All right, well, beautiful singing. So I’ve not met you. My name is Aaron and I’m preaching pastor here and glad that you’re with us today. So if you open your Bibles, you open up to Luke 2.
Today, our text to study is Luke 2, verses 1 through 20. If you’re using the Pew Bibles, it’s on page 500.
So Luke 2:1 through 20. And so if you also are visiting with us, we’ve been studying Luke for few weeks now. And so where we finished off last week was at the end of chapter one. And so we’re glad you’re with us this week as we start chapter two. So if you want to follow along as I read Luke 2:1, 20, so please hear the words of our God.
So in those days, the decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration why Quirinius was governor of Syria, and all went to be registered, each to his own town. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from town Nazareth to Judea, the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, as he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, laid him in a manger.
There’s no room for them in the end. In the same region, there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch of their flock by night. And the angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord.
This will be a sign for you. You’ll find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. When the angels went away, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherd 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. They went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.
When they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds return glorified, praising God for all they have heard and seen as it had been told them. So that’s God’s word for us this morning.
Would you pray with me?
Lord, we’re humble before your word and Lord, it’s humbling to try to preach your word. So please help me to do this well for your glory, to rightly divide the word of truth.
Lord, I pray that you would help the congregations to be good listeners to receive your word. Pray use this time to bring glory to Christ and just further joy and satisfaction in him. To us, in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
So there I was, the rival, age of nine, fourth grade. When Amanda realized the world, it’s a cruel place. And how my hopes and dreams would quickly come crashing down around me. And where I learned this great lesson of humility, this painful lesson of humility took place in a very small country elementary school that I was part of. School building hosted grades K through 4th grade.
Now, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, event of our little school that we did this year was the annual Christmas play. Play that involved weeks of preparation and buildup where friends, family, people, even throughout the community would come to watch and pack out the gym where this performance was held. And because this is a school wide production, each grade would have a role in this play. But with the primary, the starting roles would go to the fourth graders, which I was at that point. So for me this year, fourth grade, a lot of excitement, a lot of anticipation leading up to this play where I was sure the world is about ready to be dazzled by my talents, both in my clever yet witty brand of acting as well as my singing skills that are nothing less than angelic.
Well, weeks leading up to the play at the school, we’d all sing songs together, rehearsed lines among ourselves, a little bit of an addition of that which was to come. Word for me. As each week went by, more convinced I was a shoo in to be the star of the show, where yours truly would be that year’s Santa Claus, where no doubt my rendition of jolly old St. Nick would be the stepping stone into like bigger and better things for me. So as the weeks went by as auditions took place as my incredible talent, dare I say unique talent, director’s words, not mine, the only question was left to be answered was like, what lucky girl would have the privilege to be my Mrs. Claus, where for the rest of her life she’d be able to tell others that she was there when I got my break. But no doubt leading to stardom.
Well, the day came for the roles to be handed out where everyone waited in eager anticipation to see what role they would get. Except for me, convinced I knew I was gonna be the star name up in lights. So as we waited, the teacher went around, handed out packets where the packets not only had the entire play typed out, but on the top of the packet there was a signed role for each of us with highlighted portions throughout the typed out play and the specific lines that each role would be giving. So it came to me, much to my surprise, my packet did not have Santa Claus on the top. Not only that, as I looked through my packet, there was not a single highlighted portion of lines that I have because the name on the top of my packet, elf3, who, unlike elf number one and elf number two, had speaking roles.
Elf number three is a pretty humble role. No lines. All I would do is require to stand next to and support the main characters. Pretty humbling. Now, I share this with you this morning, not as a group therapy session to get some childhood hurt off my shoulders or to complain about the grave injustice that I endured.
Rather tell you a story just to kind of set us up today for the real Christmas narrative where all the characters, all the characters involved are like humble characters. Although, unlike me, my personal story I just shared with you where I was humbled because of my pride. These characters in the real Christmas narrative, they were humble in a much better sense of the word, which the most humble of all these characters in this text, in the story is actually the star of the scene, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Christmas child. Okay, now, before we dive into this humble story, one that I’m sure most, if not all of us here are familiar with, let me remind us of some of where we’ve been the last few weeks in our study of Luke. So Luke also referred to as the Gospel of Luke.
It’s written by a man named Luke. He’s a doctor, missionary, and he wrote this first to a man named Theophilus. And Theophilus seemed to be an influential man, as he referred to as like most excellent Theophilus. And if you’ve been with us in our study of Luke, you remember that Luke wrote to most excellent Theophilus with the desire to give him an orderly historical account based on eyewitnesses concerning the life, the death, the resurrection and the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ in heavenly places, which includes his birth. As Luke wrote this orderly account.
He did so with the hopes that Theophilus would have a deeper assurance concerning the things of the Christian faith that was rapidly spreading all throughout the region. Our text today in this early account, I think become maybe the most famous passage in the Gospel of Luke. The passage to tell is the first Christmas story story that is mentioned, filled with humble characters, with the most humble of which being the Christ, the Lord Jesus, God’s eternal Son, who came to man by being born of a woman, a virgin and Mary, where our Lord was born. In the most humble of ways we trust as we work through this familiar passage, this most famous passage. This morning, as we see the humility once again of this scene, I hope it leads to us being humble as well, particularly when it comes to whatever areas of pride that we may be carrying in our own lives, where we’re trying to convince ourselves like we’re like the star of the show, whether it’s at work, at school, at home, at church, wherever else you find yourselves, where we try to make ourselves make this about us rather than the one true star, the Lord Jesus.
Okay, so look back with me at the text if you’re visiting with us. I’m just going to work us right back through the passage, verses 1 through 20. So keep your Bible open. We’re going to work through this verse by verse. So verse one, we see the start of this famous passage.
In verses 1 through 3, we see how Luke continued to ground this book in history as it’s an historical account that took place in our text today. We see that this story took place in history during a time when a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. Now, Caesar Augustus is a famous name not just because he’s included here in this famous story, but we actually know a decent amount about him from other historical literature. We see that his original name was Octavian and we see that he, like in history, linked up with Mark Anthony, which may be another name known on history, where these two men went after Brutus and Cassius, who were famous for the assassination of Julius Caesar, who was actually a relative of Octavian. Julius Caesar was his great uncle.
Years later, Octavian became ruler of the Roman Empire after he defeated his once companion Anthony, as well as Anthony’s mistress, Cleopatra. Cleopatra. Whereas Octavian became ruler, he was given the name Augustus, which means like majestic or holy. As became the Caesar, which is like the commander of chief. So Caesar Augustus and he became like the first emperor of Rome.
And as a first emperor, he tried to usher in what he called like the Pax Romana, which is like a era of peace throughout his entire empire. Now, as Augustus ruled his empire, he did time during a time of prosperity in the Roman Empire. And during this time he built like elaborate libraries as well as like lavish buildings and structures all throughout the empire which were building structures that would have cost a lot of money. So in our text today, as recourse to get the money needed for these elaborate projects, as well as to pay for his large army that he was attempting to bring in his Pax Romana, we see that he put forth a decree for the entire Roman world to be registered, which was a registration not just to count how many people were in the empire, but probably more importantly to him was used to collect taxes, to pay for the buildings, to be able to pay for and find the men to add to his large army. In verse two, as a census that was decreed by Augustus went forward, we historically, I see historically took place as a first census or first registration when a man named Quirinius was governor over Syria.
When it comes to Quiraeus, according to history, he served as a two term governor. So the first is somewhere between like 4 or 6 B.C. and then the second term is between 6 and 9 A.D. somewhere in there, which likely dates this story. Somewhere in his first term, the first registration when Quaterinius is governor. So between 6 and 4 BC keep going.
Verse 3 we see some details how Augustus was practically going to see his decree forward. And we see that this decree declared that each was to go back to his hometown to register, which here seems to refer to ones like hometown according to one’s ancestral roots, which in verse four of our passage meant Joseph was a man we met in chapter one, man betrothed, basically engaged to Mary. We see in other parts of scripture that this Joseph is a just man, but also a simple ordinary man, humble carpenter. And see in verse four, for Joseph, this decree meant that he had to travel from the region of Galilee, from the little town of Nazareth where he was currently living and to make a three to five day journey, a 90 mile journey to the south to the region of Judea, to the city of David, which was David being the great king of Israel 90 or 900 years prior to this little town of Bethlehem. And the text is Joseph made his trip to Bethlehem.
We see he did so because he is of the house in the lineage of David. So that’s where his ancestral roots were found. Now a few things here. So first, just the name Bethlehem basically means like house of bread and is basically A small suburb of Jerusalem, maybe four or five miles outside of town. Second, we’re first introduced to the little town of Bethlehem, actually all the way back to book of Genesis.
So if you remember Rachel, the wife of Jacob, so she’s been buried in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is also the setting for the Book of Ruth. We’re in the Book of Ruth, we see how the Lord was like providentially preparing things for David to be born from the lineage of Ruth in Bethlehem. And Bethlehem was also where David was from, also where he was anointed as king by Samuel, the great prophet and priest. And Bethlehem is also mentioned in the book of Micah as years before Christ, there’s this prophecy concerning Bethlehem which is actually a pretty important prophecy.
It says this, but you, O Bethlehem Epaphrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, for from you shall come forth for me one who’s to be a ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient of days. So even though Bethlehem was just a really small town, it was pretty significant throughout the Old Testament, primarily because of this prophecy. I just read for you from Micah, that from little town of Bethlehem, so that’s where the promised Messiah would come. Third, just take note that as the census of Augustus that he was putting forth, so this is like God providentially preparing things for the Christmas story. So through this census, this is how the Lord is going to fulfill his word, his great plan, this great promise that he gave in Micah, which by the way, I do hope the providential work of God here of getting Joseph to Bethlehem, I hope that does actually humble us a bit.
I mean, for us, who knows how the Lord is at work and whatever providence that you are in right now in your life to fill a greater plan for himself. Back to Our text, verse 5. As Joseph made his way back to his ancestral home to be registered, we see that his fiance Mary along with him, and we see that she was still with child as she made the trip. But as she made the trip, she was very pregnant. Well, in the text, sometime after Mary and Joseph got to town, when they’re in Bethlehem, as they’re perhaps still waiting for their time, fulfilled a part of the census, we see that a time came for Mary to give birth to this child, which certainly wasn’t the ideal that Mary was hoping for.
I’m sure she’d much rather have given birth back home, back among her family in the comforts of her home. But that wasn’t God’s plan that he had. This wasn’t the plan that he had for his Christ, who was to be born in Bethlehem. As Mary gave birth to this child, Luke tells us that this was her firstborn son, which I do think actually implies that Mary would have more children after Jesus. Because actually, you do see in Scripture that Mary and Joseph did have other children.
These children came through normal means, not the miraculous means of Jesus we see in chapter one was came through the power of the Holy Spirit. But they did have more children as Jesus was born. Read that Mary wrapped her son Jesus in swaddling cloths and she laid them in a manger, and she did that because there’s no room for them in the inn. Now, a few things here. So I do want to point out the swaddling clothes has been a real point of interest of the.
I think it’s actually something maybe I’ve talked about in the past when we use this passage around Christmas. So there’s a lot of interest on whether or not this is actually a significant detail that Luke wants us to pick up on, a detail that actually shares again in verse 12. You want to take your eyes down there, see how that’s swaddling clothes is there again, as part of a sign that was given, the baby would be wrapped in swaddling clothes. Now, for some, this detail of swaddling clothes is simply communicating this child Jesus went through, like, normal birthing process where he was born. He was quickly swaddled in clothes which have been very normal for a baby to be wrapped in.
And I do think that’s possible. That is what Luke is wanting us to see here in this text, right? That Jesus is born in the most normal, like, humble of ways. However, that being said, others, myself included, have wondered. There’s actually something more significant taking place here if the swaddling of clothes was more than just like a normal detail of something that just normally happened.
And the reason why is, like, why would Luke include this twice? You know, for me, like, if we’re gonna go, like, visit a newborn in hospital, it seemed like an unnecessary detail to say, like, yeah, we visited a newborn who is like, wrapped in a blanket. For others, myself included, wondered maybe the swaddling clothes has something significant tied to it, especially because it’s part of the sign in verse 12. Okay, now there’s two thoughts on this. So first, local tradition tells us that swaddling clothes is actually what shepherds would use to wrap the feet of lambs as an attempt to keep lambs spotless.
And why this is such a point of interest here is that Bethlehem so This is the place where the sacrificial lambs were raised before being led to the temple in Jerusalem, just a few miles down the road. So thought here, is that this Jesus, or this here of Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes. This is a detail that’s maybe pronouncing from his birth that Jesus has come to be the true sacrificial lamb, the one who came to be the Savior to take away the sins of the world which he does on the cross. Why is this such an interesting thought? As mentioned in verse 12, the swaddling clothes is part of a sign.
To who? To shepherds, as a way to find the Christ. And this would have been incredibly significant to them. They were the very ones who wrapped the sacrificial lambs and swaddling cloth. The other thought also tied to tradition that’s been passed down is that the swaddling clothes were actually what was used to like wrap dead bodies in.
Okay, now think of the story of Lazarus. Remember when Jesus raised him from the dead and he came out of the tomb still wrapped in grave clothes. Or even more so, remember the story of our Lord Jesus, right when he died before he rose again, remember he was wrapped in a cloth as he’s before he’s laid in a tomb. So very similar here. The thought is that Jesus is wrapped in swaddling clothes at his birth to be a picture that Jesus was was born to die, so that through his death, resurrection, he’d be the Savior.
As mentioned, it’s hard to know with certainty the significance of this detail here, but for us this morning, I do think it’s something at least considering. Second. So the manger, which is also part of the sign of the shepherds. So this is basically a feeding trough which does point to Jesus like being born among the animals, which, back to the intro this theme. This is humility here.
This is a very humble place to be born. This is not a place that we expect the Messiah, the Savior to be born, but here he is, humbly being born among the animals. And within this, let me mention that some have wondered if Jesus being born among the animals, if this is actually a picture of a new creation that Jesus was ushering in as he has come to be. Like the second Adam in the story of Genesis, the first Adam before sin entered in, Remember how he lived in harmony and peace, not just with God, but with all creation, including animals, something he enjoyed before sin entered in before that not only separated him from the peace of God, but also sin brought in chaos, the curse of death over all creation. But now through the second Adam, Jesus, the one who has come to restore harmony, restore peace, starting with peace with God, but also has come to bring peace throughout creation.
Perhaps this is what’s now being pictured as he laid in a manger. A new creation has come also kind of on this note. Isaiah chapter one says this so the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know. My people do not understand. Those are the wonder that perhaps Jesus lying in a manger is actually a fulfillment of this verse, how the people did not understand who it was that was among them.
It’s again hard to know what’s being communicated with the manger here, but once again, something worth considering. Third, let me talk a little about the inn for a little bit. Which better way to translate may actually be guest room? Okay, now there’s some good scholars who do think that inn is actually the right translation. And actually it does appear that there was like lodging places in this time period.
So Hannah from her from first Samuel, I just talked about her a few weeks back. So she seemed to use a lodging place. The prophet Jeremiah seemed to use a lodging place. So it is possible that inn is the right translation here, some type of lodging place for travelers where they might spend the night. However, that being said, as you read in don’t think of like some type of modern like hotel, that the area is like filled up and there’s no vacancy signs out there.
And so Mary and Joseph just kind of had to wander around until they found a place to give birth to their child. Furthermore, while it is possible for in to be the translation here for some type of lodging house, as mentioned, I think more likely translation, probably the better translation for the word in is actually a guest room. And for me, I actually think that’s more likely what happened here at the scene that the guest room was full. Now for me, what seems likely is that Joseph and Mary, as they got to Bethlehem, they would have gone to their relatives to stay. They probably did not have the money for some type of lodging house for them to rent.
So most likely they went to Joseph’s relatives and then ask, hey, can we stay with you while the census is being taken place? But it probably wasn’t just them who came. Probably family from all over the region were also there also asking for a place to stay. And because the house was packed with family from all over, as it came time for Mary to give birth, Joseph started to look around just for a little bit of privacy. But because the house was so full, right, they couldn’t find any in the house.
So the only place they could find somewhat, somewhat privacy was to head to where the animals were stored, which often were like caves or ledges that were attached to the houses. So again, for me, I think that’s actually what’s likely taking place here at the story, which only adds to like the less than ideal situation for Mary to give birth, which only adds to the humility of, of the story. Like, literally the only place that they could find to give birth to the promised Christ, right? God’s eternal Son, true God, true man. It’s among the animals, keep going.
In this text, as a humble birth was taking place, we read in verse 8, then the same region, there were shepherds out in their field to keep watch over their flock by night. Very normal, ordinary thing for shepherds to do to watch their flock at night to ensure like night predators didn’t try to like sneak in under the COVID in our darkness and attack their sheep. Now a few things here mentioned. It does at least seem possible that these shepherds were ones who raised sheep to be slaughtered at the nearby Old Testament temple. Second, let me also mention that shepherds were not a well thought of bunch in this time frame.
Even though shepherds were like some of the most famous characters in scripture, like including even David, he was at one point a shepherd. But being a shepherd, this is like a really humble profession at this time where the social elite certainly would have looked down upon them. In fact, shepherds were so lowly they were deemed like, so, like untrustworthy. They had such a poor reputation. So one of the commentaries I read this week, there’s a reference to a writing of a rabbi who wrote a few centuries before the time of scene and stated like shepherds could not even be used as like witnesses in the court of law because of like how lowly and how untrustworthy they were deemed to be by society.
So I don’t think it’s a stretch for us to consider the shepherds like, kind of almost like the lowest of the low in that sense, like the most humble of all people. Yet as we see the wisdom, the glory of God in the text, they’re the ones, humble shepherds to first receive the birth announcement of the Christ in the text. The first one is to meet the Christ lying in the manger in the text, the first one to be his witnesses. Not social elite, not religious leaders, not the well educated, not the priest, humble, overlooked, lowly shepherds who on that night, like all other nights, Prior were just out watching their flock by night. Verse 9 read that that night would not be a night like all others.
So you see that that night the angel of the Lord appeared to them. Perhaps this is Gabriel who appeared to Zechariah and then Mary in chapter one. Perhaps a different angel. Luke doesn’t give us that information. And as the angel appeared, we see that the glory of the Lord now shone all around the angel.
And naturally, as this was taking place, the humble shepherds were gripped by great fear. Can you imagine being a shepherd at this scene in a quiet stargazed night, just watching the sheep, deep in thought, kind of minding your own business. And then an angel shows up, which you can see in a little bit. The angel shows up with like so many more angels to fill the sky. Can you imagine, like, how shocking how startling this would have been?
You know, for me, at least once a week in my office, I’m deep in thoughts and everyone’s favorite uncle Wes comes, like walking in, catches me, always startles me, always causes me to jump. How much more for the humble shepherds here? An angel. And yes, west is angelic in a lot of ways, but a real angel appears right before their eyes. Verse 11 of the text.
As the shepherds were gripped by great fear, we see the angel then comforted them much in the same way as Gabriel did in chapter one as he appeared to Zechariah and then to Mary. And the angel of the Lord comforted the shepherds by saying to them, guys, fear not. Listen, I didn’t come to attack you. I didn’t come to bring you harm. I didn’t come to bring you a message of judgment, which at times in scripture, angels actually did do.
Rather than attack shepherds, fear not. I have come to you to bring you good news. In fact, really good news. Good news of great joy. There’s going to be for like all people, including Jews, most likely shepherds were as well as Gentiles, but most likely Luke and Theophilus were guessing most, if not us, all of us are, including those of the social elite.
But also good news, even for the humble. Verse 11. Good news of great joy. For unto you is. Is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord.
For this week particularly, what I spent time thinking about in this good news announcement of the angel is just that little phrase for unto you which made this announcement like just very personal, very intimate.
The gift of the Christmas child, this greatest of all gifts, the gift that it truly does keep on giving for all who trust in him as Lord and Savior. The tag on that gift, the gift that is Jesus says unto you.
That’s pretty humbling that God would give us a gift, the gift of Jesus. It was a gift to all who by faith turned to him, would receive. Timothy, verse 12, which I kind of talked about briefly as the angels told the shepherd of this incredible gift that was just given to them. He then told them, where are they going to find this great gift, the gift of the Christmas child. So, text, shepherds, this is going to be assigned to you, assigned so that you will be able to find this gift.
Meaning like this gift of Christ is not going to be hidden in such a way as impossible for them to find it. No, Shepherds, here’s how you’re going to find this gift. Just go into the little town of Bethlehem, and as you go in there, you’re going to find a baby. And that baby is going to be wrapped in swaddling clothes and he’s gonna be lying in a manger, which is a pretty clear sign.
This is kind of a no doubter here, you know, if they looked accordance with the sign, they would absolutely find what they were looking for. Verse 13. As the clear sign was given to the shepherds, we see now an angelic party break loose as suddenly with the angel who just spoke to them. And now a multitude heavenly hosts now filled the sky, when the entire night sky was now lit up like angel bright light. The once quiet night was now filled with angelic songs, the sound of a multitude of angels praising and rejoicing in God, as this great angelic choir sang out in the text.
Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased. A couple things here. So, yes, Augustus Caesar tried to bring in Pax Romana, but he never, never accomplished true peace. Because in the end, there’s no person, no government, no leader who can actually bring in real peace. Only God in the highest.
He’s the only one who can bring in true peace, which he does through the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, back to the context of scene. The peace of God, peace that he gives of those among which he is pleased. This included, like humble Mary, humble Joseph, humble shepherds, verse 15. As the shepherds heard this incredible message of this incredible gift that was given even for them, we see that the angels went back into the heavenly realm.
Naturally, shepherds began to talk among themselves, to process all that would happen. Whereas he began to talk. They said to one another, hey, let’s go to Bethlehem and let’s see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us, which we this year, this is a declaration, like going to Bethlehem to see what the Lord has made known to us. This is a declaration of faith, a belief where as soon as they heard the message they humbly believed and immediately responded. Which I do think is a good lesson for us to learn here from the humble shepherds.
As we hear God’s word by faith, we humbly respond. Verse 16 has responded. We see they went to Bethlehem with haste, joyful urgency. I mean how could they not? And as he went to Bethlehem with this joyful urgency, as they’re looking for the sign, you see that they found Mary and Joseph, they found the baby lying in the manger just as the sign told them they would keep going.
Verse 17. As the humble shepherd sought the Christ child, their hearts are further gripped by faith, by belief, with joy. So we see they started to go to tell others the same that had been told them concerning this child, making the humble poor probably illiterate, most likely uneducated shepherds, the first Christian evangelists, not the social elite, not the priest, not the well educated humble shepherds, that’s who the Lord used to first start spreading the message of Christmas.
As humble shepherds, humble evangelists went about telling others what was told them concerning the Christ child. In verse 18 we say they’re effective in their witness as all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. There’s a great story found in a preaching book written by John Stott. It’s kind of a famous name from a few years back and it’s a story about a man named David Hume who was an 18th century British deistic philosopher, one who like rejected historical Christianity. And so in the story a friend actually crossed paths with this Hume.
And as Hume was clearly in a hurry to get somewhere, whereas the friends crossed paths, Hume let the other know that he was in such a hurry because he was going to listen to the great Christian preacher and evangelist, a man named George Whitfield, who was about to have some type of preaching engagement, only for the friend of Hume to ask him, Hume, why are you going? Surely you don’t believe what Whitefield preached. Only for Hume, the deistic philosopher, the one who rejected Christianity, only for him to respond, no, I don’t. But he, he does. And that belief of Whitefield, that conviction of Whitefield, the sincerity of Whitefield in his message, his proclamation of the message, that was enough for Hume to wonder what was being said in ways that he wanted to Hear more.
And I kind of sense similar things taking place here on this first Christmas night as the shepherds, lowly shepherds who weren’t even be able to use as witnesses in the court of law, called outcast, yet they were going around testifying to the Christ child with such belief, such conviction, such sincerity, it caused others to wonder what has taken place, my friends, may that be true of us. Verse 19. As the little town of Bethlehem was abuzz with the message of the shepherds, Luke goes back to Mary. As all this is happening, we see that Mary treasured up all these things, like pondering all these things in her heart. I think marriage continues to give an example of what it looks like to be like, reflective, to see more than that which is like right in front of us, but to take time, to slow down and to see and to ponder a bigger picture of all the things that God is doing.
I also do wonder if this verse here, this is maybe Luke pointing that maybe Mary was actually one of his eyewitnesses as he wrote this ordinary account. Perhaps Luke was able to talk with Mary about this night. Perhaps even some of the shepherds are at the scene. Let’s write all this stuff down to give this account to Theophilus. And finally, verse 20.
We’re going to end today as the shepherds help set Bethlehem abuzz with their witness. We said then they had to go back to the sheep and they returned their fields glorifying, praising God for all that they have heard and seen, as was told to them this week. I kind of thought about this. That’s kind of profound here when it comes to like the dignity of one’s work, even like humble shepherd work. Think about it.
After all these things took place on his first Christmas for the glory of God, with the praise of God on their lips, with their faith full in the joy of Jesus, they go back to their humble jobs to serve the purposes of God. There for us this morning, that’s where we’re going to end in this humble story. Just mentioned, the most humble character in the story is the star Jesus, the Christ, God’s eternal Son, the one who came for us in the most humble of ways. Born of a virgin, born under the law, born among the animals, laid in a manger. We know the story of the humility of Jesus only continues from there.
Where most of his life, outside of a few stories, Jesus lived in obscurity, seemingly laboring as a simple, humble carpenter. And then finally, when he left obscurity as he entered into public ministry, he continued to Live with humility, where he’s often, like, ridiculed, criticized, rejected by the very ones he came to save, at times even included his own family. But ultimately, the greatest act of humility of the star, Jesus, when he came to die for his people as he died a sinner’s death on a cross, we’re in great humility. Jesus bore the wrath of God that burns over our sin, including the sins, when we pridefully, somehow think and assume that we’re like the star of the show. Plus, this morning, as close as time, I just want to do.
Just give me, like, one point of application in terms of how we are to respond to this humble story, to ultimately respond to the humble star of the story, and that is simply be humble. Keep saying it. You’re not the star of the show. None of us are. There’s only one star, Jesus Christ.
And so may we humbly, joyfully live out our lives trusting whatever providence God has put before us in ways that we’re making much of him.
May we be like humble Joseph, simple carpenter, but a just man. May we be that type of humility as we go out and live out our lives in an unjust world. May we be like Mary, the mother of the Lord, and humbly treasure and ponder over and over again the things that God has done for us through Jesus Christ was never boring, always exciting. Maybe we never get so distracted on whatever goal is in front of us that we stop having this wonder in our hearts, this amazement in our hearts about who God is, what he’s done, that we forget to see the evidence of his grace among us. Maybe even like the humble town people who humbly wondered with amazement at this message of Christmas, which I do wonder for some of us here, perhaps you’ve never truly wondered at Christmas or the Christ of Christmas.
This morning, I want to invite you to do so in ways that you actually do believe, that you believe in Jesus Christ, in ways that you receive him as the Christ, your Lord, your Savior, that you believe with wonder and amazement and joy that he came for you. Friends, maybe we’d be like the shepherds who humbly did receive the message of Christ, the gift of Christmas, for they did believe that Jesus came, even for them, as lowly as they were. And like the shepherds, may we humbly respond to the message of Christmas, the message of good news, of great joy, that is for all people. And may we humbly, with haste, take that message of Jesus to others.
Whoever God has put in your life, trusting that this message is for all people, may we be like the shepherds, maybe humbly love our lives, glorifying and praising God, even as we go back to our normal lives. Normal, ordinary jobs, normal. Ordinary school, whatever. Normal and ordinary going back to this week. Yes.
Church, there’s one star. And it’s not you. It’s none of us. It’s Jesus. And may we faithfully, joyfully serve the star in whatever role that he has assigned to us.
May we do it in ways we make much of him, that the lines of our life would be filled up with praise and worship and testifying of him. Let’s pray.
Lord, thank you for Jesus.
And Lord, please help us to be humble before him.
And in that humility, Lord, please help us to humbly receive your grace and your kindness and your love.
And Lord, please, as we pray often here, please help us, God, to be your witnesses.
Lord, this is not something that comes easy to most of us here. So God, we need your help. Lord, please help us to boldly share that which been shared with us, the message of Christ crucified and Christ risen.
Pray us on Jesus name, Amen.