Scripture: Luke 2:1-20
Christmas is a time to truly believe and trust in
Godly Hope. And we have Jesus’ word on
that. In Matthew 12:3-8,
we read of Jesus’ teaching the Pharisees regarding what keeping the Sabbath
holy truly means. And immediately
following that lesson, he heals a man who had a crippled hand, and quotes the
prophet Isaiah 42:1-4
regarding Himself – “18 “Here is my servant whom I have
chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he
will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He
will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed he will not
break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice
through to victory. 21 In
his name the nations will put their hope.” (Matthew12:18-21)
And in Paul’s letter to the Romans, he writes 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope
that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet
have, we wait for it patiently.
(Romans 8:24-25) Throughout the
New Testament, there are many references to the Hope that believers will find
through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
But what kind of Hope is it that we will
discover in the birth of Jesus? It is
actually the very hope that many people have, even before they come to the
realization of God in Christ. It is hope for peace; it is a hope for life;
it is hope that never disappoints us; it is hope that fulfills the promises of
God. Certainly, it is unlike anything
that the world will ever be able to offer as a substitute, but God’s hope is
the hope that Paul writes about in Romans – that it is a hope that is yet to be
seen or experienced, and yet, it is affirmed perfectly through the birth of
God’s Son Jesus Christ.
Tonight, we celebrate the birth that
occurred in a way that we all are familiar with, even though it began in a way
that no one had ever known, and will continue until God’s desire for our lives
will finally be made complete. We had no
part in preparing that hope, but it is given completely for all who will
celebrate it tonight.
Read Luke 2:1-7
The hope that God sent into the world that night
would not bring an obvious peace throughout the world, nor would it be
recognized and rejoiced in by all of the world’s people. But it would complete the prophecies and
promises that the Lord has put in place throughout the centuries, and yet, we
have to confess, that even as Paul wrote of this unseen hope nearly 2,000 years
ago, it has been claimed, and celebrated, and patiently waited for by countless
of the faithful.
It was a humble birth for this Child of glorious
Hope. This birth, as John’s gospel tells
us, was the Word and Promise of God fulfilled.
But if this baby was truly God Incarnate, why didn’t He come in power
and majesty and beauty so everyone would come to His truth? Isaiah 53 gives
us a clue when we read that God’s “Servant” would have no attractiveness whatsoever,
and actually that many would despise and reject Him and would see no value at
all in this precious Gift of God! He
would take on our sin and burden Himself with our struggles to the point that
many would claim that He was being punished by Jehovah God!
The demeaning descriptions of this Child continue to
the end of that chapter, and yet, in other prophecies such as Isaiah 9, we read that He will be the Light of God
that dispels the “darkness”, (referring to our sinful ways), and that He will
overcome the curse of eternal death. He
will have absolute authority over the kingdoms of earth, and He will be called
“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”.
The promise of God will not be the choice that most
people will make, and yet, this One who is despised by the world will be the
Eternal Hope for all who will choose Him as Savior. Not because He is desirable, but because He
is our One and Only heavenly Hope.
Read Luke 2:8-14
And who are the ones who receive the birth
announcement? Shepherds! These would be the most unlikely, from a
worldly perspective, to hear anything regarding Messiah’s
arrival! Shepherds were filthy, blood
stained, unable to enter or make sacrifices at Temple, and they smelled to,
well, “high heaven”. Everything about
them spelled “sinner; unworthy; the rejected ones of God”, and yet, these would
be the only ones who would hear the angelic message of hope and glory on that
Godly night. Why?
New Testament scripture seems to imply that God
identifies better with the ones whom the world rejects, than with the ones whom
we are drawn to. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus teaches us that when we care for “the
least of those” on the face of the earth, that we are, in essence, caring for
Him. And that when we look to those who
are more desirable, that we will never be able to have anything to do with
Jesus. Why would God choose those who
could never do anything for Him, over those who have prominence and
position? It seems that God desires a
relationship with those who understand that they want and need Him far more
than they need the things of earth!
God’s favor “rests” on all who will honor Him, and
trust Him, and glorify Him, even though they have little else to give. Godly Hope comes to those who give the Lord
all that they can, regardless of how much, or how little, that may be! Consider the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. The
blessings that they proclaim have nothing to do with joyful, comfortable,
acceptable lives – but rather with the heart-felt faith that brings us the hope
and promise of our Almighty God, and which turns us directly toward the One
True Savior and all that He has taught us.
The Hope of Christ is for those who look to Him as
being far more desirable than all of the “things” that impress others.
Read Luke 2:15-20
For just a moment, put yourself in the place of the
shepherds that night – how would you have responded to the arrival of such an
unexpected group of visitors, as well as the message that would normally be
provided to only the most elite of people on earth! These men of the field were, to say the
least, overwhelmed, and I have no doubt that our reaction would be very
similar. Think about it – scripture
tells us that they didn’t say a single word until the heavenly host had left
them – they were speechless! We aren’t
told how long it was until they began discussing what they were going to do
next, but I believe that the significance of what they had just heard was slowly
beginning to seep into their hearts and souls, and they all agreed, that while
the message was incredible, they just had to go and see this miracle for
themselves.
Of course, any educated person would have questioned
the message – after all, a baby? It
can’t be Messiah! He will arrive as a
mighty and victorious warrior – that just doesn’t fit with some insignificant
infant! But these shepherds weren’t
about to be limited by the apparent facts of this arrival – they had
been waiting for Messiah all of their lives, just as all of Israel had, and the
messengers were enough to give then the first sense of hope they had ever
known.
And they weren’t willing to wait one more minute if
it meant that they just might get to meet the Anointed One of God. They hurry to the town, and find the Christ
right where the angels said He would be.
And do they hang around, awe-struck over this gift of God? Not for very long – they begin to tell
everyone what they saw, what they had just experienced, and whom they had just
met! Were they nervous and apprehensive
when they began sharing their experience with others? Not on your life! They told the people everything, and there
was no objection, no doubt, no question as to the validity of the shepherd’s
words – there would only be amazement!
That’s what the discovery of God’s Hope can do for
us! We want to tell our story to as many
people as will listen to us, and it doesn’t matter whether they will believe us
or not – we just want them to hear what we now know for certain – that the Hope
of Eternity has just come to us, and that it can also come to them by faith.
The Child of Bethlehem was never meant to be mighty
in body – He was mighty in Spirit. He
was never meant to be celebrated as someone we want to be like – He is to be celebrated
as One who came to be who we need! He
was never meant to be admired – He is to be honored and praised and
glorified! He was never meant to make
this life easier – He came to make eternal life possible!
In that most unusual way, at that most unexpected
time, to accept that most horrid task, and as that most glorious Gift of God,
Jesus came to us as a Baby, so that we might receive the Hope of Life that God
Himself has offered.
May we all rejoice for all that the Lord has done,
and for how He has made us His own, on that day, and on this day – the
day we celebrate the birth that He is for all who will come to Him by faith.
“Glory to God in the Highest”, now and
always.
