Grosey's Messages

The English word Christmas dates from before the twelfth century. In Old English it was two words, Christes maesse, and in Middle English, Christemasse. Literally it meant "Christ's mass" and referred to the special worship service held on December 25 in honor of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As most of you know, we aren't certain about the time of the year when Jesus was born, but it's safe to infer He wasn't born around December 25. This is a date the Roman Catholic Church set centuries ago for the wrong reason. When Constantine legalized Christianity in the 4th Century, there was already a pagan celebration called Sol Invictus that took place a few days after the winter solstice. It was a celebration of the fact that once again light had conquered darkness. When the Roman Empire became "Christian" they adopted many of these pagan practices and tried to Christianize them (they eventually paganized Christianity), thus we celebrate "Christ's mass" on December 25.

Initially the Church celebrated the birth of Christ, the coming of the shepherds, and the adoration of the Magi on January 6, a day also associated with the Lord's baptism. By AD 336, December 25 was recognized in Rome as the day of Christ's birth (although December 25 was in use by the early 200s). By the sixth century, the entire Western Church had moved the celebration of the nativity to December 25, along with the shepherds' visit and adoration of the Magi. The Eastern Church continues to link the adoration of the wise men with Epiphany, January 6. Jesus might have been born in late December or early January, but we can't know for sure.

Over time, Christmas became a festive season that lasted until Epiphany, giving us the twelve days of Christmas (the twelve days begin with the day after Christmas). For Christians, the giving and receiving of gifts follows the example of the Magi. The use of lights reflects both the increasing natural light of the time of year and the growing spiritual light of Christ, who is the Light of the World.

The best clue in the narrative for the time of year was the fact that shepherds were out in the fields at night with their flocks. This was only done during the warm months, certainly not in December.

It snows in Bethlehem in Winter!

There are two main sites that have their own Shepherds' Field, where the angels appeared to the shepherds announcing Christ's birth. Less than a half-mile (1 km.) separates them from one another. 

Franciscan Shepherds' Field (the most visited as it's more easily accessed and is set up for tourists).

The Greek Orthodox Shepherds' Field. Both sites have substantial archaeological evidence and tradition supporting them. However, the Greek Orthodox site has more ruins and longer continuous usage. Both places are located about a mile (2 km.) east of Bethlehem in the Beit Sahour village. The Church of the Nativity can be seen from each site. Because the sites are so close to one another, it's very possible that the angels' appearance was seen from both places as there could have easily been numerous shepherds in close proximity. There are also various other ruins, churches, and monasteries in the area, which testify to the fact that this event happened here.

The date of the birth of Jesus isn't the point – the good news is that HE HAS BEEN BORN. For that reason, we should study this event at times other than at Christmas. So, without trees, presents, and crowded stores, let's read about this awesome experience: (Luke 2:1-20). At the end of the 4th century, Jerome, who was translating the Hebrew and Greek Bible manuscripts into Latin at the Church of the Nativity, mentioned that the church in Jerusalem celebrated a feast-day at the Church

In 384 AD, the pilgrim Egeria was shown the church called "At the Shepherds" in a valley near Bethlehem. She reported, "A big garden is there now, protected by a neat wall all around, and also there is a very splendid cave with an altar." 

First, the Miracles Mary pondered and, Second, the Message God proclaimed.

I. THE MIRACLES MARY PONDERED

It's obvious that Luke conducted a personal interview with Mary many years later or how else would he have been able to write what he did in verse 19? It says, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Mary experienced so many miracles that night that she had to store them in her heart as precious treasures. The word "pondered" is a word that Aristotle used frequently; it is the word sunballousa which means to "constantly rethink and evaluate even the tiniest details" of an experience. What were "these things" that she pondered? When we look at what took place that night, there were actually three miraculous journeys. Each of these three journeys came to a conclusion that night and they all arrived at the same place in Bethlehem.

First, there was

1. The difficult arrival in Bethlehem

The first journey that came to a conclusion that night was the difficult journey Mary and Joseph made from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was a difficult trek of over 80 miles, 130 km, either down the the road beside the Jordan river and then up the hill towards Bethlehem, or across the hills from Nazareth to Jerusalem then on to Bethlehem. The chapter begins with Luke setting this event in a literal historical and political context. He is writing to Theophilus, who probably was an important official in the Roman government. Luke is careful to ensure that the readers comprehend that the birth of Jesus is firmly rooted in history. It was not a once-upon-a-time story. There was a real Jesus just as there was a Caesar Augustus and a governor named Quirinius.

Can you imagine the fear and anxiety Joseph and Mary experienced when they heard that because of this census, they had no choice but to travel to Bethlehem? They knew Mary was going to give birth any day and it would be a long and difficult trip but they had not choice, did they? After all, the Emperor Augustus was in control. Really? Actually, the heart of this king was in the hand of the Lord, and God was behind this decree. This massive registration plan was simply God's way to get Mary in the correct place for Jesus to be born. The scripture had prophesied 700 years earlier that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 says, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." That last phrase literally reads, "whose beginning is from the days of eternity." Caesar Augustus, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, was the first Caesar to be called Augustus. His real name was Octavanius. The Roman Senate voted to give him that title, Augustus, which means "holy or revered." It was a title reserved for gods. They wanted to make the Roman emperor like God. So here was this "Augustus" making his political decree, thinking he was god and he is simply a pawn in the hand of the true God. Man proposes, but God disposes. Augustus was a man who wanted to become a god and what we see in this text is God who is becoming a man! Now we often see pictures of Mary on a donkey, but she probably walked the 80 miles, 130km.

So Joseph and Mary finally arrived in Bethlehem, only to find every hotel had a "no vacancy" sign out front. Actually, Bethlehem was such a tiny town, that when it says there was no room in the Inn, it means there was only one and it was full. So Jesus was born . . . where, exactly? The Bible doesn't say. We only know He was laid in a manger, which is a wooden feed box for cows and sheep. That's why we assume He was born in a barn. Most miniature Nativity scenes employ a wooden shack as the barn, but we are fairly certain it wasn't a wooden barn. In Bible times, and especially in the region around Bethlehem, farmers and shepherds didn't have enough wood to build wooden building. Instead they used the natural shallow caves that dotted the sides of the limestone hills.

If you ever get into the Church of the Nativity, and there is a shallow cave, or grotto, that is the traditional site of the birth of Jesus. Of course, this huge church has been built over it.

There  was a second journey that arrived at the same place that evening. I call it

2. The quiet arrival of God

In the silence of a starlit night, Mary simply gave birth to a little baby – and his infant cry was the first time the voice of God was heard speaking through human lips. How far was this journey? It was a journey in which the Eternal Son of God laid aside His glory and traveled down through time and space at the speed of thought and took upon Himself our likeness.

II Corinthians 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."

The reason Jesus was born in such a poor humble circumstance was for our sakes. About 2km from Bethlehem sitting on top of the tallest hill was the massive palace that Herod the Great had built for himself. Called the Herodium, it had 200 polished marble steps leading to a series of towers and arches. It contained a swimming pool twice as large as an olympic pool. It would have been clearly in sight that night blazing away with its torches and candles. Why wasn't the King of the Jews born there? Did God know what He was doing? Was it a mistake for the Messiah to born to such humble surroundings? Shouldn't there have been a palace instead of a cave? Shouldn't there have been a solid gold cradle, not a manger? Shouldn't there have been the finest physicians present instead of just Mary and Joseph? Did God know what He was doing? Absolutely.

Ray Stedman writes: "Now you would think that if God so rules the world as to use an empire- wide census to bring Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, He surely could have seen to it that a room was available in the inn. Yes, He could have. And Jesus could have been born into a wealthy family. He could have turned stone into bread in the wilderness. He could have called 10,000 angels to His aid in Gethsemane. He could have come down from the cross and saved Himself. The question is not what God could do but what He willed to do. God's will was that though Christ was rich, yet for your sake He became poor. The "No vacancy" signs over all the motels in Bethlehem were for your sake. "For your sake He became poor." God rules all things – even motel capacities, for the sake of His children. The Calvary road begins with a no vacancy sign in Bethlehem and ends with the spitting and scoffing and the cross in Jerusalem."

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing.", "Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace, hail the Son of righteousness, Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings, mild He lays His glory by," (that's the incarnation), "born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King." She also pondered

3. The surprise arrival of shepherds

Now, picture little Mary for a moment. She is exhausted from the difficult trip from Nazareth, and she is weary from the physical ordeal of giving birth to her firstborn. But she is too excited to go to sleep so she and Joseph are taking turns holding the baby Jesus. Sometime that evening, a group of shepherds arrive and say, "Yes, here He is, just like the angel said . . "

I wonder if Mary had begun to entertain some doubts about the visit of the angel nine months earlier. After all, if her child was the Messiah, would she have been out in a cave, putting her child in a feed box? But now these unexpected visitors show up – and they are excited! One of the shepherds proceeds to tell Mary about the angel and then about the whole army of angels who appeared in the sky. This had to be a pleasant surprise as, once again; Mary receives confirmation that this little baby was to be the Saviour of the world.

This journey they traveled from the fields into Bethlehem, and then they returned to fields, rejoicing and praising God. What a night that was!

There were three miracles that caused Mary to ponder God's greatness and grace. The couple arrived safely in the city of David, God arrived in the form a baby, and the shepherds arrived to investigate this unique birth. But the main thing about the shepherd's journey was the message that they proclaimed. And it was God's message!

II. THE MESSAGE GOD PROCLAIMED

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.¹⁰ 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.¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

In the King James Version of the Bible, the phrase "fear not" is found three times in Luke's Christmas narrative and four additional times in his Gospel. The New International Version translates it, "Do not be afraid." The author of this Gospel was a physician—Paul called him "our dear friend Luke, the doctor" (Col. 4:14)—and often doctors have to say to their patients, "Now, don't be afraid." No wonder Luke used the phrase seven times in his Gospel! Don't be afraid. It's the most frequent command in the Bible. Maybe it's because we're prone to fear. Maybe it's because we're prone to forget, because we live in a dangerous world filled with dangerous things. Or because it's the right response to the good news. Most likely, it's all of these.

Don't be afraid. It's the command of Christmas. Two thousand years ago, some shepherds were out in the fields at night, likely counting sheep and trying not to fall asleep. Without warning, the angel of the Lord stood before them. They were terrified. But the angel commanded them, "Don't be afraid."

Don't be afraid. This command isn't heavily featured in the Bible by chance. There's always a "because." God doesn't give commands without purpose. So, the angel said, "Don't be afraid, for look …" God doesn't expect us to grit our teeth and push down fear. For look, he shows us why we need not be afraid. He wants us to see the end of fear.

It is Good News not Bad News

Whenever there was an angelic appearance in the bible, the first thing the folks thought of was "oh no I've had it!" The angel of death was very real to them and probably was their first thought about angels.  The shepherds probably thought "oh no no, this is bad news!" But the Lord says no this is good news of great joy!

Fear was a great problem at the time Jesus came into the world. According to Matthew 4:16—a quotation from Isaiah 9:2—the people were "living in darkness . . . in the land of the shadow of death." Death was a terrible enemy that kept many people in bondage to fear (Heb. 2:14–15), and the pagan religions had no answers or assurances to offer. People lived in spiritual darkness and longed for light. It was not until Jesus "destroyed death and . . . brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10) that the darkness fled and the fear of death vanished for those who believed.   "Do not be afraid,"

It is Salvation not Judgement

Don't be afraid. With this news is great joy. The angel had come to deliver a message — a good message — not to bring harm or punishment to the shepherds. In the same way, the message of Christmas does not destroy us; it destroys our fear. The shepherds likely feared for their lives when the angel of the Lord appeared to them. Imagine their surprise upon learning that they would not die but were invited to visit the newborn king. With the coming of Christ came great joy — not depression, not punishment, not destruction, but long-awaited relief and happiness. A Savior has been born, the Messiah, the King promised to David. And he is the Lord — God in the flesh, come to dwell with us. His name is Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Jesus is the end of fear. Jesus himself is the good news. And Jesus is great joy.

John 1:14 says, "The Word (God) became flesh and dwelt among us."

Philippians 2:5-7 "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."

Dr. A.W. Tozer writes: "If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was for forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior."

It is Real not Folklore

Next, the angel invited the shepherds to travel into Bethlehem to investigate and confirm this message. He said the way they would recognize this Savior/Messiah/King in an unusual way. He would be lying in a feed trough (we have made the word "manger" too religious). To me it is significant that God didn't command them to travel into Bethlehem, He simply delivered the Good News. After the angels left, the shepherds said, "Let's go into Bethlehem to see this thing that the Lord has told us about." (vs. 15) They heard God's invitation, and by their own choice they accepted His invitation and traveled into the town to find the baby. I can just imagine what must have happened. They hurried into town asking everyone they met if they had heard of a baby being born who was placed in a feed trough; finally they arrive at the correct location and they see Mary, Joseph, and little baby Jesus. The baby is wrapped tightly in strips of cloth and is resting in a wooden feed trough. They had seen enough! The angel was right: the Savior, Messiah, Lord had arrived! They not only heard the announcement, they came into His presence and met Him.

The Lord invites you to check out who Jesus is. You can know with certainty that this Saviour is your Saviour.

It is for all people not the elite

The fact that God chose shepherds to hear the first gospel message is not an accident. Shepherds were the lowest people in the socio-economic order of that day; they were a despised class with a bad reputation. Shepherds were known as thieves because they were nomadic, and as they moved their sheep around the country, sometimes they got confused about what was "mine" and what was "thine." They were not allowed to give testimony in a Jewish court of law. Their work made it impossible for them to observe the Jewish ceremonial laws and temple rituals, so they were considered religiously unclean and unacceptable. It's pretty amazing to think this heavenly invasion came to such social outcasts!

Jesus came to earth as God's gift for everyone—the group gift that can be appreciated by every person. Isaiah wrote, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6 KJV). Who is "us"? Initially, it was the people of Israel. But it was always God's plan to bring salvation to all the peoples of the world through the nation of Israel.

On the night Christ was born, the angel said to the shepherds, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11 KJV). The "you" was the shepherds, who were Jews; and the "you" was the Jewish nation. But the angel had also said, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people" (v. 10). We find the word people in the phrase "people of God." In the Old Testament "the people" or "my people" refers to the Jews (Exod. 5:1). But in the New Testament the phrase "people of God" means those persons who belong to God's family through saving faith in Jesus Christ (see Acts 15:14—"how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself"; see also Titus 2:14, 1 Pet. 2:9–10). . The fact that God delivered the first gospel message to shepherds instead of a king tells us that the good news is for all people, not just the wealthy or the educated. Let's notice four things God said to those shepherds 2,000 years ago, because He is saying the same thing to us today. He is saying here's some good news that will give you great joy:

It is for you to Accept.

"Unto us" a child is born—unto Jews, Gentiles, the human race, the whole world of people. "Unto you" is born a Savior—unto you personally.

What will you do with God's gift?

Don't be afraid. Jesus is joy proclaimed to all, and Jesus is joy proclaimed to you. Jesus is joy proclaimed to all, and Jesus is joy declared to you in the very real fears, distress, and challenges we experience. What objections spring up when you hear "Don't be afraid?" How does the good news of great joy speak to them? 

Don't be afraid. "But it feels like everything is against me." He has overcome the world. "But my spouse left me!" He will never leave or forsake you. "But I can't pay the bills!" Seek his kingdom, and these things will be provided for you. "But they're lying about me!" If God is for us, who is against us? "But I am dying!" He himself bore our sicknesses. "But I am suffering!" He carried our pains. "But I have a life of rebellion!" He was pierced because of our rebellion. "But I am a prodigious sinner!" He was crushed because of our iniquities. "But I deserve my torment." The punishment for our peace was on him. "But I have a story of shame!" The one who believes in him will never be put to shame. "But everyone who ever loved me has stopped loving me." Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

It is for you to proclaim.

So these shepherds traveled into the little town and they met the baby Jesus and they were so excited that verse 17 says, "they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child." That means they became the very first evangelists for Jesus. I believe each of those men were changed from having entered into the presence of Jesus. They couldn't keep quiet about what had happened to them since they met Jesus. They were joyfully skipping along, sharing the good news with everyone they encountered. Verse 18 says, "and all who heard it were amazed."

You see, once you meet Jesus, you can't stay the same. The birth of this little baby made all the difference in the world. Have you ever met Jesus? He will change your life too. One of the ways you can tell is that you will be telling everyone you meet that your life is different. When was the last time you acted like those shepherds and informed everyone you know that you have met Jesus and things are different in your life?

John sent me a video of a couple of young kids.. they were in church on Sunday.  On Saturday they were out at the main street of St Mary's preaching about the Lord Jesus. How thrilling is that?

My friend, God has delivered a Good News Invitation to you today. He says, "Come to me all you who weary and burdened and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28) Your name is embossed on the invitation. He says, "I love you and I want you to live with Me forever." He has added "RSVP" to the invitation. Now, what is your response?