So, here it is.
“Found Him” SAPC, Christmas Eve, 2016; Luke 2: 8-20
Luke 2: 8-20 In that region there were shepherds living
in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an
angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not
be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the
Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a
child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising
God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom
he favors!”
When the angels had left them and gone into
heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see
this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So
they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the
manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told
them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what
the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and
pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Move 1: I confess that when I was younger, I
sometimes would snoop around the house in the weeks before Christmas looking
for presents.
Oh there were wrapped packages under the tree (one of my older sisters
even taught me how to carefully untape a package, pull out the box partway,
peek into it, and then slide it back into the wrapping paper and tape it back
up).
But some gifts in my house would show up on Christmas morning
unwrapped. Those were the big presents –
not the obligatory shirt or tie – the surprise gifts.
So I would look for the big present around
house.
Maybe sneak up into the attic while my
parents were at work
Or search under the bed in their bedroom.
Maybe search deep within the dark confines of their walk-in closet.
For years, I have kept all the surprise gifts I am giving in the trunk
of my car or hidden in a closet at church, just in case any of my kids are looking
for hidden presents like I did.
Looking for Christmas gifts.
a.
Why are you here tonight?
1.
We have spent Advent looking for Chrismons.
2.
What are you
looking for tonight?
3.
Looking to sing some of your favorite Christmas
carols.
4.
Looking to be with family – this is what you do
when you get together every Christmas.
5.
Hear the kids sing; or special music
6.
Looking for an inspirational sermon!
7.
Looking to lighting candles and sing “Silent Night”
8.
Most of us arrive tonight looking for a mix of all
those reasons.
b.
Many of us also
arrive here tonight looking for something more.
1.
Looking for hope as we face medical challenges.
2.
Looking for joy as we miss those who are not with
us this year.
3.
Looking for a way to reconcile a broken relationship.
4.
Looking for the strength to deal with the obstacles
in your life.
5.
Looking for the commitment to make changes to your
life?
6.
Looking for new life because we feel empty and full
of despair at how our world seems to be moving.
7.
Looking to find the one who loves you no matter who
you are or what you have done.
Move 3: If you are one of those who is looking, hear
these words from the angel on high: “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you
good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the
Messiah, the Lord.
a. When the shepherds hear those
words they are terrified!
1.
I
suppose it’s scary enough to hear voices from the heavens, but they had other
reasons to be terrified.
2.
We
sometimes romanticize the shepherds, but by the time Jesus was born,
shepherding had become a profession most likely to be filled from the bottom
rung of the social ladder, by persons who could not find what was regarded as
decent work. Society stereotyped shepherds as liars, degenerates, and thieves.
The testimony of shepherds was not admissible in court, and many towns had
ordinances barring shepherds from their city limits. The religious establishment
took a particularly dim view of shepherds since the regular exercise of
shepherds' duties kept them from observing the Sabbath and rendered them
ritually unclean. The Pharisees classed shepherds with tax collectors and
prostitutes, persons who were "sinners" by virtue of their vocation (Craig A. Satterlee, Bishop North/West Lower Michigan
Synod, Lansing, MI
3.
The glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds, they suddenly knew
God had not forgotten the shepherds. God was not done with them. Their lives
could be changed.
And they were terrified.
4.
As you hear the story of how God has come into the world, it is the
story of the God has not forgotten you.
God is not done with you.
Your life can be changed.
That ought
to add a little terror and sizzle to your Christmas Eve!.
b. We also notice
the shepherds drop everything and take off for Bethlehem!
1. Traveling with them is this question: Is
this Messiah about whom the angels speak really going to make a difference in
their lives?
2. The shepherds
go all in. Head for Bethlehem.
3. Ready to lay
claim to the one who comes to redeem them and change their lives.
4. Are you ready
for your searching to end in Bethlehem?
5. Are you ready
for the gift of the Christ child God gives to you?
6. The gift is
yours, you have found him.
c. Notice how the
shepherds go back telling everyone what they have seen and what they have
heard.
1. The hope, the opportunity
for new life, the sense that God is in their midst and has saved them compels
the shepherds to tell others what they have seen and how it has changed their
lives.
2. Marj Carpenter tells the story of teaching the nursery Sunday
school class in Pecos, Texas. She had a
lifelike doll from her childhood that they always used in the manger
scene. They were setting up the scene
without baby Jesus and a little girl asked, “Where is baby Jesus.” To Marj's horror, her three-year old son
answered, “We keep him in the closet and only bring him out at Christmas.” Marj Carpenter, In This Corner
3. the child born
in Bethlehem does not come to be put away and hidden.
4. The
Christ-child comes to be embraced, to be celebrated, to give new meaning to
your lives.
Conclusion: Some years I would find the big gift?
Of course, when you find what you are looking for, the next
question is “what are you going to do?”
Tonight, your search is over. You have found him.
“to you is
born a Savior. The Messiah.”
What are
you going to do?
