Hanging Out With Shepherds Long Ago (Luke 2:8-15)
Gary McManus, 12/24/2022Part of the Christmas series, preached at a Midweek Meeting service
December 24th
Christmas Eve Service 12/24/22
Text Luke 2:8-15
This season at DCC; angels. Angels = messengers of God. More Americans believe in angels than there are Christians in America. Angels are spiritual creatures. We might not know an angel when we see one (Hebrews 13:2).
There is such a thing as spiritual reality. Spiritual reality is different than physical reality. Spiritual reality is often not available to our senses.
Some Americans claim to be spiritual without being of one particular religion /faith / denomination.
We can be hard to define. Pastor has his own limits.
Pastor can’t claim someone is or is not spiritual or how—
Pastor only knows his experiences in his own tradition, the Christian faith.
The Bible and the spiritual world. Here popular film can be helpful. The physical world is mostly congruent with the spiritual world. Christmas is all about the spiritual world breaking into the physical world. For some, it is frightening. But, “fear not.”
Christmas Eve we note that the shepherds had a spiritual experience. NOBODY, back then, thought of shepherds as religious and no one thought of shepherds as spiritual.
Unless you know that the shepherds were considered lowlifes, you are not shocked when you read Luke 2:9.
Then, this unbelievable message. The message was unbelievable for two reasons:
--it is a message about spiritual things
--it is a message about spiritual things given to guys who are not spiritual or religious
Did the shepherds know they needed a Savior?
The event really shook their world, Luke 2:13-14.
Peace was declared between God and humanity;
peace between Heaven and earth.
Pastor’s experience: many people see God as angry.
What about the shepherds?
But the spiritual world will punctuate this message of a Savior and Messiah for these guys on a hillside, Luke 2:13-14.
It was a “heavenly host.”
Things that happen in spiritual reality don’t happen for our benefit.
The spiritual world just operates on its own.
The angels were singing God’s praise before (and after) the shepherds saw them.
The angels give the impression that they are pretty excited about God’s plans going forward with the birth of Jesus.
Tomorrow, we are going to talk about all the things that God got done to pull off this Savior, this Messiah, this good news that shall be for ALL PEOPLE—even shepherds. . .even lowlifes.
2,000 years ago, this heavenly light, spiritual light, this spiritual presence that we experience as bright light—literally broke into the night sky, the veil of heaven was taken away.
Contemplate spiritual reality. Spiritual reality came to us physically in Jesus’ birth—a Savior, the Messiah. We can be completely saved—body, mind and spirit. God wills to redeem his whole creation.
Amen.
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