Proclaiming the King of Christmas

Introduction:

What is it that you love most about Christmas? Is it the lights and the decorations? Maybe it’s the parties and the festivities. You may love gathering with your family and friends.

Christmas is probably one of the most popular holidays in the world and we may all have different reasons for loving it.

Among some of these reasons are some holiday traditions that you may have and you may be surprised to know that Coca Cola was behind a lot of them. From influencing the modern day appearance of Santa Clause to even sponsoring the famous Charlie Brown Christmas.

I’m a big Charlie Brown fan and I always have to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas every year. The show almost didn’t happen though. It was a more serious show than a lot of the upbeat holiday shows at the time. They company had several different ideas that Charles Shultz that would have changed the way the show appeared and might have even affected the popularity of it in the long run.

However, one of the things that stands out in the production of the show was this:

Charles Shultz wanted to keep the focus a on Christmas and was given 3 minutes to have Linus proclaim the real meaning of Christmas.

CBS, who was the producer, was hesitant about incorporating any kind of religion into the show but agreed to allow it, mainly because there was no time to change things.

The result is the classic monologue where Linus steps out onto the stage and proclaims to us the real meaning of Christmas is Jesus Christ, the newborn King.

This morning, we are going to look at several characters in the Christmas story that proclaim the King of Christmas. Hopefully by the time we are through you will see that you and I should also be some of those characters.

Luke 2:8–20 ESV

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 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. 10 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. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 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.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Pray

This passage in Luke is probably one of the most classic Christmas passages of all of them that we have. Luke paints this wonderful scene of shepherds out in the field watching their flocks at night. The glory of God lights up the sky as the angel and then a host of angels appears in the night proclaiming the most wonderful message ever heard on earth - a Savior has been born, peace on earth, good will to those on whom God’s favor rests.

There are three things we see that need to be proclaimed about the King of Christmas from this story of the shepherds and the angels.

1. Fear is Gone (vv.8-10)

Luke 2:8–10 ESV

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 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. 10 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.

Why we would need to fear

Why fear is gone

Why this is good news for “all the people” and not just the Jewish people

2. A Savior is Born (vv. 10-14)

Luke 2:10–14 ESV

10 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. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Specific details are given

Born this night

City of David

Christ - the Messiah

The Lord - Spurgeon

The angel further went on to give these shepherds cause for joy by telling them that while their Savior was born to be the Lord, yet he was so born in lowliness that they would find him a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Is there cause of joy there? I say indeed there is, for it is the terror of the Godhead which keeps the sinner oftentimes away from reconciliation; but see how the Godhead hath graciously concealed itself in a babe. . . . Who ever heard of trembling in the presence of a babe? Yet is the Godhead there.

3. Praise is Given (vv. 15-20)

Luke 2:15–20 ESV

15 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.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

This led to praise

Spurgeon again describes it this way

The birth of Christ should be the subject of supreme joy. We have the angelic warrant for rejoicing because Christ is born. It is a truth so full of joy that it caused the angel who came to announce it to be filled with gladness. . . . Yea, so glad were angels at this gospel that, when the discourse was over, one angel having evangelized and given out the gospel for the day, suddenly a band of choristers appeared and sang an anthem loud and sweet.

A multitude of the heavenly host had heard that a chosen messenger had been sent to proclaim the new-born King, and, filled with joy and adoration, they gathered up their strength to pursue him, for they could not let him go to earth alone on such an errand. They overtook him just as he had reached the last word of his discourse.

Notice the chain of proclamation

An angel left heaven to proclaim it to the shepherds

A host of angels joined the single angel and filled the night sky

The shepherds proclaimed it to Mary and then went on to proclaim it on mountains as the carol goes

Then Mary treasured up these things in her heart and is likely Luke’s source in writing the gospel

Conclusion

This account of the birth of Christ has been recounted over and over throughout the halls of history and even Charles Shultz heard the proclamation.

He had Linus proclaim it in his Charlie Brown Christmas Carol.

Everyone is proclaiming the message of salvation about the King of Christmas who has been born to save the world.

The final question is will we proclaim it?