To YOU; Good News (Luke 2:7-20)
Gary McManus, 12/19/2021Part of the Christmas series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
December 19, 2021 The Fourth Sunday in Advent
Luke 2:7-20
Do you see yourselves in the Christmas reports of
Jesus’ birth? And who do you see yourself as?
Probably the shepherds? Sure, why not?
King David was a shepherd. Shepherds are farmers.
We like our farmers. Shepherds are noble and vigilant common laborers—even as models for the Elders of Jesus’ churches (1 Peter 5:1-4), right? Not so fast.
Reading along in Luke, Chapter 1 and 2:
Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, all encountered God’s messengers. Shepherds?!? Why? Will they bring a pitch in? Will they bring wool bedding? No.
Shepherds—but not like we sing about.
A few very clever sermon interpretations come from Pastors. These were special shepherds with special sheep. Really? Luke doesn’t mention that.
Pastor David Jeremiah, “Why Nativity?”, states that probably, the shepherds were held in lower esteem than we American Christians think.
Notice Luke uses the word “poor” more than the other Gospels. Luke uses the word “humble” more than the others. Mary said:
. . .Luke 1:48, Luke 1:52.
The shepherds are probably more nobodies than somebodies. God’s messenger’s words sounded familiar to Luke’s Gentile audience/churches.
Here (and hear) is what was said about Caesar
Augustus = a title, meaning, “the illustrious one”
“His every virtue outshone human nature.”
“The whole world voted him honors. . .
One of the inscriptions said: “The most Divine Caesar
Augustus. . .equal to the Beginning of all things. . .
the birthday of the God Augustus Caesar has been for the whole world the beginning of good news. .”
Yes, the inscription has the same word as our Bibles.
Luke makes clear; during Augustus’ reign, the REAL
good news came. . .the REAL peacemaker came,
the REAL Divine one came.
Not Caesar Augustus, but Jesus of Nazareth.
It was declared by God’s own messengers.
(Messengers of the living God (Luke 2:9).)
Jesus said why He came (Luke 4:18-19 , Isaiah 61 and Luke 5:31)
The nobodies got the most wonderful news in the world EVER.
Luke 2:17: “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, [The shepherds didn’t spread their own impressions, they spread what they were told!
It was God’s plan for them.
God did have a plan for those in need and forgotten.
The plan is still available. . .for you. Amen.
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