Focus Scriptures: Isaiah 9:2 and Titus 2:11 and Luke 2:1-20
December 24, 2023 – Christmas Eve
The Light of the World
The Great Light has entered the world! The people who have walked in darkness have seen it. The shepherds have seen it. Mary, the humble and faithful, gave birth to the baby Jesus and laid him in a manger as there was no other place to go. This quiet beginning led to events that changed the world, with effects that reverberate to this day.
While there are many messages we could consider in this evening’s scriptures, there is just one I would like us to focus on: grace.
God sent Jesus, God’s only son, to save us from ourselves. While we were and are unworthy of such great love and grace, God did it anyway. For God so loved the world – the people, us – that God sent Jesus Christ to take on our sin, to pay our debt, so we would be justified, redeemed, and able to live in the Light of God forever. Isaiah writes that we in the darkness have seen a great light.
Paul, in his letter to Titus writes, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all” (v.11) That is all: you, me, Jew, Gentile, everyone from all lands, countries, tribes, and times. It includes those both like and unlike us. This is the Joy to the World that Jesus brings. This is the joy that is a product of grace that makes us “zealous for good deeds” (v.14), eager to live as Jesus lived, loving and serving others.
Let’s take a moment to consider the shepherds in the Luke narrative. No matter how many times I read or hear this Gospel, I cannot help but put myself into their places. Here we are, hanging out in the fields, probably – certainly – a little smelly, and “an angel of the Lord” appears to them, and the “glory of the Lord shone around them” (v.9). The “them” is the shepherds; the glory of the Lord shone around these humble, nameless shepherds. Why them?
This appearance of the angel to the shepherds is a foreshadowing of the ministry of Jesus. He did not come to convince the priests and the legal authorities. No, he went to spend time with the sinners, the regular people like you and me, flaws and all, because Jesus knew that was where the fields were fertile. Those in need of salvation would welcome their savior.
Imagine if the angel had appeared to some Pharisees, the religious authorities. Would they have gone with “great haste” to see Mary? Would they have honored her when they got there? Or might they have dismissed the whole experience with a pronouncement that there was no way God would send the Messiah to be born to a woman who could afford no better than a manger in which to lay the baby. I think the latter.
As we gather as a humble people this evening, let’s put ourselves in the place of the shepherds. We have heard the words. We are singing the songs. We recite what the host of angels proclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those who are favored.” Then it is time to act.
What did the shepherds do? They went to find Mary and the baby and to tell of what had happened out in the fields. Words we might overlook follow. “They made known what had been told them about this child,” and they were amazed.
Aren’t we like those shepherds in our current time? We are here in worship, experiencing this Light of the World together, yet there are countless people who are in darkness. Grace has been shown to us, and we are to “make known” what we know, so that others might find this light and this grace.
Maybe you have heard the term “pay it forward.” Well, that is exactly what we are to do. Our role is not to keep the Light to ourselves. It is to help others know it and be saved by it, by Him, Jesus Christ, who takes away the sins of the world.
As we go forward from this sanctuary this evening, make it your goal to share what we have shared, to teach what we have learned. Through a kind act, a comforting word, or even just focused presence as we spend time with others, we can share the love we have been shown ourselves by our savior. Christmas blessings to you. Amen.
