The First Noel

Christmas is the day that holds all time together.

William Smith

Good Morning, today we begin the series The Christmas Playlist. Each week we will take a familiar carol and use it to tell part of of the story of the First Christmas.

Today we sang one of the most popular Christmas songs ever written, “The first Noel”. The Word Noel comes from an archaic french word meaning birthday. Eventually the word “noel” became associated with the birth of Christ. So in other words, When we sing “The First Noel” . We are singing The First Christmas. The First Verse of this beloved carol give us the Shepherds account taken from Luke 2.

Trans: Lets look at that passage together.

Luke 2:8–15 (CSB)

In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock.

Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:

Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!

When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

When we think of people claiming to have supernatural experiences we think of people like Siddhartha Gautama(Buddha) spending time sitting under a tree for days until the universe revealed its secrets of enlightenment, but here we have the something quite different.

these shepherds were probably sitting next to a tree with a fire, at night thinking about weather they should have a snack. Isn't that what we do when sitting around a campfire at night.?

They weren’t meditating or contemplating the path to enlightenment, the mysteries of the universe or seeking out some spiritual experience. These guys were plain everyday shepherds.

Yet God chose to reveal his message of Jesus Birth to them.

It pleased God to reveal himself to these simple everyday people.

How often do we feel like we need to be somebody or have a large platform in order for God to take notice of us?

God routinely chooses obscure people in obscure places to spread His Word.

God doesn’t need you to be big or flashy. He doesn’t need his church to be big and flashy in order to take notice of them.

How often are tempted to view small things, inconspicuous things as ineffective?

God chose an insignificant people Israel, a people without a land, to be the light to the world.

God often chose one prophet to preach repentance to kings and nations.

God chose the small army to defeat the mideanites

God Chose the youngest brother David to be His King of Israel.

God chose a small boys small lunch to feed thousands.

God chose to send his son as a small baby, from an insignificant family, from and insignificant town.

Then God chose 12 disciples, a small group of men, to proclaim His church.

The God has chosen his church (where the average attendance in the us is under 70) to reach the world for Christ and proclaim the good news.

God has chosen an average size church, full of average people, to be a light in Park Circle.

1 Corinthians 1:26 CSB

Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth.

1 Corinthians 1:27 CSB

Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

1 Corinthians 1:28 CSB

God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something,

1 Corinthians 1:29 CSB

so that no one may boast in his presence.

The focus has never been what small can or can’t accomplish but rather How God’s power can shine through the small things. It is Him, that accomplishes his plans. We just get to enjoy being a part of it.

Can you imagine the Joy in which the Shepherds went to proclaim the birth of the Messiah? I mean really this would have been fun.

Let me tell you what we saw. What we heard and what has happened. The Messiah is here!

Not only did the Messiah come but they were some of the first few to know about it. It was a secret not meant to be kept.

These were simple shepherds doing simple things when the angels appeared to them.

God receives glory from simple people doing everyday things who are willing to use their simple everyday lives for Him.

So these angels appear to these Shepherds. Now I want to point something out to you that most people don’t notice.

Warning: I am about to ruin your Christmas Cards.

It says these angels stood before them. The KJV uses the word “appeared” This word means to “stand suddenly. “ So according to scripture this angel was on the ground. Standing before them, Then later more appeared standing with them.

So These Angels weren’t flying around in the sky, dipping and diving or arranged in a perfect choir formation just below the star of Bethlehem…they appeared standing in front of them. In fact in many places in scripture the angelic race seems to either take on human form when appearing to man. Think about the strangers that came to Abraham to announce Sarah would conceive. Or the Angels that came to Sodom and Gomorrah to warn lot to flee or how about the Angel that Jacob wrestled with.

In fact, would argue that it wasn’t these angels they were so terrified of but rather the manifestation of the glory of God.

Look at how Exodus 33:18-20 describes God’s glory.

Exodus 33:18–20 CSB

Then Moses said, “Please, let me see your glory.” He said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘the Lord’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But he added, “You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live.”

Look to see a small expression or glimpse of God’s glory is almost enough to kill you. Moses at least had warning because he asked to see God’s glory.

These shepherds had no idea that this was coming. Then like a flash of lighting a portion of God’s glory manifest itself around them. When it says terrified. It means to the utmost. Like hey we are going to die from this…type fear.

Now, I didn’t bring this up just to ruin your Christmas cards, story books or nativity set.

Rather to make this point: Isn’t it interesting how we can read information into a text that isn’t there based upon the kids books, movies, and Christmas cards we have all seen.

Now this is a relatively harmless insertion but it does show us how easily tradition and cultural context can inform and misshape our understanding of scripture.

This is why scripture study is such an important and meticulous pursuit. This is why we must always ask the question “ What does the text say?”

Either way ,Talk about a frightful thing. One moment your looking at sheep and the next your surrounded by the Glory of God and messengers that came out of nowhere.

So the Angel of the Lord gives them this message. This term “ Angel of the Lord” has the idea of a messenger that came straight from the top. This was a direct representative from God Himself. This was not any messenger this was a messenger from Yahweh. This was a direct delivery of the most importance.

A message of Great Joy.

But who was this message for?

Luke 2:10 CSB

But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:

I. “I Proclaim to YOU”

It’s almost like the Angel of the Lord was being extremely specific. I can see where shepherds would not have believed that the God of the universe would deliver a message of such unbelievable consequence to them. Not only to them but that the message applied to them specifically.

But then this message was not just for the lowly of society it was for

II. “All The People”

Now could could God have revealed himself to the entire world in the same way that he revealed himself to these shepherds? Sure He could have but once again we see that God enjoys using his creation to play a part in the redemption story. After all, While it is all about Jesus and his glory, The plot of the story is that mankind is redeemed. So doesn’t it make sense that God would use his people, the people he has redeemed, to play a role in the redemptive process of proclaiming the good news of redmption.

So the message of the Gospel is for you! But it is also for them. Those who are on the other side of redemption. Those who have not come to faith in Christ.

So the message has been revealed to you through the preaching of the word and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. So now just like the shepherds we are to be first hand witnesses of this miracle.

Then we are to take this account to the ends of the earth, not necessarily by going anywhere other then where we already are. Go into your Bethlehem and make these things known as it has been revealed to you.

The Gospel is for us but it is also for them....

III. What is this Good news.

That God has provided himself as a way for redemption. The Birth of Christ is significant because it launched into motion the redemptive plan of God.

Jesus was born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a perfect life. defeating sin. Accomplishing what Adam could not do. Then he paid the debt of our sin by taking our place on the cross. taking our death, satisfying the requirement for justice and the holy wrath of God. Through his resurrection he defeated death.

The good news is that Jesus Christ defeated sin and death and satisfied the justice. So that all who will come to Him. All those who will turn from their sin and trust him will be made right before God and inherit eternal life.

This is the good news of Christmas. And each week during this Christmas season your going to hear the gospel message told and retold and if you tire of it. Shame on you. We should never tire of How God saved the world.

Christmas is the day that holds all time together.

William Smith