Joy

Opening:

We all love receiving good news. I recently heard a pretty interesting story about receiving some good news. The story unfolded on the south side of Chicago. Local bakery owner Lenore Lindsey loved serving local customers at her shop called “Give Me Some Suga”. One of those customers was a father of four named Hunter Varmarr. Hunter had been adopted when he was a little baby by his 17 year old mother. At the age of 34 he found out that he had been adopted and decided he would try to find out more about his birth mother.

As the process of finding out about his birth family unfolded he was surprised one day to see “Give Me Some Suga” on his caller ID. When he received the call it was Ms. Lindsey on the other end. He was told to expect a call from his biological mother but didn’t make that connection until Ms. Lindsey started to share her story of giving her son up for adoption and that he was indeed her son.

Once the news was out they started to share more on the phone and she realized that he was one of her regular customers and that they had interacted for years not knowing their special connection. It was pure joy for them to discover that they had been living in the same community for years and that there was already a connection there. Both give praise to God for his perfect timing of their unexpected reunification. Hunter said: “It’s been a great experience. It further strengthens my faith. You can’t make up for time and days gone by. What you can do is properly utilize the time that you have,”

It came at a good time too as Ms. Lindsey was having some health issues and needed to be away from the bakery and was looking for more help so she could be out. Hunter began working at the bakery with her some and was able to give her the break she needed for her health concern. Through this she was able to meet grandkids she didn’t know existed and he was able to meet other family he didn’t realize he had such as a sister. Hunter now continues to help out with the bakery and has plans to one day keep the bakery in the family getting his kids involved.

What an amazing story of two individuals receiving some good news that lead to joy. Well today we are going to look at a passage of scripture where good news is delivered and the promise of joy is shared with some unlikely folks in the hillside of Bethlehem. We will be in Luke 2:8-14 and look at the story of the shepherds receiving the good news of Jesus. Let’s read together:

Scripture:

Luke 2:8–14 ESV

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!”

1. God’s Glory Revealed to the Lowest

Today we will start the story of the Shepherds that we will continue next week as we will focus on Love. One of the interesting parts about the account of the shepherds receiving this good news from the angels is that they were an unlikely group to receive such important news. I mean God could have chosen a different way to share the biggest announcement of all time.

I think about how that might look today and most of us would expect a big announcement to be shared in a different way. Maybe a breaking news update on all of the major networks with some kind of exclusive interview with this Angel….or maybe a post on facebook or instagram with a tease about a major announcement coming soon. Even if it was an announcement to a specific person or people certainly you would share the news with some kind of royalty or maybe some influencers who can spread the news online. Well that’s not how God chose to do it.

The shepherds were a very unlikely group. They kept odd hours in that they worked all day & night to watch over the flock. This group really drew the short straw as they got the worst shift in the middle of the night. I imagine they weren’t the best smelling group as the majority of their time was spent outside in all types of weather conditions. Shepherds didn’t have a good reputation…because of the nature of their work it was hard for them to observe Israel’s ceremonial law and on top of that, people did not consider them trustworthy so much so that they were not able to give testimony in the court of law. In general they were outcasts and looked down at.

Yet, this is the people that God chose to receive this glorious news of the Savior of the World being born. Thabiti Anyabwile noted in his commentary

”To these lowly men, the angel gives the highest theology (vv. 10–12). These despised shepherds are the first to receive the announcement of the gospel. These men are the first to learn of “great joy for all the people.” They understand that the gospel is not just for Israel but for all the nations, that all may have this joy…It seems that God believes high theology should be given to low people.”

There is a great lesson for us as preachers to learn in this, but I think beyond preachers we can all learn from this. We want to teach deep truths about God (good theology), yet we want to do it without making it unnecessarily complex. “We can use simple words to convey deep truths“ as the commentator notes.

As the Angel communicates the good news is for all of mankind. Our status or wealth is not a barrier for us to receive the gospel. It is for everyone. We all need saving as Romans 3:23 reminds us.

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

The Nativity Narrative in scripture reminds us that God uses the outsider, the outcast to accomplish his will. In the account of Luke we see angels appear to Zechariah a priest, to Mary a single teenager, and then the shepherds in the field. We all need Joy…I think there is something extra sweet about God sharing this good news with those who probably needed an extra dose of joy.

God still works this way…I think about this past week and how our Family Life Center transformed into Santa’s workshop. I was so amazed by all of the volunteers from the Ministerial Alliance and those of you from our church that came up and volunteered. It was quite an operation as you guys know. One thing that struck me as I was preparing this sermon was that it was an opportunity for us and others to bring joy to those who might not have had it during this season.

Now we know that ultimate joy isn’t found in a toy or bike, but in a real tangible way we are sharing the love of God with them. This thought that God loves all of mankind and wants them to experience the joy that is found in him. My prayer is that all those who received those gifts know that it is just a representation of the love of God and that our ultimate joy is not from a present, but the presence of Jesus as we learned last week.

One big takeaway from this section is that we all need good news. The message of a “Savior being born”… this “good news of joy that will be for all the people” is something well that we all need.

A quick side note here is that it’s fascinating to me that every example we’ve looked at so far at angels interacting with mankind invokes fear. I don’t fully understand what it would be like to see an angel, but my big takeaway is that in the presence of something so glorious… it seems that as mankind sees their glory it is quickly reminded of their sinfulness. I imagine it is simply overwhelming to be in the presence of something so holy.

We fear God because we are not worthy and he is…we are sinful and he is not…but the good news is that he came in the form of Jesus to be accessible to all. That’s exactly what Jesus did while he was here on earth. The living God coming to dwell among men…now once he died and rose again I believe that our response will be the same as Zechariah, Mary, and the Shepherds when they interacted with the angels. We will fear because of his glorious state and the sinful, unworthy state we are in.

Sometimes we think wrongly that perhaps some people aren’t worthy of this good news if we can really be honest with ourselves….sometimes we think that some people might not need this good news because they have all this world can offer… or perhaps you are sitting here today and think I’m not worthy for this good newsbut the Bible reminds us we are all in desperate need of saving. That’s the whole point of why we celebrate Christmas. God sent us a Savior and we all are in need of saving.

So let’s guard against this kind of thinking and instead be challenged to share this same good news the angels shared with the shepherds…”a Savior is born and through him there will be peace.”

2. An Everlasting Joy for all Mankind

One of the things that makes this news good and the joy that it brings great is because it is for all people. While the method of salvation is exclusive (through Christ alone) the good news itself is very inclusive- for all of mankind. The message of the angels is still true today. It wasn’t for one group of people, it wasn’t even for people that lived in a certain time in history. It’s truly for everyone.

Example from Mission Field:

I shared a little about my friends Ross and Ricky who are missionaries in Cardiff, Wales. I had the pleasure of partnering with them in ministry last October and one thing that stood out to me was my friend Ross’ church which was in the heart of Cardiff in a very diverse neighborhood with people from all walks of life. It was a beautiful picture of what the angel shares with the shepherds “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

I’ll never forget a young guy at our table named Winston who was a professional or at least semi-professional soccer player from Nigeria. Ross said he wasn’t sure if he was there mainly to mean other Christian ladies or just purely for church but regardless he was engaged. I think of my friend Nash who our church in North Carolina started to support who’s family is from Iran, but he grew up his whole life in the UK. There were families there from Korea and a missionary family from Canada who was helping out for a season and all together it was a beautiful mosaic of individuals who all found this joy in Jesus Christ who saved them from their sins.

The very fact that this appearance was to a bunch of outcast shepherds, who weren’t trusted enough to be a witness in their society, shows you how God doesn’t care about race or status or any other label society might put on people. His good news, the Gospel, is for all!

This baby Jesus is described as Savior, Messiah, & Lord by the angels. He is the fulfillment of the OT prophecy and has come to save the world

Isaiah 35:10 ESV

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

1 John 2:2 ESV

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

John 3:16–17 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Transition:

One of the really neat parts about this passage today is that it brings together the names Savior, Messiah, & Lord. It’s the only time we see all three used together in the Bible. One commentary noted:

Exalting Jesus in Luke (Glory in the Highest (2:8–20))

It comes through the birth of “a Savior … who is the Messiah, the Lord” (v. 11). This is the only time in the Gospels this phrase is used. It’s the only time we see all the titles of Jesus brought together—Savior, Messiah, Lord. He will save his people from their sins. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah promised to Israel. And most staggeringly of all, he is Lord. He is God. He is Maker of all. He is Ruler of all. The angels not only give the gospel to the Shepherds; they give the true identity of Christ.

One beautiful aspect of this joy is that it is not dependent on our life circumstances. Because it’s based on God and his character. We can have joy that goes beyond our experiences. One commentator phrased it like this:

“The Bible shows us that joy is tied ultimately to God’s character—who God is and what he has said—instead of simply our circumstances. Our circumstances change, they go up and down; however, God’s character is fixed—he does not change, and he is always trustworthy. This is one reason why this joy is so precious: it does not depend simply upon things going well for you but upon God being faithful. This is a reason to be joyful!”

So in the appearance of the angels to the shepherds we see what the source of this joy is. It’s God’s glory. In this case it’s God’s glory revealed to us by the announcement of a baby boy being born in Bethlehem.

A while back I introduced you to the beauty of studying Catechisms. The Westminster Catechism captures it well with this question and response:

“What is the chief end of man?

Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

The reality is this whole Advent series; hope, peace, joy, & love all flow from the fact that God is glorious. His glory is why we can have all of those things.

Now that’s great news worth celebrating! God’s glory revealed to mankind in the form of baby Jesus….and on top of that he came to save us and wants a relationship with us. Joy Joy Joy!

Closing:

One of my favorite aspects of this account of the shepherds is what we will study next week. Spoiler alert our response to the love of God is we can’t keep it to ourselves.

I’ve been thinking about how we might want to close out our services each Sunday. Just a simple way to remind us of what God has commissioned the church to be. I haven’t landed on this, but I love what the cover of the ESV Study Bible has on it. It’s simple but powerful.

Head, Heart, Hands…

It’s this idea that like the Shepherds we have to learn by hearing the good news. They received this message of joy shared by the angels. Then they had to internalize it…that is it had to travel from their head to their heart. It’s something they had to believe and hold dear…then finally this good news prompts us to want to live it out…we are to be the hands of Jesus.

This can look a lot of different ways, but I love the passage we will study next week. For the Shepherds there was but one response…we must go tell others.

I’ll save that for next week, but my hope is this week you are reminded that we should have great joy because of how glorious God is. This joy is not based on our circumstances, but instead its the everlasting glorious God that gives us this joy.

We are to study and learn about the ways of God and then we are to accept in our hearts. We will see a powerful display of that in Mary’s heart in next week’s passage. As we leave here today my prayer is that the birth of Christ, which we celebrate at Christmas, reminds us of the great rescue mission Jesus was sent to earth to accomplish.

We preach the birth of Christ with the knowledge that he came to save. His life lead to path that would ultimately see him go to the cross….that he would die…but that the story doesn’t end there, our God raised Jesus from the dead, defeating death and in all of those actions reconciling us to God. What Joy that should bring to our lives. Remember that this year as you gather with family and friends to celebrate Christmas that our Joy comes from this Good News.

Our response is simple in this way…if you haven’t ever trusted in you need to be like the Shepherds and receive the good news of a Savior. Then you need to internalize it by giving your heart to Jesus…it’s simply acknowledging that we are sinful and are in need of a saviour and trusting in him…and finally we then want to act on this head and heart commitment to Jesus…the Shepherds would respond by sharing this good news with others…and if you’ve trusted Jesus I’d encourage you to do the same, starting here with this church family.

Your response of hands might look like coming down during the time of invitation and then by following through with baptism…if you are already a believer your hand response might look many different ways…perhaps its sharing with someone what Christmas is all about…telling them about our glorious God and why we can have joy because of him….maybe it’s inviting them to the Christmas Eve Service so they can hear more about this good news…whatever your response today looks like my prayer is that today you will respond to God in whatever way he is leading you.

Let’s Pray…