Friday, Dec. 28
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All week we have been reflecting on the miracle meaning of the Incarnation. Incarnation is the fancy term theologians use for the coming of God into our world through the birth of Christ. The word Incarnate derives from Latin (in=in or into, carnis=flesh) meaning "to make into flesh" or "to become flesh". This is what John meant when he wrote in his gospel, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
The Incarnation ( along with the Resurrection) is the central truth of Christianity and the most significant event in human history! Think about it…it is the moment when God himself broke into our world. All of the OT history, prophets and miracles before the Incarnation were pointing to and leading up to it. All of the history, miracles & teachings in the New Testament and since flow from it and point back to it.
C.S. Lewis called the Incarnation The Grand Miracle…
“The Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion that what is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, came into nature, into human nature, descended into his own universe and rose again, bringing nature up with him. It is precisely one great and grand miracle. If you take that away, there is nothing specifically Christian left.”
(C.S.L. - The Grand Miracle, “God in the Dock”)
But what was God’s reason or purpose for this grand miracle? Did God just want to come to earth for a visit? Was he bored and looking for something to do? Did he want to get a first hand, close-up view of how things were going on earth? Of course not, the Incarnation is a solution to a problem, more specifically, it is God’s solution to our problem. What is our problem? In a word – sin. Each of us individually, and all of creation collectively has been marred and corrupted by sin. Genesis tells us that we are made in the image of God, but that image has been so badly damaged by our sin and by the sinfulness of our world, that we no longer remember the One who created us or what he created us for.
The 4th century Church father Athanasius wrote an amazing little book on the Incarnation (it is still in print today and remarkably readable). In this book, he uses the example of a portrait that has been painted on a piece of wood to describe the effects of sin and the purpose of the Incarnation;
“For as when a figure which has been painted on wood is spoilt by dirt, it is necessary for him whose portrait it is to come again so that the picture can be renewed in the same material -for because of his portrait the material on which it is painted is not thrown away, but the portrait is redone on it--even so the all-holy Son of the Father, who is the image of the Father, came to our realms to renew man who had been made in his likeness, and, as one lost, to find him through the forgiveness of sins; just as he said in the gospels: 'I have come to save and find that which was lost'.” (Athanasius, On the Incarnation)
What a beautiful and powerful image! The Incarnation is God’s way of restoring his image in us and in our world!
God became man so that we might become like God.
God became visible in flesh so that we might see the image of the invisible God.
God exposed himself to corruption and death so that we might live eternally.
God endured rejection and scorn so that we might receive his welcome and blessing. God made himself weak so that we might receive his divine strength.
God humbled himself so that we might be exalted with him.
Do you know this God? Do you see the depth of his love and compassion for you? Do you grasp the lengths to which he is willing to go to rescue you from the corruption of your sin? Do you understand that the God’s solution to our problem was to give us Himself!?
Jeff Frazier
All week we have been reflecting on the miracle meaning of the Incarnation. Incarnation is the fancy term theologians use for the coming of God into our world through the birth of Christ. The word Incarnate derives from Latin (in=in or into, carnis=flesh) meaning "to make into flesh" or "to become flesh". This is what John meant when he wrote in his gospel, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
“The Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion that what is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, came into nature, into human nature, descended into his own universe and rose again, bringing nature up with him. It is precisely one great and grand miracle. If you take that away, there is nothing specifically Christian left.”
(C.S.L. - The Grand Miracle, “God in the Dock”)
God became visible in flesh so that we might see the image of the invisible God.
God exposed himself to corruption and death so that we might live eternally.
God endured rejection and scorn so that we might receive his welcome and blessing. God made himself weak so that we might receive his divine strength.
God humbled himself so that we might be exalted with him.
Jeff Frazier
Thursday, Dec. 27
To download an audio version, click here.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” - Matthew 1:20-23
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14
These passages raise a theological question that I don’t think many Christians really understand – Why the virgin birth?
Have you ever wondered, why did Jesus have to be born of a virgin? Why couldn’t God just appear as a grown man or have two regular old human parents? Why did he need to do it this way?
I remember once being told by a fellow minister (from a totally different church and denomination) that you didn’t have to believe in miracles in order to believe in Jesus. His statement surprised me, and I asked him if he thought it was necessary to believe in the virgin birth, he said no, not really.
Let me give you three simple reasons for the necessity of the virgin birth that might help you to understand Jesus better and to love Jesus more.
First – Jesus is our Savior!
This is made wonderfully clear in verse 21, "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins,"
Joseph was told to name the child, Jesus. The name Jesus is the Greek version of the Hebrew name Yeshua, or Joshua, and it means “Jehovah Saves”. It is God who is our Savior; the Bible repeats this over and over again, in passages like 1 Timothy 4:10, “that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.”
Second – Jesus had to be the perfect substitution and sacrifice for our sin.
You see if Jesus had no human parent then he couldn't have been a man. He couldn't have taken on human flesh, he wouldn't have been of David's lineage and he couldn't be our substitute, man dying for men, so he had to have a human parent. But if Jesus had two human parents he could not have avoided the contamination of sin that is in every human being, and therefore he could not have been the perfect, spotless sacrifice that satisfied God. In other words, he could not have been God. So, you see that he had to have one human parent and one Divine parent.
Third – Jesus had to fulfill the prophecies about him.
Matthew connects the Virgin birth to the most important thing in the life of the Jews, and that is the Old Testament. We should not think of the Virgin birth as something novel or new, it is connected to the Old Testament. Notice that he says, "All this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the Prophet might be fulfilled, it might be accomplished." What was prophesied is now accomplished and Matthew actually quotes directly from Isaiah chapter 7 (Isaiah 7:14). That would be a prophecy 700 years before any of this took place!
Oh Lord Jesus, if I cannot fully understand you, it is only because you are the eternal God far beyond my human comprehension. And yet you also came to our world as one of us, to live, love, teach, suffer and die for us! You are both our perfect example and our perfect sacrifice. All praise to you Jesus, now and forever – amen.
This is made wonderfully clear in verse 21, "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins,"
Joseph was told to name the child, Jesus. The name Jesus is the Greek version of the Hebrew name Yeshua, or Joshua, and it means “Jehovah Saves”. It is God who is our Savior; the Bible repeats this over and over again, in passages like 1 Timothy 4:10, “that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.”
You see if Jesus had no human parent then he couldn't have been a man. He couldn't have taken on human flesh, he wouldn't have been of David's lineage and he couldn't be our substitute, man dying for men, so he had to have a human parent. But if Jesus had two human parents he could not have avoided the contamination of sin that is in every human being, and therefore he could not have been the perfect, spotless sacrifice that satisfied God. In other words, he could not have been God. So, you see that he had to have one human parent and one Divine parent.
Matthew connects the Virgin birth to the most important thing in the life of the Jews, and that is the Old Testament. We should not think of the Virgin birth as something novel or new, it is connected to the Old Testament. Notice that he says, "All this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the Prophet might be fulfilled, it might be accomplished." What was prophesied is now accomplished and Matthew actually quotes directly from Isaiah chapter 7 (Isaiah 7:14). That would be a prophecy 700 years before any of this took place!
Jeff Frazier
Wednesday, Dec. 26
To download an audio version, click here.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” - Matthew 2:1-6
Isn’t it beautiful the way the Old Testament gives us the details of the coming of the king? It begins in the broadest possible way by saying the Messiah shall come of the seed of the woman. And then we have all types of limitations. He is limited to a certain line. He is limited to a certain kind of birth. And finally, he is limited to a certain locality: the city of Bethlehem. The prophecies of Scripture are not prophecies that are given in ambiguous, loose language so that they might be fulfilled in several ways. The prophecies of Scripture are not like the Delphic Oracle, not like the words given to King Croesus when he asked if he should attack in order to win a victory. And the reply comes back to him, if you cross the river, a great empire shall be destroyed. Now the prophecy is so worded in ambiguity, that if he crossed and won, the prophecy would be right, and if he crossed and lost, the prophecy would still be right. For in one case, it would be the empire that he attacked that fell, and in the other, it would be his own empire. Scripture is no Delphic Oracle!
Scripture does not just say “in Bethlehem” but “in Bethlehem Ephrathah.” Did you know that there were two Bethlehems in the Old Testament record. There is one in Judea (that is Ephrathah), and there is one in Zebulon. And so we read in the Old Testament book of Micah, “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.”
The mysterious Magi set out from some distant country in the east and they ended up in the city of Bethlehem. Bethlehem means “the house of bread.” It was an ancient city with a beautiful history. I think one of the most striking things about Bethlehem is one that we rarely recognize - it was at Bethlehem that the first announcement of the Temple was made. And it is at Bethlehem in the New Testament that we read of the birth of him who was the true Temple of God. It was in the Bethlehem that Jacob buried Rachel. It was at Bethlehem that Ruth and Boaz met, and above all, it was at Bethlehem that king David lived and reigned. It is no coincidence that David’s greater son should be born in Bethlehem in accordance with the teaching of the word of God.
There is tremendous significance in the name of this “little town of Bethlehem” – “House of Bread”. First of all it is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about Christ’s birth. Secondly, it is telling us that Jesus Christ is our source of life, that He is the food our souls need! Throughout the Bible, bread is a symbol of life and of the favor of God. Bread is associated with blessing, prosperity and peace. In John 6:35 Jesus calls himself the Bread of Life, “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry.’” In Matthew 4:4, Jesus says, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Jeff Frazier
Jeff Frazier
Tuesday, Dec. 25
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All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” - Matthew 1:22-23
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14
Of all of the names of God given in the Scriptures (and there are a lot of them), I love this one (Immanuel) the best!
The names of God often tell us something about his character and his attributes. "YHVH" is the Hebrew word that translates as "LORD". This name is used more often in the Old Testament than any other name for God (approximately 7,000 times). YHVH or Yaweh, comes from the Hebrew verb "to be" and is the special name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM’. The name YHVH declares God's absolute being - the source of everything, without beginning and without end. Later Jewish scholars began pronouncing the sacred name of God as Jehovah (why they did this is a very complicated story). There are many places in the OT where we are given this sacred name of God (YHVH) with a descriptive attachment. For example, the name Jehovah(YHVH)-Jireh means The Lord Our Provider. The name Jehovah-Rohi means The Lord Our Shepherd, and the name Jehovah-Hosaynu means The Lord Our Maker.
"EL" is another name used for God in the Bible, showing up about 200 times in the Old Testament. El is the simple form arising from Elohim, and is often combined with other words for descriptive purposes.
Some examples: El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9).
El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17).
El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16).
El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2).
El Elyon - The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18).
But in my opinion, the best name of all is Immanu El - God Is With Us!
From the Old Testament (Deut. 31:8) And the LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed. To the New Testament (Matt. 28:20) And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age. God is continually promising that he will be with us!
Think about that for a moment…reflect on the amazing implications of the promise that God is Immanuel - with you! You are not alone. You are never without hope or help. You have God with you!
Now consider that in Jesus Christ, Immanuel becomes incredibly, and intimately personal. “God with us” is no longer only an abstract promise that we must take by faith, but it has real flesh and blood in the person of Jesus - He is Immanuel!
Oh Lord Jesus, our Immanuel, we praise you and we worship you. We would be hopelessly lost without you. Forgive our insecurity, fear and distrustful hearts. Help us to know deep in our souls, in this season and in every season, that you are with us – you are Immanuel! Amen.
The names of God often tell us something about his character and his attributes. "YHVH" is the Hebrew word that translates as "LORD". This name is used more often in the Old Testament than any other name for God (approximately 7,000 times). YHVH or Yaweh, comes from the Hebrew verb "to be" and is the special name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM’. The name YHVH declares God's absolute being - the source of everything, without beginning and without end. Later Jewish scholars began pronouncing the sacred name of God as Jehovah (why they did this is a very complicated story). There are many places in the OT where we are given this sacred name of God (YHVH) with a descriptive attachment. For example, the name Jehovah(YHVH)-Jireh means The Lord Our Provider. The name Jehovah-Rohi means The Lord Our Shepherd, and the name Jehovah-Hosaynu means The Lord Our Maker.
Some examples: El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9).
El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17).
El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16).
El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2).
El Elyon - The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18).
From the Old Testament (Deut. 31:8) And the LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed. To the New Testament (Matt. 28:20) And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age. God is continually promising that he will be with us!
Jeff Frazier
Monday, Dec. 24
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When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. - Matthew 1:24-25
If God decided to send His Son to earth again to be born as a baby, and if He was looking for a suitable home where the child would be properly raised, would yours be in the running? Consider only the spiritual, moral, and relational qualities God would look for so that, from the human side, a couple could prepare the Savior for His ministry. Would your home qualify?
Why do you suppose that of all the people He could have chosen, God picked Joseph and Mary? I would have guessed that God would have picked somebody of prominence, perhaps a priest, a rabbi, a prophet, or a ruler. He would want His Son to be well cared for, so I would have expected a family that was comfortable financially. Since His Son would need a first-rate education, God would probably pick a well-educated couple. Since the best schools, the best opportunities for meeting the “right” people, and for having the proper social upbringing would occur in a city, I would have expected the “right” couple to hail from Jerusalem.
But God didn’t do it that way. He picked an obscure couple, unknown in the religious and social circles of Jerusalem. The man was not a ruler or a priest, or even a rabbi, but a common carpenter of no notoriety. We know that they were poor, because they offered the poor-man’s sacrifice at Jesus’ birth, a pair of turtledoves or pigeons (Luke 2:24). As far as we know, they were not well educated. They were common, working people, living in the small, out-of-the-way village of Nazareth in the northern part of Israel known as Galilee. Why this couple?
One reason is that this just seems to be the way that God prefers to work.
The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
In other words, when God does his work, God should get the glory - not man.
Here are just a few other examples of how God chooses to work through unlikely people and circumstances:
Genesis 21 – God allows Sarah (95) and Abraham (100) to have a son – Isaac!
Genesis 25-32 – God chooses Jacob (the younger and weaker brother) over Esau to be the heir of the promise and blessing.
Exodus 4-12 – God chooses Moses (a runaway with a speech impediment) to defy the most powerful ruler on earth and lead nearly 1 million slaves out of Egypt!
Judges 7 – God chooses Gideon (a nobody from a weak clan) to save Israel, and God trims Gideon’s army down from 30,000 to only 300 men!
1 Samuel 16 – God chooses the shepherd boy David, the youngest of 8 brothers, to be anointed King of Israel.
1 Samuel 17 – David, a sling & 5 smooth stones vs. The Philistine Giant Goliath - you know the story…
1 Kings 18 – God chooses Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbe (so far out in the boonies that scholars today are not even sure exactly where that was!) to defeat 450 prophets of the false god Baal, and to overthrow the wicked Queen Jezebel.
I guess it really shouldn’t surprise us that God chose a poor teenage girl and a carpenter from the middle of nowhere to raise the Savior of the world!
How often do we shrink back from what God is doing in us because we think that we are not spiritually qualified, or not gifted enough, we don’t know enough, or we just aren’t “ready” for whatever it is that we think God is asking of us?
The point is that apparently God gets a kick out of using unlikely people in unlikely circumstances to do his work. This is the way God worked then, and it is the way he works still today, all he is looking for is a little faith and a willing heart!
Jeff Frazier
Friday, Dec. 21
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Luke 2:13-14
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Almost whenever I read, or hear read, this passage from Luke 2, I think of Linus reciting the great story in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
Jeff wrote about Charles Shulz’s simple but profoundly powerful little animated story last week. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” first aired in 1965. Although network executives warned Mr. Shulz that including the Biblical text would hurt the popularity of the production, he insisted and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” became an instant classic. In fact, an astonishing 50% of the televisions in America were tuned into that first broadcast!
Imagine! Half of all the people who were watching television that night were watching Linus read from Luke 2!
We don’t know how many angelic beings made up the “great company of the heavenly host” that Luke talks about, but other translations use language like, “vast army” and “multitude.” Was it hundreds? Thousands? Millions? Who knows?
This much we do know; the angels wanted to be there! They wanted to watch; they longed to see the story unfold!
In speaking of the gospel, the Apostle Peter writes:
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. 1 Peter 1:12
See that?
“Even angels long to look…”
Even the angels of heaven, who dwell eternally in the very presence of God himself, longed to see and participate in the birth of this child. Why? Because in him God was expressing himself and his love in a way in which he had never done before. In this child, the eternal Word would become flesh; in this child the gospel was being fulfilled.
Now I don’t know much about what angels are like, but I do know that if I were to see one today I would probably first be terrified, and second, be tempted to fall on my knees in worship. I know that because that’s almost always the human response to angels in the Bible.
But imagine with me the heavenly “town hall” meeting to determine which angels would be part of the “announcement team” that would make up the “great company of the heavenly host” that would appear to the shepherds. Now, obviously, I have no idea how this determination was made, but bear with me!
God calls all the angels of heaven before him and says, “It’s time. I’m sending my son into the world as the final and greatest expression of my love for the people I created. I’ve chosen a very special woman to bear the child and I need a whole bunch of you to make the announcement of his birth to the world.”
“Who wants to go?”
Angelic hands (wings?) shoot up all over heaven, “Pick me! Pick me! I wanna go! Oh, oh, pick me!”
And so they were chosen. And so they went. And so they scared the poor shepherds half to death. And so they came near enough to see the woman heave the little lump of flesh into the world; to see the tiny squinched up face with eyes barely open; to hear the cry of his first breath; and I believe for a moment the heavenly army gasped in holy silence.
And when they could contain their joy no longer, they burst forth in praise:
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Brian Coffey
Thursday, Dec.20
To download an audio version, click here.
Luke 2:8-20
Luke 2:8-20
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
A number of years ago I almost met Magic Johnson.
I was waiting at a gate in O’Hare airport with two of my young sons as we were on our way to visit family in Ohio. All of a sudden there was a stirring and I overheard someone say, “That’s Magic Johnson.” I looked down the concourse and, sure enough, there he was, one of the most recognizable people in the world at the time. I grabbed my boys by the hands and said, “Come on!” We scrambled out to the gate and followed Mr. Johnson and his entourage down the concourse for about 20 yards. By that time more and more people had recognized him and a crowd was beginning to gather. I realized there wouldn’t be time for us to work our way to the front of the crowd to meet him before our flight departed, so we returned somewhat sadly to our gate.
To this day, some 15 years later, I still tell people about the time I almost met Magic Johnson!
Why did I jump up and follow him? Why do I still tell the story? Because Magic Johnson had glory, that’s why! He was famous; he was a celebrity; he was cool; he had kabod! And you just don’t get to be around that kind of glory every day and I wanted a little piece of it; I wanted to bask for just a moment in Magic Johnson’s reflected glory.
And I couldn’t wait to tell people about it!
Look at what the shepherds did with their experience of glory!
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
People were amazed at what the shepherds had to say for two reasons. First, they were shepherds! No one paid any attention to what shepherds had to say. They simply weren’t regarded as significant enough to warrant attention in any meaningful sense.
Second, people were surprised by what the shepherds had to share. They claimed to have seen him. Him! The Christ; the anointed one; the Messiah.
Now two things about this story grab my attention. First, what could make a group of shepherds leave their flocks in the middle of the night and run into town to find a baby born in the ancient equivalent of a stable? It was such a crazy thing to do; I mean, a shepherd could probably be fired for leaving his post like that! The answer is glory. The shepherds witnessed the very glory of God and that glory was enough to convince them that the announcement of the was legit, so off they went.
The second crazy thing the shepherds did was to start telling people about what they had seen; about who they had seen. Imagine being awakened in the middle of the night by someone pounding on your door. You peek out the window to see who is disturbing your peace at this hour and see a couple of men you recognize as being the same guys who hang around a local intersection offering to wash your windshield for a buck every day. You think about dialing 9-1-1, but decide to see what they want instead. You open the door a crack and they begin babbling about angels and a baby and salvation.
What would you think? How long would your door stay open?
That’s what I thought.
So what could possibly cause these men no one wanted to hear from to think they had something to say?
The answer, in general, is glory.
When you have been in the presence of glory, you can’t wait to share the story.
The answer, in particular, is Christ.
When you have seen and experienced the glory of Christ, you can’t wait to share the story.
Brian Coffey
Wednesday, Dec. 19
To download an audio version, click here.
Luke 2:8-12
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
History is full of famous or accomplished people who rose from very humble beginnings.
Benjamin Franklin was the 15th of 17 children born into the home of a candle maker. He had just two years of formal schooling but eventually became one of the most famous men in American history.
Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room cabin to farmer parents and received only 18 months of formal education and yet managed to become the 16th President of the United States.
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 19th century America, was completely self-educated, but who eventually overcame all that to become an accomplished politician, author and business leader.
But none of these wonderful stories matches the story we read in Luke 2.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
A couple of weeks ago I talked about the surprise of this part of the story. We are so used to singing “Away in a Manger” that we scarcely see the scandalous humility of a child born to be King but lying in a barnyard feeding trough.
Why? Why would the God of the universe choose to send his son into the world in such an undignified and downright messy way?
Perhaps to give us a hint of who that child was and what he came to do. The Apostle Paul writes:
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. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, and that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6-11
This is a different kind of glory. This is not glory that draws attention to itself. This is not glory as in “celebrity” that demands special rights and privileges. This is glory “incognito.” This is glory that serves. This is glory that is humble enough to obey. This is glory that dies so that others may live.
This is the glory of the manger.
This is the glory of the cross.
This is the glory of Jesus.
Brian Coffey
Tuesday, Dec. 18
To download an audio version, click here.
Luke 2:8-9
Luke 2:8-9
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
“Terrified” is a strong word. I don’t like heights, and I’m not wild about spiders, but I wouldn’t say either makes me feel terrified. Now if you put me on top of a water tower and threw a live tarantula at me I would probably feel something close to terror; but there haven’t been many times in my life when I could say I was truly terrified.
Notice that this story, which we typically see as a kind of warm and fuzzy holiday story, starts with terror!
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
I think we can understand the shepherd’s terror in two ways. First, it’s natural to feel fear when we are both shocked and surprised by something you don’t expect. I can’t begin to imagine brilliance of the light that burst upon the shepherds that night. I would think that a “great company of the heavenly host” would make quite a racket too! Who wouldn’t feel at least somewhat frightened?
But I think they were terrified for a second reason; one that Jeff mentioned last week in “10 Minutes with God”, and that is, they were exposed to and by the glory of God.
Throughout the Bible the glory of God is a fearsome thing. God’s glory is his holiness made visible and therefore threatens to consume all that is not holy.
In the book of Exodus, God himself warns his servant Moses to approach his glory with great care. After God has promised to send his presence to accompany Moses as he leads the people of Israel, Moses wants more:
Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Exodus 33:18-23
In other words, Moses is only allowed to see God’s glory from the back! God tells Moses that his glory is so great it cannot be seen directly by a human being, even a man as great as Moses. God’s glory can only be seen indirectly, from where he has been, through what he has done.
When I was in about the second grade I observed my first partial eclipse of the sun. It was a big thing at school and our teacher showed us how to make the cardboard apparatus that would allow us to watch the effects of the eclipse without actually staring at the sun. She warned us that if we stared at the sun too long we could damage our eyes. I think the exact words she used were, “You’ll go blind.”
Now, I didn’t know anything about ultra-violet rays but the idea of my eyes being burned into little black cinders was enough to keep me from staring at the eclipse! (By the way, I looked it up and while looking at the sun during an eclipse doesn’t typically cause permanent damage your eyes, looking directly at the sun through a telescope, binoculars or even a camera can indeed cause serious injury.)
The point is that while staring directly at the sun is somewhat dangerous, the sun is that which allows us to see everything else.
In the same way, we cannot look upon God directly, but his glory is everywhere.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. (Psalm 19:1-2)
So when we marvel at the beauty of a Midwestern sunset, we aren’t just watching a meteorological event, we are seeing the trailing edge of the glory of God. When our eyes well up at the birth of a child, we aren’t just watching the culmination of the human gestation process, we are witnessing the glory of God passing by.
And while we do not typically feel terror at these moments, perhaps we should. Not the kind of terror that makes us run in fear; rather, the kind of terror that drives us to our knees in worship. The kind of terror that sings with the angels:
“Glory to God in the highest!”
Pastor Brian Coffey
Monday, Dec. 17
To download an audio version, click here.
Luke 2:8-20
Luke 2:8-20
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Imagine what would happen if one or all of the following three men walked into FBCG some Saturday night or Sunday morning:
Lovie Smith, Head Coach of the Chicago Bears; Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and one of the wealthiest people in the world; and President Barack Obama.
Before you start thinking about suggestions you’d like to make to Coach Smith about the Bear’s offense; or complaints you’d like to register with Bill Gates about his company’s products; or policy issues you’d like to address with the President, you have to admit one thing! If one or more of those men walked into church, the whole room would tip in their direction! That is, most people would stop paying attention to what was happening on the platform or in the pulpit and would focus on who had just entered the room. And that would happen because of the perceived importance and fame of those men.
This is part of what the Bible means by the word, “glory.” The ancient Hebrew word translated as “glory” is kabod, and it carries the meaning of “weight” or “weightiness”, as in that which is significant or important.
We pay attention to people who have kabod; we honor people who have kabod; we want to be in the presence of kabod.
Unfortunately, our culture tends to confuse celebrity with kabod, and while there certainly is an element of celebrity or fame to kabod, God’s glory also carries a sense of his holiness.
Throughout the Old Testament the glory of God is made visible through both fire and cloud:
When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud hovered over the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Exodus 24:15-17
This is the same glory that exploded around the shepherds as they tended their flocks that night.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
We’ll talk more about “terror” tomorrow, but for now let’s just say the shepherds were terrified by God’s glory because, in a way, his “weightiness” was more than they could bear. In that moment they felt the whole world tilting toward the glory that shone around them. Indeed, all creation inclined toward the announcement of the angel; the glory of God was becoming visible – not in fire, not in cloud, but in, of all things, the birth of a child.
And, when you think about it, the world still tilts toward this child. We number our years from the time of his birth. We string lights on our homes and trees, knowingly or unknowingly, to recall his glory; the glory that shone with such brilliance around the shepherds so long ago.
Do we still see the glory of this child? Do we still feel the weightiness of the babe in the manger? Do we still affirm the words of the Apostle John?
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Behold his glory!
Pastor Brian Coffey
Pastor Brian Coffey
Friday, Dec. 14
To download an audio version of this, click here.
Friday
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.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. - Luke 2:15-20
Most of us know about the shepherds out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks when the angel suddenly appeared to them, and we probably also know about the shepherds showing up to see the newborn baby Jesus (we know this because every nativity scene includes at least one shepherd figure). But what happened to those shepherds afterwards?
Imagine you’ve spent your entire life as a lower class citizen and a religious outsider. You’ve never had any significant wealth or reached a position of great influence. Now you’ve been invited by a messenger of God to the most spectacular birthday party in the history of the world—a birthday that will define and literally divide the history of the world. How would you respond?
The shepherds response was simple yet profound. They went with haste. They responded with a sense of urgency to God’s invitation. Throughout the gospels we see Jesus having this effect on people. Jesus calls us to follow Him, not to weigh all the options first, or to think about it for a while. The shepherds left behind their cares to come to Jesus. They had responsibility of watching over their flocks, but they realized that coming to Jesus was more important.
They spread the word. They could not contain the joy of the message they had heard. This is what sharing Jesus is really about, letting our joy in Jesus overflow. These shepherds simply couldn’t help talking about what they had experienced to anyone who would listen. This is one of the marks of a genuine encounter with Christ, you want to share it with people!
They returned glorifying and praising God. God did not remove them from their life circumstances, but He did change their lives. Their lives were now marked by the praise of God and their purpose was now the glory of God! Too many of us think about our lives in terms of external circumstances; where we are and what we are doing. These shepherds returned to the same fields and the same flocks, the difference was that they now tended their sheep and lived their lives for the glory of God!
If we would learn the lesson of the shepherds on that first Christmas night, it would cause us to develop these five simple responses in our own lives:
Friday
- We would respond with holy FEAR.
- We would respond with genuine INTEREST.
- We would respond with a sense of URGENCY.
- We would respond with compassionate SHARING.
- We would respond with authentic WORSHIP.
Jeff Frazier
Thursday, Dec. 13
To download an audio version of this, click here.
Thursday
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. - Luke 2:8-11
Have you ever wondered why shepherds, - out in a field on night watch, minding their own business, - were the first to receive the good news that the Savior of all people, Christ the Lord had been born?
Why them? Why did God tell them, why did He invite them to see the Birth of all Births? The Miracle of all Miracles,- the Incarnation of God!
One reason has to do with the OT law surrounding sacrifices at the Temple.
The law required that every household had to sacrifice a lamb at Passover time - if they could afford to do so. This amounted to a very large number of lambs being sacrificed. Additionally, the regulations dictated that each lamb had to be without blemish. (Ex 12:5). If you brought your own lamb to sacrifice, it was inspected by one of the Temple priests and the chances were high that it would be rejected as having some blemish. You were therefore forced to buy a lamb from the Temple itself.
The bottom line is that the Temple not only sacrificed lambs, but it supplied them too - in large quantities! Where did these lambs come from? The answer is that many of them were reared in fields near Bethlehem by shepherds who effectively worked for the Temple in Jerusalem. Now here's the really fascinating part: whenever a new lamb was born, it was the duty of the shepherds to immediately inspect the new born-lamb to determine whether or not it had any blemish.
Did you catch that? The shepherds had to bear witness to the perfection of the new born lambs. These shepherds were the first to witness the birth of Christ...what was it that John the Baptist called Jesus? Oh Yeah, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
God has a special affinity for shepherds, because God has the heart of a shepherd.
Think about it. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were shepherds. So was David (he may have shepherded in the same fields where these guys were when the angel appeared to them). God is referred to as the Shepherd of Israel. The Psalmist personally exclaimed, “the Lord is my shepherd.” Peter referred to Jesus as the Chief Shepherd. Jesus referred to himself as the Good Shepherd who was willing to lay down his life for the sheep (that includes you and me), see John 10. He is the Shepherd King of all humanity, and by the way, he happens to have a special love and longing for straying, misbehaving, dumb, lost sheep (that also includes you and me), see Luke 15.
God was coming in person to gather the lost sheep of Israel, and all of humanity to himself. He told the news to fellow shepherds first! There is probably something there that he wants us to pay attention to.
Justin Martyr, a Palestinian, was personally familiar with Bethlehem. He lived a little over a 100 years after Christ and writes that the stable Jesus was born in was a cave in the hillside. That is where the Shepherds would have headed in response to the message of the angel. They were humble folks and I imagine they didn’t even notice the outrageous conditions that the Christ was born into. Most likely they had to bow down to enter the cave,- no problem for lowly shepherds. And they knew who this baby was!
Shepherds were not exactly the “in crowd” in firs century Jewish culture. They were just above fisherman (another group that God seems to like) on the social scale, which is to say they were low class. Shepherds were certainly not the kind of folks who get invited to the celebration of the birth of kings...but they were this night.
Thursday
The bottom line is that the Temple not only sacrificed lambs, but it supplied them too - in large quantities! Where did these lambs come from? The answer is that many of them were reared in fields near Bethlehem by shepherds who effectively worked for the Temple in Jerusalem. Now here's the really fascinating part: whenever a new lamb was born, it was the duty of the shepherds to immediately inspect the new born-lamb to determine whether or not it had any blemish.
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? - James 2:5
Jeff Frazier
Wednesday, Dec. 12
To download an audio version, click here.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. - Luke 2:8-11
We have been reflecting earlier this week on how the first announcement of the Christmas message is the command not to fear. In fact, this is the most frequently given command in all of the Bible. It is one thing to say “don’t be afraid”, but it is another thing entirely to stop being afraid. Have you ever been truly afraid? Does it help you if someone simply tells you to stop? (me neither)
Notice that the angel does not just tell these shepherds to stop being afraid, he actually tells them HOW to stop being afraid. The angel says to the shepherds, “fear not, for behold...” This is the key to putting an end to your fear, you must “behold”. What does that mean? The word behold, literally means to look or gaze upon, to ponder and meditate on.
What is it then that we are supposed to gaze upon and ponder? It is the Gospel! Look at what the angel says next to the shepherds, “I bring you good news”. This is the announcement of the gospel, the euangelion - the good news. What is the good news? The angel tells us, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. The command to fear not is followed immediately by the announcement of the good news of the Savior of the world!
But how does this work? How are we to behold the gospel, and how exactly does that help to remove our fear?
Okay, let’s try to make this practical, let’s take 3 of the most common human fears as an example...
The fear of rejection - Many people suffer from the deep fear that if other people knew what they are really like, then they would not want to be around them at all. The gospel tells us that this Savior that has been born is the very same one that has made us acceptable in God’s sight through His sacrificial death and resurrection. In other words, God knows everything about you, including all of the ugly secrets, and He accepts you through His Son, you Savior!
The fear of failure - This is that little voice inside that keeps saying, “you’re falling behind”, “you’ve got to work harder because not good enough”, “you’re going to screw things up”, etc. The message of the gospel is that compared to God’s standard of perfection, you are a failure, BUT, the Savior that was born transfers His success to cover your failure, so that in Him you become a success!
The fear of the future - This is a big one. Countless people live with feelings of anxiety and insecurity about what terrible thing might happen in the future. The gospel tells us that this Savior holds all things together and the He is sovereign over all, even over the future! The baby born in a manger holds you and your future in His hands, and there is no safer place to be in all the universe!
The truth is that if we are living in fear in some area of our lives, it is ultimately because we are not beholding the gospel!
Jeff Frazier
Jeff Frazier
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