Christmas eve.
A night to remember
LK 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
LK 2:13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
LK 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
LK 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
LK 2:16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Ever have anything happen to you, so startling, that it is engraved into your memory?
For most of my generation we remember with considerable impact the events of 911 – a great tragedy when the innocence and beauty of our world was marred by hatred. Or the events of a few years ago when we watched with shock at the events of the Christchurch earthquake these somewhat negative events are firmly etched in our memories.
But what about the great positive events – what about the time Mahe Drysdale powered over the line in the rowing or when the All Blacks won their second world cup after such a great period of loss or when a child was born in your family. Do you know for many of you your birth is a night to remember for your family?
So we have great positive memories and some negative ones as well.
What would it look like if we had a great positive memory with the backdrop of a very negative one?
Like the Titanic sinking whose negfative aspect seemed to be the sinking of the ship which was described as unsinkable – the pride of British engineering – so overconfident that it’s arrogance towards safety and disorganisation meant 1517 people perished.
But with this backdrop people did great things people went willingly to their deaths so that others could live. With the dark backdrop of pride and disorganisation the oil of love and sacrifice were splashed on the Titanic canvas and painted a beautiful picture that somehow gave meaning to meangless loss.
But the night we remember tonight that never seems to get out of the consciousness of the world even in these days of humanism and terror is this amazing event called Christmas eve.
LK 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
LK 2:13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
LK 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
LK 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
On the dark backdrop of a middle eastern sky God shines hope into the lives of humble shepherds who lived out in the fields keeping watch.
Out of the backdrop of a dark sky the glory of the Lord shone upon them.
The shepherds lived in a world that had a dark and sinister backdrop and so do we.
For the Shepherds it was centuries of silence from God in the midst of an increasingly insipid and law bound religion and Roman oppression. A murderous regime with a puppet Jewish ruler called Herod providing a tyrannical backdrop where the slightest offense could end up with the citizens ending up being enslaved or murdered.
In the middle of their dark world God shone and he shone so beautifully so overwhelmingly beautiful that he had their full attention.
I mean people can have all kinds of religious theories but when hardened Shepherds used to dealing with the tough vagrancies of a life living on a hill facing the dangers of wild beasts – stock thieves as well as the continual threat of murderous and scavaging Roman patrols – when these men are faced with a heavenly vision it has to be good to get their attention and it was good. They will remember this night for the rest of their lives
There are three things that, for me, splash colour onto the dark backdrop of their lives and the eastern sky that was their constant companion every night.
These three things encourage me that we can take enormous encouragement for our lives personally despite whatever concerns or worries we might have that paint a dark backdrop for us.
The first thing is that God speaks hope into their darkness. Whatever the Shepherds mind processes there is this glorious explosion of heaven over and around them. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and at the same moment God’s glory shone around them. Anypne who has experienced the presence of God will tell you there is a glorious peace and awe that so fills you you have the certainty of God’s love and peace all around you. The Angel speaks an incredible message = , "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
God has provided an incredible message – good news the angel says good news of great joy. But the really important message is Today – Today a saviour has been born.
Today is God’s word he has always an answer for our present circumstances if we will but allow him to speak into our lives.
Today – a saviour is born
The reason that Christmas is such an important event is that it is God’s answer for todays situations it is God’s answer for the darkness of our lives as it says in John’s gospel = the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not put it out.
The second area where God splashes colour onto the dark backdrop of the Shepherds lives is they are motivated to act on the new truth that has been revealed to them. It isn’t just a revelation – there is no question they have heard from God and they act on what they have heard. The great challenge for the church today is to act on the revalation that God has given them. Whenever the church acts on it’s revelation there is always splashes of colour – Heidi Baker in Mozambique is seeing amazing splashes of colour on the lives of the many orphans and lost people she has taken under her wings for shelter and love – Through Heidi the deaf are hearing and the lost are finding the brightness of Christ shining into their previous dark lives – In India
The third splash of colour is God himself enters our troubled world
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
I am often asked by peo-le and sometimes quite roughly – “If God is a God of love.” The how come people are dying of starvation – that people blow each other up with car bombs and terror and cheats seem to prosper – the arrival of Jesus on earth proclaims that there will be a day where all will e understood where every tear will be dire duo and justice – true justice will prevail.
The arrival of jesus is God proclaiming – Maybe it is rough now but it is going to get better – There not only is a heaven but because the King has come it will be accesable
All through these readings we must have been thinking of the rough simplicity of the birth of the Son of God. We might have expected that, if he had to be born into this world at all, it would be in a palace or a mansion. There was a European monarch who worried his court by often disappearing and walking incognito amongst his people. When he was asked not to do so for security's sake, he answered, "I cannot rule my people unless I know how they live." It is the great thought of the Christian faith that we have a God who knows the life we live because he too lived it and claimed no special advantage over common men.(William Barclay.)
Whaty is more Jesus didn’t come as a mere observer he came as one who would suffer injustice as well along with the rest of us. Nothing I have ever suffered can ever compare with the son of God being born in poverty living in a world that rejects it’s creator and goes to a cross because he loves us.
That is what splashes colour all over our world and that is what Givbes me hope and you hope and it is accesable a relationship with this Jesus is only a prayer away.
Let us pray.
