GETTING THE MESSAGE/Christ was born for sinners

When I was young, the church I attended had a yearly Christmas play, and I was always a shepherd. All I can really remember is wearing a robe. I don’t remember ever seriously considering what it would be like to see the glory of the Lord or hear the host of heaven sing about Christ’s birth.

The dullness we have to the glory of God is indicative of the darkness with us. Christ came to restore men to the joy and awe of the glory of God. In Luke 2:11, the angel who appeared to the shepherds says, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

This sublime proclamation takes us back some 700 years to the prophet Isaiah, who said, “Unto you a child is born, a son is given… and his name shall be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The angel in Luke 2 is announcing to the shepherds that the fulfilment of the prophecy has been born in Bethlehem.

Christ is from God, according to the word of God, to the glory of God. He is sent to free man from the greatest ill and advance him to the greatest good. He is born a Savior, a Savior with the strength of Mighty God and compassion of an Everlasting Father. His salvation work glorifies God, so you can be sure God is well pleased with all who take refuge in Christ.

In verse 9, when the angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and the glory of the Lord shone around them, the shepherds were terribly afraid. They had good reason to fear; they had an unmistakable sense of the holiness of such glory. Sinful man may never experience such a sensation in this world, but if it came it would be overwhelming.

There is a God above us, and he is holy, full of glory. We don’t see him in our day-to-day lives. People go about their business and activities with little thoughts of God as the years go by. That changes if you are suddenly thrust into the presence of God, where you and I will be one day. It is best to understand that now. Christ came not only to make us aware of that day, but so that we could look forward to that day. 

The angel announces that a Savior has been born. A Savior presupposes the need for a Savior. In verse 14, the angelic host sings of the peace that comes with Christ, who is the Prince of Peace. The peace is the sinner being reconciled to God, forgiven all his sin.

You would do well to think about peace with God. There is no peace, says the Lord, unto the wicked. The man who doesn’t have Christ may have a sense of peace, but it doesn’t come from a knowledge of his standing with God; it comes from being ignorant of his danger. On the other hand, a Christian may not feel peace because his conscience is afflicted, but if God is at peace with him, all is well and always will be.

We must have Christ, and his willingness to have us is evident in his birth. The shepherds are told they will find him in a manger. Newborns aren’t usually found in a feeding trough for animals. Jesus is born in a low condition. One Christmas hymn has the words, “Why lies he in such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding?” 

His birth is indicative of the office he was born to. He abased himself in order to be a servant to our need. His ministry was financed by the women who followed him. Jesus, the Savior, said: “The birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” He gave himself to be beaten, spit upon, crowned with thorns, and to bear the curse of sinners upon the cross. His life and death were sacrificial for God’s glory and our good.

The manger scenes we see may look serene, but we must remember that the child in the manger was born to bear the wrath of God our stead. He is the King of kings, but also was the suffering servant. He came to give us hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, and hope of glory. 

The announcement from heaven is replete with joy. Joy is the state the Christian should live in. There are tidings of comfort and joy in so great a Savior and so great a salvation. To have Christ is to have eternal good from God. 

The Rev. Chris Shelton is pastor of Union’s First Presbyterian Church.