Joy

CTS: We glorify and rejoice in God, for Jesus, the Christ, is our savior and Lord.

Context

Last week

Peace: the picture of wholeness, not just an absence of war

This week

joy: the joy that the shepherds had when they saw Jesus in the manger and knew that the Messiah had finally come

I. The angel of the Lord brings good news (vv. 8-14):

angel of the Lord

Glory shone round, they were filled with fear

Angel says

fear not

behold, I bring good news of great joy

Isaiah 61:1 “1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”

Jesus quotes from this verse twice in the book of Luke: 4:18; 7:22

for all people

City of David

Savior

Christ and Lord

The Gospel according to Luke (The Birth of Jesus (2:1–20)) “Messiah” (Gk. Christos, “Christ”) means God’s anointed Davidic-king. “Lord” (Gk. kyrios) is the standard LXX translation of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, YHWH

a heavenly army praising God

Glory to God in the highest

God in the heavens

Peace on Earth among those with whom he is pleased

whom he is please= those on whom his saving pleasure rests

The advent of Christ means peace for the people of God

This idea is revisited twice in Luke

Luke 3:22 “22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.””

Luke 12:32 “32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

God is pleased in Christ. In our own salvation, it is Christ in us which pleases the Lord

II. The Shepherds react (vv. 15-21)

The shepherds journey to see what God has done

“which the Lord has made known to use”

God made it know. He reveals himself, why?

Shepherds

in Palestinian culture, shepherds were not held in hight esteem.

the text tells us a short picture of why: they live in the wild as nomads

think of the way a large portion of culture thinks of the trucking industry

note: I hold a high respect for truckers

However, the NT never speaks in this manner. In fact, shepherds are consistently used as a good image

Luke 15:4–6 “4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’”

The NT is so fond of shepherd imagery, that 2000 years later, we still call our congregation leaders “Pastor”

Micah 5:1–4 “1 Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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.”

So why shepherds: While the entire Bible is clear that the Lord ministers to the least of these, I don’t think that’s why shepherds are the first to see the Christ. I think it is more about the coming of the good shepherd of the people of God.

Reactions

Shepherds proclaim what they have witnessed

All who hear: wonder

Marry treasures and ponders these things in her heart

Shepherds again: leave glorifying and praising God for what they have witnessed

Application

May we never lose our sense of wonder at the Gospel (v.18).

Phone call with Ray showed me this

May we treasure the works of God and ponder them always. (v.19)

Would our wondering, treasuring, and pondering spill over into glory and praise the Lord.

Acts 4:20 “20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.””

Would we conduct our lives as the shepherds

proclaiming our witness

continuing to praise

Let us not stop at proclamation. Let us remember that the purpose of the proclamation is the increase in the praises of God