Setting the Stage by Silence

Luke 2:8–20 NASB95

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Luke 2:8-

Why we need to silence the busyness in our lives.

1. Jesus will not compete with Distractions.

2. Jesus will not be Displaced.

Reporter Kirsten Powers writes of how, growing up, “Christmas in my family—like it is in lots of families—was really a cultural event focused on the exchange of gifts.” However, after coming to faith in Christ, her view was changed. Tried of the commercialization of Christmas, she came to realize “I had allowed the secular celebrations of Christmas to crowd out its transcendent meaning. As theologian N. T. Wright points out, it’s Christmas that is the moment when God launched a ‘divine rescue mission’ of humankind (Kirsten Powers, “The First Noel: Christmas with Jesus,” The Christmas Virtues [West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press, 2015], excerpted as “Becoming a Christian Ruined My Love of Christmas,” Christianity Today, December 17, 2015, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/december-web-only/kirsten-powers-becoming-christian-ruined-my-love-of-christm.html?start=1)