SLIDE: Luke 2: 9&10
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
PRAY BEFORE THIS MESSAGE: Can we just take a moment and pray? In the prayer mention that there are others suffering, broken marriages, loss of a child, loss of a job, of a friendship, unmet expectations. There are things that we have to admit: a Christmas without a loved one, a divorce and this won’t be the white Christmas, we don’t have the money and we won’t be able to buy the gifts. Lord, we bring our pain and suffering to you knowing you presence in our lives provides strength, courage and perseverance AMEN!
“Have you ever wondered why the words, Do not be afraid are so prominent when the angel of the Lord shows up? Could it be the angel looks nothing like what we have conceived? It’s not the cute little child from the Christmas play. It’s not the angel at the top of tree with the white dress and lights shining through her or him. In scripture, angels are depicted in many different ways but a common description is a “being.” The ones I love to think about are the seraphim’s in the court of the Lord. They are described in Isaiah 6 with eyes all over, 6 wings, two covering their heads to flapping away and two covering their feet. All of them singing “Holy, Holy, Holy.” So if the shepherds were afraid it might have been that they were awe struck by the “being” before them. However, I think it’s even deeper than that. The shepherds were afraid because every time we encounter the Holy there is an intersection between “what is” and “what could have been.”
As we roll into this Christmas, many of us are confronted with the shocking truth. Our lives are not what we thought they would be, we are not who want to be and we will are in need of Savior if we are going to make it through.
SLIDE: Weekly News Headline: The birth of Jesus
This is why the birth of Jesus is good news to all those who will admit they aren’t all that and a bucket of chips. It’s for the peole who With the birth of Jesus came new way of living - a rebirth. The idea of there is a different way of living, reacting and being in the world than just striving to outwit and out manipulate the next person. It’s not survival of the fittest or getting what I want at the cost of everyone else. It an entirely different way of understanding life. It doesn’t end when they close the box. It continues into a different realm and what we do in this life has meaning in the next. The birth connects us to the greater idea that all of creation has worth and value. By Jesus’ coming, He clarifies that he didn’t come to the world to destroy it but He came to bring hope to it. However, many of us don’t feel a lot of hope during this time of year.
SLIDE: A picture of an After Christmas desolation scene
I was talking to a friend of mine and she shared a story of the first Christmas after her parents divorce. She tells a story of her father picking her up from mom’s late Christmas morning. Dad was really hurting and kept asking, how was your Christmas? She remembers thinking that she had to be strong for her dad and her little brother. She wasn’t going to cry. She made it back home and into her room before she let it out with sobbing and tears that no one could hear.
I think her tears might be representative for many of us in the room.
A couple of weeks ago, I shared one of my memories of Christmas past and the feeling that can best be summed up as: “is that all there is?” A feeling I’ve termed, “Christmas remorse.” It’s a form of buyer’s remorse but lasting for a while longer. I think for some Christmas remorse leads to a lifetime of misplaced hope that they can have the Christmas of their dreams, if:
• there are a few more presents
• a few more people over for Christmas dinner
• a few more strings of lights
• or a few more traditions
Then I/we will have a great Christmas. But it is the ultimate lie because it’s just this pursuit that leaves us tired, broke and disappointed.
And unfortunately, it’s the norm. It socially acceptable and even encouraged to being busy. The response to the question, “How are you?” with “I’m so busy!” is universally accepted. We accept this comment as normative because it gives some of us self worth and even justifies pursuing other unhealthy pursuits. However, busyness is a coping mechanism for dealing with life that encourages masking the pain of this life through avoidance. By remaining busy, we don’t have to think about the pain or deal with issues surrounding our lives.
When I read the story of the shepherds at Christmas, I often wonder if the shepherds in the Bible wrestled with the busyness of life. We often picture a couple of guys out on the range singing songs by a campfire, eating beans and sleeping until the sun comes up. However, shepherds had a hard life. They had to be protectors of the flock, healers and even dinner hosts. They had to deal with weather, food and water. Can you imagine basing your whole existence on the whether these animals lived and thrived? They must have struggled with to much to do and not enough hours in the day, just like each one of us. So when the angels come on that fateful night while they were working what do you think stopped them, inspired them and so motivated them that they would leave it all to look for a baby - A proverbial needle in haystack? Scripture says:
SLIDE: Luke 2:8-9
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.
The word “glory” here is more than just a word in a song, an affirmation from the back of the room during a sermon or even a proclamation of God’s handy work. It is the moment when God himself enters our reality. God’s glory had dwelt in the tabernacle (ex. 40:34), in the temple (2 Chron 7:1-3) and departed because of the nations sin (1 Sam 4;21; Ezek. 8:4; 9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22-23). However, now God’s glory was returning to earth in the person of Jesus (John 1:14).
This was the great joy the angels were proclaiming. It was what the shepherds must have experienced that night. It’s a true peace that comes from a deeper understanding of what our purpose is in relation to the creator. It’s a realization that it’s not about what we do but what he did. Jesus modeled a life that focus’s on love for God and one another. He lived connected to the Father so that in the storms of life – the mental, the spiritual and the physical issues – could be met with peace. It’s the same peace He offers us even today in our suffering, stress and busyness that plagues us all. I can’t even imagine what it means to live this life thinking its all up to me. The responsibility for that is overwhelming,
SLIDE: The holidays are hard enough. We must choose to stay focused on the only real hope.
-A hope that in our suffering He is there and knows our pain.
- A hope that in our relationships He can be in the middle.
- A hope that in our trials He brings his steadfast determination.
- A hope that in this life we are not merely pawns on chess board but active participants with God and that there is a cosmic meaning to all of this.
It’s the hope that we are a part of an ultimate love story that goes beyond our understanding to produce a life of meaning now, participation with Him in showing others his love for them and the thought of living in peace for eternity. Let’s pray!
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