Dr. Bradford Reaves
Crossway Christian Fellowship
Hagerstown, MD
www.mycrossway.org
It is Christmas Eve, and families like us are gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I can remember going to Christmas Eve Candlelight Services growing up and it was among my favorite times to go to church. The quiet evening service, carols, candles, and the fascination of Immanuel. The coming of Christ transformed our world and opened the door of peace between us and God.
On Christmas Eve night 1914 another kind of gathering happened. Something that underscores the prolific power of our Lord. It was WWI and there was fierce trench warfare against Germany in Belgium. The battle had reached a stalemate, as over 100,000 troops on both sides stared each other down. The area between the lines was known as ‘No Man’s Land.’ Yet, on a Christmas Eve 109 years ago, the war came a halt – a holy halt.
Everyone has their own favorite Christmas carol. A song that when it is sung warms your heart and enlivens your soul. For many, that song is O Holy Night.
*Solist: O Holy Night (1 Verse)*
Maybe just by hearing those familiar lyrics, you can feel the beauty of the night of the birth of Jesus. Maybe you can smell the crisp air like the shepherds in the field. Maybe you can sense the hush of a sleepy town in Israel as Jesus takes the breath of life.
O Holy Night actually follows the birth narrative of Jesus that is found in Luke 2:8-20:
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. 11 For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “And this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared 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 men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:8–14).
The shepherds would have been on high alert against wild predators who would attack their flocks. But something unexpected happened as an angelic choir appeared. There is something comforting to us when we picture this scene. A choir of divinely appointed messengers reminds us that despite the condition of the world. God is still there, and He hasn’t forgotten us. We need that reminder this Christmas.
*Solist: “Angels We Have Heard on High” (1 Verse)*
I. THE HOLY MESSAGE
The first words they speak to the fearful shepherds are, “Do not be afraid.” The angels brought good news that the world had been waiting on for so long. It was a birth announcement that brought new hope.
One of the more touching moments in our life was the day we adopted Noah. I remember holding him for the first time. He could nestle quite comfortably in the crook of my arm. There was something so mesmerizing about holding him that I never knew from holding any other child. He was given to us by God after Andrea, and I had prayed for years for a child of our own. It completely changed our lives, how we view the world, and how we saw ourselves as people. It changed our marriage, and it shifted our entire understanding of life. Most powerfully, Noah’s arrival transformed how we understood our relationship with God.
Maybe that’s part of the reason why God came as a baby because, in the same way, the innocence of that tiny life would shift the entire world. The angels told the shepherds that in the city of David, a Savior had been born. The arrival of the Messiah meant they would be rescued from bondage to sin. They would now have peace, even in the midst of oppression and struggle. This newborn baby who they would find wrapped in swaddling cloth was the hope of Israel and the entire world.
Since 1919, King's College Chapel, Cambridge starts with the processional for Christmas Eve service, with “Once in Royal David's City.” The first verse is sung by a single boy. The second verse is sung by the choir, and the congregation joins in the third verse. Excluding the first verse, the hymn is accompanied by the organ. Traditionally, the soloist is usually chosen right before the performance by the choirmaster.
*Solist: Once in Royal David’s City (vv 1-3)*
This holy message of Christmas is special. First, it is holy because of who was receiving it. Of all the people to be the first to receive news, God chose the shepherds. The fact that the angels came to them first reminds us that Christ came for all people - from the least to the greatest. Jesus was born and is Savior to all.
Second, it was holy because of who was giving it. These divine messengers had arrived as messengers for God himself. God was not somewhere far off or distant. He is Immanuel – God with us. In Bethlehem, the city of David. If God had come to earth and was bringing hope, peace, joy, and love, then the shepherds knew they had to find him.
II. THE HOLY SEARCH
Everyone is searching for something in life. Some are searching for meaning and significance. Others are searching for happiness and fulfillment. The problem is that many of us are searching for these things in all the wrong places. The shepherd reminds us that we are to be searching for Jesus. “Let us go to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:15) Like the shepherds let us be willing to do whatever it takes to find him.
“What Child Is This?” was written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and set to the tune of “Greensleeves.” Dix was afflicted by an unexpected and severe illness that resulted in him being bedridden and suffering from severe depression. His near-death experience brought about a spiritual renewal in him, reading the Bible cover to cover. He authored several hymns including this popular carol:
*Solist: What Child is This (v 1 & 3)*
During this time of year, we are reminded that there is nothing more valuable than the birth of Jesus Christ into the world. His birth gives us hope that our things can change. His birth gives us joy because He offers salvation. His birth gives us peace by reconciling us with God. His birth offers us love through his sacrificial death on the cross. The birth of Jesus changed everything, and it has the power to change everything for all of us tonight.
Christmas is an invitation to every one of us to value Jesus Christ more than gifts under the tree, our own ambitions, accounts, or selfish desires. He is not hard to find, He came to us first and He is still right here to anyone who will open their heart and soul to him. The difficulty we often struggle with is turning ourselves over to Him completely.
The Bible makes a promise to us that when we truly search for Jesus, we will find him. “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
God is not playing hide and seek with us. In fact, through Jesus, God came to us. The God of the universe humbly came to a world that was in need.
So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary was treasuring all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as was told them. (Luke 2:16-20)
*Solist: Still, Still, Still (3 Verses)
The shepherds confirmed all that had been told to them by the angels. You would not expect the divine to come to earth in this manner. If God was to come to the world He created, you would think He would come with great fanfare, perhaps as a powerful leader calling on the wealthy, the famous, the palaces, or the kings. However, heaven touched earth in humility and obscurity.
“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.” D.A. Carson
III. THE HOLY CHILD
The word Holy means sacred and set apart. Jesus was not some ordinary child. The Son of God came to live a perfect life, pointing us to God the Father and taking the penalty for our sins on His shoulders for our forgiveness. Our forgiveness, redemption, and new life are all made possible by this one holy child.
The shepherds could not help but tell everyone. They spread the word that God had come and made His dwelling among His people to rescue them from their sins. This Christmas, will you share more than just gifts and a meal with family and friends? As you have received the good news of Jesus, will you share the good news with others?
Remember our soldiers in Belgium? As Christmas approached, the Germans started decorating some of the trees around their bunkers with candles. On Christmas Eve both sides were settled down on their respective sides and some of the British were singing some of their favorite pub songs. Meanwhile, on the other side, some of the Germans began to sing one of their country’s most beloved Christmas carols, Stille Nacht, and then, something incredible happened. The French and British joined in.
The result was a ceasefire that lasted until New Year’s Day. On Christmas Day, each side helped the other bury their dead, and over that next week they celebrated Christmas together, they played soccer and gathered around the same campfires long into the night.
It was a holy night. Neither side could have seen a week of peace being born out of the singing of one Christmas carol, and yet, that is exactly what happened. A song about the birth of Christ brought peace to a war-torn battlefield and, for a handful of hours, turned enemies into friends, even for just a little while.
"Silent Night" was first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, Austria. A young Catholic priest, Father Joseph Mohr, in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, had written the poem "Stille Nacht". The melody was composed by Franz Xavier Gruber an organist. On Christmas Eve 1818, Mohr brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment after river flooding damaged the church organ. By the 1840s the song was well known and was reported to be a favorite of Frederick William IV of Prussia. During WWI it brought peace to a battlefield. Today it is sung on Christmas eve around the world, including our gathering here.
Candlelight: Silent Night, Band Begins to Play Quietly
The tradition of light candles partly originated in Ireland. A red candle was placed in a window as a beacon of light as a symbol for Joseph and Mary to find refuge in a home. A second candle was lit as a welcoming beacon for anyone, friend or stranger, who might be passing by on Christmas Eve. The candle’s welcoming light was also considered a silent prayer for those who could not be with us and a remembrance of those who have gone ahead of us to glory. The light of the candle is a universal symbol of peace, refuge, warmth, and hope. It is a reminder of the coming of Christ Jesus, the light of the world, and that his light lives in us.
