Sermon Tone Analysis

O Holy Night

Christmas Eve Sermon

Write Up: One holy night, outside the rural town of Bethlehem, the heavens touched earth.

Angels appeared to lowly shepherds and gave them the good news that the world had been waiting for.

They delivered a holy message of the Savior’s arrival.

The Shepherds went on a holy search to discover all they had been promised.

They found the holy child lying in a manger.

That night changed the world, and nothing would ever be the same.

Prayer: “Lord, give us fresh encouragement from the timeless story of Jesus’ birth and bring us into the New Year with hope and anticipation of all you have for us.”

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

introduction

The night we have all been waiting for has finally arrived.

It is Christmas Eve, and families far and wide have gathered together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

It is during the Christmas season that we identify with centuries of Christ followers who anxiously awaited the advent, or coming, of the Messiah, Jesus.

Advent is a unique time of year when the Church remembers the hope, peace, joy and love that the Christ child brought to all of creation on that first Christmas.

That moment changed everything, and it truly was a holy night.

You see, the very first Christmas set in motion something beautiful that continues even to today: Christmas has always been a season where God transforms people’s circumstances and redeems what is broken all around them.

STORY: On Christmas Eve night 1914 something amazing happened.

Something that still has the world scratching its head.

It was at the beginning of WWI and there was a fierce battle going on in Belgium between the French and the English on one side and the Germans on the other.

The battle had reached a stalemate, and each side had bunkered down and dug trenches.

They were about 60-80 yards apart from one another and the space between was called No Man’s Land because no one could venture there and survive.

It’s estimated that over 100,000 troops were involved in this battle and these trenches went on for miles.

The conditions were horrible, and both sides had lost thousands of lives.

There were bodies scattered all over No Man’s Land because if someone tried to retrieve them, they would be shot.

As Christmas approached, the Germans started decorating some of the trees around their bunkers with candles.

On Christmas Eve both sides were settled down on their respective sides and some of the British were playing their bagpipes and singing some of their favorite pub songs, which no doubt brought them some sense of comfort being so far away from home and in the middle of war on Christmas Eve.

Meanwhile, on the other side, some of the Germans began to sing one of their country’s most beloved Christmas carols, Silent Night, and after singing it through several times, something incredible happened.

The French and British joined in on the familiar tune.

Unbelievably, that night led to a ceasefire that lasted until New Year’s Day.

On Christmas Day, each side helped the other bury their dead and over that next week they celebrated Christmas together, they played soccer together; they gathered around the same campfires and told stories and laughed long into the night.

It was a holy night.

Neither side could have seen a week of peace being born out of the singing of a Christmas carol, and yet, that is exactly what happened.

A song about the birth of a baby in Bethlehem who would bring peace on earth, brought peace to a war-torn battlefield and, for a handful of hours, turned enemies into friends.

Everyone has their own favorite Christmas carol.

You know, the song that when it is sung warms your heart and enlivens your soul.

For many, that song is O Holy Night.

Listen to the lyrics of this famous carol:

O Holy Night!

The stars are brightly shining.

It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees!

Oh, hear the angel voices!

O night divine, the night when Christ was born.

Maybe just in hearing those familiar lyrics you can feel the beauty of the night and the joy we share in remembering the birth of Jesus each and every year.

Main Teaching

You may now know this, but O Holy Night actually follows the birth narrative of Jesus that is found in Luke 2:8-20.

READ Luke 2:8-14 “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.

They were terrified, but the angel reassured them.

“Don’t be afraid!” he said.

“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.””

In the fields outside of Bethlehem, there were shepherds who were keeping watch over their sheep during the night.

They would have been on high alert to make sure that there were no wild predators who would attack their animals in the open grass.

But something happened that they never could have predicted.

Rather than a lion or a wolf, there were angelic beings who appeared in the night sky.

They were shining with the bright light of the divine presence and glory of God.

The Shepherds were terrified, as I’m sure you and I would be too.

I am sure they would have been wondering if these mysterious beings were there to harm them.

But rather than bringing harm, they brought joy.

POINT #1 – THE HOLY MESSAGE

The first words they speak to the fearful shepherds are, “Do not be afraid.”

The angels did not come with bad news.

They brought good news that the world had been waiting on for so long.

It was a birth announcement that brought new hope.

STORY: My sister and her husband had always wanted children.

They were so excited when my wife and I had our first child.

They would come and hold him and play with him and talk about what it would be like to have a child of their own.

Not long after our son was born, my sister became pregnant.

The whole family was excited.

Unfortunately, my sister lost that baby 11 weeks into her pregnancy.

It was a big blow to them and our family.

My sister would have two other miscarriages and, like many couples, they wondered if having children of their own would even be possible.

A few years later, my wife and I had just gotten home from church when both of our phones buzzed at the same time.

We had a text message.

I pulled up the message and all it was was a picture of an ultrasound.

It took me a second to realize that the message had come from my sister.

Nine months later, my niece was born.

Later, my sister would tell how being able to take that picture and send that message felt holy and sacred.

After so much prayer had gone into their long wait for a baby, they were able to share good news.

(Consider sharing a story about a shared message that was special.

Maybe another form of birth announcement would be appropriate to show the joy and excitement that comes from the news of a coming baby.)

The angels told the shepherds that in the city of David, a Savior had been born.

You see, the Israelite people had been waiting for this moment for as long as any of them could remember.

The arrival of the Messiah meant that they would be rescued.

No longer would they have to live in bondage to sin.

They would now experience peace, even in the midst of oppression and struggle.

They would experience true joy as the brokenness of their lives would be redeemed.

This newborn baby who they would find wrapped in swaddling cloth was the hope they had all been waiting for.

The message that he had finally arrived was holy, set apart, and sacred.

This holy message was special for many reasons.

First, it was holy because of who was receiving it.

Of all the people who would have been in line to receive news of the birth of God’s son, the shepherds would have certainly been last in line.