When we began the service this morning, we read from Isaiah 52 – on the screen behind me is verse 7 (let’s read it together):
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!
Today starts our second week of Advent, and our theme is focused on peace. I don’t know if you follow the news these days, but world PEACE (or the lack of it) is a major topic. I read last week that in the last 5,400 years of recorded history, the world has been without war for only a little over 275 of those years! Peace has always been, and continue to be a rare commodity in the world, hasn’t it?
Our personal worlds aren’t necessarily models of peace either. The breakdown of the American family exposes that most families have little or no peace as divorce rates climb to near 60%; children are becoming more and more disconnected from their parents; the rise of self-medication through alcohol and pain killers destroys relationships and makes dealing with issues virtually impossible - peace is hard to find…
Although not impossible to find. I like what one woman said about finding inner peace. She said: “My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of potato chips and a chocolate cake…I feel better already.”
I don’t know if that would make you feel better, but I do know that everyone desires peace – like the wonderful pictures of peace given in the book of Isaiah - where there is no more war, when the rule of Christ never ends, where the lion lies down with the lamb. We desire our external and internal worlds to have peace - peace that allows us to sleep at night, that makes us not worry, and that settles our minds and our hearts down. But we don’t have that yet in our world.
But Isaiah 52:7 suggests that for now, until Jesus Christ rules, peace comes when God’s people spread the good news of peace and salvation. The word picture is used of God calling the “feet of the messenger” beautiful. While you may or may not have beautiful feet (please don’t show us!) – the idea is that God loves when we, as His people, use our feet and get moving by sharing the good news of peace with others. If you are a Christian, then you have a chance to bring peace into the world and have beautiful feet.
Speaking of bringing the message of peace, turn to Luke 2. This is the most popular version of the story of the birth of Christ, and there are a group of people we call “the shepherds” who demonstrate what it means to bring the message of people into the world. The first 7 verses of Luke 2 give us the basic details of how Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem. I’ve located a special celebrity guest speaker to read for us vs. 8-14 (at this point, I played the scene from Charlie Brown’s Christmas where Linus recites Luke 2:8-14 - people enjoyed this).
This passage is a wonderful account of a pivotal moment in our human story. God Himself comes down in the form of a baby, stripping off all of His glory, so that He could be our Savior. You can’t help but get the impression that the angels are excited – practically unable to contain themselves - rejoicing as they announce the birth of the Messiah. In their words are wonder and awe filled with excitement – the angels almost have a “I know something you don’t know” kind of feel to their words, because what was happening was practically beyond humans beings understanding. But the angels understood it all.
And rather than appear to dignitaries or royalty, the angels with their excitement and wonder, go to a bunch of ragtag lowly shepherds sleeping out in the field with their sheep, and declare the message – “A Savior is born – peace on earth!” The shepherds seem to be dumbfounded. The angel of the Lord speaks and then the heavenly host speaks, and there is not a word uttered by the shepherds, perhaps out of respect or fear. They don’t speak until after the angels leave.
But once the message begins to sink in – “the Messiah is born, Savior to all, peace on earth” – what happened. Let’s read vs. 15-20 together. When the angels left, what did the shepherds do? According to verses 15 & 16, they went to check it out for themselves - there was a sense of urgency and they ran to Bethlehem.
Like the shepherds, some of you are checking this message out for yourselves. Maybe you didn’t run here, maybe you were even “dragged” here – but you have witnessed a change in others that have become “Christians,” and you have seen peace come into their lives. You have heard that Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby and that He died on the cross for your sins. If you are checking out this good news that brings peace, I invite you to keep coming back to The Journey – consider a safe place to explore the Bible and your faith. I pray that you will come to know Jesus who is the Prince of peace.
But maybe you’ve been a Christian for awhile – you have “peace with God,” but you are wondering “What’s next in my life?” Today, let me point to the example of the shepherds to remind you to keep pursuing the good things that God has ahead for you.
But there is one phrase that I want to dwell on for another moment in verse 17 – let’s read again what it says, “After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.” Who did the shepherds tell? What did they tell everyone?
Once the shepherds witnessed with their own eyes and hearts what the angels told them, their reaction was simple – “We have to tell others!” Have you ever received news that was so GOOD you just couldn’t keep your mouth shut? The shepherds began telling everyone they saw about what they had heard and seen, and we witness a picture of what it meant when Isaiah said, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”
The shepherds were so impacted by what they heard, saw, and experienced that they could not help but tell their story to anyone and everyone they came into contact with. What about you? Does the angelic announcement about Jesus being the Savior still mean something? Do you remember what your heart felt like when you first experienced God, when you invited Him into your heart? Do you still tell you story like the shepherds did?
I invite you to recapture the excitement and heart of the shepherds. I have watched as so many of you have invited Jesus Christ into your lives, and I have witnessed you, like the shepherds, unable to contain your excitement about what God has done and keep your mouth shut. Look around - this church is filled with people who either a) couldn’t keep their mouths shut or b) were around someone who couldn’t keep their mouth shut! And if you are one of those who tells others God came to bring peace into every life, don’t lose your excitement - you are a peace-bringer, and God loves your feet – “How beautiful are the feet of YOU who bring good news, the good news of peace and salvation.”
This message turns into a life illustration now – from words to word picture – as I call up here a friend of mine from college. He and his wife and family a few years ago surrendered to become missionaries to the country of Italy. I had the honor of being on his approval committee in May of 2005. What’s a missionary? Someone who brings the good news of peace. Jon is going to tell you more about himself, show his presentation, take a few questions, and then hand it back over to me. As he does this, Journey, I want to ask you to do something. While he is speaking, I invite you to ask God how He could use you to bring the gospel to others, whether getting involved internationally or helping us here internally at the Journey. What specifically can you do – I invite you to hold a dialogue with God while Jon speaks – don’t just sit and passively listen, listen aggressively with your heart and hear what the Spirit would say to you and to the church.
MISSIONARY DVD PRESENTATION.
The shepherds are great examples for us today because they are so ordinary. No one would have suspected the shepherds to be the first missionaries or evangelists. Maybe you think of yourself as nothing special. But what I would tell you today and next week is that you can make an impact on the peace in our world – you can bring the gospel of peace to people in one way or another – every single one of us can, either by telling others or making it possible for people like Jon and me to tell others.
To close out, look at Romans 10:13-15 (on screen). In this room, some need to go and spread the gospel of peace, while some need to send, but everyone needs to get involved in spreading the gospel of peace. How will you?
o Will you give a portion of your money to missions (which you can do through the church)?
o Will you tell your family or friends or neighbors your story and how you came to know the Lord?
o Will you get involved in a church ministry where you can share your story and share the gospel of peace?
o Will you support and work in behind the scenes ministries of our church – the nursery or kids – which make it possible for me to spread the gospel of peace every week in our auditorium?
Jon is going to sing a song called “And Now My Lifesong Sings,” which is a song of testimony of many of you, or could be your song today if you have never invited Christ into your life. As the peace is spread through ordinary people like us, imagine this being the song of people who hear about the Lord and receive Him.
