TEXT: Luke 2:7-20

SUBJECT: Studies in the Nativity #6:

The story takes place in the hill country of Judea, near the town of Bethlehem. The date is lost to us, but was well-known to Luke's first readers. It was the year of the Imperial Tax, levied by Augustus Caesar and collected by Quirinius, the governor of Syria.

Who was there? A few shepherds who were keeping an eye on their flocks. In exotic pictures, the shepherd's life seems romantic; in fact, it is one of the dullest jobs imaginable.

But that night, the boredom was shattered. An Angel appears to the men and around him "the glory of God shines". This "glory" had not been seen for a long time, but every devout Hebrew knew what it was--and what it meant.

What is it? It is the brightness of God Himself. Like the sun, God cannot be looked on directly. But also like the sun, wherever God is, there is Light. The "glory" once shone from the Burning Bush; from the Cloud; from the Pillar; from Holy of Holies; and now, it's shining upon the obscure shepherds.

What does it mean? It means

"God Himself is with us".

The men are terrified at the sight! Have they reason to be? Yes they do, for "with God is Terrible Majesty". If the Seraphim cannot gaze upon Him, how can we--lesser creatures than they and sinful besides?

Moses "trembled with fear"; John "fell at His feet as a dead man"; Peter, Isaiah--even Job felt "unclean" before Him. Now, the shepherds are overcome by His Holiness and Majesty.

But their fears are soon relieved. The Angel has a message from God--and it's a happy one.

"Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you

Good tidings of great joy which will be

to all people.

For there is born to you this day

in the City of David, a Savior,

Who is Christ the Lord".

The men are boggled by this Good News. But they "ain't seen nothing yet". A party's going on in heaven; it's gotten so big, it's spilled down to the earth.

The angels are singing "Happy Birthday" to the Lord.

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth, peace,

Good will toward men".

When they leave, the shepherds come to themselves and say, "Let's go see Him". With no time to lose, they find the barn, see the parents, look into the manger--and there He is, "wrapped in swaddling clothes". The shepherds bend down to peer into the Human Face of God.

They exit the barn with a Gospel message for all.

"Unto us a Child has been born

Unto us a Son has been given".

Are they locked up as insane? No they're not; God is at work, enabling the people to "Marvel at those things the shepherds told them". As for Mary, she "ponders them in her heart". And the shepherds? They go back to work "glorifying and praising God" for the things they heard and saw that night.

That is the story. God bless it to our souls.

What does the story mean? We needn't guess, the angels spell it out for us: "Glory to God in the Highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men".

The birth of Christ serves two great ends: the glory of God and the peace of men.

"The glory of God" is so bright, it cannot be hidden. It shines brightly in Creation and Providence. They show "His eternal power and Godhead". Everyone sees His glory--though most people pretend not to.

The glory that shines in nature, though, is dim compared to that of His saving work in Christ. Where does "the fullness of the Godhead dwell"? Not in the sun, moon, or stars. Not in the ocean depths. Not in the mountains or valleys. Not in the forests or in the deserts. Not in the beauty of nature nor in the harmony of Providence. "The God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts, to give us the knowledge of the glory of God...in the face of Jesus Christ".

Ambrose of Milan hailed Him

"O Splendor of God's glory bright,

From Light Enteral bringing light;

Thou Light of lights, light's living Spring,

True Day all days illumining".

In Christ, every Divine attribute is seen. "Whoever has seen Me--He told Philip--"has seen the Father". In Christ we see His "wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, truth". And all else besides. "We beheld His glory, the glory of the Only-Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth". Where? In Christ alone.

Heretics are smarter than we are. To hear us talk, you'd think the big issue was the millennium or the Law or the mode of baptism. But the heretics rarely fool with these things. They go to Christ. Some say He's Divine, but not human; others say He's human but not Divine; others mix these up in various ways. Why do the cults do this? Because Satan knows if he can get "Christ out of Christianity" there's nothing left.

In Christ, we find "Glory to God in the Highest".

But that's not all. We also have "And on earth, peace, good will toward men".

Jesus Christ did not come to condemn sinners. They're condemned without Him. He came to save sinners. What sort of sinners? The Angels are not very precise. Don't you wish they'd said, "Good will toward men who are elect?" Or maybe "Good will toward men who feel their guilt and misery?" Or even, "Good will toward men of all kinds?"

Our System would be so much neater if they had. But they didn't. The angels seem to offer a "general mercy in Christ". The Host sing, "On earth peace, good will toward men". The Angel brought "Good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people".

The birth of Christ, therefore, is good news to everyone. Including you.

"Come every soul by sin oppressed

There's mercy with the Lord".

Plenty of mercy. More mercy than you need, even. For "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound".

This is the meaning of our story: "Glory to God in the Highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men".

If this is our story means, its application is obvious.

If Christ is "the glory of God in the Highest", then adore Him, worship Him, serve Him, praise Him, and tell others about Him.

Adore Him because no one else is worthy of your adoration. Tell others about Him because no one else is worthy of their adoration either. This is the chief motive for evangelism. Not your duty, not their need, but the worthiness of Christ. He deserves to be worshiped and served by everyone. But no one will worship and serve Him "without a preacher". And that means you.

Were the shepherds fools for telling everyone what God had done? They were not; it's we who are fools for not doing the same.

If Christ is God's "Peace and good will toward men", then face the facts: You won't have either without Him. You won't know peace without Him; you won't know God's good will either. But you may have both, right now, right here, "Just as [you] are".

Anyone can have these things. But no one can have them without Christ. So why not believe in Him? When you do, you'll join the Party. And sing,

"Glory to God in the Highest

And on earth, peace,

Good will toward men".