Listen to Sermon
Pastor Tom Johnson, December 24, 2016
God has an odd marketing strategy. It is a strange way to publicize the greatest gift ever given to humanity. Important news would normally be proclaimed at the city gates of a large city. That’s the place of highest traffic and quickest way to spread information. You’ll remember that there was a lot of danger threatening the life of this newborn child. King Herod and the Roman authority did not want anyone to be born who could claim the throne of David. But it is still a wonderful revearsal of who we might pick to be the first audience to hear the news of Jesus’ birth. It is a fanfare for the common man—a message to the most ordinary people in the first century—shepherds—sheep farmers. And not only that, they are working the night shift. Their job was to lose any head of sheep in the valleys of the shadow of death. They used rod and staff to corral their flock and fight off predators that like to hunt under the cover of darkness. It was these courageous workers that sat in darkness. They are these humble laborers who see a great light. Their first reaction is to be overcome by dread and fear as they are suddenly engulfed in the light of God’s glory. The angels steal their fear by good news. They are called out of their terror and directed to a newborn King. He is the long-awaited Messiah. He has come to deliver all of us from fear—the fear of death, evil, and sin. He comes to save us from the sad reality of death, evil, and sin
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And nothing has changed these past two thousand years about the human condition. This world still has its dark nights when we fearfully keep watch. We still live in the sober reality that there are threats on every side. Death and evil still threaten us daily and nightly. Our own hearts keep us from being faithful through our night shift. We grow weary in doing good. Our trust in God waxes and wanes like the moon. And we forget that we are here to love and serve God and our neighbor through the darkness. It is a jarring reminder that in God there is no darkness at all. The light of his glory will blind our eyes that have grown accustomed to the darkness. It can be terrifying to realize we have not gone unnoticed by God.
Like the shepherds who quietly work under the cover of night in obscurity, we may often think that no one notices us either. But God does see. He does know every thought and intention of the heart. And no one escapes his notice. I believe it is even evidence of God’s spectacular sense of humor—to choose an audience like this—like us. Every individual is precious in his sight. We can laugh at how must he values each soul. Thank God we are wrong to think that some live lives of anonymity and obscurity. They matter to God. The angels tell the shepherds not to be afraid—but to hear good news of great joy. The good news is not just valuable information about a promise made long ago. It is not merely the dissemination of information to make them smarter.
It is good news of great joy. It is to fill their ears, eyesight, minds, hearts, mouths, and lives. These humble shepherds will immediately go to see their newborn King. They will receive the news by hearing, seeing, pondering, believing, preaching, and worshiping. The good news will transform their lives. The joy of the Lord will be their strength. They are not just telling people “it’s a boy.” They are giving hope, strength, and joy to the world. This is the long-expected Messiah. This is the Christ Child promised long ago. He will finally deliver us from all our fears and everything that threatens us. Mary herself will treasure all their words and spend a lifetime pondering them in her heart. And so God meets us in our valley of the shadow of death. He visits us in our loneliness and obscurity. God says to us, “You have not gone unnoticed. You are the apple of my eye. I want to take your fear away. I want to fill you with great joy. “It’s a boy! A child is born. He is a gift to Mary and Joseph. He is the Royal Son of a holy nation. And yet he is for all people. He is Savior and Deliverer to the whole world. He is born to deliver us. In him we have forgiveness, life, and salvation.
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