3rd Advent Sunday: Joy

Introduction

What do would you consider to be “good news” that you could receive at this moment? Would it be favorable financial news? Would it be a visit from a loved one or possibly related to your health? And what would you do with that news? Would you share it, or let others know in some way?

The shepherds in the Nativity Story received the news of the birth of Jesus. Why was this good news for them, and why do we call the Incarnation Good News? Answer: we can consider the Incarnation Good news because it is God’s Grace. Let’s look at the Bible today to see how we, too, might respond to the message from the angels with great joy.

Before we study the text, let’s review three key definitions.

Incarnation: The act of grace whereby Jesus came to earth and took on a human nature into union with his divine nature becoming “God incarnate” for the purpose of our salvation.

Atonement: The act of grace whereby Jesus suffered and died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.

Grace: The divine activity in which God confronts human indifference and rebellion with an inexhaustible capacity to forgive and to bless.

A Historical Setting

The Bible reminds us that Jesus eternally existed before coming to the earth. As Creator, Jesus was never created. He shared deity, glory, and substance with the Father and Spirit in all eternity before time and creation existed. But in regard to the Incarnation (literally ‘putting on flesh’), we can point to a specific time and place where the Incarnation occurred. It occurred in the 1st Century AD during the reign of Caesar Augustus. It took place in the land of Judea in Bethlehem. These details allow us to look back with historical detail to the Incarnation. Our faith is not built on fantasy but on the historical record. God has historically acted with GRACE. You will find it difficult for anyone to prove that Jesus did not exist as a historical person. So the challenge is not proving the existence of Jesus; rather, the challenge is whether Jesus is divine or not. The New Testament directs us to know Jesus as the One from Heaven who took on flesh.

Sovereign Control

The birth story of Jesus is quite amazing in that there are so many moving parts. We see God using the economy of the Roman Empire to move Joseph and Mary from Galilee to Joseph’s town of lineage, which was the City of David. This fulfilled God’s promise in Micah 5:2.

Micah 5:2 ESV

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.

Bethlehem was more than a 60-mile journey. And to travel as a pregnant woman to a small crowded town just to be taxed was quite a hassle. So although this plan of God was inconvenient, it showed His sovereign control to make it possible.

A Humble Setting

Bethlehem may have been the town of David, but it was no large city like Jerusalem. The census of the time caused the little town of Bethlehem to overflow with visitors such that Joseph was unable to find reasonable housing for his pregnant wife. All that was available was an area better suited for animals. And for Jesus, his first bed was a feeding trough which Mary improvised after wrapping him the best she could. Why would God orchestrate all the Incarnation events so that they end up looking like the worst way to welcome the Creator to the world? The Incarnation setting teaches us that the path for our salvation is paved with humility.

The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a foetus inside a Woman’s body. If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to be a slug or a crab.

C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity

The Good News is that God did not hold back His grace because it was inconvenient, for He willingly lowered Himself for our sake..

Why lowly shepherds?

It was not uncommon in the area surrounding Bethlehem to find those who worked as shepherds. The animals they cared for were most likely to be used for Temple offerings and sacrifices. But that didn’t help the reputation that shepherds had. Taking care of animals is dirty and sometimes lonely, even boring. And because of their work, they often found themselves ceremonially unclean and unable to participate in religious community activities. Shepherds also had a negative reputation such that they were eventually not allowed to testify as credible witnesses in court. Jesus referred to the shepherd’s reputation by calling himself the Good Shepherd in contrast to the hired hand who neglects the responsibility of the flock at the first site of danger. John 10:1-18

So, why did the angels appear to shepherds and not others of better reputation? We are not told why but we see in scripture that God receives all the glory when He selects the seemingly least worthy for a purpose in His plan.

Think about David, who was left to tend the sheep before becoming a king while his older brothers were invited to a meal with the Prophet Samuel, who was to anoint the next king for Israel. God chose an insignificant shepherd to serve as the leader who would shepherd and take care of God’s people.

It was not a mere coincidence that God sent angels to the shepherds but an act of God’s grace. To see this grace explained, let’s look at the message and song of the angels.

The Good News is a Savior

The good news is concerning a baby that is a promise of God. This child will be a king, but he will also be a Savior. Why would it be for them “unto you,” and what saving would be meaningful to a shepherd? The shepherds may have had a negative reputation, but they no doubt knew that they were hoping for a dramatic change of destiny. They cared for animals that would be used in the Temple sacrifices. In one sense, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the Lamb who takes away the world's sins would make their job a bit obsolete. No longer would they need a priest, sacrifice, or ceremonial customs and cleanliness to meet with God. They would be given access. Hebrews 4:16

Hebrews 4:16 ESV

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Those words “unto you” reminded them that God personally visited them and called them to know Him. God had not forgotten the insignificant and outcast. If we understand the Gospel, we have to place ourselves alongside the shepherds. We, too, are not worthy of God’s invitation and generosity, but God reaches out toward us in grace.

Lastly, we should recognize the strong incarnation language within the angels' song. They mention two concepts: glory in heaven and peace that comes to earth. Scripture reminds us that Jesus held the same glory and substance of the Father and Spirit but humbled himself to come to earth to bring us peace with God. The angels suddenly appeared singing this song which overwhelmed the shepherds. Angels were God’s messengers. They did not always have warm fuzzy feeling messages. The first angel we read in Genesis was given a sword to block the Garden of Eden from humanity. Genesis 3:24

Genesis 3:24 ESV

24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

But these angels received the privilege of announcing a message of bringing sinful and broken people back to God, and that was a reason to gather a multitude of angels together to sing a song of God’s grace once again to humanity.

Confirmation

The shepherds heard an amazing message and received specific clues to verify that this was not some imaginary delusion or lie. The angels told them the time, location, and unique signs to find the child. They immediately made their way to Bethlehem from the text, even possibly leaving the sheep.

If you have ever had to find someone you have never met before, you can imagine the potential frustration they may have encountered. It was evening, the town was crowded, and they were stinky shepherds running around town looking for a newborn baby. But they didn’t care how foolish or out of place they may have appeared, and they wanted to see for themselves that king that was given for them. He was their king, and they were privileged to be among the first people to see his face.

And when they found the baby, they told Joseph and Mary of their visit from the angels and the message that this was their King and Savior. It didn’t matter that their King was lying in a borrowed manger, for they recognized that this is how God often does things. He does things according to His own wisdom to confound the wisdom of this world.

And after all this, the shepherds left the manger location to go back to their sheep. But they were changed. They glorified and praised God for what they had seen and heard.

One additional statement is important historically and theologically. When the angels declared that the good news was for all people, the term “all people” was commonly used to describe the people within the community of Israel. While this may have caused Gentile outsiders to feel left out, it should remind us all that God keeps His promises. God promised TO Israel that He would send THEM a King, Savior, and Lord. If He had neglected to do this, all creation would have reason to doubt that God is faithful in anything He promised. But since He kept His promise to Israel, we can rejoice because we receive the grace that overflows for all creation as Gentiles. God’s past performance is a guarantee of His future success. And we can take that “to the bank.”

Responding to God’s Grace

As we read this story, we should hopefully identify with the shepherds. They received a message that was meant specifically for them. They need not be an important person in society to receive it. All people needed to hear this message but those who are willing to listen with humble ears will begin to understand the message as good news.

We, too, may feel like shepherds who have responsibilities that we either take seriously or want to shake off. And eventually, we may realize that we too need a shepherd because the life we are living is dangerous and appears futile or aimless. Yet, all we may know how to do is just to keep going, even when it is in the wrong direction. We recognize that life needs true leadership and guidance that can not be found in other people, politics, or from this world. This is where the Gospel, the Good News, comes and reminds us that we are lost and have gone astray unless we let the Good Shepherd and the King save us and guide us.

As we think about the Incarnation, let us not be satisfied to describe it, but rather let us be like the shepherds who heard and then determined to go and see for themselves. And when we see for ourselves God’s truth revealed in Christ, we can rejoice that we have accepted God’s grace. God’s grace in the Incarnation brings us salvation.

Romans 5:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Do you have a sense of joy when you think about the Incarnation? If not, why not? Have you only heard but not taken steps to see for yourself?

Although the Incarnation seems like the most far-out story imaginable, it is the basis for our coming back to God. Jesus was willing to humble himself so that we might have peace with God. The Incarnation is Good News when we remember that it is part of God’s grace.