GOOD NEWS OF GREAT
JOY
Introduction:
December
is a significant month for our family for several reasons. We celebrate our
wedding anniversary each year. The greatest joy I have experienced more than
getting married was when Wilma told me that we were expecting our first baby. I
was elated with pride and joy with the news of becoming a father. Not once, but
three times, we had such joy-filled moments. Our youngest was born in December,
and we named her Tara, which means Star.
No matter the circumstances, the
birth of a baby anywhere and everywhere is good news as it brings joy to the
parents and the families. However, that joy may be limited to those
individuals. On this third Sunday of Advent, we will look at the birth of a
special baby and how his birth was the Good News of Great Joy for all people. Let
me set the background scene.
After 400 years of near-silence from
heaven, the hilly region of Judah was having some angelic visitations. The
Angel Gabriel, who stands in God’s presence, visited the earth with two sets of
joyful news. The first set of information was to an old priestly couple named
Zachariah and Elizabeth. They had no children. The second was to a young girl
named Mary, who was engaged to be married to Joseph the carpenter. Both Elizabeth
and Mary were relatives.
For reasons beyond their
understanding, they both became pregnant. Elizabeth gave birth to a son and
named him John, who became a source of joy and gladness not only to the elderly
couple but for many in that region. The story of Mary’s child is what we are
going to explore.
It was the first century A.D.; the
Romans were ruling the world. Emperor Augustus decreed that a census should be
taken throughout the Roman Empire. It was the first census taken under the
governor Quirinius. Joseph and his pregnant fiancé returned to Bethlehem to be
registered in the census. While they were there when the fulness of time came,
Mary gave birth to her first child, a son, and laid him in a manger as there
was no lodging available for them.
Two weeks ago, we entered on a
prophetic trail with an attempt to understand and retrace our historical
heritage. We began the Church tradition of Advent by lighting the candles in
the Advent wreath. The first purple candle represented Hope; the second purple
candle encouraged us to prepare ourselves and get others ready for our Lord’s
Second Advent.
The third Sunday in Advent is called
in Latin Gaudete (or Rejoice). The third candle in the Advent wreath is
commonly referred to as the joy candle. Amid solemnity, the church recognized
that Christians are never people without joy.”[1] In our passage, we
read about angels announcing the good news of great joy to some obscured
shepherds in the fields of Palestine. It
would be helpful to retrace the prophetic context to understand this story
better. In 737 B.C, a minor prophet named Micah prophesied that the Messiah
would come from this otherwise insignificant community. Micah 5:2, “But you, O
Bethlehem Ephrata, are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from
you on my behalf.” In our story, we will see how this prophecy has been
fulfilled.
I.
THE UNLIKELY RECIPIENTS:
Vs. 8, “That night there were
shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly,
an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory
surrounded them.” It started like any other typical day for these shepherds
when they left their homes to graze their sheep in Palestine’s hills. At
nightfall, they were guarding their sheep.
All of a sudden, something unusual
happened. An angel from heaven showed up among them, and the whole field was
lit up with the radiance of God’s glory.
How would you react to such a
glorious event? Would it not scare the daylights out of you? The shepherds were
terrified. After assuring them not to be afraid, the angel proclaimed to them
the most important news.
You may be wondering why the shepherds
the most unlikely recipients? Is it not crazy that God bypassed the rich, famous,
wise, so-called righteous and sent his angel to these simple shepherds? It is
not strange for God to do such uncommon things. That is how God often works; he
hides his plans from people who are wise in their own eyes and reveals them to
the innocent.
The Bethlehem shepherds became the
first recipients of God’s divine revelation. Recently I studied a bit about
shepherds. The wilderness is featured in many biblical narratives. Wilderness
does something to a person’s soul. “It is a place of death. Deserts bring
people quickly to the end of their self-sufficiency and independence.”
Shepherds learn to endure and
survive in the desert. In the wilderness, God called His people to do
extraordinary things. It is where, while managing the sheep, Moses got his
mission to lead the Israelites out of slavery. The Israelites have learned
valuable lessons of trusting God. Bethlehem was nearby Jerusalem, and many
of the sheep used in the temple sacrifices came from there. The surrounding
hills were prime grazing land, and shepherds worked in the area day and night,
all year round tending their flocks. In our story, the shepherds were tested
and found ready to be entrusted with the divine message of the good news of
great joy.
II
GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY.
The quiet hilly region of Palestine
became hectic with action. Suddenly, we see angels from God flying back and
forth, from heaven delivering messages to Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, and now to
the shepherds. Vs. 10-12, “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to
all people. The Savior, yes, the Messiah, the Lord, has been born today in
Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will
find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” What do we
see in these verses, how would that impact us today?
Three ancient prophecies (Isaiah
7:14, Isaiah 9:6, and Micah 5:2) were fulfilled in those two verses. Mary gave
birth to a son, wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth, and laid him in a
manger. We also see an angel delivering mega news to a group of innocent
shepherds, saying, “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all
people.
What is this good news, and how can
a baby possibly bring great joy to all people? The good news was that according
to the prophecies, the Savior was born in Bethlehem. He was the Messiah who
would rescue his people from the tyranny of their oppressors, and He would
reign on David’s throne forever. The Hope of Israel has finally arrived and was
laid in a manger.
Soon after that proclamation, the
angelic choir burst into praising God, saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” The big idea of this
passage is “The birth of Jesus. The name Yeshua or Jesus means, “The Lord
Saves.
The Greek word Chara translated into
English joy and rejoicing has a richer meaning. It is a feeling of inner
gladness or delight. Chara comes from another root word Charis, which means
grace as our joy depends on God’s grace upon our lives. The little boy Jesus in
the manger did not remain a baby; he grew up and became a man. This was what
was said of Him.
John 1:14, “The Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one
and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Good News
of Christmas is that Jesus will give His Joy to all those who will believe in
Him.
III.
JESUS IS THE REAL JOY GIVER.
Many people have this misnomer when
we believe in God, all fun and joy will go out of our lives, and we have to
live miserable and unhappy lives. This lie hinders many from coming to God. The
truth is, the longer you are away from God, the longer you remain miserable. Consider
the following scripture that talks about where we can find real joy. Psalm
32:1-5
“Oh, what joy for those whose
disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for
those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in
complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I
groaned all day long. Day and night, your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in
the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to
hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And
you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” In repentance, we will find our real
joy.
A sinful lifestyle is one of the big
reasons for our misery. When we deliberately sin and continue to live with
unconfessed sin, our body wastes away. Because of God’s tender mercies, He
would not give up on us. Day and night, His hand of discipline may be heavy upon
us. Like the Psalmist, when we confess our rebellion to the Lord, He will
forgive us of our sin and remove the guilt and shame associated with it and
fill our hearts with real Joy.
But you may say, where is joy these
days? This year everything has been stolen from us. We don’t have our usual
concerts, gatherings, and parties. We are missing out on so much. Yes, and you
might be right, yet maybe we need to dig a bit deeper this year to find real
Joy. Unlike other years, we have been slowed down this year; let’s not resent
it, but make the most of it.
In the quietness of our homes, let’s
re-read and meditate on the most remarkable story of all times and rediscover
real Joy. Joy is not store-bought, and Amazon Prime doesn’t deliver it to your
door. Real Joy is only found in Jesus, who said, John 15:11, “I have told you
these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will
overflow! In closing!
The shepherds in our story were less
skeptical than you, and I are. They hurried to Bethlehem to see Jesus. After
visiting Jesus, they went away, proclaiming the good news to all people. How
will you respond to the good news of great joy, Jesus, the real joy giver? Amen!
