Merry Christmas, everyone! Finally, it is Christmas.
The one day out of the year we all have waited for.
My daughter told me the other day that my 6 year old grandson has been getting up every morning telling her how many days are left until Christmas.
Isn’t it great how excited the children get at Christmas?
How many of you remember when you were a small child and you looked forward to Christmas grandson?
At Christmas time, I can always tell who the real children are. None of us should ever get too old to celebrate Christmas. No matter how old you are, we all should always look forward to Christmas morning.
HEY KIDS! Did you know that even the old prophets of the Old Testament got excited about Christmas before it even took place?
Think about it. It was prophets from the Old Testament that first started counting down the days.
Old men like Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Micah.
They foretold of the coming of the baby, Jesus Christ. One of them even knew where the baby, Jesus, would be born. In Bethlehem.
Even more exciting was that these prophets said:
· This baby would come to save the world.
· This world of darkness would be given the Light that would shine forever.
· This little baby would bring peace to a world in tumult, destruction and chaos.
HEY KIDS! Did you know that these old prophets of the Old Testament stared counting the days until Christmas 800 years before the first Christmas morning?
For hundreds of years, the boys and girls all over the world waited for the promise of Christmas.
That’s a long time.
These prophecies & promises were all but forgotten. Many generations of God’s people had come and gone. Most people had given up on there ever being a Christmas morning.
Prior to the book of Luke, there was little hope left for the birth a King who would come to save the world.
For hundreds of years, the world waited in darkness.
The earth waited for God to shine His eternal Light down from heaven.
There was a promise given by the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 9:2
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.
Then, at long last in Luke 2, God sent an angel to pronounce to the world the arrival of the King!
Text: Luke 2:8 thru 11
Prayer:
God’s Word once spoke creation (itself) into existence. And now, God’s Word would speak the birth of Jesus into existence.
This was not going to be another prophecy given in the darkness of the Old Testament. This would be:
· The new beginning.
· The declaration to the world of the long awaited fulfillment of all of the prophecies.
The angel of the Lord spoke in verses 10 and 11:
“…Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be TO ALL PEOPLE.
"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…”
The prophecies of the coming of Jesus were over.
Finally, Christmas is here! The promise is now fulfilled.
The promise of the Savior is born!
The Light has finally come!
I find something rather interesting in this story.
This declaration was not given to only the righteous who love and honor God. This promise is given
TO ALL PEOPLE!
Men and women. Boys and girls all over the world.
This declaration of “great joy” was given to you and I. It was given to your family and my family.
Your neighbor and my neighbor.
Your relatives and my relatives.
God was not partial just to the righteous and faithful.
This world that laid in darkness would now hear the Declaration of JOY made by the angels.
The whole world would hear the Good News.
God sent His angel to shout this Good News to all the world. From the kings and rulers to the paupers and the beggars. From the Hebrew children to the Asians and the Alaskans.
Even those who were hard hearted, cold and indifferent to God’s ways heard the story of Christmas.
All of mankind must acknowledge that Christ is born on Christmas Day. They may not celebrate it, but the world knows what Christmas is all about.
The angels shouted: “To all people!”
The Glory of Christmas was sent to the Shepherds –
1. Where and who were these shepherds?
· The shepherds were:
· Not wealthy people.
· Hard working folks who were use to long hours. Common folks like you and I.
· Not royalty or celebrities of fame and fortune.
· Living in obscurity, but not forgotten by God.
2. What were they doing?
They were doing what they knew had to be done while they waited for the day of their salvation.
They may have been tired and weary, but they had not given up.
3. Why would the Lord speak to these shepherds?
Because God has always given His Grace to the most humble of people.
Because these men would serve confirmation of what the birth of Christ would mean to all men.
This baby, Jesus, was not just for Joseph and Mary, but the King was sent to all people.
4. What happened that frightened them?
They were overwhelmed by the awesome might of God’s Holy Word when it was spoken.
The shepherds did not know if they deserved the Grace of God, or the judgment of God.
These men feared God. They reverenced God.
When God spoke His Word, they knew that God was greater than anything they had ever seen or heard.
5. How did the shepherds respond?
The same way you and I would respond to an angelic visitation of the Lord.
I know that I would:
· Immediately fall on my face and not say a word.
· Simply listen to the Word of the Lord.
· Know that I had nothing I to say that would be important.
This morning, 2000 years later, the Glory of Christmas has been sent to you and I on this day.
My Bible tells me that these shepherds were “living out in the fields” that night.
Maybe none of us have ever lived out in the fields tending to sheep, but let me ask of you the same questions that we have asked of the shepherds.
1. What are you busy doing?
Is there anything else more important to you than the Birth of our Savior?
Are you doing everything you know you should be doing while waiting for His return?
Or, are you so busy with things you think are important.
Are you so busy with your life, your vocation, your family, your friends, your hobbies, or your sports.
Are you so busy that you may not be able to hear the Word of the Lord.
2. Why is it important for God to declare the Birth of Christ to you and I?
Because God loves you. He gave His Son to you.
My friend, there is no other gift at Christmas time that is more important than the gift God has given you today. You won’t find it under the Christmas tree.
You can only find it at the foot of the cross where Jesus died for you.
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3. Are we amazed (or, overwhelmed) by the story of Christmas?
Will we respond as the shepherds did on that dark night? Will we fall to our knees, or fall on our face before God in awe of what He has given us?
4. How will we respond this Christmas to the Birthday of Christ?
The shepherds immediately left the fields that night and made a long journey to Bethlehem to see the Christ child.
I don’t think they hesitated for a moment.
They didn’t wait until morning to leave for Bethlehem. They knew what they had to do.
They must see Jesus. They must find Jesus.
Nothing else was more important to them that night.
What about you sir, you maam’?
How about it young boy, young girl?
Is there anything more important to you this morning than Jesus?
