4th Sunday of Advent – The love of God fulfilled – Luke 2:1-20
By Pastor Lee Hemen
December 23, 2018
There
are certain dates in life that stand out. I remember my parents and
grandparents talking about what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was
bombed. I remember watching the first American go into space and when we
landed on the moon. I also remember when terrorists flew passenger jets
into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. On a
happier note, I also remember the day I was married, when we brought our
daughter home, and when my grandchildren were born. Is it any wonder
then that as believers we should remember the birth of Jesus?
On
the fourth Sunday of Advent we pause as Christians remembering the day
Jesus was born. Before we pass out presents, drink the hot cider, or eat
the first candy canes of Christmas perhaps we would do well to stop and
remember why there is Christmas. It’s the day the love of God was
fulfilled! Let’s see how…
READ: Luke 2:1-20
We discover that the love of God was fulfilled when…
I. God’s timing was just right! (Vv. 1-7)
In
those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be
taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took
place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his
own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth
in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged
to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary,
who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While
they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave
birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him
in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
1.
We often mark important events by what occurs in the world around us
and Luke does this also, “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree
that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.” The Savior’s
birth is marked by what occurred in the world at that time, a government
census. We know that Caesar Augustus was made the ruler of the Roman
Empire in 27 BC and ruled to 14 AD and because Herod the Great’s reign
ended in 4 BC, Jesus was probably born before that time. In fact, “This
was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of
Syria.” However, the word translated “first” should be more correctly
translated “before”. Therefore Quirinius was governor before the census
which fits the timeline. During these kinds of tax censuses, “everyone
went to his own town to register.” And, “So Joseph also went up from the
town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David,
because he belonged to the house and line of David.” Bethlehem was
Joseph’s ancestral home because he was a descendent of King David. “He
went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him
and was expecting a child.” Both Joseph and Mary knew the importance of
her pregnancy. And so Mary accompanied Joseph for several reasons. The
couple knew she would have her child during the time Joseph was gone and
they most likely did not want to be separated during the event. And,
since they knew that the baby was the Messiah, they would have known the
prophecy of Micah that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. While
unsuspecting Caesars and government officials had no clue about how
their edicts would affect the lives of the most important couple in the
world, God used them for his perfect plan. “While they were there, the
time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a
son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because
there was no room for them in the inn.” The love of God was fulfilled
when God’s timing was just right!
EXAMPLE: Timing is
everything, or so they say. Paul writes, “But when the time had fully
come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those
under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians
4:4-5 NIV) History reveals that the coming of Christ was at just the
right time. Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known world,
bringing with him the Greek culture and language. The Roman Empire
picked up where Alexander left off. It was under Roman rule that the
crucifixion took place, where the blood of Christ was shed for us. It
was under the rule of Rome that conditions were made ready for the
spread of the gospel across three continents: good roads, territorial
boundaries and a unifying language. God had put all the pieces in place
at the perfect time to send his Son. The love of God was fulfilled when
God’s timing was just right!
Luke shares that the love of God was fulfilled when…
II. God’s announcement was given! (Vv. 8-14)
And
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 of
great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a
Savior has been born to you; he is Christ 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, and on earth
peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
1. What kings, Caesars,
and governors cared about most was of no concern for God. In fact, God
often uses the small things and the insignificant people to declare his
ways and purposes. And here we discover “there were shepherds living out
in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Those
who were considered the outcasts from their own society, because they
worked with animals by touching them, feeding them, and caring for them,
the shepherds are the common folk God announces the birth of his son
to. God goes to these “least in the kingdom” first to proclaim the birth
of Jesus. Imagine being one of these lowly folks, tending your flock,
and suddenly God’s messenger out of the blue comes to where you are in
the fields. Luke writes that, “An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”
Isn’t it interesting that God chooses to go to these who raised the
lambs to be sacrificed in the temple to disclose the birth of the Lamb
of God who would be sacrificed for the sins of the world? The first
words of God’s messenger would be the words his Son would often use: “Do
not be afraid.” God’s angel brings them “good news of great joy that
will be for all the people.” The good news of great joy was not just for
the Hebrew nation but also for all people everywhere! “Today in the
town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” The
Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of God! The shepherds would know
what the angel declared to be true because they are given specific
instructions on what they will find and how they will find him, “This
will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying
in a manger.” An animal’s feeding trough would be the bed of the Savior
and the simple dressings of a newborn would be his regal robe! Before
the shepherds could completely digest what they have been told,
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace to men on whom his favor rests.’” The love of God was fulfilled
when God’s announcement was given!
EXAMPLE: During Boy Scouts
we used to sing the Announcements Song, it was to the tunes of Row Row
Your Boat, What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor, Frères Jacques’, Have
You Ever Seen a Lassie, and London Bridge. The ending was
“Announcements, announcements, announcements! We’ve got a silly cheer,
which you’ve just got to hear! It makes no sense we’re sure you know;
the announcements have to GO!” However, not all announcements are bad or
boring. Wedding announcements, birth announcements, and announcements
of achievement are ones that tell us of joyous occasions that we should
celebrate! The announcement given to shepherds long ago certainly wasn’t
boring or bad; it was good news of great joy! The love of God was
fulfilled when God’s announcement was given!
We finally learn that the love of God was fulfilled when…
III. God’s good news was shared! (Vv. 15-20)
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.
1. Can you imagine what was going
through the minds of those simple shepherds? Surprise, yes, shock,
certainly, and perhaps some incredulity or astonished skepticism! What’s
a shepherd supposed to do with this kind of news? Luke relates, “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.’” Being the down-to-earth men they
were known to be, they decide to go and see for themselves if what the
angelic messengers spoke and sang about was true or not! “So they
hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in
the manger.” Isn’t it interesting that neither the people’s chief
priests, the teachers of the law, nor the great King Herod himself had
enough faith to go themselves, but these men do! I can just imagine that
when they came to where the child and his parents were, they were even
more humbled. They find everything exactly as the angel said it would
be. And so, “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.” And in the midst of this
wonderful story of simple shepherds is a precious truth of a mother’s
heart, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her
heart.” While potentates schemed, Wisemen wondered, and shepherds saw
for themselves; a mother ponders what it all means for the future of her
child. Of all the mothers of Israel, she was the one who gave birth to
the Messiah and here he was in her arms! Meanwhile, “The shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard
and seen which were just as they had been told.” The love of God was
fulfilled when God’s good news was shared!
EXAMPLE: Have you
ever watched YouTube flash mob videos? There is one of people in a mall
food court where suddenly someone stands up and boldly begins singing
the Hallelujah Chorus. To the surprise of everyone, another person gets
up and joins in, then another, and another; soon the food court is
resounding with the harmonies of Handel’s masterpiece. A local opera
company had planted their singers in strategic places so that they could
joyfully interject the glory of God into the everyday lives of lunching
shoppers. “Think of intentionally interjecting God’s grace into a
situation where some undeserving soul needs a second chance; of sharing
the love of Christ with someone who is needy; of being the hands of
Jesus that lift up a weary friend; or of bringing peace to a confusing
and chaotic situation.” The same is true for those shepherds so long
ago, for them the love of God was fulfilled when God’s good news was
shared!
Conclusion:
The love of God was fulfilled when
God’s timing was just right, when God’s announcement was given, and when
God’s good news was shared!
—-
This article is copyrighted ©
2018 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be
used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
PastorBlastor 