The Angels’ Alleluia
Luke 2:14
Rev. Brian Bill
12/25/11
On Monday I listened to a sermon podcast while I was exercising at the Rec Center. I was actually multi-tasking on the elliptical so I quickly lost interest in the message. I was watching ESPN and reading something else as the sounds of the sermon went through my headphones. I was also trying to concentrate so that I wouldn’t lose my balance and fall off and of course I sped up every time someone looked through the windows so they could marvel at how incredibly in shape I am.
I didn’t think the podcast preacher was all that good so I actually turned the sermon off after about 20 minutes and started listening to something else. The content wasn’t very helpful and his accent was starting to bother me (he obviously was not from Wisconsin).
Later that day, Lydia and I drove to Iowa in order to meet up with Emily so they could hang out for a few days. Since I knew I had an almost three hour return drive by myself, I decided to redeem the time by listening to some sermons. I listened to one message that was quite challenging and then I selected another one. This pastor had an incredible English accent and was a very gifted communicator. As a solitary traveler in the darkness of I-80, I was mesmerized by the message. About halfway through, I realized that I had already heard this same sermon earlier in the day!
Why was my response so different the second time? Obviously I wasn’t really paying attention to the preacher that afternoon (that would never happen here). I was distracted and doing other things so I missed the message almost entirely. But, in the darkness of the night and in the solitude of my car, God got through to me.
In a similar way, God got through to some shepherds one dark and silent night as they were simply out doing their job. He sent angels to get their attention and they sure got it. God could have made his angelic announcement at the Temple in the middle of the day, but this sermon song wouldn’t have stuck, would it? When there’s too much going on, we tune out and shut down.
This morning we’re going to camp in one of the most famous Christmas choruses as we listen again to the lyrics made famous by Linus in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Linus quotes directly from Luke’s Gospel: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Our Big Idea for today is this: God gets the glory when people are at peace.
Let me mention something before we look at this angelic encounter. Have you heard the saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt?” That basically means that the more familiar we are with something at best, we get bored with it or at worst, we start resenting it. Let’s try hard to listen to this account as if we were hearing it for the first time. Imagine yourself a traveler in Judea and you’re listening to this story first-hand from one of the shepherds.
Luke 2:8 says: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” In the early pages of the Bible, shepherding was considered a noble profession but in the first century it had lost its luster. While we tend to romanticize them for our cards and carols, shepherds made up the lowest class of people, coming in just ahead of the lepers. They were not trusted as witnesses in court because they were known as liars and thieves. They were not able to keep the ceremonial aspects of the Law and living out in the fields away from society made them outcasts. Most of them had foul mouths and were ready to fight at the drop of a hat. Kind of sounds like me in my high school days.
Let’s remember that Christmas always comes to the marginalized, the hurting, the discouraged, the outcasts, and the heavy hearted. The angels came to these guys to show that salvation is for everyone. We tend to think that God is for the ‘good’ people but actually He is for all people.
Verse 9 says, “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” An “Angel of the Lord” was one of God’s top gun guys, literally meaning “from the face of God.” This angel was sent out with a specific task. In the midst of the mundane, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a huge display of glory power. Into the darkness of a silent night came the brightness of the glory of the Lord. When he appeared, God’s glory exploded all around them. The word “glory” refers to God’s beauty and brightness. In the Old Testament glory is used synonymously with power, splendor and holiness. It has the idea of heaviness or weightiness.
I wonder if the shepherds were thinking of the cloud of glory and pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness. Were there minds filled with thoughts of God’s “shekinah” glory, which referred to God’s dwelling place? Could it be that God was coming down to dwell on the earth?
I’m sure they were rubbing their eyes and shaking in their sandals. In fact, the word “terrified” is probably an understatement and means that they were alarmed and agitated. The Greek uses the word “megas” which means they were “mega afraid.”
Let’s pick it up in verses 10-12: “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.” Once again, an angel has to tell humans to not tap out. The reason they did not need to be afraid is because the messenger was bringing “good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’” Let’s break down the key words.
• Good News – This is where we get the word “gospel” and “evangelize.” At its heart, Christmas is good news that must be shared with others.
• Great Joy – This good news should cause exceedingly great joy. This is the word “mega” again. Indeed, there is joy to the world because Christ has come.
• For all the people – This good news is not just for one group but for the whole globe.
• Today – This event happened that day, at a specific time in history. This is not a fable but is rooted in time. Galatians 4:4: “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law.”
• Town of David – In order to fulfill the promise of salvation, Jesus had to be a direct descendant of King David.
• Savior – The name “Jesus” means Savior, or Deliverer. He came to save us from our sins.
• Born to you – Christmas must always be personal. Specifically, the angel announced that the birth of Jesus was for them personally. Jesus was born “to you” too!
• Christ – This is the Greek word for Messiah, or Anointed One.
• Lord – Jesus is God and thus demands our total submission and full allegiance.
As the shepherds are trying to process the message from this one messenger, they are taken aback again in verse 13 because this proclamation is punctuated with an explosion of praise: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God…” The word “suddenly” means that the heavenly host came unexpectedly and without warning. The phrase “great company” means there were so many that it was impossible to count. The sky was filled with a multitude of mighty messengers.
The phrase “heavenly host” refers to the Lord’s army in other passages of Scripture. The shepherds watched as heaven opened up and they literally saw an entire militia of messengers, hundreds and thousands of angelic warriors worshipping God.
This song of Christmas is different from the others we’ve seen in this series because it’s not a hymn that rose up from “a him” or “a her” but an anthem that came down from heaven. Imagine the scene. The angels had been praising in the heavenly courts but now their adoration takes place in a different venue as they praise on earth as they have always done in heaven.
By the way, these angels say, not sing their Christmas carol in verse 14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Notice that peace comes only after praising. We must put God and His glory first and then peace will come. While this is a neat time of the year, there is nothing magical about this day if one does not know the Christ of Christmas.
When we give glory to God He gives good news to us. Jesus came for the glory of God and for the good of all people. We could say it this way: Peace comes to those who praise Him and grace to those who give Him glory. The highest degree of glory to God is connected with the giving of His Son. It all starts in heaven with God’s perfect plan and it arrives on earth where peace comes to those who personalize the message. It’s available to all but activated only for those who accept Immanuel, for those who believe and receive (see John 1:12).
The word “peace” appears over 400 times in Scripture. In the Old Testament, “peace” is the word shalom, and is a state of wholeness and harmony that is intended to resonate in all relationships. When used as a greeting, shalom was a wish for outward freedom from disturbance as well as an inward sense of well-being.
The word “peace” in the New Testament means to “join together; to set at one again.” It has the idea of gluing something back together. Because it is multidimensional, it is used in at least three ways.
• Peace with God – that’s the vertical dimension
• Peace of God – this takes place internally
• Peace with others – that’s peace horizontally
1. Peace with God. While God loves us and cherishes us, we are separated from Him because of our sinfulness. Because of what Jesus Christ did on the Cross, you and I can now be at peace with God. God the Father poured out His wrath, fury, and indignation on His Son, who died in our place, as our sin-substitute
Listen carefully. We don’t deserve this peace to men on whom His favor rests. In fact, what we do deserve is death and eternal punishment. But, because of God’s great love, He provided a way for us to be set at one again with the God of the universe. God’s joy and His justice converge on the cross of Calvary. His love and His law find full satisfaction through the sacrificial death of His Son. God is both just and the justifier.
Friend, do you have peace with God today? Or are you far away from Him? Peace comes to the earth one heart at a time. No matter how far away you feel allow the truth of Isaiah 57:19 to wash over you: “‘Peace, peace, to those far and near,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will heal them.’”
2. Peace of God. In order to have the peace of God internally, we must first experience peace with God vertically. The upward dimension must be taken care of before inward peace can permeate our lives. Those at peace with God can experience the peace of God. Shortly before Jesus died, He declared in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
3. Peace with others. When we’re at peace with God and have internal peace, we can then be at peace with others. Romans 14:19 lays out our responsibility: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
Here’s a question. Are you planting peace in others or are you sowing seeds of strife? I heard from a happy grandmother this week who is rejoicing because her son and grandson have reconciled. Is there anyone you need to make things right with? Anyone you need to “be at one with”? Are you in conflict this Christmas with someone in your family? Maybe a root of bitterness has gone down deep in your life. It’s time to let it go. Maybe the best Christmas present you could give to someone is to make peace with them.
A couple days ago I received a phone call at home that made me feel very special. The voice addressed me by name and then told me to not hang up. I was assured that it was not a sales call and was urged to stay on the line. I was then told that I was especially selected to participate in a 30-second survey about our nation’s debt crisis. I felt so honored that this computer-generated call with a computer-generated voice had especially selected me for such an extremely important message…that I hung up the phone very quickly.
Friends, God is not like that at all. His message is meant to be very personal. He is addressing you by name right now and He doesn’t need you to fill out a survey because He knows everything about you. He cares so much for you that He sent His Son at Christmas to be your Savior. Please don’t hang up on Him.
Jesus was born to the whole world but He was also born “to you.” Christmas is his-story but it must become your story. Luke 2:11: “Today [that means right now – don’t hesitate or procrastinate] in the town of David a Savior [one who forgives sins] has been born to you; [personal] he is Christ [the long-awaited Messiah] the Lord [master and Leader].
• Is He “Savior” to you?
• Is He “Christ” to you?
• Is He “Lord” to you?
How many of you have already opened your Christmas presents? How many are waiting until after the service? Whatever the case, there’s still a gift for you to open. The tag on the present reads like this:
TO: You
FROM: God
What do you have to do to make this gift yours? That’s right. You have to take it and then open it. The mighty chorus of Heaven is proclaiming to you the glory of God wrapped up in the gift of His Son for you. Will you stop multi-tasking and receive the gift of salvation right now?
You could do so by praying this prayer with me: “I confess that I am a sinner and I want to turn from the way I’ve been living. I am not at peace with you, I don’t have peace inside, and I’m certainly not at peace with others. I need you to be my Savior and so I come to you now. You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. I desire to live under your lordship for the rest of my life. Thank you for not only being born but for dying in my place and rising again so that I can be born again. I now receive the gift of salvation and forgiveness by asking you to come into my life. Make me into the person you want me to be. In the name of Immanuel, I ask this. Amen.”
