Luke 2:8-15 says:
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. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
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.”
Prayer
Please pray with me:
Gracious Father,
Thank you that you have not left this world in darkness,
but have sent your eternal Son as the light of the world,
to show us your glory, to give us new life and joy.
Open our eyes to see Jesus more clearly,
to trust him more fully,
to serve him more joyfully,
and to find all our satisfaction in him.
Amen.
The year is 2017 soon to be 2018
The story is all too familiar.
A government that is insecure and dictated to by the real world leaders.
An apparently manic leader at the head of the known world.
Fights over who controls Jerusalem
Power plays happening politicaly everywhere – People coming in from the east –
Confusing changes in the cosmos – a vulnerable baby sought after by those who want to kill it –
A homeless pregnant woman and her husband with nowhere to stay –
Which era are we in? - today? Or the first century?
Many of the facts are common to both eras.
The truth is nothing much has changed – in todays world we live under doubt about the future – our world – as we have previously known it is changing radically.
I made a list of some of the words that conjure up doubt and insecurity about our future.
Global warming – Putin – Trump – North Korea – rufugees – in Sudan and everywhere else –
Rising oceans – suicide and despair – wars and threats Middle east crises a devastated Syria mynamar refugees and so the list continues – no one could possibly list the causes we might have for our concern about the future.
But the effective counter balance to all of that is a small baby born 21 centuries ago and who splashed colour all over the known world.
Joseph and Mary had a lot to deal with in their world – But in the midst of all that confusion something happens so extraordinary that it is going to changeeverything.
On the dark backdrop of world history God’s brushstrokes lighten up a dark and troubled world.
In Southland farmers are worried about M.bovis outbreaks among dairy herds in Palestine Farmers were worried about predators and thieves stealing or destroying their flocks so they were on guard.
When a splash of living colour broke into their small and somewhat terrifying world
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. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
I don’t know how you feel about your world but sometimes we can feel that we are insignificant and
Of little importance but we learn something from this amazing event.
The ordinary people the farmer on the hill – the labourer in the factory or the child in the slum is being watched over by an amazing God and he longs to bless you.
Faithful hardworking Shepherds suddenly realising the magnitude of God and yes the glory of his love.
Notice how the importance of their flocks fades into insignificance – Angels in the heavens singing glory to God puts everything into perspective – they apparently abandon their flocks to the hills or leave them in some pen and just take off – The message here is clear
When God speaks into your life all that is important to you all your possesions fade into the background because of his incredible revelation.
God has not left this world in darkness.
A second splash of colour when you understand the glory of God and his fullness and glory – you get new goals and new direction for your life.
The Shepherds head to Bethlehem – they are going straight to Jesus We too need to head straight for Jesus –
February 2016 Bible society Austarlia
At eight years old, Richmond was scampering up moving trucks to steal bananas for his family. Food was precious and he risked a lot to get it. He and his family lived in Naguru, one of Uganda’s largest slums. Life was desperate.
Richmond’s father had been murdered
From that day, Richmond’s life changed. His mother could not work – most days she was bedridden. “There was nothing coming in,” he says. They moved to the slum, into one room with a tin roof that didn’t keep out the rain.
.
“Life became extremely difficult. We learned how to find food from gardens or rubbish. Some days were harder than others. Some days, there was no food to find.”
“We weren’t a church-going family. We didn’t understand prayer. But it kept hope alive for us. A Christian worker told us that if someone decided to sponsor us, they would let us know. And so we waited, and hoped, for rescue to come.”
Three months later, the same Compassion worker visited again. Richmond had been sponsored.
“I cannot find the words to describe the dancing that filled our home at that news. A 15-year-old girl called Heather had decided to help. It felt like the days of desperation were over.”
But it was his sponsor’s letters that Richmond counts as some of his most treasured possessions, even today at 34. Richmond’s sponsor, Heather, wrote to him three times a year.
“I had thought of myself as hopeless; like no one cared to know my name. But her letters made me feel like I was worth something. They are one of the most precious things I have in my life.”
Richmond was able to go back to school. His family received supplementary food and Richmond could be a child again.
“You can’t be a child on the street. You have to survive, you have to fight. You have to think beyond your years. There is no time to play. But now, I had the chance to play again; a chance for other people to take care of me. That was when healing began.”
Richmond found Jesus through the Compassion programme. He made weekly visits to the local church as part of the programme and the local pastor – Pastor Peter – became his mentor. “He was the father I never had,” says Richmond.
One day in June 1996, Pastor Peter was telling the children about Joseph.
“I was sitting in the front row, and Pastor Peter was standing beside me, looking out at the children behind. He rested his hand on my shoulder as he spoke about how Joseph went through difficulties but God used that difficulty to position him as a leader. He said Jesus was the greater Joseph, and that we need Jesus. I realised that God helped Joseph and that I needed Jesus. I was one of the first to put up my hand to receive Jesus that day. I was 14 years old.”
Richmond didn’t forget the faith he found at that local church with Pastor Peter. He became a leader at the same church where he gave his life to Christ. He too wanted to receive Bible training, and he received a scholarship – again through Compassion – to study at a Bible college in the US.
When Richmond returned to Uganda after his studies,
Kenya.
“I’m so excited to see the transformation that is happening in the lives of thousands because of the opportunities the Lord has given me,” he says.
Richmond says it’s hard to believe that he was that child on the street, stealing bananas.
“I know that as a child, desperate and forgotten on the street, all this would not have been possible, except for one 15-year-old girl who set my life in motion. She prayed for me. She loved me.”
Through Heather, God rewrote Richmond’s story. And now, he rewrites the story of others through Richmond.
A splash of colour flowing through 2017 years – give or take.
But it doesn’t stop there
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.
21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
One of the great emotions that humans have to deal with in this world is disappointment. It’ll happen for some at Christmas – the newest and latest electronic gift – for some – just won’t work –
The new bit of furniture will come with Chinese assembly instructions – family will not live up to your expectations – and you realise that Santa Clause can’t come down your chimney because you have a heat pump. Disappointment is part of the human condition but for the Shepherds what the Angels announced happened just as they were told another splash of colour into their lives – Hope says the book of Romans will not disappoint you – Colour called hope – that God will – in the long term not let you down.
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.
Ever tried to keep a secret? Like a really good secret – most of us can’t it leaks out of us and the sepiatone world of the Shepherd now turned into a multicoloured new reality . They couldn’t keep it to themselves they splashed out the news everywhere and people were amazed.
Hebrews 3:14
For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,
Whereever the good news of Jesus spreads it increases the colour and intensity of the world it engages with.
As Christianity explodes in china it has become a more temperate and less brutal nation.
As it explodes in Africa lives are being impacted and changed.
The irresistible love of Jesus continues to explode into the Moslem world as thousands – even perhaps millions are discovering the truth about Jesus.
A USA Christian preacher has been preaching in the Morman temple with astonishing results as mormans are coming to the real God.
On the streets of Tongatapu I have seen this same result myself.
One man who used to attend this church the late Stan Clark one of our elders told me when he got converted and went outside the next day he was astonished everything was brighter and clearer it was like God had splashed colours all over the landscape – others have told me the same story from their own lives.
The lifting of the iron curtain in front of Russia has had astonishing results Russia’s turn to Christianity is virtually unknown in thewest . Many Christian leaders are oblivious to what is happening in Russia. Christian influence even penetrates the Russian Military
To the dismay of critics, the church’s power has grown immensely over the past few years as Putin has reached out to Russia’s conservative heartland for support. In the Soviet era, publicly saying that you believe in God was a surefire way to ruin your career, or at worst, earn a one-way ticket to the Gulag. But today, priests regularly sprinkle Russian space rockets with holy water ahead of liftoff – The prophesied renewal of the Russian soul and it’s admiration of Christ is happening.
What was happening in Russia and elsewhere in the cold war has shifted to the West people rush to sign up to the Spirit of the age while Christians are sidelined and scoffed at but be encouraged you can’t dampen down the gospel and the iridescent flame of God’s love continues to shine through the centuries.
Be encouraged God is on the move and great things are happening the baby in the manger was just the beginning and now today Jesus has more followers than he has ever had and it is increasing dramatically.
God is splashing his colours of love all over our history and the darkness as it says in John chapter 1 has never put it out
To conclude This year in Northern India this Christ child who we remember tonight had dramatic effect on two lives while I was there.
One a young woman whose life of adultery and rebellion and ill health had caught up on her – what a joy to see her turn back to Christ confess her sins and ask for God’s healing that could not have happened had the Shepherds been wrong. And secondly a young Hindu man abandoned his idol based religion and turned over to Christ with reckless abandon. Splashes of living colour fell over his life and he will never be the same again.
