Sunday's Message - The Song of the Angels: A Song of Joy (Luke 2:8-20)

Some of our best memories of Christmas involve singing some of our favorite songs and carols. Whether they’re secular or sacred, they remind us of the reason for the season and the sheer joy that’s possible during this very special time of year. And so, with that in mind, we’re going to spend some time talking about the "Great Songs of Christmas” but not necessarily the ones we associate with this holiday. Instead, we’ll look at some of the advent songs from the Bible, passages that had meaning then and can have meaning right now. During four weeks, we’ll consider the following:

• December 1 - The Song of Zechariah: A Song of Praise
• December 8 - The Song of Mary: A Song of Trust
• December 22 - The Song of the Angels: A Song of Joy
• December 29 - The Song of Simeon: A Song of Hope

During the service on Sunday, December 22, we used Luke 2:8-20 to better understand the song of the Angels: a song of joy. Below is a podcast and the text of the sermon. You can stream our Sunday services by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

This morning we’re going to continue the series we started at the beginning of the month, you know, a series dealing with those great Christmas songs found in the Gospel of Luke. And as y’all remember, during the first message, we looked at Zechariah’s song of praise, one that came after the angel announced that Zechariah was going to be father and that focused on what God had done in the past and what he was about to do in the present and what he would be doing in the future. And then, we listened to Mary’s song of trust, something she offered after she’d been told that she would be the mother of God’s son, a song that expressed her trust in God by celebrating his blessings and by recognizing his power and by remembering his promises. Now, that’s what we’ve already talked about.

And this morning we’re going to continue with the Christmas story from Luke and consider the song that the angels offered the shepherds, a song of joy. Of course, it’s certainly not a reach to connect joy with Christmas. As a matter of fact, when we were in Weirton, there was a woman in the church named “Joy” and this was absolutely her favorite time of year, because her name was everywhere. 

And I’ve got to tell you, back when I was a kid, Christmas joy was a pretty big deal for me too, but it really had nothing to do with names or even feelings. It was all about the dishwashing liquid. You see, growing up, my family always cheered for the Washington Redskins. My dad always owned a Ford. And my mom, well, she always used Joy. And trust me, since we didn’t have an automatic dishwasher, there was a lot of joy around the Rudiger house all year long. But at Christmas, man, Joy meant a whole lot more than just some yellow, liquid soap. You see, back in the mid-60s, during the month of December, each bottle of Joy had this elf or pixie, dressed in either green or red, hanging on to the top. I guess Procter & Gamble figured they’d sell more soap if it came with a toy. But you know, since it looked a whole lot like an “Elf on the Shelf,” maybe their marketing department was being guided by forces far above them. But be that as it may, as a kid, these elves were a big deal, which motivated my sister, brother and I to dirty up as many plates as possible, because the more dishes mom had to wash, the more joy she’d need. And I’m sure she appreciated that. 

And like I said, the idea of joy is going to be our focus this morning. You see, we’re going to look at the song the angels offered the shepherds so that we might better understand how to respond to the kind of joy we tend to feel around Christmas but can also experience during the rest of the year as well. And even though we’ll follow the same basic structure we’ve followed in the first two messages, we’ll broaden out the song a little bit. In other words, when we’re talking about the song, we’ll include the whole encounter between the angels and the shepherds, including what happened before the angel spoke and after the “heavenly host” finished their singing. As a matter of fact, we’ll focus more on what the shepherds did then on what that host actually sang. Therefore, by the end of this little message, I hope we’ll have a better idea about how we might deal with those times of joy we may experience but not just around Christmas.

Of course, before we can talk about this joy-filled message the shepherds heard, I think it’s important to understand what motivated the angels to come in the first place. And I think Luke offered this context in the passage that comes right before the shepherds, one that I think you could say provides the reason for this Christmas season. I mean, just listen to what the evangelist wrote:

About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 

Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family.

Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn. [Luke 2:1-7, CEV]

You see, the reason Zechariah had offered his praise and Mary had expressed her trust, according to this passage from the second chapter of Luke, the reason for this praise and trust was accomplished when Jesus was born. And I’ll tell you, even though now-a-days it’s celebrated with a whole lot of stuff, the birth itself was incredibly simple: no tiny babies glowing or little boys drumming or farm animals talking. Just a baby lying in a bed of hay. And you know, because it was so simple, it’s really not surprising that, in Luke, the first people to hear about the birth weren’t the high and mighty but the low and humble. Now, that’s the context for the encounter between the angels and the shepherds.

And as to what happened before, during and after the song, well, I think it’s right here where we can get a pretty good idea about how the shepherds handled this joy-filled message they received. You see, right at the beginning of the encounter, in fact, before any kind of message had been given, first, the shepherds sure seemed to be open. I mean, just listen to what the Evangelist Luke wrote:

That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. [Luke 2:8-9, CEV]

In other words, as they were, using some good King James language, “keeping watch over their flock by night” [Luke 2:8b, KJV], in a very real sense, these shepherds were just out there, doing what must have been an unimaginably boring job, watching a bunch of sheep. But you know, when the unimaginable did happen and an angel flashing the Lord’s glory appeared, those guys didn’t run away. Instead, in spite of being afraid, they stuck around and waited for the angel to speak. You see, even though they couldn’t have known it at the time, they were actually open to hear the joy-filled message the angel brought. You see, according to the story, these shepherds were open.

But that’s not all, because when the angel began to speak and the host began to sing, these same shepherds were also attentive. Now I think that’s the second thing they did. Just listen:

But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”

Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:

“Praise God in heaven!

Peace on earth to everyone

    who pleases God.” [Luke 2:10-14, CEV]

Now that’s what Luke wrote. And just think about what’s going on here. Instead of asking a whole bunch of questions, which by the way both Zechariah and Mary did when the angel came to them, these shepherds just listened, you know, taking in what they were hearing, a message of “good news of great joy which will be for all the people.” [Luke 2:10b, CEV] In other words, the shepherd listened to the good news that this baby lying on a bed of straw was going to be their savior, the Christ, the Lord, and they allowed the praises from all those other angels to sort of wash over them, because, not only were they open, they were also attentive. 

And third, in light of all this joy they had encountered, these shepherds were also responsive. Again, just listen to Luke:

After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay.

When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant.

As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said. [Luke 2:15-20, CEV]

Now that’s what happened, and personally, I think it’s really important. You see, those guys didn’t just feel joy and then go back to their business. Instead, they got up and went. They left their sheep and hurried off to Bethlehem just to see the child. But, you know, they did even more than that. They shared what the angel had told them. And then, when they went back to work, man, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. You see, not only were they open and attentive, these shepherds responded to the joy they felt. 

And I’ll tell you right here and right now, I think we can do these same three things ourselves. You see, as we pass through this joy-filled season of Christmas and as we move into a new year that, you can take to the bank, will also have reasons for joy, we can follow the example of these fine, up-standing shepherds. 

For example, like them, we can sure be open, open to possibilities that may be beyond our imagination and open to all kinds of good news that we certainly can’t anticipate. You see, we can move forward with eyes that are open so that we can see God moving in ways that are radically different from what we might expect. And we can move forward with minds that are open so that we can entertain ideas that may be new and exciting and even life-changing. And we can move forward with hearts that are also open so that we can feel the joy and the hope and the peace that we might never know if we choose to cut ourselves off from others, especially those who are not like us. You see, we can be open, doing the same kind of thing the psalmist described when he wrote this:

I praise you, Lord,

    for being my guide.

Even in the darkest night,

    your teachings fill my mind.

I will always look to you,

as you stand beside me

    and protect me from fear.

With all my heart,

I will celebrate,

    and I can safely rest.

I am your chosen one.

You won’t leave me in the grave

    or let my body decay.

You have shown me

    the path to life,

and you make me glad

    by being near to me.

Sitting at your right side, 

    I will always be joyful. [Psalm 16:7-11, CEV]

I’ll tell you, if we want to experience the kind of joy felt by the shepherds, like them, we can sure be open.

Just like we can also decide to be attentive. In other words, as we take in the spirit of this glorious season, we can make the conscious and intentional decision to do three things that may not be easy for some of us (and right now I’m talking about myself) but that, I swear, will make a huge difference. For example, we can decide that we’re going to listen before we talk. And we can decide that we’re going to think before we assume. And we can decide that we’re going to feel before we dismiss. In fact, we can decide to follow the advice that James gave to the readers of his letter, when he wrote this:

My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry. If you are angry, you cannot do any of the good things God wants done. You must stop doing anything immoral or evil. Instead be humble and accept the message planted in you to save you. [James 1:19-21, CEV]

I’m telling you, just like those shepherds, when face to face with good news, with wonderful news, man, with the best news of all, we can be attentive. 

And finally, we can also be responsive. I mean, we can get up and move, physically and mentally and emotionally, so that we can put ourselves in a better position to appreciate the incredible things that God is doing all the time. And then we can share what we’ve seen and heard and felt so that other folks who may not have had our opportunities might experience a little bit of the joy we know. And along with the moving and the sharing, we can praise. We can praise God for what he’s done for us and what he can do for others. And we can praise him for the hope we have, just knowing that, regardless of where we go or what we do, “nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” [Romans 8:39, CEV] As a matter for fact, this just might enable us to claim the challenge the Apostle Paul presented to the Philippians.

Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. [Philippians 4:4-7, CEV]

You see, as we deal with all the joy that surrounds us this time of year, not only can we be open and attentive, we can also be responsive. 

Of course, I sincerely hope that how we respond to Christmas joy isn’t like what my sister and I did to one of the elves that was just hanging on to the Joy, and now I’m talking about a bottle of dishwashing liquid. Although I’m embarrassed to admit it, my sister and I did some major surgery on one of our many pixies. We removed one of his legs, something you should never do to your Elf on the Shelf. But I’ve got to tell you, what we found was really interesting. You see, there was paper in both the arms and legs, but not just any kind of paper. We found these strips of rolled up Japanese newspaper in our elves. And you know, that changed forever the way I saw those little green and red pixies. Man, it even caused me to question whether Santa lives at the North Pole or just outside Tokyo. 

But you know, as it relates to our Christmas, well, we can be a little different. You see, in just a few days, we’re going to celebrate the birth of our savior and Lord. And this morning, we’ve talked about how the shepherds received the joy-filled message the angels brought. And so, because of that, as we move through this remarkable season and beyond, like them, we can be open and attentive and responsive. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s certainly appropriate, because we’ve also heard the angels and their song of joy.