The Third Sunday In Advent: The Joy Candle Series

(Note: This message is based on a sermon preached at First Baptist Church of Chamois, MO on December 11, 2022. This is not an exact transcription.)

Introduction: This is the third Sunday in the Advent season. Today’s focus is on joy, and if there was ever a need for joy, it’s these days! In fact, I looked up the word “joy” on one of the on-line dictionaries and oddly enough, there aren’t really any good definitions. The common thread, if you want to call it that, is an ecstatic feeling or an emotion coming you didn’t expect. I guess.

Well, I didn’t find much of anything there so I read some of the quotes from various authors and to say the least, some are colorful and some are downright odd, in my opinion! Here’s one, and since we have a baseball player in our congregation today (a teen ager), it makes sense: “Joy is like pitching a shut-out”. Another that I think is strange goes like this: “Joy is like a young pigeon too full to fly.” And there are others, too. We can agree with the Scots that, as their saying goes, “It’s better telt than felt!”

Now, the problem for today’s message isn’t finding a text; it’s finding which text to choose! Joy is mentioned many times in the Bible—and every time, it’s good!—but there was one that I kept coming back to. It’s from Luke’s gospel, chapter 2 beginning at verse 8. The Word says,

(Text: Acts 2:8-20, NASB): 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And so 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 a 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 army of angels praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured 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 had been told them.

<prayer>

Here in this passage we can see three different groups and each of them experienced joy at the birth of our Lord. The shepherds were out in the country, watching the sheep; the angel and later the “heavenly host” made news and shared news; and the family themselves, with Joseph, Mary, and the Baby. Let’s look at the shepherds first.

By the way, if any of you get the chance, please read Phillip Keller’s book “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23” as it gives a lot of application from a brother who had a lot in common with David. Way back in the early 90’s, also, I was stationed in southern California and one of the folks who attended our church there had raised sheep for a while.

I have to confess that I didn't and still don’t know very much about sheep but this man told us some things that just about made my head spin. He told us that sheep are about the stupidest animals to ever walk the earth! They’ll put their heads down and nibble grass down to the earth itself if nobody stops them, he said, and they’ll get lost, not knowing where they are or how they got there. If a shepherd doesn’t find the sheep, he added, that sheep’s done for. And worst of all, he continued, if a sheep falls down, it’s nearly impossible for it to get back up on its feet.

Is it any wonder the Lord calls us, “sheep”?

These shepherds, mentioned in the text, are some of the unsung heroes of the Christmas story. After all, they didn’t have an easy job; sometimes they’d be gone, with the sheep, for weeks if not months at a time. They had to find grass for the sheep, water for the sheep, and sometimes the sheep themselves all the while watching out for enemies—two-legged and otherwise. Note that it’s night time, and they’re still watching the flock. Some folks think this means they took turns watching while some caught some rest. At any rate, they were taking care or business—literally—when they received the surprise of their lives!