What we celebrate in Christmas is really one of the most amazing, powerful, and complex events to ever take place in all of human history. God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the one who set the world into motion with His word and then breathed life into us, the almighty and all holy one, chose to come into our world as a human being. God could have come as a fully grown adult, ready to teach and lead and govern the world with power and authority, but God chose to enter the world as we all do, as a simple baby, born to a simple man and woman, Mary and Joseph.
Not only did God choose to come as a simple child to a simple couple, God chose a simple location. God could have chosen any city in the world for His birth and we might assume God would have chosen the most important and powerful city in the world at that time which was Rome - but He didn’t. Or we might assume God would have chosen the one place on earth He had chosen as His dwelling place, the city of Jerusalem. It was the Temple in Jerusalem where God’s spirit literally dwelled on earth, so we might have assumed that this would be the city God would send the Messiah to first, but once again, He didn’t. God chose the simple town of Bethlehem
And we might assume that the people God would have first announced His birth to would have been the most important political or spiritual leaders of the day, maybe the Emperor or the High Priest, but once again He didn’t. God chose simple shepherds. In so many ways the first Christmas was simple and it reminds us to try and celebrate a simple Christmas as well.
In Luke 2, we hear about the announcement of Jesus’ birth first given to those simple shepherds. Luke 2:8-20
There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Now there was a reason God chose Bethlehem as the city of the Messiah’s birth, and a group of shepherds to be the ones to first hear this news, it wasn’t just because they were humble and simple, it was because King David had been a shepherd born in Bethlehem. God had always said that the Messiah was going to be a King in the line of David, so the choice of Bethlehem and shepherds made it clear that this child was the promised one, the Messiah. But the simplicity was important as well.
By choosing Bethlehem as the birthplace, and shepherds as the first to hear this good news, God was making it clear that the Savior was for everyone. If God had chosen Rome or Jerusalem as the birthplace, it may have sent the message that the Messiah was only for the important people of the world. And if the message had been sent first to kings and religious leaders, it may have communicated that only the rich, powerful, and well connected were invited into the Kingdom of God. By choosing the shepherds of Bethlehem, however, God is making it clear that He has come for all of humanity. As the angels said, this is good news for ALL people.
The invitation to experience the grace, love, and power of God is given to everyone, and I do mean everyone. Shepherds weren’t just simple people, they were also outcasts and sinners. Because of the work shepherds did in caring for sheep, they were often considered unclean and would not have been able to worship in the temple or even associate with other people. They were known as rough and hard living men who were notorious for telling lies and stretching the truth. In fact, they were not allowed to testify in a court of law because they could not be counted on or trusted to tell the truth.
Shepherds were some of the lowest people in the community, and yet it was to them that God sent the angels to proclaim that the Messiah had come. That the invitation to experience the newborn King was given to these simple sinners drives home the heart of the angels’ message. This was good news of great joy for ALL the people. It is for you and me. We are the ones who have been given this simple invitation to joy.
A savior has come for you and me. We are not beyond the reach of God’s love. We have not fallen so far, sinned so greatly, or wandered so far away that God has given up on us. The invitation of God’s grace and love has been given to all of us and it is right here for us to receive it. We just need to grab hold of it with humility and gratitude. A savior has come for you. A savior has come to forgive you. God has sent his son into the world to redeem you, and to restore you into a right and healthy relationship with Him. God has given you and me the gift of life and life eternal through His son, Jesus. This simple invitation brings us great joy. It is good news.
But the invitation goes a step further. Notice that God doesn’t just tell the shepherds that the Messiah has come for them and that from now on they can place their trust in Him, God invites them to go and find Him. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. The angel gives directions on exactly which child that had been born in Bethlehem was the Messiah, and where He could be found, so that the shepherds could go and find Him. It wasn’t just good news, it was an invitation to go and find the Savior. It was an invitation to go and experience for themselves the love and grace and power of God. It was an invitation to experience the joy that comes when we enter into the presence of God.
What I love about this invitation to experience the love, joy, and peace of God is that the shepherds are not told to go and clean up before they make the journey. They don’t have to go and make sacrifices to purify themselves, or change any of their ways before they go find the Messiah. They are just invited to go. I love this because it tells us that we are invited to come to Jesus just as we are right now. We don’t have to clean up our act before we ask God to forgive us. We don’t have to go through 30 days of fasting and prayer before we are accepted by God. We don’t have to change clothes, change habits, change behaviors, or change our lives before we come to Jesus - God will accept us just the way we are.
This can be a hard invitation for many to accept. We are conditioned to think that we get what we deserve, so if we come to God in the depth of sin, we assume we will get rejected and punished, but if we can clean up our lives a bit, or strengthen our faith first, then God will love us and forgive us. But God’s love and grace are free. God accepts us the way we are right now. God might want to change us and clothe us in His righteousness, but the invitation is for us to come as we are and experience the transforming love of God.
What a joy to know that God not only came to redeem us, but that God came to meet us, walk with us, and invite us into His presence. The invitation God gives all of us today is simple: come to me, for I have come for you. Just as you are, come and experience the presence of Jesus. You don’t have to go and find a babe in Bethlehem, you just need to ask the babe of Bethlehem to enter your heart and life.
The invitation of joy given to the shepherds was the good news that a savior had been born for them and for all the people of the world, and that this savior was ready and willing to meet them just as they are. We know the shepherds accepted the invitation because it says they went with haste and found Jesus lying in a manger. What makes me sad is that we don’t know what that experience was like.
What was it like to be the first people beyond Mary and Joseph to see the Messiah? Think about the joy there must have been in that place. The shepherds were filled with joy because finding a baby wrapped in strips of cloth lying in a manger was the sign that a Messiah had come. Finding this child told them that they had a savior, that they were forgiven and redeemed and loved by God. What Joy!
But think about the joy Mary and Joseph must have experienced. For nine months, all they had to assure them that the child in Mary’s womb was the son of God was the word of the angels. Through those long months, they had to wonder if they had heard right? Was it all true? When the shepherds arrived and told them what the angels said, it was outside confirmation that their son was the Son of God. What joy they must have experienced. What peace must have washed over them in that moment, followed by fear and trembling because now they really were going to be raising the son of God. But first, what joy!
But, the invitation to experience this joy is not over yet. You see, joy isn’t just experienced when we receive Jesus, the fullness of joy comes when we share Jesus with others. The shepherds weren’t completely filled with joy until they went out and shared their experience and invited others to experience this good news of great joy.
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
We don’t have any record that people heard the news of the shepherds and then went to find the baby in the manger, but you can imagine that maybe some did. Remember, shepherds weren’t known for telling the truth, so maybe people had to see for themselves if it was true. Who knows, maybe Mary and Joseph had a long line of people visiting them that night. What we do know is that the shepherds told their story and invited others to experience the joy they found in Jesus. The joy of our experience with God is not made complete until we share it with others.
We love to share joyful experiences with others, just look at facebook. We share joyful family reunions, joyful events like concerts and games, joyful experiences like trips and unexpected blessings. We love to share joyful experiences, so let’s share the joy of Jesus and invite others to experience that joy. Pastor David has said several times that this is a wonderful time of year to invite people to worship. Family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers are actually looking for places to worship on Christmas Eve and your invitation might be the one that opens to them the joy of God’s love and grace.
Attending worship at a church for the first time can be daunting. People are afraid they might be judged for what they are wearing, or how they look and act. They wonder if they will fit in and if their children will have to behave perfectly. Your invitation can make it so much easier for someone to feel welcomed. One of the main reasons people give for not going to church is that no one has invited them. It’s not that they don’t want to come, or that the church is not for them, it’s that no one has invited them. Invite someone!
Pick up an invitation or two after worship today and invite someone to attend the Christmas musical next Sunday, or one of our worship services on Christmas Eve. Invite someone to attend worship with you next week to sing Christmas carols and hear about how a simple star in the sky led Wisemen to Jesus.
As you invite them, share with them how you experience joy or peace or encouragement when you attend worship. Share with them the difference worship makes in your life every week, or how your connection with Faith Church has made a difference in your life overall. As we share the joy of God with others, our joy is made complete.
God chose simple shepherds, outside of a simple town, to receive the first invitation to experience the Messiah, and that simple invitation brought the shepherds great joy. There was joy because they knew that God’s salvation was for them. There was joy because they knew they could go just as they were to see and experience the savior. And their joy was made complete because they shared it with others and invited them to experience Jesus as well. A simple invitation to joy.
Today this invitation is ours. Hear this good news: a savior has come for you. We can experience the presence of God by opening our heart and life to Jesus through worship and service and love. And our joy can be made complete by inviting others to experience the joy of our savior with us. As the angels said, this is indeed good news of great joy for all the people.
Next Steps
A Simple Invitation to Joy
Of all the places for Jesus to be born, why did God choose Bethlehem?
Of all the people to first hear of Jesus’ birth, why did God choose shepherds?
How are those choices good news for us today? How are they invitations for us to experience great joy?
Read Luke 2:8-20
● How do we know the angels were inviting the shepherds to go and experience the joy of the Messiah?
● What did the shepherds have to do before they went to Jesus?
● What does it mean for us to accept this invitation?
Joy for the shepherds was not complete until they shared the good news of the Messiah’s birth and their experience of this new born king with others.
Who can you invite to worship with you next week?
Take an invitation to our Christmas Musical and Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Services and give them to family and friends. Pray for opportunities to share your experiences of the joy found in Jesus with them.
One way to share joy with others is to find ways to serve in Jesus’ name. Consider serving at one of our Christmas Eve worship services (contact the church office), or sign up for the Christmas Dinner in the Sanctuary Lobby or online.
