Lessons and Carols from Luke 2

Luke 2:1–7 (NIV)

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

1. A Humble Beginning in Bethlehem

Taste & See- Have you ever been on a long road trip? Mary and Joseph had to travel 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem on foot while Mary was very pregnant. This would have probably taken 4-5 days. Can you imagine how inconvenient that would have been? And all because Caesar wanted to be able to brag about how big his kingdom was and make sure he was getting all his money. But Mary and Joseph didn’t rebel, they humbled themselves and went to Bethlehem.

Then when they got to Bethlehem there was no room for them in the Inn. Mary is in labor and no one will let her have their room?! What would you have done? Started a fight? But apparently Joseph didn’t start a fight or demand his way. Not a single person was forced to move to make room for Jesus on the night of His birth. They humbled themselves and kept looking for a place to have their baby.

Then they found the stable. And it seems that the animals were more willing to make room for Jesus than any of the people were that night. Jesus was born and He was swaddled and laid in a manger or a feeding trough.

All throughout this story we see Joseph and Mary humbling themselves. They don’t demand to be first or to get their way. They put others first and humble themselves and trust God that it’s all going to work out. That’s is an example for us to follow. It can be difficult at Christmas. You may want to be the first one to open presents. Or you may not want to stay at your grandmother’s house as long as you have to. But remember Joseph and Mary. Christmas isn’t about you. You don’t have to be first and you don’t have to always get what you want. Humble yourself and trust that God will work it out and take care of you.

(Gift bag)

As the kids head back to their seats, I want to take a moment to say that this applies for us as adults too… But I also want to make another quick application of this point. Think about this with me for a moment. Jesus, the son of God, the King of Kings, the ruler of heaven and earth, the Creator Himself, wasn’t born in Jerusalem where kings are born but in Bethlehem where shepherds are born. He wasn’t born in a palace but in a stable... a place that a donkey might be born, or eat his dinner, or even go to the bathroom! It is unfathomable that the birth of our Savior should have occurred in this way.

But this is in keeping with what the prophet Isaiah had predicted about the Messiah many years before. He said, “He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out...” (Isaiah 42:2-3). And this was true of Christ’s birth. We see this humility on full display in his birth.

Apparently, Joseph and Mary did not shout or cry out, or raise their voice in the streets. A bruised reed they did not break, and a smoldering wick they did not snuff out. These were the humble beginnings for our Savior... the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, an all-powerful God, being born as a helpless babe lying in a feeding trough. Is there no limit to Christ’s humility?!

There is no other god like this God. No other god is so deserving of honor. No other god is so unassuming. The only proper response to an event like this is dumbfounded awe and heartfelt worship and praise.

Luke 2:8–14 (NIV)

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

2. Shepherds and Angels

Have you ever stopped to ask why God sent the angels to the shepherds? Of course, we have all heard sermons on why the angels were sent to shepherds, but that’s not exactly what I am asking. I’m asking why did God send angels to announce Jesus’ birth at all? Why not just let this be a little secret that He shared only with Mary and Joseph?

Surely the angels were singing God’s praise in Heaven! Who knows how many choirs of angels sang how many songs of praise before the throne of God in Heaven on the day Jesus was born. We don’t know, but I have to imagine that the very foundations of Heaven shook with the praises of His glory on that day... but that wasn’t deemed enough was it?

It wasn’t enough for God to be praised only in Heaven for this mighty work of salvation He was working on behalf of mankind…it wasn’t enough for the declaration of His glory to be restricted to Heaven on this great day. No! God’s glory had to be proclaimed to the beneficiaries of His grace. Creation must hear of it. Mankind must know what God has done!

So He sent a great company of angels to appear to some shepherds, men of little account in their day. And perhaps that was the point. What God was doing in Jesus was meant to remain a secret until the time was fulfilled for the gospel to be preached, yet God’s glory must be proclaimed, so God chose to proclaim His glory to these shepherds perhaps because other men would pay little attention to them.

So an angel appeared to the shepherds and showed them God’s glory. Scripture says, “the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified.” But even that wasn’t enough was it? One angel and some heavenly glory? That won’t cut it. No! So, God sent a whole host of angels to appear with the first angel to these shepherds. There aren’t many occasions in Scripture where multiple angels appear at once, so this was a momentous occasion to be sure. And what are the first words out of the mouths of the angels? What message was so important that so many angels had to come down to proclaim it?

It was God’s glory wasn’t it? They said “Glory to God in the Highest” those were the first words out of their mouths. That was their primary concern. In Christmas God had done something great, something amazing, something beyond the imagination of men, and they came to make sure that it didn’t go unpraised. They came to glorify God.

App- Does your Christmas celebration glorify God? Or does it glorify someone or something else? It’s all too easy for us to celebrate Christmas in ways that glorify the idols of consumerism, capitalism, greed, love of money, love of self, or even our own families. But I urge you to set your heart and mind on celebrating Christmas to the glory of God. Make Him central. Set aside time to praise Him, to thank Him, to glorify Him and tell of His greatness, to tell of all the ways that He is awesome. The celebration of Christmas ought to be worshipful. So, make sure that God gets all the glory this Christmas.

Luke 2:15–20 (NIV)

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

3. Responding to Jesus

After the angels appeared and told the shepherds about Jesus’ birth, the shepherds wanted to see for themselves. Now, I don’t think this was because they didn’t believe the angels. I think they just wanted to see the Messiah with their own eyes. They wanted to be personally involved. And the Scripture tells us that after they saw baby Jesus they left spread the word about Him to anyone who would listen.

But Mary had a very different reaction didn’t she? It says that she, “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” I think Mary was wondering what all these wonderful signs meant for her life and for the life of her child. What did this mean for her and her family?

App- And in many ways, I think that’s the question we should all be asking ourselves today. Christmas is meant to be personal. You need to ask the question, what does this mean for me and my family. Do you really believe that the baby in the manger was the Savior of the world? If so, then how are you gonna live that out? What impact does that have on your life? I want to encourage you to spend some time pondering on that today. And answer the question, “What does Jesus’ birth mean for you?”

PRAY- (Humble yourself, glorify God and make it personal.)