Hope is Here!

Christmas Eve Morning 2023

Luke 2:1–20 ESV

In 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. 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. 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 suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 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 with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And 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. 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.

Hope is Here!

Luke 2:1-20

Scripture Reader:

Introduction:

Good morning! Let me once again wish you a very merry Christmas from our family to yours.

What was the best gift you ever received? Maybe not the best gift you ever received but maybe something that was unexpected or carried special meaning because of the way the gift was given or by whom it was given. I have a few I could tell you about but one that came to mind was when Bethany and I were dating she gave me a cd for Christmas that I had really been wanting by a band called Stavesacre. If you know, you know. She really had to work to get it done. (Internet shopping wasn’t much of a thing yet and we didn’t know what Amazon was.) She had my friend Ryan who lived down around St. Louis go and shop for it when he went home to visit from college and bring it back for her.

Fast forward to twenty years later on Christmas, I had begun collecting vinyl records and this particular Stavesacre record was released on vinyl. I actually ordered it because it’s limited and you have to get in on those things quickly. But she gave it to me for Christmas. It’s a special memory.

That first year with the CD was mind blowing for me because it showed she was thinking deeply and working with my buddy to make it happen so she could bless me with the gift. That may seem small to you and in light of eternity a cd isn’t much. It was unexpected for me. But today I want us to look at the unexpected way in which Jesus came in the world, the proclaiming of his birth to an unexpected group of people, and what the importance of it all is.

Let’s pray and we’ll dive in.

I. The King comes in a lowly way.

This lowly way was an unexpected way for a king to come into the world. I am using the word “unexpected” because of the expectations of the people and the world. They were blown away by so much of what Jesus did because their expectation was that a political king was coming who would overthrow Rome and establish a Jewish kingdom in a physical and political sense. But the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, was not wholey unexpected. Those who knew the scriptures and had read the prophets knew that the coming of the Savior was foretold. They may not have completely understood exactly what that would look like, but they had been waiting many years, languishing and waiting for the consolation of Israel.

The Parents (v. 4-5)

Mary - chosen, obedient

Joseph- faithful, obedient

The Place

Bethlehem as foretold

Micah 5:2-4 (ESV)

Micah 5:2–4 ESV

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

The Providence that got them there (v. 1-3)

There were rulers in Caesar and the governor Quirinius who supposed to have power but the ultimate authority guiding these events was the Lord. In his providence He arranged and directed the political leaders to have this census conducted, knowing full well that Joseph would have to return to the city of his family, Bethlehem. None of this was out of God’s control. When you look at the entirety of the narrative of the birth of Christ, there are so many places where this whole thing could have just fallen apart if left in the hands of men. But God, at just the right time in history, moved so that Jesus would come into the world to save His church.

When they arrive, there is no room for them in the inn.

A word about the inn…

Reality at the nativity scene:

I’ve witnessed childbirth three times and though it is a beautiful experience, I’ve not found it to be a clean or pleasant experience. There’s blood and sweat and cries of pain. There’s lots of activity. That was in a modern American hospital. Now imagine you add to that some animals about. Add to that straw. Add to that the smell of animals and manure. If it’s night it’s probably a little cool. No running water, no nurses, no epidurals for pain relief. It’s just the most unexpected and humble way you can think of for a person to be born into the world. Not to mention this is the King of the Universe being born.

- birth announcement illustration - maybe show picture of our house

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II. The King's Arrival Proclaimed to lowly people.

- lowly shepherds were the only kind of shepherds there were

- The reality of being a shepherd in Israel

They were despised and considered unreliable. In general considered dishonest… Unclean by the standards of the law

Out in the fields during months of March to November… no specific date given- Response of the shepherds

The Announcement:

Glory of the Lord - the manifestation of God’s presence among his people

I bring you good news: greek verb evangelizo: to preach the good news

A Savior… Christ the Lord - explain meaning here

The response of the lowly shepherds:

Let’s go see… OBEDIENCE

The appropriate response of all creation is praise...

Spread the word of the child

They returned glorifying and praising God… they continued the activity of the angelic host from earlier in the passage...

Mary treasured and pondered.

III. The reason this is important.

God chooses to first reveal the birth of Jesus to these shepherds… some of the lowly… this is important because Jesus didn’t come for those people who already though they were good enough… it’s those who know they need a savior, those who the world has run over and looks at as worthless, He shows them their worth in Him.

They represent the outcasts and sinners whom Jesus came for. They were the first recipients of the good news.

Divine visitation - GOD WITH US - Emmanuel

- Jesus is for the lowly = not those who are good enough (verse)

- Emmanuel - God with us

If you look at the genealogy of Jesus you see a consistency. God cares about messed up people. That's the only people there are. Jesus's family was full of wild stories of people who were strange and messed up. They sinned. Jesus never did but God put Him in a family of people like this. IF there is room in Jesus's earthly family for people like this then there is room in His kingdom and His family for sinners like you and me.

Mark 2:13–17 ESV

He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

We enter in through the gospel.

We are adopted into the family of God.

Jesus was adopted. Joseph was not his father but he raised him as far as we know with Mary. Do you see the beauty in what God did there? Jesus understands what it is to be adopted and we get to be adopted into Him!

Jesus offers new life.

Jesus offers new direction.

Jesus offers us new family.

Jesus offers us new mission.

If you follow Jesus, you have these things. You have a mission and a ministry!

Jesus’s arrival on earth was good news to the lowly. Not only because God was among them but that God had come to die as a sacrifice for their sins, rise again, and build a kingdom of His followers to worship Him.

Will you take Jesus at His Word and worship Him in obedience?

Will you be part of this new family of humble servants?

Will you join Jesus on His mission today and everyday forward?

PRAY