Echoes of Joy

Intro

Thank the choir for leading in worship, singing Christmas tree,

Update on Dad— Thank them for continued prayers.

Opening illustration—

Luke 2:8–21 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. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Pray—

1.The shepherds received the message with joy.

Luke 2:8–11 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.

“in the same region”—they were located in near proximity to the messiah.

“There were shepherds”—

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

This is not glorious work. This is not the best shift. Shepherds had bad reputations. The nature of their work meant they could not observe Israel’s ceremonial laws. They were considered unreliable and could not give testimony in the law courts. They were a despised class of people.

“keeping watch…by night”—They were working late into the night as shepherds were accustomed to do.

“an angel…appeared to them” —a messenger of God comes to them.

God sends his messengers to the lowly… but he didn’t just send them to declare a message he revealed his glory to them.

It says “the glory of the Lord shone around them” which means that God’s greatness was on full display to these shepherds.

Their response was great fear.

Illustration: Movie, Night of the Dead, B&W, supposed to be Saturday Cartoons, scared me and every time I went by a cemetery I would remember that feeling of fear. While that experience as a kid created fear in my heart, it was unfounded, it was not worth being scared about. The fear these shepherds fear is the realization of their great divide from the glory of God and their lowly status. I can only imagine what they were seeing. While there are times angelic beings are described with human features, this is not the only description for them:

Isaiah 6:2 ESV

2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

Ezekiel 1:15–17 ESV

15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went.

In other words, these angels could have looked like something out of a scary movie. Not saying they did but they could have!

The fact is that repeatedly the response to being in the presence of an revealed angel is fear, or an immediate response to try and worship. Yet, in these instances the message is to fear not, and a message declaring where to place the worship; this passage is no different. The angel says “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.”

These words paint a high theology. In other words, it declares the truth of Christ’s arrival and purpose.

Notice that it is “good news” the message they bring is not one filled with destructive judgement but of freeing hope! They are declaring the long awaited messiah has finally come!

Not only is this news good news, it is “of great joy.” The message they bring is cause for rejoicing. The hope of the world has been given to the world!

Then he says that the message of good news and joy is for “all the people.” The message of hope is not limited to the ritually right or to a specific people group, it is for all the people of the world.

Then the messengers declare that their message is one declaring the birth of a child, who is born in Bethlehem ( the city of David) and it is not just a special child, it is the savior, that is Christ the Lord! The son of God has come and he is born! The first proclamation of Jesus birth, is told to shepherds in a field minding their own business. It is declared to a group of people who would have not been trusted, often ostracized for their occupation, and simply were outcasts receive the greatest news the world has ever heard.

Talk about a powerful moment.

Illustration: There was a young boy, presents, balloons, cake, birthday.

Several years later the young boy now a man, makes a terrible mistake, stands before judge, and judge to many people’s surprise gives the man a second chance on life, erasing the mistake. In both cases, the boy received things he didn’t deserve, they were gifts, this is what it means to receive the good news message. On this dark night, angels brought a gift to the shepherds they didn’t deserve and they received it with open arms. They heard a message of joy. One that would never cease!

Have you recieved the joy of the Lord that never ceases? Have you received his grace in your life? No matter how far away from God you might be, you can receive the message of joy this morning by saying yes to Jesus!

Transition: we have seen how the shepherds received the message of joy, now lets see how the

2. The shepherds responded to the message of joy.

Luke 2:12–16 ESV

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.

I can’t imagine how these shepherds must have felt as they were scared by the presence of the angels, then calmed at the words, and then they were witnesses of not just the Angel but a multitude of the heavenly hosts gathered in the sky praising the glory of God declaring that the one who brings peace between God and man has come!

Just for a moment I want us to put on our imagination caps on.

Paint the picture of rocky roads and a field, open on the hill side, the wind is softly blowing, giving you a chill in your bones as it whips your cloak that is draped over your shoulders. Sheep are baying in the background as you warm your hand at a small fire you lit with a few of your pals. One starts sharing an story about how they escaped a near death situation. Then suddenly, a blinding light fills the air the light sends searing pain to your head, and you can only make out a figure, one like you have never seen. Immediately. Silence overcomes the field, sheep are attentive, you and the other shepherds are shaking in fear realizing this thing is not like you, it radiates greatness in away you’ve never seen fear fills your heart, then the being speaks and your heart and mind are eased. Then without warning you here a choral of voices filing the air singing praises of this child who has been born, the sky is no longer just one messenger but is filled as far as you can see with dancing and singing. What you are witnessing is a glimpse into heaven!

What a powerful moment it was for these shepherds.

The message they heard was that God, the one true God is worthy of worship and he has brought to the world a gift of peace!

THEN just as quickly as they appeared, the angels were gone. What we find out is that all these shepherds agreed that they had to go the Bethlehem to find these child that has been made known to them.

They could not sit idle after hearing the truth, they had to respond to the truth with action. Sure these shepherds could have witnessed the sighting and then began to make excuses as to why they shouldn’t go, like we smell bad, we have been with sheep, I am to tired, they will reject us, I am not good enough, I have work to do, etc.

Yet, it says they agreed to go and “with haste they went and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

We cannot sit idle when the good news of Jesus reaches our souls, we not only hear and receive the message we respond to it by accepting it. We follow through.

Transition: Not only did the shepherds receive and respond to the message of joy.

3. The shepherds proclaimed the message of joy.

Luke 2:17–21 ESV

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. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

The shepherds arrive where baby Jesus is and the see that it is true that this child is exactly where the Angel declared he would be. At the sight of the truth being confirmed they could not help but proclaim what had been declared to them.

We are told that all who heard it wondered, another way of understanding this is that they were amazed at what the shepherds shared.

Keep in mind that the shepherd’s testimony was considered untrustworthy in the jewish law. I am sure there were some that were amazed in disbelief at the words they heard. It would have sounded like a fairy tale. Dancing angels in the sky told you about this child that had no room in an inn and was born and placed in this manger? Seriously?

Yet, it says that Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. She knew what the angel had shared concerning her son and the words of the shepherds served as yet another confirmation of what God had chosen to do with her life and the responsibility she and Joseph had to care for the Son of God.

What is amazing, is how the shepherds remind us that those who have walked with God and experienced his greatness cannot help but glorify and praise God for all he has done!

They proclaimed this truth to all who would listen and they worshipped God from the bottom of their hearts.

Reminds me of a story about a seasoned park ranger, known for his stoic demeanor, was patrolling a remote wilderness area. As the sun began to set, casting long shadows over the tranquil lake, he witnessed an extraordinary sight. A mother bear, with her two cubs, emerged from the dense forest. The cubs, playful and curious, frolicked along the water's edge, while the mother bear watched over them with a gentle gaze.

Later that evening, back at the ranger station, the ranger couldn't contain his excitement. He shared his encounter with a colleague, his eyes sparkling with wonder. "You won't believe what I saw today," he began. "A family of bears, so close, so peaceful. It was a moment of pure wild beauty, a reminder of the incredible power of nature."

When we witness something wonderful, we cannot stop proclaiming it. Yet, far to many professing Christians proclaim to have experienced the great joy of salvation in Christ. Yet, they do not share their experience with others, they do not share that Jesus died for the sins of the world. Instead, they talk about their favorite hobbies, their favorite sports team, or college team. Yet, when it comes to Jesus, not even a whimper about how great God is and what he is doing, and has done in their life. It makes me wonder, can we truly have experienced the greatness of God and not proclaim it? Can we really walk with God and keep silent?

These shepherds, they experienced the joy of the Lord and they proclaimed it to others, and praised God for all he had done!

We cannot keep silent, we must speak up and proclaim the message of joy that comes from saving faith in Christ Jesus.

Conclusion

This morning, we have witnessed how the shepherds recieved the message of Joy that first Christmas, how they responded to that message with going to Jesus, and how they proclaimed the message of joy they had heard and experienced.

With every head bowed and eye closed

Where are you on your shepherd journey this morning? Maybe this morning you have heard the message of hope and joy in Christ and you have decided to receive it, but you aren’t sure how to respond to it.

- Share the gospel

For others in this room, you have received and responded to the gospel with saving faith already. But you find yourself silent about Jesus. Will you ask God to help you proclaim Jesus to everyone in your life? To not be ashamed to speak about what God is and has done in your life?

- Yet, maybe just maybe, you realized this morning that you have lost your song of joy and praise because life has gotten difficult. You have so many questions and uncertainties up ahead that you simply have not had a song of praise in your heart. Will you lay the questions and trials you are facing at the feet of Jesus and sing at the top of your lungs how great he is!? We are not alone, because Christ walks with us if we have placed or faith in him.

Pray.