Christmas Eve 2018

Bibles. If you want to read along, you can. If not, you can just listen. We're going to

talk a little bit about Christmas and what it's all about.

If you would, please pray with me before we start.

Lord, we thank you for this gathering and we thank you for this season and for the

joy and the blessing it is to many of us. And Lord, we pray now that you would help us.

Help us to hear this story afresh. Help us to see it with new eyes. Lord, help us to

hear the good news of great joy for all people that we see in this story and in this holiday

season and what Christmas is all about. Lord, I pray for your help. Lord, that I would speak your

words and for all of us that we would hear your voice and your word. We pray this tonight in Jesus'

name. Amen.

Well, there's something special about Christmas, isn't there?

Oh, some of us may be curmudgeons and sort of resent the demands and the expectations and the

busyness that often comes along with it. But there is something special. The city is lighted up.

People greet one another on the street a little more happily. There is a lightness and a joy

and a beauty of it. I wonder why that is. I wonder what it is about Christmas that

allows our whole society even to take a deep breath and be caught up in something.

I wonder if it speaks to a longing in our hearts, to a desire that the world would be

a place full of more light, more joy, more warmth. That in Christmas there is in fact a

promise that the world could be something more than what it is.

I propose to you tonight that there is. And that we see this in the story that we saw in the book

of Luke. That in fact what Christmas points us to is glory. Now what do I mean by glory? Well,

if you look it up in the dictionary in the OED, it has a number of different definitions. But

something that has high renown and honor, something that has magnificence and great beauty.

So we think of, use it in terms of the glory of the Sistine Chapel with its architecture and its

artwork. We would use it for glory as of a Hawaiian sunset. We'd use it of the glory of the one who wins

the New York Marathon. It is a characteristic of something that is awesome, beautiful, and great.

Something with transcendent worth and value that is on display.

And I would propose to you tonight that we were made for glory and that we thirst for glory. And as

we encounter these things and whatever it is for you, these things that tap into our hearts and make us

feel this longing for something more. It is that thirst for glory that is being expressed.

And yet even as we feel that and hear that, we hear the words of the writer C.S. Lewis who warns us

this, they are not the things themselves. They are only the scent of a flower we have not found. The echo of a tune

we have not heard. News from a country that we have not yet visited.

These glimpses of glory that we have in life are meant to point us to something

that is real and is eternal.

And it is in fact at the very center of Christmas.

The Christmas season, I believe, is so special to us

because it points us to glory.

In the passage we just read in the book of Luke,

we actually see glory

breaking in.

The word glory breaks

through the narrative in three

different places. And it teaches

us a little bit about what this is

and what we are made for.

So as we look at it

briefly together, I hope we'll

be able to see that together.

First of all, we see

starting in verse 8, the story of the shepherds

out in the fields at night

and the glory of God

comes into the darkness.

And that darkness is a literal darkness, isn't it?

For they're out in their fields at night

watching over their sheep.

But it is much more than that, isn't it?

It is coming into the darkness of

the plight of the nation of Israel

under oppression

from foreign rule,

suffering under

the Roman leadership.

It is the darkness

of a nation

disappointed with God.

Could it be better than this?

Is this all that you have for us?

And it comes

not to palaces

or to

places of great wealth

or prosperity,

but it comes to shepherds.

shepherds

the dark margins

of society.

Shepherding was not

a respected

profession.

And a shepherd

would be more likely

shunned than welcomed

even in a gathering

like this

tonight.

And yet

what we see

in this story

in verse 9

is that the angel

appears

and the glory

of the Lord

shone,

literally bright light

that lit up

the darkness.

it turned

what was dark

into light.

But more than that

it came with a message

of glory.

The angel

came and said

behold I bring you

good tidings

of great joy

which will be

for all

the people.

And the shepherds

sitting there

were reminded

that God

has not forgotten

them

or abandoned

them

and that the

darkness

does not win.

Maybe tonight

you have come

here

bearing much

darkness

in your life.

Maybe the darkness

of grief

and loss.

Maybe the darkness

of despair

at our country

and how broken

our society

and our world

are.

Maybe you have

seen the darkness

in your own life

well up

and spill

out

in destruction

in your

relationships

and in your

life

and you hate

it as much

as you feel

helpless

to change it.

Maybe you feel

like you're

one of those

on the margins

of society

like the shepherds

and maybe

like Israel

you're here

wondering about

your life

really God

is this it?

Is this as good

as it can get?

Does it get

any better

than this?

Into our

darkness

God has come

in glory.

The angels

show up

and there's

this bright

display of glory

with this

pronouncement

but then you

see in verses

11 and

following

the story

goes on

because the

glory isn't

just nice

platitudes

be warm

and well fed

it's the most

wonderful time

of the year

it's not

a platitude

the Christmas

message comes

with glory

that is centered

on a person

you see glory

in verse 14

as it's shown

the heavenly

host shows up

and sings

glory to God

in the highest

but what is it

that they are

singing about

that causes

them to say

this?

It's in verse

11 and 12

the announcement

for unto you

is born

this day

in the city

of David

a savior

who is

Christ

the Lord

and this

will be

a sign

for you

you will

find a

baby

wrapped

in swaddling

claws

and lying

in a manger

you see

when God

displays

his glory

he doesn't

do it

simply

with platitudes

but he does

it with a

person

and what a

person

it is

for this

person

has been

given

grand

titles

he is

the savior

the one

to come

to deliver

his people

from their

plight

he is

the Christ

which is

Greek

for Messiah

the anointed

one of God

the long

hoped for

one

who will

make things

right

he is

called

the Lord

the one

who comes

with authority

and sovereign

power

who will

not bow

to any

other

and who

comes

to reign

the announcement

of the angels

was that

there is one

who would

come to do

all these

things

and yet

he is

a baby

wrapped

in swaddling

clothes

and lying

in a manger

not a crib

not a home

not a maternity

ward

but an animal

stall

and a feeding

trough

the way

that God

shows his

glory

in the world

is so

unlike

the way

we seek

glory

in our own

lives

isn't it

for when

we seek

glory

when I

seek

glory

it is

by me

performing

and producing

and then

calling everyone

else to say

look how

great I

am

and so

often

on the

pursuit

of my

own

glory

I find

that I

use

people

I find

that I

discard

them

when they

are unhelpful

in my

pursuit

of glory

I find

that all

of my

life

becomes

warped

about

me

being

seen

as

great

but

when

this

baby

comes

he

comes

with

this

incredible

juxtaposition

for he

is

labeled

to be

great

he

will

be

the

great

one

who

will

do

all

these

great

things

and yet

he

comes

in

humility

and in

meekness

and in

weakness

imagine

what the

shepherds

must have

thought

could it

be true

could it

be true

that God

has come

for

one like

me

is it

possible

that the

deepest

longings

of my

heart

could be

met

tonight

in this

baby

could it

be the

things that

I barely

hope to

dream

or hope

for

because they

seem

impossible

might

actually

be true

that God

might have

heard me

in my

crying out

for help

and that

he has

done

something

about

it

the glory

of God

in this

baby

continues

in the

glory

of this

one

Jesus

as he

grows

and as

he lives

his

life

you read

the rest

of the

gospel

of Luke

which the

author

Luke

called

an

orderly

account

so that

his

readers

might have

certainty

concerning

these

things

regarding

Jesus

that

is

he's

trying

to lay

out

a

faithful

rendition

of who

this

man

was

that

he

would

come

with

both

this

greatness

and

this

humility

and that

in that

would be

his

glory

for

he

would

come

and as

an

adult

man

he

would

come

and he

would

do

amazing

things

he

would

heal

the

blind

he

would

raise

the

dead

he

would

feed

the

hungry

he

would

set

the

captives

free

from

oppression

he

would

come

and do

all of

these

wonderful

things

transforming

the

lives

of those

that he

came in

touch

with

and yet

he

would

do

so

as an

outsider

not in

the halls

of power

but wandering

in the

fields

not as

one

revered

but as

one

reviled

by those

in

power

culminating

his

life

and

ministry

at the

cross

where he

the

lord of

life

the

god

of

the

universe

come

to

earth

become

a

human

being

humbled

himself

and

laid

down

his

life

taking

on

the

darkness

of

this

world

so

that he

might

rescue

us

from

it

he

laid

down

his

glory

in

order

to

pick

up

a

different

kind

of

glory

he

muted

his

glory

in

his

divinity

for a

season

so that

he

might

take

it

up

as

a

savior

forever

in

his

death

he

died

to

rescue

us

from

the

darkness

and

in

his

resurrection

he

proved

his

power

that

death

and

darkness

would

not

have

the

last

word

but

that

he

the

giver

and

the

author

of

life

would

give

to

all

who

received

him

to

all

who

believed

in

his

name

this

is

the

glory

of

this

baby

this

is

the

trajectory

of

the

story

of

what

Christmas

is

all

about

friends

God

has

come

to

this

world

he

has

come

to

us

in

our

darkness

and

he

has

met

us

in

the

person

of

Jesus

and

that's

why

we

celebrate

Christmas

but

it's

not

just

a

historical

looking

back

to

2000

so

or so

years

ago

to

historical

event

that

happened

back

then

but

it's

meant

as

it

did

for

the

shepherds

then

is

meant

for

us

now

for

the

story

continues

in

verses

15

through

20

the

shepherds

having

heard

this

great

announcement

abandon

their

livelihoods

abandon

their

field

and

they

go

to

Bethlehem

they

go

to

find

this

one

who

has

been

announced

and

when

they

find

him

in

the

manger

as

they

were

told

they

tell

Mary

and

Joseph

what

they

had

seen

and

heard

and

all

there

marveled

at

the

account

and

as

they

leave

we

see

the

third

breakthrough

of

glory

in

this

for

they

went

away

glorifying

God

you

see

what

that

means

is

that

they

were

so

caught

up

in

the

glory

that

had

been

announced

and

the

glory

that

they

saw

as

they

were

able

to

see

this

baby

they

realized

that

this

was

the

hope

of

all

their

hearts

longings

and

desires

and

that

in

this

baby

they

would

find

all

that

they

were

looking

for

that

they

would

be

caught

up

in

his

glory

by

believing

in

him

that

they

would

be

glorified

and

then

would

in

turn

glorify

God

that

is

they

would

by

believing

in

this

son

they

would

find

their

own

glory

given

not

by

their

own

effort

but

bestowed

upon

them

by

being

connected

with

this

Jesus

in

the

coming

of

Jesus

glory

has

come

it's

come

with

an

invitation

for

us

come

follow

me

come

believe

in

me

come

trust

in

me

Jesus

says

to

us

let

all

your

lesser

aspirations

your

lesser

successes

your

lesser

moments

of

beauty

and

wonder

your

lesser

glories

point

you

to

the

author

of

all

glory

the

glory

that

you

were

made

for

being

God's

being

God's

person

and

knowing

him

and

when

we

abandon

ourselves

to

the

glory

of

Jesus

we

find

that

we

are

caught

up

into

a

glory

that

fills

us

with

a

glory

that

is

inexpressible

and

filled

with

great

joy

the

invitation

is to

come

and

worship

come

and

worship

come

find

the

glory

of

this

baby

Jesus

fall

on

your

knees

and

worship

him

tonight

Jesus

Christ

the

newborn

king

let's

pray

together

Lord

we

come

to

you

tonight

recognizing

that

you

have

broken

into

this

world

Lord

with

glory

for

us

Lord

we

confess

that

we

often

seek

glory

on

our

own

apart

from

you

Lord

I

pray

tonight

that

Lord

you

would

help

us

to

know

that

the

glory

that

we

long

for

is

found

ultimately

and

only

in

you

Lord

that

you

would

turn

our

hearts

towards

you

tonight

in

faith

and

in

hope

in

joy

and

in

worship

we

pray

these

things

in

Jesus

name

Amen

Amen

Well

friends

as we

come to

near the

end of

our

service

tonight