is presenting this simple birth as an overwhelming reality. There are many interesting facts presented that distinguish this from myth. There was a man named Joseph. He lived in a region called Galilee in a town called Nazareth, a place about which someone could say, “Can anything good come from there?” He was married to a woman called Mary who was pregnant. She is said to be his betrothed in this passage because the marriage had not yet been consummated. They were both descendants of the house of David, which meant that their ancestral home was the town of Bethlehem. That was why they had to travel there, because apparently the order of the census required that people return to their family towns.

There are still other details here. When the couple arrived in Bethlehem they came to an inn or a house, we don’t actually know which. What we are told is that despite Mary’s condition, they were not allowed to stay in the house. She gave birth to her son in a place where the animals are kept. If people are inventing lies, they try to avoid details that could expose inconsistencies. Details are unnecessary if you are creating myths. Yet details are a messy component of true stories. We don’t understand all the details in the Christmas story but they gently reassure us that the facts presented here are true. When we hear amazing stories we should seek independent witnesses who can back up the facts of the life of Jesus. We have this in four different gospel accounts, rather than just one. Luke testifies at the opening of his gospel that he has gathered information from written sources and from ministers who have apparently spoken to parties involved in these events who were still alive in His day. They present to us a picture of a poor couple, alone, away from home, apparently not wanted or loved by anyone.

Shepherds in glory (8-14)

What we have so far is a fairly normal story about people. What follows beginning in verse 8 is something very different, since it involves angels. Angels are different than people. When people go to be with the Lord, they do not become angels. Angels occasionally appear visibly as people, but they never become people. Angels are very powerful and wise spiritual creatures made by God. They have a variety of tasks to perform, often as servants to God’s people and as messengers of God. I mentioned that angels appear occasionally as people, but they also can appear in a more glorious form as shining beings, so marvelous that they inspire fear in the hearts of men. It is amazing that God chooses to bestow such a glorious assembly to a group of lowly shepherds at the coming of His only-begotten Son.

First a single angel of the Lord appears with a message of “good news and great joy.” Since sin entered the world through Adam, this world has been a place of misery. We appreciate the remaining good gifts that God gives to us daily. We love good food, presents, vacations, family gatherings, greetings from friends, societal stability, the beauty of the snow, the marvel of the sunrise, the majesty of mountains, and the vastness of the oceans. Yet, the fact of death looms over this world, and sin and disappointment are all around us. Since the fall of Adam, the world has been in great need of good news.

Good news arrived that night through the Angel of the Lord, and the greatness of the news was reinforced by the glory of the heavenly host worshipping God. What a sight! What was the message of the Angel of the Lord that was of such great importance that it was underscored by the appearance of this multitude of heavenly beings? “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The birth of one child was the good news that overturned the massive mountain of sin and misery accumulated over centuries of human life.

This baby was born in Bethlehem, the city of David the King, and was a descendant of David as had been prophesied. God had promised that somehow one of His descendants would be an eternal King. It had been almost six centuries since a true descendant of David had ruled in Israel at all, yet genealogical histories were passed down through the generations, so that people like Joseph and Mary were well aware that they were descendants of David. This was the reason they were in Bethlehem at that moment, apparently according to the requirements of the census. The angels announce that the baby is a Savior. The idea of a Savior/Redeemer/Deliverer is all over the Bible, both in the New Testament and in the Old. Most frequently the word refers to God, but it also refers to those God sends as rescuers of His people. In the book of Judges, men like Gideon and Sampson were saviors who came to deliver the people from life under the domination of some foreign power. This baby is a mighty Savior. He is also called the “Christ the Lord.” “Christ” means Messiah or Anointed One. Here it refers to someone who is set apart by God Himself for a special task. He is chosen by the Father to do what only he, of all the descendants of Adam and Eve, could ever have accomplished. “Lord” was the word used by the Jews when they wanted to say the name of God (“Yahweh” or “Jehovah”) without actually having to say the name that they felt was too holy to speak.

Put this all together, and the Angel of the Lord has announced the birth of a baby who is a descendant of David, and therefore in line to be the promised eternal King. He has come to deliver the people from their enemies. He has been appointed by God for this task that only He can do. In fact, this baby IS the Lord. Never has a more exalted birth been announced. Never has there been a more glorious team of God’s creatures assembled to make the announcement. And who are the recipients of this message? Shepherds. People apparently matter to God. Angels are servants to people. Even more than that, the Lord has come to serve people and to save them.

What they heard and saw; and what they said and did (15-20)

The shepherds were given a sign by the angelic host. The Bible tells us that Satan masquerades as an angel of light, and has probably been used that way to start at least two religious movements that are still with us today. If even a multitude of angels appears, it still may be wise to ask for a sign. The humble folk that night were sent on their way to look for a newborn baby lying in a manger. They went out quickly and they found Him. They did not keep all this to themselves. They told the people there what had happened, and especially what had been told them concerning the child – that is that He is our Savior, Christ, the Lord. The people who heard this wondered about it. Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. In just a few days she would learn more – that the child would be opposed by many. Of course, we all could have known that simply by reading the prophet Isaiah, who told us that when the Savior would come, he would have to suffer for us, and even die for our sins.

This Savior who was announced in the days of Isaiah, who had a host of angels leading shepherds to the place of His birth, who had a special prophetic forerunner in the ministry of John the Baptist – this Savior of the World, Jesus the Christ, our Lord, has come. He was put to death for our sins, and He was raised from the dead as a powerful sign that all who would put their faith in Him would be declared righteous in the sight of God. All of that was a long time ago. You are here now. I announce this Jesus to you tonight and call upon you to worship Him and serve Him.

If you will do this then you will lose your life. This is not a Savior who is content with something less than full devotion. You are not giving your life to a lie or to some demonic deception. You are not giving your life to a myth. You are giving your life to the most admirable of men and a historical fact. Those who lose their lives for this Jesus and for His good news will find a new life again given to them as a free gift of God. This is the Christmas gift that angels announced and shepherds saw with their own eyes. Glory to God in the Highest!