Saturday, December 24, 2011

"Good News" Sermon: Luke 2:1-20

“Good News”

[Luke 2:1-20]      

December 24, 2011 Second Reformed Church

            Before God created anything, He knew that to create humanity would mean that we would need a Savior.  God would have to come down and become one of us – to live under His Own Law, and then be crucified, dead, physically rise, and ascend back to His Throne.  That is the Good News – the Savior has come – and there are historical facts about the Savior that we must believe in order to be saved.

            When the time was right, God arranged the familiar events of the Christmas story that they would occur as He had prophesied through the prophets over four thousand years of human history.

            The Romans, led by Cesar Augustus, controlled the known world, including Israel.  And a time came when Rome desired a census to be taken – this was when Quirinius was governor of Syria.  And everyone was to return to their ancestral home to be counted by family.

            There was a man by the name of Joseph, who lived in Nazareth, whose ancestral father was David – the king.  David had been from Bethlehem, so that was where Joseph needed to be counted.  But Joseph was engaged, and engagement was a legal document, so his fiancé would need to come along.  Her name was Mary, and she was pregnant – almost ready to deliver.  But the law was the law.

            They went to Bethlehem, and shortly after they arrived, it was time for Mary to give birth.  But the town was overcrowded with everyone returning for the census – there was no room left to be rented anywhere in Bethlehem.  But they found someone who allowed them to stay in the place where he kept and fed his animals.  When the Baby was born, they wrapped Him in rags that were about the place, and they lay Him in the feeding trough – the manger – so He could sleep.  And so Mary and Joseph could relax, as well.

            “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

            We tend to have a rather glorified vision of what it was to be a shepherd.  We picture them as movie stars who take the sheep out to eat and then go home to their McMansions.  Such was not the case:  shepherds were generally seen as the bottom of the heap.

“Jeremias describes a shepherd's life: ‘The dryness of the ground made it necessary for the flocks of sheep and cattle to move about during the rainless summer and to stay for months at a time in isolated areas, far from the owner's home. Hence, herding sheep was an independent and responsible job; indeed, in view of the threat of wild beasts and robbers, it could even be dangerous. Sometimes the owner himself (Luke 15:6; John 10:12) or his sons did the job. But usually it was done by hired shepherds, who only too often did not justify the confidence reposed in them (John 10:12-13).’”

He continues citing “… Rabbinic sources to the effect that ‘most of the time they were dishonest and thieving; they led their herds onto other people's land and pilfered the produce of the land.’ Because they were often months at a time without supervision, they were often accused of stealing some of the increase of the flock. Consequently, the pious were warned not to buy wool, milk, or kids from shepherds on the assumption that it was stolen property. Shepherds were not allowed to fulfill a judicial office or be admitted in court as witnesses. A midrash on Psalm 23:2 reads, ‘There is no more disreputable occupation than that of a shepherd.’"  [Quoted at http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/2_8-20.htm].

            Shepherds.  Dirty.  Untrustworthy.

            Mary and Joseph were back with the cattle and their Baby, and the shepherds were out in the fields – in the dark – protecting the flock.

“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.”

All of a sudden the darkness was broken, and there, immediately in front of them, radiating with the Glory of God, lighting up the field, was an angel, and the shepherds were severely terrified. 

“Why has an angel come into our midst?  Especially with such power?  Nobody comes to the shepherds, unless it is to accuse us of something or to tell us to bring the animals in.  Angels come with a Word from God.  Has he come to destroy us?  Is the message that God is going to destroy us?”

“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news’”

“Don’t be afraid, I have a message, but it is not a message to cause you terror – it is a message of good news.  This is a message from God.  God sent me to tell you, shepherds, particularly.  God has good news for the invisible people of society, for the lowest caste of society, for the economically oppressed, for the poor, for a people who are under political oppression.  God has good news for you.”

It is “good news of great joy.”

“The news I have for you is not small – it is great.  It is enormous.  It is beyond anything you could ever imagine.  And it is of great joy.  This is not news that will pass away.  It will not affect you for merely a short time – but forever.  In fact, all of history will be affected forever because of the news I have for you.”

It is “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

“And the news I have for you and the joy it will bring it not just for the Jews – it’s for the Gentiles, as well.  It is for men and women, slave and free, educated and uneducated, rich and poor, Arab, Israeli, African, European, Islander, Asian – all people of every kind.”

Can we imagine the shepherds, crouched down; covering themselves for fear and the brightness of the Glory of God which came with the angel, testifying that the message was, indeed, from God?

Good news?  They were used to bad news.  They were used to status quo.  And good news that brought great joy?  Something that would rock their world?  Had Rome been conquered?  Had they somehow risen in the eyes of society?  What more might they hope for? 

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

The Good News is the Savior has come.  The Savior God repeatedly promised for four thousand years has arrived.  Salvation has come.  Everything has changed.  The Lord God, Himself, is the Savior.  God came down to earth to save His people.

Have you received the Good News which is of great joy?

I distinguish between “happiness” and “joy.”  If you were to ask me if I was happy, more often than not, I would say, “no.”  I consider happiness a short-lived, fleeting, recurring period of life – like you feel after eating a meal that you really enjoy, but before you step on the scale.   We are not always happy, and there are times when we do well not to be happy – times when we are right to be sad or mad.  I would not say I am “happy,” when I am sad.

But I would say I am “joyful.”  I always have joy.  Joy, I consider to be, an eternal state of solid – secure – hopefulness.  Joy is the belief that God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him (cf. Romans 8:28). Joy is knowing that the glory that is coming is greater than anything I may endure now (cf. Romans 8:18).  Joy is the belief deep down in the very depths of who I am that Jesus is God the Savior – of all those who believe in Him.

When the angel came with good news of great joy, he was not guaranteeing the shepherds a better life than the one they had – in this sense – they remained shepherds.  They returned to the same life, the same status, the same job they had after the received the Good News (cf. Luke 2:20).  The promise of good news of great joy had to do with hope – with their eternal future – with the way they lived now in the light of what would surely be.

The same is true today:  receiving the Good News may change nothing about our job or our debt and so forth.  But theh Good News gives us hope – hope about our eternal future – hope about the way we live now in the light of what will surely be.

The shepherds returned to the same job, under the same conditions, working for the same people – but everything had changed.  They had received the Good News – the announcement of the Good News had been made to them – shepherds.  They had run to the place where God the Savior had been born, and they believed – they were filled with hope and eternal joy, knowing that they were saved through this Little Baby.  They had faith and hope that He would save them and bring them into His Glory one day.

Have you received the Good News?  Do you believe that Jesus is God the Only Savior, Who came to earth, lived, died, physically rose, and ascended back to His Throne?  If you do, do you have joy?  Do you know in this Good News – in the very depths of your being – that Jesus has made you right with God – a son or daughter of God – and you will be received into God’s Glory – with the shepherds – and all those who ever believe?

 “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 among those with whom he is pleased!’”

            The angels returned to heaven, the shepherds went to Bethlehem and saw the Good News, which the Lord has made known to them.  They ran found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. And when they saw Him, they told Mary and Joseph that angels had come in the Glory of God and told them that Jesus is the Christ – God the Savior – Who will save anyone and everyone who believes in Him – even shepherds.  And everyone who heard what the shepherds said wondered what it might mean.  “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

            Let us pray:
            Almighty God, we rejoice and have everlasting hope, because You came to earth in the Person of Jesus with the Good News that we can be right with You through Him.  Help us to think about what You did.  Help us to open our mouths and let others know.  Help us to be amazed at Your coming to earth – the Incarnation.  And that You have come to us.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

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