Sermon – Luke 2:1-20 – Glory to God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Luke 2:1-20 – Glory to God

Christmas Eve

December 24, 2012

Tonight is a holy night. But it is no holier than any other night of the year. All nights are given to us by God for our enjoyment. So all nights are holy. But this is a special night because on this night we celebrate the glory of God coming into the world as baby born of a virgin. Let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Luke 2:1-20 ^NIV Luke 2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to his own town to register. ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Three times in this passage Luke mentions God's glory. Glory is a form of brightness or brilliance which is revealed in the presence of God. It is related to splendor, grandeur, power, praise and honer. It is a characteristic of God and something we see in heavenly beings. And on this night the Glory of God came to Earth.

When the angels appeared to the shepherds they glowed. It was as if they were illuminated by a strong light. The light was the Glory of God which had come to earth in the birth of Jesus. This light broke into the dark night above a field where sheep were grazing. The shepherd who were tending those sheep did know know what was happening. So they were afraid. This was a normal reaction. We all live dark lives in a dark world. And any glimmer of light from God would be terrifying. But with his Glory, God also sent messengers who told the shepherds that there is nothing to fear. The Glory of God, the light that breaks into our dark world, is not something to fear. Rather it is something to rejoice. God had not come to destroy the world. He came to save it.

The angels who came to the shepherds that night carried an import message from God. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) This proclamation of the angels is the source of God's Glory. Whenever this proclamation is made God's Glory descends upon the Earth and the light of God overcomes the darkness we live in. That is why this proclamation is a source of hope for so many people. It is the source of God's light in their lives.

After hearing the proclamation of the shepherds heard and saw all the company of heaven glorifying and praising God. At that moment they became part of the great congregation of the faithful who have experienced the Glory of God for themselves. This was a life changing moment for them. From that time on nothing would be the same. This is also true for us. When we come into contact with God's Glory our lives change too. We experience the light of God and never again wish to revisit the darkness of our lives. We are changed. We become children of God.

The shepherd's went immediately to find the source of the light they had experienced. And they found it in a stone manger they used for feeding their sheep in the winter. A baby was lying there, in rags, cared for by his mother and father. What an extraordinary event! The source of the Glory of God was a new born baby.

The Glory of God which came to Earth on that first Christmas could not be contained in that manage. It had to spread to enlighten the whole world. Angels from God had begun the process by proclaiming the good news to those shepherds. And the shepherd continued the process by proclaiming God's message to every they knew. They told all their friends, ^“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” And this message brought the Glory of God into the lives of people in and around Bethlehem. The shepherds became the messengers of God proclaiming the gospel and bringing light into the darken lives of the people they met.

This is the event we celebrate tonight. The coming of the Glory of God into the world. The light of God illuminates this church as I your shepherd proclaim to you the gospel message. ^“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” With this God's light will fill all of you dispelling the darkness and bringing you into God's Glory.

But who will be the shepherds tomorrow morning. Who will proclaim to your families and friends you will meet that, ^“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Who will be the messengers that bring the Glory of God into the darkened live of the people you meet. Well, this is only one person who can do that. There is only one person who knows all of your family and all of your friends and has experience that Glory of God tonight in the proclamation that a savior has come. That one person is you. You are the only one who can bring the Glory of God to the people who live in your world. So be like the angels and shepherds. Tell people the good news that God's glory has come to Earth. Tell them to fear not and rejoice for the light of the world has come. And bring them to the source of that light, Jesus Christ. Amen.