The Benefits Of The Angel's Proclamation

The Benefits of the Angel's Proclamation

Luke 2:8-14

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A young boy asked his grandfather to tell him his most exiting story. The old man stared at his grandson for a moment and said, “Alright, I’m going to tell you the most exciting thing that ever happened to me. It happened 40 years ago in a field outside of Bethlehem, as a group of us were watching over the sheep, and suddenly there appeared an angel who lit up the entire area.”

The boy asked, “Were you afraid.”

“Yes,” the grandfather replied, “But then the angel told us not to be, because he was bringing to us good news that would fill us with great joy.”

The boy excitedly asked, “What was it Zayde,” which is Yiddish for grandfather.

“He said that in the town of David, that is, Bethlehem, there was a baby that had been born who would be our Savior, Christ our Lord.”

“But how would you know which baby and where he was,” the boy asked.

“The angel said,” the grandfather continued, “That he would be born in a stable wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.”

“In a manger,” the boy gasped. “I thought the Messiah would be born in a palace, in a place of honor, not in a stable and laid in a feeding trough for animals. Was there at least music being played and singing about this great event?”

“Yes, there was a choir,” said the grandfather, “But it wasn’t of human origin, but a great company of angels appeared praising God singing ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to whom God’s favor rests.

“But Zayde,” the boy continued, “How is this your most exciting story?”

And his grandfather replied, “Well, for the first time in my life as a shepherd, I felt honored and privileged to hear the most wonderful of all announcements, one denied to even kings and religious leaders, and that is the proclamation that Christ our Savior had been born.”

Let’s now take a moment and look at the angel’s proclamation found in Luke 2:8-14.

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” (Luke 2:8-14 NKJV)

For our time together, what I’d like to share with you, and again something special at the end, the benefits that Jesus’s birth brings into our lives and to our world. In other words, the good news that brings great joy.

At Jesus’s Birth Fears Fade

“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.’” (Luke 2:10a NKJV)

There are many reasons why the angel told the shepherds not to be afraid. First, it’s only natural for someone to be a little terrified when seeing such a heavenly personage, and the glory of heaven shining around him. The shepherds believed like so many today that angels are superior beings to humans.

But what they failed to realize is that humanity is God’s greatest creation, and that’s because we have been created in the image and likeness of the Lord God Himself (Genesis 1:27), something angels never were.

Also, back then, shepherds were considered third class citizens and religious outcasts, in that their line of workprevented them from participating in the feasts and holy days.

There are several reasons why. First, someone had to watch over the sheep. When everyone else was making the trip to Jerusalem to make sacrifices at the temple, or participating in one of the annual feasts, they were out in the fields keeping watch over the flocks.

They were also looked down upon from a religious view point because by Jewish law, not God’s law, they were considered to be unclean. So, no matter what may have been in their hearts, they weren’t able to participate fully in the religious life of the community.

But not only were they religious outcasts, but social outcasts. They were constantly on the move and were looked upon with suspicion. If something came up missing it was often blamed upon the shepherds.