Good News of Great Joy for All People

December 20, 2022

Scripture referenced 8 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

Luke 2:8-20 main passage read aloud, the angels announcing Jesus' birth to the shepherds

8 There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.
9 Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.
11 For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.”
13 Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men.”
15 When the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough.
17 When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child.
18 All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.

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Isaiah 9:6

quoted as what the shepherds would have known, 'for to us a child is born... prince of peace'

6 For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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Romans 10:17

cited to show that faith comes by hearing the good news

17 So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

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Psalm 34:8

quoted as an invitation to taste and see that the Lord is good

8 Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

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Psalm 107

cited with the call for the redeemed of the Lord to speak out

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.

2 Let the redeemed by Yahweh say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,

3 And gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way. They found no city to live in.

5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

6 Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses,

7 he led them also by a straight way, that they might go to a city to live in.

8 Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!

9 For he satisfies the longing soul. He fills the hungry soul with good.

10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron,

11 because they rebelled against the words of God, and condemned the counsel of the Most High.

12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labor. They fell down, and there was no one to help.

13 Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke away their chains.

15 Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!

16 For he has broken the gates of brass, and cut through bars of iron.

17 Fools are afflicted because of their disobedience, and because of their iniquities.

18 Their soul abhors all kinds of food. They draw near to the gates of death.

19 Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble, he saves them out of their distresses.

20 He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves.

21 Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!

22 Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his deeds with singing.

23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in great waters;

24 These see Yahweh’s deeds, and his wonders in the deep.

25 For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up its waves.

26 They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths. Their soul melts away because of trouble.

27 They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.

28 Then they cry to Yahweh in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distress.

29 He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still.

30 Then they are glad because it is calm, so he brings them to their desired haven.

31 Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds for the children of men!

32 Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people, and praise him in the seat of the elders.

33 He turns rivers into a desert, water springs into a thirsty ground,

34 and a fruitful land into a salt waste, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

35 He turns a desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into water springs.

36 There he makes the hungry live, that they may prepare a city to live in,

37 sow fields, plant vineyards, and reap the fruits of increase.

38 He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly. He doesn’t allow their livestock to decrease.

39 Again, they are diminished and bowed down through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.

40 He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in a trackless waste.

41 Yet he lifts the needy out of their affliction, and increases their families like a flock.

42 The upright will see it, and be glad. All the wicked will shut their mouths.

43 Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of Yahweh.

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Psalm 19

referenced by Ray as what the shepherds likely knew, the heavens telling the glory of God night after night

1 The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.

2 Day after day they pour out speech, and night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice has gone out through all the earth, their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,

5 which is as a bridegroom coming out of his room, like a strong man rejoicing to run his course.

6 His going out is from the end of the heavens, his circuit to its ends; There is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. Yahweh’s testimony is sure, making wise the simple.

8 Yahweh’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. Yahweh’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever. Yahweh’s ordinances are true, and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is your servant warned. In keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive me from hidden errors.

13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I will be upright. I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer.

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James 4:6

referenced as saying God gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

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John 10

referenced by the speaker in response to Al's comments about Jesus saying my sheep shall know my voice and the shepherd laying his life down for the sheep

1 “Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2 But one who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.

4 Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

5 They will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him; for they don’t know the voice of strangers.”

6 Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.

7 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door.

8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.

10 The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them.

13 The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn’t care for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own;

15 even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.

17 Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.

18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”

19 Therefore a division arose again among the Jews because of these words.

20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane! Why do you listen to him?”

21 Others said, “These are not the sayings of one possessed by a demon. It isn’t possible for a demon to open the eyes of the blind, is it?”

22 It was the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem.

23 It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.

24 The Jews therefore came around him and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me.

26 But you don’t believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I told you.

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

28 I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

30 I and the Father are one.”

31 Therefore Jews took up stones again to stone him.

32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”

33 The Jews answered him, “We don’t stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

34 Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’

35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken),

36 do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’

37 If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me.

38 But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

39 They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand.

40 He went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John was baptizing at first, and there he stayed.

41 Many came to him. They said, “John indeed did no sign, but everything that John said about this man is true.”

42 Many believed in him there.

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

On a Monday night in Advent, the congregation at First Baptist Jackson gathered for dinner and a gospel conversation centered on the birth announcement to the shepherds in Luke 2:8-20. The pastor walked through the passage and then opened the floor for people to share what struck them, and the discussion that followed became part of the message itself. The heart of it all was simple: hear the good news, see it for yourself, and share it.

What was said

The birth announcement was delivered to shepherds, not to the prominent or the powerful. The pastor pointed out that shepherds were humble, ordinary people, and that God chose them to receive and carry a very large piece of news. To him, that confirms what the angel actually said: this is good news of great joy for all people. Not some people. All people.

When the angels left, the shepherds did not wait around or talk themselves out of it. They said, "Let's go," and they went. That response mattered to the pastor. Hearing the gospel secondhand is one thing, but the shepherds went to see it for themselves, and that personal encounter is what the invitation of Psalm 34:8 is about: taste and see that the Lord is good.

After seeing Jesus in the manger, the shepherds told everyone. The pastor called this a simple evangelism plan drawn straight from the text: first we hear it, then we seek it for ourselves, then something natural happens and we share it. He pointed to Romans 10:17 on hearing, and Psalm 107 on speaking out as the redeemed of the Lord.

The detail that stayed with several people in the room was verse 20: the shepherds went back to their flocks. One of the men in the group said he had never really noticed that line before, and what it opened up was the idea that most of the time God does not ask us to leave what we have been called to do. He refuels us and sends us back to it, this time glorifying and praising Him as we go.

The congregation picked up the thread from there. One person noted that the Pharisees and religious leaders were not the ones who received this announcement, and that their resistance to Jesus later in his ministry shows the shepherds were the right audience precisely because of their humility. Another connected it to the wise men's visit in Matthew, where the scribes knew the right answer to Herod's question but never went to look for themselves, while the shepherds went immediately. James' line that God gives grace to the humble came up as the thread tying it together.

The pastor closed his own remarks where the passage closes, with the shepherds returning full of praise. He acknowledged that Christmas is a hard season for some people and that the renewed hope, faith, and joy the shepherds carried back to their fields is available to anyone who will receive it. As he put it, things fade, the novelty wears off, but Jesus' presence does not wear off. He is with us always.

Doing a Bible study?

Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

The shepherd's birth announcement was given to ordinary, humble people rather than to religious leaders or the prominent. What does that say to you about who the good news is actually for?
The shepherds heard the message and then went to see for themselves. Can you think of a time when hearing about God's goodness led you to check it out personally, and what did that experience do for your faith?

and 3 more questions in the guide

Open the study guide

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Find in this transcript

Oh, and I I made a copy Oh, good. Of that song. And I I hope it fits with Alright. Hello, everybody. So glad that you came out tonight.

Thank you. It's it's good to be together. And also, could we give Barb a big, round of applause for dinner? So good. Thank you, Barb, for the variety of soups.

Every single one of them was great. Treats. Just makes a great Monday night. So thank you. And, a couple of important announcements.

Just just so you know, Christmas Eve services, that's this Saturday already. There's one at 04:30. There's one at six. The 04:30 fills up really, really fast. They're a blast.

Yeah. Right? And then Sunday, the next day, Christmas day, there's just one service at ten if you're planning on coming. So no 09:00, no 11:00, just one at ten. And then, one more.

Next Monday, the twenty sixth, there'll be no Monday night. We're gonna take gonna take a break, and we're gonna pick up on January 2. So that's all I got for announcements. Anybody else have anything in this room wanna share? Alright.

Before we get into scripture, share the story. Should we sing together? Yeah. And, God, thank you for this evening and for, the gift of of being able to worship together in song and exalt you. Really, you are worthy.

Amen. Lord, I think of that birth announcement to the shepherds from the angels, and it says they were absolutely terrified, but you assured them. And, God, I thank you for your assurance this evening. I thank you for a peace that passes understanding, and we pray for that in this room and with each individual in this room, Lord, that, we would fear not, because we know that you are with us. God, with us.

Emmanuel. Thank you. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. You can have a seat for a moment.

I got a little video I wanna share with you. Something a little to to ponder about Charlie Brown. You know, he hears the story, and, then he has some time to reflect on it. And that's that's all I wanna do. Just just share the story.

That's that's that's all we need to do, when we share the the story at Christmas. You know, it's the same story. The story is the story. Same message. No new characters.

It's the it's this right here. It's the good news of great joy for all people. That's that's the meaning of Christmas. And it it it always has, it always will be the good news of great joy, and it is a story worth repeating. It really is, which which is why I love this time of year because we just get to we just get to share the story about Jesus.

So tonight, I wanna do that. Luke, from Luke two eight through 20. The angels announced Jesus' birth to the shepherds, and I I'd like to share a few thoughts from it. But I'd also like to hear yours too. This is, like, a gospel conversation too at the end you don't have to share.

But if you like to, it always makes it so much better just to just to bounce it off one another. So it says this, that night, there were shepherds, and they were staying in the fields nearby guarding their flocks of sheep. And suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. And they were terrified. Can you imagine?

You can just put yourself in the story here for a moment. But the angel reassured them, don't be afraid. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The savior, yes, the Messiah, the Lord has been born in Bethlehem, the city of David. By the way, imagine hearing this message when your whole life you've been living under Roman rule, so under oppression, and you're waiting for this promised Messiah, and you've heard the story from Isaiah.

Okay? They've heard this story from Isaiah where they hear, for to us a child is born and a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders. And his name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. Imagine hearing this, and you're going, woah. I think my life's about to change.

This is big news. It was really big news that they got. Okay. Verse 12. And you will recognize him by this sign.

You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth lying in a manger. Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast of host of others, the armies of heaven, praising God and saying glory in the highest heaven and peace on earth to whom excuse me, to those with whom God is pleased or whom his favor rests. When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, let's go to Bethlehem. Let's see this thing that's happened, that the Lord's told us about. And they heard, and they went to the village where Mary, and found Mary and Joseph.

And there he was. There was the baby laying in the manger. And after seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. And all who heard the shepherd's story were astonished. But Mary kept these things in her heart and thought about them often.

The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God, for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. So I'm gonna stop stop there for now. I'd like to pray first and then, just converse a little bit about this. Lord, thank you for the gift of Jesus, truly.

And thank you that this season reminds us of your entrance into this world, that you stepped down from heaven, that you made your dwelling among us. And just as we sang, we sang, and to our hopes and to our fears, the savior of the world appears. Lord, thank you. Thank you truly for coming to Earth on a divine rescue mission to seek and save the lost. And, God, that is us.

We've fallen short. We need a savior, and that's you, Jesus. You're the reason for this season. You're the reason why we tell this story. You're the reason why we have good news of great joy.

In Jesus' name. Amen. Few thoughts here. I won't share a lot. But one thing that stood out to me in this story, I'm kind of personalizing it a bit here, but that birth announcement was delivered to shepherds.

And just consider this for a minute. Shepherds. You know, when I think shepherds, think humble, average, ordinary. Right? I wanna know why you're laughing.

Not rich, not prominent, not highly influential, but this is why this is what I love about the gospel. It's truly the good news of great joy for all people, and this story shows that. It's for all people. God doesn't make boundaries like like we have boundaries, and we make classes and social status and all that kind of stuff. No.

He chose to reveal himself and entrust a big, big message to humble ordinary people. And I just like that. I really, really appreciate that. To me, that story affirms all people really means all people. It's for everybody.

And if God can entrust a big, big message to shepherds, to ordinary people, he can entrust that message to me too. And I I really like this response in verse 15. After they receive the message, the angels return to heaven, and the shepherds say to each other, well, let's go. Let's see this thing that's happened the Lord has told us about. Like, this moved them so deeply, they needed to check it out for themselves.

And my prayer is that when we hear the good news of God's love and forgiveness, the good news of great joy for all people, peace on earth, goodwill toward men, that we would check it out for ourselves too. Like, is one thing to hear about it. Right? You can hear the gospel through somebody else. You can see the gospel through somebody else.

And that's a powerful thing. But what's even more powerful is when we hear it for ourselves and we check it out for ourselves. One of my favorite verses is this one right here, Psalm thirty four eight. It's taste and see that the Lord is good. It's an invitation.

Hey. See for yourself. God really is good here. The more that you see, the more that you know of him, the more that you love him, come to trust him. And that's what they did.

They hurried to the village, and they found Mary and Joseph. There was Jesus lying in the manger, so message confirmed. They heard it. They sought for themselves. And then what's next?

Verse 17. After seeing him, the shepherds told everybody what had happened. Like, this good news was too good to just go, man, that that must just been for us. Well, that was pretty cool. Maybe we should just go back to work.

They didn't. They went. They saw, and then they shared it. They were like, hey. You know, I wish that those conversations were recorded in scripture.

I really do. Do you guy can you can you believe what we saw? You know? And they're shepherds, so they were witnesses. It wasn't just, like, one person.

It was witnesses, and they shared it. So they heard it. They saw it for themselves. They shared it. And by the way, I think this is a great evangelism plan right here.

I do. I think it's it's a simple evangelism plan. First, we hear the good news. Like, look at this this verse here from Romans ten seventeen. It says faith comes by hearing.

First, we've gotta hear it from somewhere, for some from someone. It's hearing the good news about Jesus. And then we go see it for ourselves. Paste and see that the Lord is good. There's joy for those who take refuge in him.

And then I think a natural something natural that comes after that is to share it. From Psalm one zero seven, it says, has the Lord redeemed you? Well, speak out. Let the let the redeemed of the Lord say so. As we have opportunity in word and deed.

And then I'm gonna end with verse 20. Like I said, this is a very, very short message here, but I wanna end with verse 20. This spoke to me that after all that excitement, they had to go back to work. Have you ever had, like, a really good time and then you're like, well, I guess I gotta go back to work again. The shepherds went back to their flocks, but this time it was different.

Really, though. This time it was different. They went back glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard. God gave them a renewed hope and a renewed joy and a renewed faith, and it caused them that outflow was to to praise God as they went back to work. And that would be that'd be my prayer for us too, that God would give us a renewed hope and a renewed faith and a renewed joy during this Christmas season because, you know, you hear it's the most wonderful time of the year, but you know what?

For some, it's not. It's a tough time of year. It's a very difficult time of year for some, and they're really going through it. And yet we can find something. We can have a renewed faith.

We can have a renewed hope. We can have a renewed joy because of Jesus. Like, Jesus really is the the greatest the greatest gift of Christmas. Things fade. You know?

And we know what it's like. You grow up and you get a present, and you enjoy it, and the novelty wears off. Jesus' presence doesn't wear off. He's with us always, and that's encouraging. So those are just a few of my thoughts from Luke two eight through 20.

And I would like to hear we've got a microphone. It's only for for folks who are are maybe listening online tonight. But I'd like to hear what you took away from the story too. But before we chat, I would like to to pray again one more time and just thank God for giving us the story. God, we do.

We thank you for the good news, the good news of your love and forgiveness, the good news that you took on flesh and you made your dwelling among us. You came to Earth for us on a divine rescue mission. The good news that you establish your kingdom on Earth as it is in heaven. The good news that your light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. God, for this good news, we are grateful.

We are thankful. And I pray that this this good news, that we would continue to learn about it and see it and experience it, this good news for as long as we have, and that you would give us a renewed hope, a renewed faith, a renewed joy during this Christmas season. And as we hear this message and we we check it out for ourselves that we taste and see that the Lord is good, that it would spur us on to share in word and deed. In Jesus' name, amen. So what do you think?

What do you think of the the birth announcements the birth announcement from the angels to the shepherds? Did anything strike you?

You kept talking about sharing. Then they went and shared and they see this amazing thing and then they go and share it. I don't really have a profound point, but just a fun thing to talk about I think is like, they see this amazing thing and how could they not go share? And then there's when Jesus is in his ministry when he's far older, he performs some miracles and he's like, alright now go and tell nobody. And I think that's interesting.

Yeah. In juxtaposition to when after he's crucified and he comes back and there's those two dudes walking on the road outside of Jerusalem and they're like, can you believe what we just saw? And then this stranger comes up and they're telling the stranger the story and it's actually Jesus. And just the juxtaposition of that like hearing it on the tail end and then in the beginning like, don't don't go tell anybody. He gets like both sides of it.

So no profound point, but just something I thought.

But a strong point nonetheless, like for real, really that is.

Something I actually I don't think I ever noticed before in this passage. I just never thought about it. I knew they did this, but they went back to their flocks. And I don't really know why that's grabbing me right now or why I noticed it, but, I mean, you talked about it a little bit, and you highlighted you highlighted that exact verse. But it's just I don't know.

Sometimes we think that or it's I think it's easy sometimes. I fall into, like, this thing where, like, you're gonna have this mountaintop experience and it's just

Then you gotta go

to where? And you gotta go back down, gotta go back to the flock, know, gotta go back to the valley. Or you know, it's like you meet Jesus and all of a sudden, know, it's like, oh, now I'm gonna have this just this high all the time and go be on this grand adventure and sail around the med train like Paul and but it's like, you know, most of the time we just go back to our flock and we and ah, there's something cool and beautiful about how yeah. Work. And just that God is like Yep.

Charges us charges us, refuels us, refreshes us, and in this case, I mean, changes their lives.

Yeah.

And and then he says, alright. Now with this renewed sense of meaning and purpose and joy and peace, go back to what I've called you to do. Yeah. And maybe that maybe I mean, in some situations, he does say, hey, go. I don't want you to be a shepherd anymore.

Now go literally spiritually and literally shepherd men. But like, if you go into ministry but oftentimes it's like, alright. I love you. Now go love others by what you do and what you've been called to do. So I think that's just that's cool.

I never really noticed because that never grabbed me before that. And I went back to their flock. Yeah. But praising praising God. So that was cool.

And then another point, I often think it's important for us to put ourselves in the place of people in these Bible stories and these events. And it's good, you know, to see ourselves as a shepherd and to, you know, we are, you know, we are the one that Jesus leaves for the '99. We are we're loved that much, but I think it's also important to actually think about who is the shepherd in our society. It's probably not me. It's probably not there's probably someone else, some other group, some other people that society looks down upon or that are just normal and under the radar that if Jesus came today, God would go tell them because they're less privileged or they're on the outskirts or on the fringe.

So I just think it's a it's a cool reminder and to think, okay. So who are the shepherds in our world or in our lives that, you know, we wouldn't think about normally being the most deserving and the you know, or none of us are deserving, but who should we go be telling the good news to? And it's probably someone we don't expect, don't think about. So and correct me if I'm wrong, were shepherds ceremonially unclean or depending? Okay.

Okay. But it sounds like they were they were definitely a fringe group or they were they were they were on the outskirts, which I think is just a a good reminder that the savior of the world, God of the universe comes down down and is born and God goes and tells shepherds first.

The humble, boldly. Yeah. Good point. Thanks for sharing that, Gannon. I'd love to know what what got you got you belly rolling a little bit earlier.

That's the first thing that I wanna say. So we have a friend that she was at our she was invited over a a dinner, and said, all my life, I wanted to run away from ordinary people, average people. So this was the common word that the conversation average people. And later in conversation, she said, and then I met you. And then I was like I was looking at Eureka.

This is the most average you can get

right here. And she said,

and now you're my best friend, and I'd love to see you. No. No. No. It's it's it's beautiful when Yeah.

When God grabs you of your heart, you don't see those average people as bad people. You see them as good, awesome people

Yeah.

Loved by almighty God. So that was the reason I was laughing. Okay?

Uh-huh.

I love the the verse where it says that he will bring joy. Mhmm. Joy because of the the the the fact that the news is good Yeah. Not just because of the circumstances change. They have to go back to the work.

Right? Yeah. But the fact that Jesus Christ is the one, the savior of the the the world and would bring bring joy to all. But it comes back to one of your sermon when you said might, the word might. They might all if they believe they might all experience God's love.

I love it. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you.

This very same passage the girls and I read today.

Oh, you did?

Yes. We did. As I I said, it's the same story. It doesn't change. No new characters, nothing.

So the same story for Christmas. What I think got me or what I really liked is the angels came and brought the news to the shepherds, which were the lowliest and the humble and probably out of the loop for all the news and anything that would be brought about because they were out in the fields. But they didn't keep the news to themselves and because they were humble, they didn't take the glory for themselves either. They gave glory to God. And I think that's very important.

The glory is God's, and he did all this for us. He brought the savior in the world for us.

Yeah. Amen. You know, that's something that came to mind too as I was studying this, that it wasn't the Pharisees or the Sadducees or the religious leaders that this big birth announcement was given to. It was to shepherds. Because you wonder, well, I wonder what I wonder what the super prominent people would have done with that message.

I I I don't know. But we do know when Jesus began his ministry, he had the most resistance from the religious people and the ones who were very prominent people and well educated and everything else. This was the right audience because they had a humility about them to receive that message. It's very, very powerful. Ray, have you got a thought?

Yeah. Well, just dovetailing off what you said. In Matthew, when we see that the message was brought by wise men to Herod. Herod talks to the scribes and the people who are supposed to know. And they know where he's supposed to be born.

But Herod wants to know because he wants to kill him, and they don't even go look for him. The wise men do, but the people that they they're questioning about Bethlehem, they don't go looking for him. So they just rejected the message. These guys let us get up right now and go right now and go take care of this. And what always hits me is at the end of the story when it says they went back praising and glorifying God.

But it says it was just like that angel had told them. So the message, angels are messengers and the message that was carried, it was very specific. It's like you're gonna find this baby and it's gonna be this is the way you're gonna know this is the baby you're looking for. It's gonna be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, which is a weird place. And then it was, can you believe it was just like they said and what Blake had said earlier.

Those were all from Luke, everything that he mentioned all those stories were from Luke. I think he's playing with that idea of there is a message and this message is going to keep on going forward. And Jesus had his reasons for saying, keep this to yourself right here at times. But I think that didn't our hearts burn within us when he shared with us the scriptures. It's always about the message that comes back around to being.

Angels are great and I think it's awesome that these guys probably would have known Psalm 19, right? And they're sitting out there in their fields watching by night and it says, day after day, night after night, the heavens are telling the glory of God and night after night, it pours forth speech. There's no language where this cannot be understood. And then that goes from general revelation to them specifically having this one angel and then the whole host of heaven. Mhmm.

Just awesome. Yeah. It's a great story.

It is. There was a verse that came to mind too that and it's from James, believe, that God gives grace to the humble. He Mhmm. He's showing favor, revealing himself to the humble, but opposes the proud. What a just doesn't it just so make sense that Jesus came to humble ordinary shepherds?

Yep.

Somebody else?

Yeah. Anybody else got a thought? Monique, if you

I also really loved verse 15 where it says, let's go. Let's hurry and find this word that is born in Bethlehem. And just how, like, when we have an encounter with God, it should move us in some way, like if not inside but physically. And so I for me, it just encourages me to like be ready, right, to be like available and and ready and willing. And it reminded me of this good friend I have.

I'm in a couple different prayer groups where we pray for revival. And so she she said one time that just, you know, so ever often I don't know if she does it daily, but she'll look for revival and be like, is it happening yet? And just ready to jump on a plane to wherever revival is happening to be in the midst of it, to not just watch it on YouTube or hear a report, but to be in the middle of it. And that just reminded me of this that they went right away and that's my heart. Like, I wanna be ready, you know, whatever that means.

Physically, not tied to so many things that I can't go if the Lord says go and go now.

Yeah. Thank

you. I think we've discussed this before, but it always just amazes me. The, to hear how Jesus says, my sheep shall know my voice. And, may have discussed this even before, but I'm just amazed at how the shepherds, when they brought their sheep to the sheep pens, They, of course, guarded the sheep pens so that they were safe from wolves and whatever. But then, when they left the sheep pen in the morning, They went back to the, where it says my sheep shall know my voice.

And the shepherds would call their sheep out. Now, didn't necessarily have 3,000 or 4,000 sheep we're talking about. You talking know, maybe less than 100. But, nonetheless, the shepherd would, they'd open the sheep pen. The shepherd would call the sheep by name.

And the sheep would come out at that point. And they recognized the shepherd because he called them by name. And the fact that the sheep would come out and they wouldn't come out to anybody else who called them. Just to the shepherd who called them by name. And, at any rate, the fact that you know Jesus said that my sheep shall know me because the sheep will know Jesus.

And so, just the fact that they could call the sheep out and what they did when they released them in the morning, the shepherd would call each individual sheep by name. And the sheep would not come out until they heard the shepherd call them by name. And I just, that just amazes me that this could take place in that fashion. And so, there's a tremendous role for shepherds in the, well in story of Jesus. I'm just amazed at how each sheep knew his shepherd's voice would not come out until the shepherd called him by name, individually by name.

Isn't that something? Anyway, that's always amazed me. I remember reading a book about the sheep and the shepherds and whatnot. And I can't even think of the name of it now, but it was written by a pastor who knew sheep very well. And it's amazing because sheep are some of the dumbest creatures ever, the Lord ever created.

They're always getting in trouble and wandering off and whatnot.

It is, Al, you're right. It is a really powerful chapter. I think it's John 10. But then Jesus says, I lay my life down for the sheep. And to think about Jesus' arrival as a baby, but this baby would a baby born for sacrifice, we sang.

Yeah. Wow. The lamb. Yep. Should we should we end in a in a song here together?

Go tell. Go and tell that. And tell over the hills and everywhere go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born while shepherds kept their watching Hey. Before I share one last verse, a little benediction, I think there's soup left back there. So if you would like to bring some soup home, please do.

It can't stay here. It's gotta go. And it was wonderful. I loved every single one of them. So let me end with this.

Mary's response. Talking about humble. She says, oh, how my soul praises the Lord and how my spirit rejoices in God, my savior. God, lord, may we may that be us. Praising you, rejoicing in you, recognizing you.

In Jesus name, amen.

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Christmas Story Finding Hope Good News Sharing Faith Shepherds

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