“Rejoice”
[Luke
2:1-20]
December 24, 2015 Second Reformed
Church
On Tuesday, I went to the bank, and
there were two young men behind me – perhaps in their thirties, and the one
young man said to the other, “I’m so sick of Christmas. I’m not going to celebrate Christmas next
year. All this buying gifts for
everybody is robbing me dry.”
I regret that I did not say anything,
but I stood there thinking:
If he really thinks he has to give
everybody gifts, he is not gift-giving; he’s fulfilling a perceived
obligation. Because no one has to give a
gift – in order for a gift to be a gift, it has to be given – just because you
want to – not under any obligation.
That’s why we don’t call our pay checks a “gift.” Our pay checks are not gifts – they’re obligations.
If I give you a gift, you should not
feel under any obligation to give me a gift – and so forth. Gifts are given freely out of joy – if they
are truly gifts.
And our gifts – I like the whole
thing of gifts – especially “just because” – giving a gift because it gave me
joy to give it and there was no specific date or reason. And our gifts – to an extent – mirror the
gifts of God – and especially the Greatest Gift that we especially think of at
this time of year.
And He is a gift – John wrote, “For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in
him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV). God the Father loved the world and gave His
Son to Incarnate – to put on human flesh – because it gave Him joy to save a
people for Himself through the work of His enfleshed Son.
God is the Creator of everything
that is, but in the Incarnation, God experienced being in the womb, His body’s
growth, being expelled through the birth canal, experiencing the impact of His
Creation on human senses, and needing help to eat and clean up after digestion.
As Paul wrote, “Christ Jesus, who,
though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped, but emptied himself, by taking on the form of a servant, being born in
the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5b-6, ESV).
The Almighty God – in His Joy – came
to earth in the person of the Son – becoming enfleshed in the person of Jesus
of Nazareth – and for those years, He put aside the glory that was due Him – He
kept the radiance of His Glory – except for a few glimpses – aside, and become
eternally enfleshed – the One Member of the Godhead Who is also a human – and
was not ashamed to put on swaddling clothes as a gift for us.
In our text this evening, we see
that the result of receiving a gift should be rejoicing. Gifts ought to humble us and cause us to give
thanks and praise to God and should fill us with joy.
Luke opens this text in joy:
“On those days a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when
Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all
went to be registered, each to his own town.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to
Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the
house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was
with child. And while they were there,
the time came for her to give birth. And
she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and
laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn.”
We remember that Luke was a historian – as
well as a doctor – and he gives names and places, so, as his gospel is read,
people could check what he said and confirm that it is all true – it all
happened when he said and where he said and how it came to pass.
And Luke draws his line for the date of
Jesus’ birth: when Augustus Caesar
reigned, crossed with when Quirinius was governor of Syria, crossed with the
first census – the first registration – he took.
And Luke tells us that Joseph and Mary
went – with everyone else – to the ancestral home of the husband. In this case, even though they were living in
Nazareth in Galilee – which is was Jesus would be called, Jesus of Nazareth –
they went to his ancestral home – coming from the line of King David, from the
city of Bethlehem in Judea.
And here we see that flashing light of joy
– the people of Luke’s day would have
heard the prophecy: “But you, O
Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from
you shall come forth from me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming
forth is from old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2, ESV)
And, “There shall come forth a shoot from
the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isaiah 11:1,
ESV).
As Luke draws these historical lines, we
can hear the joyful refrain underneath:
“He was born in Bethlehem! He was
born in Bethlehem!”
And then we have the very subtle
announcement: “And while they were
there, the time came for her to give birth.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling
cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the
inn.”
Perhaps so subtle at this point to give us
the joy of knowing that the Savior is a human being, born of a human woman,
born in the human way, born in the place that was available for them when the
time came to pass.
The Savior is human like us. The Savior understands what it is to be
human. The Savior can legally take our
place before the Father as our Substitute – rejoice!
Second, the angels came rejoicing.
“And in the same region there were
shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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.”
Picture the scene: you are out in the hills and pastures,
feeding your sheep with some of the other shepherds. You are guiding the sheep along, making sure
they don’t fall into a hole, or wander off into the woods, watching out for any
predators. It’s night, and all is quiet,
except for the baa-ing of the sheep.
And then – in a split second – the sky is
filled with the bright and weighty light of the Glory of God, and the angel of
the Lord appears. And you and your
fellow shepherds are down on the ground shaking.
“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not,
for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the
people. 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.’”
And, as angels are want to do, the angel
of the Lord said, “Fear not. Don’t be
afraid. I’ve got good news of great joy
which is for every type of person who ever exists.”
The first good news is that the angel
wasn’t there to kill them – or you, if you are still playing along.
The second good news is something so great
and so joyful that it will be received as great and joyful by every type of
person – Jews and Gentiles. And if the
shepherds had a moment to think, they probably wondered what good news would be
a great joy for every type of person?
But the angel told them: The Savior has been born in Bethlehem and He
is God, the Savior. And He is a human
baby, and you will find him in swaddling cloths in a manger.
Again, if they had a moment to think: The Savior has been born! And He is God and He is human and He is a
baby?
Maybe not – maybe they would have
remembered what the prophet said, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a
son, and shall call his name, Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14b, ESV). Which means, “God
with us.”
“And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the
highest, and one earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’
As this good news begins to sink into
their minds, the angels break forth in praise – they can’t hold back any more –
the angels rejoice from one end of the sky to another.
Luke tells us there was a multitude of
hosts. Multitude and host are synonyms
for a massive number – so a massive number of massive numbers of angels
appeared praising God, glorifying God – rejoicing in God – that with the birth
of this Baby, Who is God, everyone with whom God makes peace is at peace.
Remember, we have said the greatest
question – the biggest problem for humanity – is to find out how to be right
with God – because it makes all the difference for all of eternity. And here, the angels announce that God is
going to make a people right with Himself – from every type of person – Jew and
Gentile – God is going to make a people right with Himself by Himself through
the Savior, God the Son, Who had just been born on that first Christmas.
And the angels were filled with joy for
the Gift that God had given and was giving for the results it would have for
all those who would ever believe. Salvation was made for
the people of God in the birth of Jesus – rejoice!
Third, the shepherds rejoiced.
“When the angels went away from them into
heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see
this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went and found Mary and Joseph, and
the baby lying in the manger. And when
they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning the
child. And all who heard it wondered at
what the shepherds told them, 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.”
The shepherds took the gift of the
knowledge of the birth of the Savior and they went to see it for themselves –
to see that it was true – to see the thing that God told them had happened.
And they went and found Mary and Joseph
and Jesus in the manger. And they told
them about the angels and what they had said – that Jesus is God in the flesh
come to make a people right with God of His own accord – and how they saw
innumerable angels and the Glory of God and how the angels praised God and
glorified Him for what He had done in sending Jesus to make all those who would
believe right with God.
And the shepherds were so full of joy,
when they went from the manger – they kept rejoicing – and they told everyone
they met about what had happed and what they had seen in Bethlehem – the birth
of the Gift of love from the Father. It
was such great news they had to keep telling people – telling people –
And the people who they told wondered
about what they said: was it true? Did the shepherds really see the angel of the
Lord and the Glory of God and the heavens explode with angels praising and
glorifying God for sending the Savior?
Did they really see the Savior in Bethlehem? Is He really here? Is every type of person now able to be right
with God?
And we might wonder about the people who
wondered: how many of them went to check
the story? How many of them came to
believe that the shepherds told the truth – the angels announced the birth of
the Savior – and He is the Man, Jesus?
The shepherds were convinced – and they
couldn’t keep quiet: God the Savior has
come as a baby! Rejoice!
Fourth, Mary rejoiced.
When Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth,
she sang, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estates of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will
call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is
his name” (Luke 1:46b-49, ESV).
Over the past nine months, Mary had showed
herself devoted and humble, a woman who sought to serve her God whatever it may
entail.
She rejoiced in hearing the words of the
angel and the words of Elizabeth, and now, with that peaceful humility she
rejoiced and quietly received the words of the shepherds – and we are told she
“pondered them in her heart” – literally, “she carefully stored them away in
her heart – in the deepest part of her being” – all of this – something to have
joy about and to recount and ponder anew – and rejoice.
Throughout her life, Mary looked back on
these words and these occurrences and rejoiced!
Did buying Christmas presents rob your
wallet dry?
Perhaps you should give less presents next
year and focus on the Gift that God gave to all those who will believe – the
way to be right with God through His Son.
If you have received this Gift of God – if
you have been made right with God through Jesus – focus on rejoicing in Him –
giving Him the praise and the glory.
And then, as you are joy-filled, you may
find yourself rejoicing and giving gifts to others – especially the gift of the
knowledge of Jesus and His salvation.
Rejoice!
Almighty God, we rejoice and give You
thanks for loving us and sending Your Son that first Christmas that we would be
made right with You through Him. Help us
to stay focused on this truth and joyfully let others know. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
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