Searching For Meaning At Christmas
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59 years ago tomorrow, on Dec. 9, 1965, the classic Charlie Brown Christmas Special aired for the first time on CBS.
It was always my favorite Christmas TV production. I always watched it with my parents as an annual tradition.
But as an adult, what keeps me coming back to that show year after year is the depth of the.
Charlie Brown is the only person who has the maturity to look at the commercialization of Christmas and say, “There must be more to Christmas than this.”
He doesn’t know what the problem is. He thinks, maybe he needs counseling. So he goes to visit Lucy at her psychology stand in the middle of the snowcovered outdoors.
Lucy says, “Your problem is you need involvement.”
So Charlie Brown decides to be part of a Christmas play. They make Charlie Brown the director. He think he will find meaning doing that, and he wants to take it seriously, but no one listens to him.
So Charlie Brown decides instead to concentrate his efforts on finding the perfect Christmas tree for the play. Maybe he can find meaning at Christmas by doing that.
But the tree he finds is small and puny. Charlie Brown loves it. But no one else does. And when just one ornament is put on the tree, it falls to the ground. “Everything I touch gets ruined”.
Charlie Brown, back at play practice, reaches his limit. “Isn’t there anyone who can tell me what Christmas is all about?”
And then Linus, just like it’s been obvious to him all long, pulls out a Bible and, alone on the stage, with the curtains badkc and the lights up, he reads our sermon text for today, Luke 2:8-14. Does anyone remember what he says next? “That’s what Christmas is about, Charlie Brown”.
Charlie Brown has heard the good news that brings great joy to all people. And as a result he has found new strength and purpose.
What happened to Charlie Brown when he heard the reading of the Christmas story?
When he heard Luke 2:8-14, his entire world is transformed.
The good news today is that the text that Linus read from the Bible still speaks today.
Trying a little something different today. We’re looking first, really quick, at what the passage says. Background, setting the scene, pointing out important features.
As we do that, the Holy Spirit of God will speak to us through the pages of His word. And then with His help, we’re looking at what significance all of this has for us today.
Notice with me, first, what the Holy Spirit is saying through Luke 2:8-14.
What the Holy Spirit is saying through Luke 2:8-14
What the Holy Spirit is saying through Luke 2:8-14
1. Setting the scene (vv. 8-9)
1. Setting the scene (vv. 8-9)
In verses 8-9, Luke, the human author, sets the scene.
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8 ESV).
Who are the characters we meet in the first two verses in which Luke sets the scene?
Shepherds lived in the field with their flocks. Sheep very easily stray, so their shepherds stay close by to protect them or to “keep watch over” them.
We’re also told this happens at night. And by night we are to understand dark. There are no safety lights or street lamps in the first century. The only light they have is the fire they light at night to stay warm.
And into this dark night, the brightness of heaven breaks in when the angel of the Lord appears with the glory of the Lord.
“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear” (Luke 2:9 ESV).
The glory of the Lord is essentially God’s perfect holiness made visible in the form of light.
Think of the brilliant, blinding brightness of the sun. You can’t look straight at the brightness of the sun. In the same way, God’s perfect holiness is too brilliant, too blinding — too deadly, in fact — for us to look directly at Him.
This is why they are afraid. These may be shepherds, but they know their OT Scriptures. The Scriptures say that a human being may not see God face to face and remain alive.
So, you have shepherds watching over their flock at night in the countryside outside the city of Bethlehem. And you have an angel of the Lord appearing to them with the glory of God.
2. Announcing the good news (vv. 10-12)
2. Announcing the good news (vv. 10-12)
Part of the announcement of the good news is that there is no reason for the shepherds to be afraid.
Before he announces the good news to them the angel first allays their fears. The angel of the Lord has not appeared to them to bring God’s judgment but to bring God’s comfort. “Fear not”.
How often the Lord speaks “do not fear” to us!
How many of us imagine God to be angry with us? What if His stance toward us is not anger but reassurance, comfort, hope?
It’s the truth. He is, because of the Christ child. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1 ESV).
This child who was born who would become the “lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world”. When we trust in Him, our sins are wiped away and there is only love between us and God.
And so God can say to us, “fear not”, and we can know that that is His attitude toward us who are His chilren.
“Do not be afraid.” Why not? Where is there no reason for fear? Because the good news chases away the fear. “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11 ESV).
The good news of Christmas is that a Savior has been born.
This Savior is the long-awaited descendant of King David centuries earlier. It was promised He would rule over the earth forever in perfect righteousness and judgment.
He is the long-awaited offspring of Abraham in whom all the nations of the world will be blessed.
The shepherds knew all of this and would be longing for this. All of these promises have now come true! This is the message of the angels, the good news that chases away fear.
The angel also explains the sign.
“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12 ESV).
The sign that all this is true is that the shepherds if they follow the star will be led to a place where they find a baby wrapped up in swaddling cloths. They would wrap long, thin strips of cloth around the baby to replicate the comfort of the mother’s womb. The sign is also that this baby swaddled will be lying in a most unusual place: not a crib in a perfectly decorated nursery bedroom, but in a trough that animals ate from.
This was an unexpected trip for Joseph and Mary. Necessity in the mother of invention. You do what you have to do.
But don’t miss the point: this baby, wrapped up in cloth like any other human child, and lying in a feeding trough — this child is God in the flesh.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 ESV).
The Savior Jesus Christ was born — fully God, and fully man. Not 50% God and 50% man. 100% divinity joined with 100% humanity. One person, Jesus Christ — God and man. This is our Savior.
The humanity of the Savior is shown in the circumstances of his birth.
The Savior heralded by the angel is not some super human person. He is a normal person born to a normal family. He was poor born into a poor family. He was despised and overlooked.
God in the flesh! For us. “Unto you”, the angel says. “Unto you is born this day a Savior” — for you.
No wonder they’re singing the good news as well as announcing the good news.
3. Singing the good news (vv. 13-14)
3. Singing the good news (vv. 13-14)
First there were the shepherds. Then there was the angel and the shepherds. Now there’s the angel and the shepherds and the angels. A multitude of the heavenly host.
The host of heaven — that’s military language.
You ever seen those pictures of military parades they have in other countries? They’re perfectly staged, identically dressed. There are countless soldiers in those pictures.
That’s the picture here — except the army is the Lord’s, and the soldiers are angels.
What are they singing? “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!””
This is why they are praising God.
Through the Christ child, God will bring glory and honor and fame to Himself. Through the Christ child, God will bring true joy and fulfillment to us.
Why are we not joining in with the song of the angels?
Why are we so discontent, church?
What Luke 2:8-14 means for us today
What Luke 2:8-14 means for us today
A. There is a definite purpose to history (vv. 1-3)
A. There is a definite purpose to history (vv. 1-3)
There is an inscription that was found over there from the year 6 AD. It reads “the beginning of good news for the whole world”. Who was it talking about? The emperor Augustus on the day of his birth.
When the shepherds heard the angels say “unto you has been born this day a Savior” they would have heard echoes of a far away world. A world of Greek and Roman gods. A world of human leaders and rulers who had acquired divine status in most people’s minds.
This would be like if Americans took the founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln and George Wwashington and began to worship them as though they were gods.
So the word “Savior” tapped into all of that.
The absolutely crazy message of Christmas — or it would have sounded crazy — is that the true Savior who brings the only truly good news is born in a barn or in a cave and placed into a feeding trough.
And the truly crazy sounding thing to say is that this child is the point of human history.
But this is the claim the Bible makes. listen to Col 1:15-20 as I read.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Jesus Christ is the meaning of human history. Human history begins and ends in Him. The prophets foretold Him and the NT describes His coming.
If you believe that the Christmas story is the key to understand the point of history, it helps us make sense of something we hear alot today.
You hear alot today about being on the right side of history. I understand what it means. The idea is that history is moving inevitably toward progress. And those who are not hindering that movement are on the right side of history. I understand that.
It’s interesting because those who say this — it’s as though they’re saying that that there will be a judgment one day of all those who were found on the wrong side of history. And those on the right side of history — whatever that means — will be vindicated.
We look at Jesus and we see what humanity — redeemed -- is to look like. To be found on the right side of history is to be found in Him — trusting in Him, living for Him.
Your life and existence are not the end result of a random process of natural selection and the ups and downs of human history. History has meaning. There is a definite purpose to history.
B. There is light in the darkness (Lk 2:8-9 w/ Is 9:2)
B. There is light in the darkness (Lk 2:8-9 w/ Is 9:2)
We have heard of heaven. We know a little bit about heaven. Some of us know alot about heaven.
Did you know that the gospel brings heaven to earth? This is what Christmas celebrates. The Christ child has come and brought heaven to earth. So the future life of joy and peace is now extended back into the present and we are invited into that peace and joy in this life.
I want you to know there is light in the darkness. Life on this earth is dark. It’s been a hard five years. We lived through a global pandemic but our world has been forever changed. There are forces in motion to destabilize and bring everything crashing down.
Our families are experiencing turmoil.
The prophet Isaiah foretold the deep darkness and the light. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isa 9:2 ESV).
On that night when the shepherds were watching their sheep in the dark of night, heaven broke open and descended to earth. Jesus Christ the Light of the world has come. Those of us who trust in Him can have His light within us. “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12 ESV).
C. There is joy in the pain (Lk 2:10 2/ Is 9:3)
C. There is joy in the pain (Lk 2:10 2/ Is 9:3)
Several of you have always told me to step on your toes in my preaching.
There are some of us who are complainers. Please stop complaining about church.
Do you realize that every time you complain, you are reinforcing your negative perception of things. It matters what you say.
You know what else you’re doing? You’re poisoning the ones who hear you. How dare you. There are beginner Christians in this audience this morning who have become jaded about church because of you. In the name of Christ and for the good of His church, stop.
“I bring you good news, of great joy, which shall be for all the people!”
Some of us are panicking about the money situation. We want to be good stewards and use our money well. But our money is not ours. And God is not worried about our financial condition. Those of you who are panicking about money are sowing fear.
Some of you are going to be real unhappy with me about this. That’s okay. I am more concerned that Satan has obtained a foothold within our church and we don’t realize it.
Church, the gospel is good news! Of great joy! Our Savior has come and He has brought salvation and forgiveness of sins and He has come to live within us. He promises us heaven.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6 ESV). Do you notice how in that verse, everything is taken care of? — this life and the next one. That is the promise given to us.
The gospel is good news that brings great joy! Repent of complaining and negativity. Church is not about any of our personal preferences. Some of us are here to get our way. We ought to be here for one reason — and as we say down here in the South, “that ain’t it”.
Do you know what is the best antidote to anxiety and fear?
Anxiety can have biological causes. But whether the cause be spiritual or biological, joy of this kind overpowers fear of any kind.
D. There is peace in the chaos (Lk 2:14 w/ Is 9:6-7 2x)
D. There is peace in the chaos (Lk 2:14 w/ Is 9:6-7 2x)
How many of you are longing for peace this Christmas? Peace in your hearts. Peace in your homes, in your families. At your holiday dinner tables.
How many of you long for peace in the world?
Just in the last week: the government in France collapsed. South Korea went on totalitarian lockdown — and they’re a democracy. The situation in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, Iran — there are no guarantees in this life.
What is peace in the Bible? Peace in the Bible is more than just the absence of conflict. Peace, in the Bible, is life the way it was meant to be. How many of you know life is not the way it was meant to be?
Christ brings peace that makes it possible for us to live a life of wholeness, wellness, fulfillment in this life Peace = complete and multi-faceted well-being and fulfillment (see Fitzmyer for full def). Talk about wholeness, wellness, fulfillment, in our culture. “Ideal state of life in Israel” (Evans p206)
The best news: there will be peace upon earth among men on whom God’s favor rests! On whom does God’s favor rest? “to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly” (Rom 4:5). Christmas is a time of relentless self-promotion and self-evaluation. Did I pick out the right gifts? Did I give them the right way to the right people? Is my house decorated and clean enough for the Christmas party? Will they leave here with a good impression of me? This leads inevitably to discouragement because no one can perfectly measure up, no matter how good their social media page is
E. For all who are willing! (call for response)
E. For all who are willing! (call for response)
To repent of our good-works and trust the Deliverer, our Soter (soter, christos)
You’ve heard the message. You may agree with the message. You may like the message. But do you believe it? There’s a difference. Enough admit you’ve lived your life up to this point for yourself only? Enough to place your trust in the Savior? Enough to receive His grace and forgiveness and life? And out of that, enough to live for Him from this day forward?
You must make a conscious decision to turn from sin and trust in Christ. If you do, you are born again, saved, given eternal life, forgiven of all sin, past, present and future. If you make that decision today, find me after church. Or find one of our deacons. Let us celebrate with you. Let us encourage you and help get you on the right path to living for Jesus now that you’ve been saved by Him.
To honor and obey the same, who is also Lord and God (kyrios)
Talk about how Christ is a Savior for lowly people (shepherds are ideal examples of the ideal laos) and those who will become lowly in heart or poor in spirit: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” 11 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 7:22–23.
Life hasn’t changed. But now he has a completely new outlook on life. He has discovered that there is purpose behind all of the Christmas fun and busy-ness.
Having begun the show searching for meaning at Christmas, the meaning of Christmas has now found him.
It’s almost like Charlie Brown has had a salvation experience. And it changes everything for Charlie Brown.
