ADVENT – CHRISTMAS EVE, 2018
Through Advent 2018 we have
studied God’s messages as brought to us by prophets of the Old Testament,
centuries before the birth of Jesus, and by angels of the New Testament as promised
to Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph, and as proclaimed by angels to the
shepherds. No matter when the messages
were delivered, and no matter whether delivered by prophets or angels, the
messages from God are essentially the same:
on a particular day in the city of David, God is sending a savior who
will bring peace, love and the promise of eternal life to those who believe in
Him. Tonight, if we stop for a moment
and reside in the quietness and awe of worship, we have a sense of
anticipation, of His coming, and of the peace of His being with us and in
us. Yesterday we considered the
prophet’s call for us to come to Him and we rejoiced in the fact that He bids
us come to Him. Tonight, we anticipate
His birth, the time when He came to us- to be God and man with us and in us.
God’s promises were confirmed by the prophecy
of Micah in chapter 5, verses 2-4 as follows:
2 “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.”
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.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
In writing about these verses, theologian John Piper tells us “Bethlehem is
scarcely worth counting among the clans of Judah, yet God chooses to bring his
magnificent Messiah out of this town. Why? because Bethlehem is small -- God
chooses something small, quiet, out of the way, and does something there that
changes the course of history and eternity. We can’t say, “Well, of course he
set his favor on Bethlehem, look at the human glory Bethlehem has achieved!”
All we can say is, “God does nothing in order to attract attention to our
accomplishments; he does everything to magnify his glorious freedom and mercy.”
Similarly, God chose a stable so no innkeeper could boast, “He chose the
comfort of my inn!” God chose a manger so that no wood worker could boast, “He
chose the craftsmanship of my bed!” He chose Bethlehem so no one could boast,
“The greatness of our city constrained the divine choice!” And he chose you and
me, freely and unconditionally.”
“The deepest meaning of the littleness and insignificance of
Bethlehem is that God does not bestow the blessings of the Messiah — the
blessings of salvation — on the basis of our greatness or our merit or our
achievement. He does not elect cities or people because of their prominence or
grandeur or distinction. When he chooses he chooses in order to magnify the
glory of his own mercy, not the glory of our distinctions. Therefore let us say
with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest!” not glory to us, but glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
As we worship here in the quiet anticipation of the birth of
our glorious Savior, let us open our hearts to the vastness of God’s love, and the
fulfillment of His promises in Christ among us.
Heavenly Father
Thank You for the fulfillment of Your promises
in the Birth of the Savior. Tonight, as we
anticipate the wondrous celebration of His birth, we come seeking You who alone
can equip and dwell in us so that
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
we are strengthened to do the work of Christmas by radiating Your light and glorifying You and reflecting Your peace, Your grace and Your love.
Amenwhen the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
we are strengthened to do the work of Christmas by radiating Your light and glorifying You and reflecting Your peace, Your grace and Your love.
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