Two facts to treasure in your hearts: 1. They found the baby Jesus. 2. Jesus found you.

Birth of Jesus

(Luke 2:1-20, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 24, 2018)

[1] 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 great fear. [10] And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of 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.

From Nazareth to Bethlehem

When Augustus was the emperor in Rome and a man named Quirinius had charge over the province of Syria, there was an imperial decree that all the area under Roman authority “should be registered.” Everyone needed to return to the place of record-keeping for their families. In the case of Joseph, this meant traveling with his very expectant wife, Mary, to the town of Bethlehem, the ancestral home of the long-deceased King David.

Joseph and Mary lived in a northern section of Israel, Galilee, in a town called Nazareth, that was not a place of great renown. They went south toward Jerusalem, which in the Bible is always referred to as going “up” since Jerusalem was the place where the temple was located. Bethlehem was not far from Jerusalem.

While they were in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor and gave birth. The baby was her “firstborn son” and would have appeared to be just like any other poor newborn in that time and place, except that they were away from home and had no place to stay. That was why the baby was resting in a feeding trough, since there was “no place for them in the inn.”

Her Firstborn Son is a Savior, Christ the Lord

All of this would have escaped everyone's attention had it not been for what was taking place on the outskirts of this little town, where “there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” We have been speaking of towns that were thought to be something worth noting (or not), places like Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Nazareth. But now we need to think about an entirely different realm: heaven.

When an “angel of the Lord” comes to earth with a message, where does he come from? Heaven. I wonder if the shepherds believed in heaven. It is hard to conclusively and objectively reject the reality of other realms that do not make it on to our maps. If there is nothing else but this world of GPS locations and adjacent wilderness, then where did Isaiah go in Isaiah 6? What about all the other Hebrew prophets over the centuries that were witnesses of a “heavenly council” where they received their commissioning? Were they all delusional? Where did the voice come from at Jesus' baptism? What happened at the Transfiguration? Where did Jesus go when witnesses saw Him rise up on clouds of glory in Luke 24 and Acts 1? And what in the world happened to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus?

Back to today: Are we to dismiss the reports of thousands who “die” and then return to life? Is all of this nothing? Must we conclude that the world that is open to our senses is the only thing that is real? What a strange presupposition, particularly in light of the testimony of so many both in the Bible and in life itself?

It is one of these events that was recorded for us by Luke the intellectual (doctor, historian, writer, faithful friend and companion of Paul). He learned from others about the report of these ordinary people just doing their jobs that night. They heard first from one angel and then from a large number of them—a “multitude of the heavenly host.” The shepherds reported the frightening spectacle of a great light as the first angel appeared to them. Luke wrote that “the glory of the Lord shone around them.”

The first angel had a message: 1. Don't be afraid, 2. I have good news of the birth of a Messiah Savior who is the Lord Himself, and 3. Here is a sign for your faith—a newborn baby in a feeding trough for animals.

Supporting and authenticating that message was the sudden appearance of many more angels. Their message: 1. Glory to God, and 2. Peace on earth for elect humanity everywhere.

Go Quickly and See

This would have immediately been tremendously impressive, but the heavenly words needed to be supported by facts on earth. No time could be wasted. Off went our first century fact finders to do what we simply cannot do at a distance of 2000 years. Investigate. Was there actually a baby born in this village that night among the many travelers that came to the ancient birthplace of King David, and was he indeed lying in a feeding trough? Yes, He was. The shepherds told the parents about the heavenly display and the message they had heard. Mary treasured up the entire experience which eventually was investigated by our smart friend, Luke, and recorded for us to consider. The shepherds returned marveling about what they had seen and heard, first from heaven, but then witnessed by their own eyes on earth.

Tonight, after the passage of 2000 years, the words of the angels are further vindicated when people thousands of miles away from Bethlehem hear the message of the poor baby born to live and die and believe it to be good news. Is it good news that Jesus was born? Is He Christ the Messiah and the Lord Himself come to do what only He could do? Did He live and die for you? Is He risen from the dead? Is heaven real?

Two facts to treasure in your hearts: 1. They found the baby Jesus. 2. Jesus found you.