Honoring God at Christmas
(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!” (15) When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” (16) And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. (17) And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. (18) And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. (19) But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (20) And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:13-20
For most of us these are very familiar verses. We’ve heard them read every Christmas since we were born. We’ve heard the sermons year after year until they become so familiar that we drift off or lose interest. Well, this year I found new truths in them. They have been there all along I just had not seen them.
I think that when we look closely we will see three ways that we can please God in our response to the familiar truths about the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas. There are examples set for us by the shepherds and by Mary that we can use to bring glory and honor to God and to His Son whose birth we are celebrating soon.
In verse 15 after the angels had made an announcement to the shepherds about what had happened in Bethlehem they went to investigate it. What they had received from the angels was “good news of great joy that will be for all people” (verse 10). Obviously, the shepherds had heard this and believed it and went to see for themselves what “Christ the Lord lying in a manger” (verse 11-12) would look like. After seeing Him they spread the word about what they had been told about Him!
Each one of us who has received this good news has this same message bringing great joy as the shepherds did. The people we meet need to hear it as much as those the shepherds told. Are you and I telling others about what we have heard about Christ the Lord?
Next look at Mary. The shepherds came and told her what they had heard and all about the angels who they had heard it from. “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart”. (Verse 19)
Because you and I have heard these accounts of the birth, life, and even death of Jesus so often it seems that we fail to always see the relevance, the importance, even the life changing nature of them. They are truly good news with great joy attached for the one who believes them and invites Jesus Christ to dwell in them.
Do you and I spend any time pondering these things in our hearts? How much time, especially as Christmas approaches, are we spending in our Bibles and talking to the Lord every day? Are we thankful for the joy? Are we acknowledging the birth of our Savior or only trying to get everything earthly done so we can get it behind us for another year?
Jesus Christ is the best news to ever hit the earth. You and I can ponder the truth of that Christmas gift for spiritual growth until we are home with Him!
The last example in these verses is the way the Shepherds left “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had seen and heard which were just as they had been told.”
When the Shepherds realized that what the angels had told them was just as they had said, they knew it was of the Lord, the Messiah had truly come! So they praised and glorified God. I think this means that they talked about these things among themselves as they traveled. They marveled at how things had been just as they had been told they would be. They talked to other people and let them know what God had done and how He had revealed these truths to them. It was wonderful and amazing, worthy of talking about to anyone who would listen!
In America it is politically incorrect to tell someone Merry Christmas, no less praise God out loud for sending His Son as our Savior! Everywhere I turn Christians are screaming that Christ needs to be put back into Christmas. Then, as Christians, we need to go first! You and I have to be willing to openly glorify and praise God for His plan of salvation that starts with a baby boy, born in a stable, laid in a manger. He is Immanuel, God with us.
Do our friends and family members know this truth? Each one of us can tell our own story of how God revealed these truths to us, how we pondered it in our hearts until God softened them, and how we now praise and glorify God for the salvation He has given each one of us.
Tell others about the Christ Child, ponder the truths about Him, and worship God because of Him. These things bring praise and glory to the Father at Christmas and all through the year.