Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Good morning, folks.

Well, I didn't know you could get a dry mouth, but sweaty hands at the same time.

I've also had to quickly modify this after this quiz.

I don't think I would have got it right either with some of the questions.

How are we all this morning?

Good.

I wonder what your favourite Christmas carol or song is this year.

A few years ago, there was a song that came out.

You might remember it.

It was called Hope Christmas Gets You to Me.

I don't know if you remember it.

It was sung by a chap in Glasgow.

And it's a song that produces a warm, fuzzy feeling inside of you.

There's a line in it that goes like this.

I couldn't care what's under the tree.

I don't know what I'm getting for Christmas.

But I hope it gets you to me.

This was a song that was written at the end of the first COVID year,

when we were all fed up of not being able to see each other.

But I wonder what your favourite is this year.

I wonder, is it the melody or the tune?

Is it the words that speak to you?

Because of what's going on in your life right now.

Each one of us will find a different Christmas song that speaks to us for some reason.

And in fact, actually, I was smiling this morning because these hymns were written for this message this morning.

But Christmas songs will speak to us because of the circumstances that we're going through.

Or just because the tunes are new and catchy.

Each year, the BBC announces the official Christmas number one.

It's the track that tops the UK singles chart the Friday before Christmas.

And it's announced, in fact, it'll be announced today on Radio 1 at 4pm.

So, maybe tonight, in fact, there's probably a lot of people already doing this this morning,

but maybe tonight or maybe tomorrow you will be driving home for Christmas.

Back to family or to get away.

And maybe you've already got that playlist primed.

Well, in our passage today, there are three long journeys, but there's only one song.

I don't know if any of you have got kids.

There's lots of kids here today.

It's actually quite good to see all the kids here.

But sometimes kids like to hear the same song played over and over and over again.

And I, well, I don't know what that's like yet.

But there's one song in our passage this morning, but yet there's three long journeys.

We've also sung this song, and I was pleased that we sang it again this morning.

We've also sung this song in Brunsfield, a sing with the song of Emmanuel.

And that's probably my favourite Christmas song this year.

One, because it's new.

Two, because it is full of truth and it communicates some of the things that we've been thinking about here at Brunsfield.

Whatever song you've been enjoying over the past month,

I hope you've also been enjoying the songs that we have been thinking about

as we've been looking at Luke's Gospel.

Mary's song, My Soul Magnifies the Lord.

Or Zechariah's song, Blessed Be the Lord God of Israel.

Both of these songs are pregnant with the truth and meaning and with worship.

And we can see in the language that they were waiting to be brought forth.

Well, today I want to think about another song, and it is the angel's song.

Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Glory to God in the highest.

Now, this account that we have in Luke chapter 2 is a wonderful story about the Lord Jesus entering into time.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

The story of his birth is not even the beginning of the story, and it's not the end of the story.

In fact, it's right in the middle of the story.

It's the heart of the story.

It's the centre point of all of history.

God, who is outside of time and a space and matter, comes right into the centre of it all.

Even our calendars today remind us of the fact that we count history from the moment that Jesus entered the world.

Before Christ and after Christ.

And even if you're an atheist and you don't use these terms,

you might use terms like before the common era and the common era.

Well, it still points back to this point in history when Jesus was in the world.

Jesus is not a one-hit wonder.

And neither are the songs that we've been considering over the last few weeks.

They are really the Christmas number one.

Week after week after week after week after week after week and for eternity.

We see in our text that the shepherds came and they saw and they returned.

Overflowing in the worship of God.

And the angels came praising and worshipping God.

Mary.

Zechariah.

And for us, as Christians, we never tire of singing praise and worship to God about his son.

Well, I know that this passage today is very well known.

And often with passages that are very well known, there's a tendency just to switch off.

But I just want to ask you today just to bear with me for a few minutes as we remind ourselves of the wonder of this account in Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Luke reminds us in the opening verses of this chapter.

In fact, in chapter 1.

That he has set out an orderly account of these things for Theophilus.

And then also for us as readers.

That we may have certainty about the things that we have heard.

He detailed that Caesar Augustus was ruling.

And that the registration was taking place at the time of or in preparation for Quirinius, who was going to be the governor over Syria.

If anybody's studied that in detail, then you'll realize that there might be some slight timeline that we can't quite line up.

But Luke records this so that we can have certainty that these things took place.

I think it's important for us to affirm what we know about the birth of Jesus, even by its historical narrative at the time.

The story is not a once upon a time fairy tale in Bethlehem.

It's anchored in place and time in history.

And Luke sets this out for us.

Now, I wasn't much of a studier.

I'm still not.

And when I started to look at this, some of the things that you studied at school.

Some of the poems and the text that you have studied.

Some of the names and the occurrences come flooding back.

But Caesar Augustus, I don't know if you remember this, was the adopted son of Julius Caesar.

When Julius Caesar was murdered, the empire was split and controlled by three men.

One of them was Caesar Augustus.

And wars and trouble and famine echoed right across the whole of the Mediterranean for years and years until two of these individuals pushed out the third.

And then Caesar Augustus defeated his opponents in a remarkable way.

And he made his mark on the landscape.

For that whole Mediterranean basin there, he changed it in a very remarkable way.

First of all, he brought about peace for the whole region.

And that was mainly because he had defeated his rivals.

If you haven't got anybody to fight with, then you have peace.

Secondly, he brought a political and administrative skill.

Some would even say political and administrative brilliance, which propelled the Roman Empire.

And thirdly, he brought vast sums of money from Egypt to pay the soldiers and to help that Roman economy.

He then declared, as we've read in verse 1, he decreed that all should be organized.

They should be registered.

They should be taxed.

And although that we read a many different census in the Roman Empire,

it's believed that the records of the censuses that were taking place were still available hundreds of years later

to verify this account that Luke records and the account that we've come to believe.

The fact that a baby boy was born in Bethlehem is not really that hard for us to accept.

But although Caesar Augustus might have been ruling,

God was in charge.

We as mankind, we like to think that we're in charge.

But as Christians, we soon come to realize that God is in control.

And that he orchestrated the time for Mary to be ready to have her firstborn

while they were in Bethlehem being registered under Caesar Augustus.

I think it's important for us to notice this because this is the fulfillment of the prophecy

that we read about in Micah chapter 5, where it says,

Micah 5 · chapter mention

Jesus being born in Bethlehem is not a random chance.

God promised that the Savior would be human,

that our Savior would be a Jew,

that he would be from the tribe of Judah,

he would be from the family of David,

he would be born of a virgin,

and in Bethlehem, the city of David.

And so you see, for all of these things to come together at that time is not a coincidence.

There's a reason and a purpose that Jesus was born at that time,

and in that place, and in that way.

Now, I mentioned in our text that there are three,

and you'll maybe see this if you've still got your passage open,

but don't worry if you have not.

In our text, there are three long journeys.

The first journey we can mark is the journey of Mary and Joseph.

A journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem,

probably quite a difficult trip.

Somewhere between 70 and 80 miles,

with a pregnant wife,

and I guess probably a fairly busy route,

as everyone else would have been moving about to register themselves,

so that God's plan would be fulfilled.

We don't really know how far in advance that they travelled,

or if the census had taken place,

or if they had remained in Bethlehem afterwards,

but the Bible says that while they were there,

the time came.

And as I've been reading this passage in Luke,

and as we've been working through chapter 1 and chapter 2,

I really enjoyed this next sentence that Luke records for us.

And it says this,

And she gave birth to her firstborn son,

and wrapped him in swaddling cloths,

and laid him in a manger,

because there was no place for them in the inn.

I want you to notice the simplicity

in the way that this is recorded.

It's probably one of the greatest events

ever in the history of all time.

And yet it's just detailed in three simple phrases.

She brought forth her son,

wrapped him in swaddling bands,

and laid him in a manger.

I really enjoyed the fact that there is something simple,

and straightforward,

and understated in that.

Jesus was born into poverty,

and also he was born into an outside place.

The creator, the maker, the sustainer,

enters the world as a baby

in humility,

in dignity,

and poverty.

The expectation was that the Messiah

would become as a mighty hero,

as a conquering king,

and as a strong warrior,

most likely bursting onto the stage

with noise and fanfare.

But instead, we find the promised saviour

coming into this world

in the weakness of a baby.

We just sung,

maker of Mary,

now Mary's child.

Now I can't imagine,

for those of you who don't know,

Rachel, my wife, is expecting,

but I can't imagine that Rachel

would like our firstborn

to be placed in a stone feeding trough,

or in a stable,

or a cave.

But Jesus was.

And it's interesting,

if you like to study,

you could do a little study

into this feeding trough,

have a look at

what happened

during the Passover

when they would select a lamb

and they would take care of it.

Well, it suggested that the lamb

was kept safe and clean

by placing them

into the same kind of manger.

Which is,

if that is true,

then it would be a beautiful picture

of the lamb of God

lying in a manger

like the lamb,

the Passover lamb.

I haven't done a huge amount of study.

I've read one or two bits.

So if you do want to study that,

then maybe over the next week

at Christmas time

when you've got some time off work,

that could be something

for you to look at.

But not only do we see

that Jesus was born in poverty,

in his birth,

we trace that through his life

and we see it in his death.

We read elsewhere in Scripture

that he became poor

for our sakes,

that we might be rich.

Jesus didn't come

to seek out fame

or fortune,

to be born into a palace

with money and wealth.

You know,

the only thing that Jesus

came to seek was the lost

and he is still seeking.

I think it's amazing

as we start to understand

the story of Jesus' birth

and his life

and his death

that we can really be taken up

with this simplicity

in what we are asked to believe.

What happened roughly

2,023 years ago

is recorded simply

and accurately

so that we might understand

how the God of creation,

the God of eternity,

is a God who wants

to be known by us.

A God who has made

the way known

to know him,

not something

that only the clever

or the wise can attain.

For Jesus reminds us

that it is the simple faith

that is required

to believe.

Which leads me on

to the second journey

in a reading

in this chapter.

And this is a journey

that the angels made

from heaven

to a hillside.

It's not the first

angelic appearance

in our song trilogy

over the last three weeks.

The angel appeared

both to Zechariah

and to Mary.

And in keeping

with the other appearances,

he invites the shepherds

to not be afraid.

We sometimes have

a rosy view

of the nativity scene.

I guess maybe

some of our Christmas cards

depict it in a way

that creates that soft,

fuzzy feeling within us.

But interrupting

this dark, quiet,

excuse me,

interrupting this

quiet and dark night,

this quiet and dark

hillside scene

was the presence

of an angel

and with him

the brightness

and the glory

of the Lord.

This angel

brought about

a message

to the world.

And in fact,

it is probably

the first gospel

message.

See, the angel

brought good news.

Literally,

it is the same word

that we use

for gospel.

And it is a good news

of great joy.

I think there is

no better message

and I guess

for all of us here

who are Christians

and we would agree

with this,

there is no better message

than that of the gospel

and we should not

be afraid of it.

It is a message

of God's love

and God's justice,

a message of his mercy

and his compassion,

but also of his righteousness

and his holiness.

It is interesting

that we see

this message

is declared

to shepherds.

Again,

I think we have

sometimes

a rosy

understanding

of what a shepherd is.

But in this day

that we are thinking about,

shepherds were not

people who were trusted.

They were

a kind of

outcast class

of society

and they were

unlikely to be

well educated either.

That they should come

and see the saviour

first of all

and to witness his birth

is quite remarkable.

We are told

that the shepherds

were so untrustworthy

in other places

that they weren't

even allowed

to be a witness

in a court

and yet God

chooses them

to witness

the birth

of his son.

The message

that the angels

brought was this,

a message

that a saviour

was born.

And I want to

emphasise that point

this morning.

Jesus is first

announced on the stage

as a saviour.

Not a king,

not a wise man,

not a judge

or a reformer,

but a saviour.

His name means

that he will save

and this is why

it is good news.

Not just good news

for the shepherds

or the Jews

or the people

of that time,

but for all people,

the angels said.

And the reason

for this is because

this is exactly

what this world

needed

and still needs.

A saviour

who would take away

the sins

of the world,

a saviour

that would reconcile

man to God.

I think it's still

amazing news

for all people.

You know,

we live in a world

as we've been thinking

about this year,

in fact the last two years

we've been thinking

about this a lot.

We live in a world

not unlike the world

that we've described

around the time

of Caesar Augustus.

There is war

going on,

there is unrest,

there is sadness.

Not just here in Edinburgh

or in Scotland,

but across the globe

this is the same.

But our message

of great joy

is just as powerful

today

as it was

then.

good news

that is indeed

great joy.

So what was the news then?

We thought about

how good it was

and how much joy

it would bring,

but what is this news?

Well, the angel said

to the shepherds this,

for unto you

is born this day

in the city of David

a saviour

which is Christ the Lord.

Probably a memory verse

that you came to Sunday school

or any other

church related activities.

Certainly in your schools

this is a verse

that children

would have learned

from whatever age.

And it's probably,

we often say that

John 3.16

is probably the best

known verse in the world

and it likely is.

But I would hazard a guess

that this is probably

one of the most

well known verses.

But even if you are

an atheist

or even if you don't

believe in God

then this is a verse

that you'll have seen

at Christmas time

over the years.

A saviour

who is Christ the Lord.

This is an amazing title.

It's not just

an announcement.

It's not just

a sentence.

It's a title.

Firstly, because

the word saviour,

he is a saviour

is expressed in his name

Jesus.

We know that that name

means that he will save.

Secondly,

he is the Christ,

the anointed of God,

the Messiah of Israel.

And thirdly,

he is the Lord,

God manifest in flesh.

The angels tell the shepherds

what's happening

down in Bethlehem

and not only

what's happening

but why it's happening.

It describes the scenes

and what to look for.

A baby wrapped

in swaddling cloths

and lying in a manger.

They don't have to hope

that they're going

to find this baby.

The angel told them

that this would be a sign.

I don't know how many

other babies

would be born

in Bethlehem

at that time.

I mean,

certainly if you

go to your appointments

in the Simpsons Memorial

then you'll see a string

of people coming in and out

and I'm not sure

if it would have been

the same in Bethlehem

at that time

that there would have been

a number of babies born.

But this was the sign

that the angel told them

that a baby

wrapped in swaddling cloths

lying in a manger.

And then,

in stark contrast

to our first scene,

we see this good news

of great joy

erupting

in song

as suddenly

there is a great

heavenly host

joined with the angel

praising God

saying,

glory to God

in the highest

and on earth

peace,

good will

toward men.

Gloria

in excelsis

deo.

Glory to God

peace on earth.

We thought earlier

about Caesar Augustus

bringing peace

to the region

after he defeated

his enemies.

But peace

isn't just

the absence

of war

or the absence

of poverty

or the absence

of famine.

Augustus

couldn't bring peace

from passion

from grief

from envy

or guilt

and he cannot

give peace

of heart

for which

man yearns

more

than anything

else

even for

outward peace.

Now,

Jesus' life

in ministry

would bring

both glory

to God

in the highest

and it would

bring peace

on earth,

good will

towards men

or,

depending on

which version

you read,

peace among

those with

whom he is

pleased.

God is

well pleased

with those

who repent

of their

sin

and receive

Jesus Christ

as their

Lord and

Saviour.

The peace

that Jesus

offers us

is not,

as he reminds

us in John

14,

as the world

give peace.

It's not a

temporary,

fragile,

only to be

disturbed at

the slightest

offence

peace.

The peace

that is offered

by him

is deep

and eternal

and meaningful

peace.

One of

having no

enmity with

God,

not being an

enemy of

God,

in fact,

being a

friend of

God,

and if you,

I was smiling

as we sung it

because it's

in one of the

lines of the

hymns that we

sung this

morning.

Becoming a

friend of

God,

having no

burden of

our sin

or the guilt

of our sin

to deal with,

instead,

having our

sins removed

as far as

the east

is from

the west

and having

them remembered

no more.

Jesus takes

our sin

by his

atoning death

on the cross.

His death

is what brings

about peace.

And as

he becomes

our saviour,

he leads us

in a way

that allows

us to

enjoy that

peace that

passes all

human

understanding.

But in

order to

die,

he must

have been

born.

And that's

what we're

thinking about

this morning.

Well,

we've come

to our

third

journey.

As soon

as the

angels

departed,

the shepherds

hurried to

Bethlehem,

which is

probably the

first Christmas

rush.

I'm not sure

that they

would have

been dashing

through the

snow because

shepherds out

in the fields,

it was probably

quite a mild

winter in

Israel that

year.

But the

shepherds

rushed from

the hillside

to Bethlehem

to find the

one whom

they had

been told

about.

the third

journey in

our passage.

And oh,

did they have

a playlist.

They found

Mary and

Joseph and

Jesus lying

in a manger

and they

found him

because they

sought him.

They looked

for what was

told by the

angels and

they found

him.

Now, this

reminds me of

a verse in

Isaiah.

It says this,

you will seek

me and you

will find me

when you seek

me with all

your heart.

That's a

challenge for

us this

Christmas amid

the noise and

the chaos.

Are we

looking for

him?

Are we

seeking him?

The shepherds,

they came and

they gave a

complete report

of the angels

visit causing

probably quite

considerable

surprise amongst

those who had

gathered in

the stable.

As it says,

for all who

heard, they

wondered.

But Mary had

a deeper

understanding of

all these

things and she

treasured them

up in her

heart and

she knowingly

pondered them.

When you

leave here

today, I

wonder if I

can ask you

to wonder

about these

things and

to ponder

them in

your heart.

Do we

really

understand the

Christmas story?

Or do we

just understand

the historical

facts that we

thought about

this morning

about this

great episode

God in

Luke chapter

Luke 2 · chapter mention

2?

Or does

the meaning

behind it

really create

a spark of

light and

joy in our

lives?

You see, the

shepherds returned

to their flocks

overjoyed in

all that they

had seen and

heard and

overflowing in

the worship of

God.

I think the

shepherds are

good examples

for us to

imitate today.

They received

by faith the

message that

God had

sent them

and they

responded with

immediate

obedience.

They came to

Jesus and

after finding

him, they

reported the

good news to

others, glorifying

and praising

God.

And then they

humbly returned

to their

duties.

Well, by

doing that,

they weren't

just the same

men going

back to the

same old

job.

You see, when

we find Jesus,

our lives

are changed.

You can't

come face

to face with

Jesus and

remain unchanged.

Now, I said

at the beginning,

the passage is a

fairly well-known

passage, and

just bear with me

for a few

minutes.

You see, even

though our

passage is very

well-known, it's

a story that

still requires a

response from

us.

Now, I

wonder if the

words of that

song that I

mentioned at the

start can be

changed slightly

for us.

I couldn't

care what's

under the

tree.

I don't

know what

I'm getting

for Christmas

this year,

but I hope

it draws me

to thee.

Verse 21

says this,

and on the

eighth day,

he was called

Jesus.

Why?

Because that

was the name

that was given

to him by the

angel before he

was conceived.

And because

that is the

name that

means he

will save

his people

from their

sin.

Whatever you

do today,

and whatever

you do

tomorrow,

maybe, and

even as we

sing this last

hymn, maybe

that we do

think about

this message

this morning,

that we

wonder about

it, that we

ponder about

it.

We don't

just think of

these journeys,

we don't

just think of

the songs,

we don't

just think of

the narrative

that we

read, and

if you don't

have a

Christmas tradition,

then maybe

this is one

tradition that

you could

take.

Read this

narrative every

Christmas.

But more

than that, I

wonder if we

could just

wonder and

ponder at

this so

that we

really understand

the real

meaning of

Christmas,

that Jesus

came to be

born in

order that he

might save

people from

their sins.

Christmas

money

2019

develops

ağır

more

days

millions

trong

décision

phía

00

00